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Kate Champion and Kelli Jean Drinkwater Announce 'Nothing to Lose' Show to Celebrate the Body at Sydney Fest in January

A short, three-letter word may not be the most attractive phrase in dance. To call someone "fat," though, may not carry with it the same connotation it used to. At least, that is the case for Kate Champion, artist Kelli Jean Drinkwater in their upcoming production "Nothing to Lose," where "fat" is exactly what they are looking for."We did say fat. We asked for people who identify as fat, larger, big-bodied," says Champion about an ad she posted to social media.Perhaps the word may offend, but that is the opposite of her magnum opus. Instead, she claims, the production celebrates the body and those who do not identify with the social norm.The idea, while controversial, resonated with enough people to where they were sending audition tapes in droves. An idea that may seem exploitative, sure, but this concept is honed at authenticity — owning that you are comfortable in your own skin.
By Ian Holubiak

  • Modern Orchestra The Knights Will Release First Album, Tour with Bela Fleck

    Cutting-edge New York orchestra The Knights have been signed by Warner Classics, and their first album, "the ground beneath our feet," is due to be released Jan 26.The Knights began with brothers Eric and Colin Jacobsen, staging impromptu chamber music readings with their friends at their home while they were music students. Since then, the orchestra has risen and been hailed as “the next generation of classical music.” They have been known to play with big names in the classical and indie music scene, such as Bryce Dessner, guitarist of the band The National.The new album will explore the concerto grosso form, a Baroque form in which musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and a full orchestra. Colin characterizes the relationship between these two musical groups as a “party within a party.”Their "ground beneath our feet" will pair examples by Bach, Haydn, Stravinsky and Reich with world-premiere recordings of two collaboratively composed concertos. True to their collegial creed, the title track is a genuine group composition, collaborative from inceptions to interpretation.The CD release is timed to coincide with The Knights’s extensive, upcoming, seven-state, East Coast tour, where they will be joined by 15-time Grammy-Award-winning banjo artist Bela Fleck.
    By Jaime Prisco

  • High-Tech Ballet Shoes Are Able to Trace Dancer's Movements

    Designer and amateur dancer Lesia Trubat has created a new type of ballet shoe for the high-tech ballerina. Electronic Traces records the foot’s contact with the floor, allowing the dancer to “draw” all of their movements in brush-like strokes.“E-Traces,” as it is known, starts with a small electronic device affixed to the bottom or side of a dancer’s shoe. The sensors come from Lilypad Arduinos, which can be purchased online and has been used for all kinds of different wearable electronics.Trubat wove the wires and circuits into the soles of the shoes, and the hardware detects the pressure on the shoe as well as the force of motion from the dancer. A computer program then translates the data and sends it to a custom mobile app program. The result is a beautiful constellation of delicate “paint” marks that look almost as graceful as the dancers themselves.The ballet shoes were designed by Trubat as a degree project for ELISAVA design school in Barcelona, Spain.
    By Jaime Prisco