Introducing our company members.
May 6, 2014This week, we’re delighted to introduce you to one of the outstanding dancers in the company, Sam Wong. Originally from Santa Monica, California Sam shares with us his thoughts on dance, life and his experience with BodyStories so far…
I began dancing after growing up spending most of my time in theatre – I trained growing up at the Santa Monica Playhouse in Santa Monica, California for most of my young life and then switched to intensively training in dance at the end of high school. I’ve always loved performing & dance to me, was a fuller, more lived way of performing in comparison to much of the theater I did during that time! I certainly feel like my theatre training has had a great influence on my dancing and it has helped me in a lot of ways. To me, dancing just felt right and I haven’t looked back since…
Sam talks about what dance means to him.
To me, dance is one of the closest things we have to tangible magic. There is something otherworldly when the right movement travels across your body, the wind in your ears and the floor beneath your feet. It is like building and riding your own roller coaster everyday, accessible to you at any time. You can see it when invested dancers perform beautiful movement, they are somewhere else yet so present and alive. When I dance, it is about being able to connect with something bigger than myself and feeling alive.
I love all dance and I’m constantly seeking to play with the different types of dance I learn. But currently I enjoy contemporary ballet the most – simply because I find that there is something amazing about being given a strict set of well defined rules and guidelines and getting to choose which you want to keep and which you rather break and then go back to. Mentally and physically it is mind-blowing. I’ve recently discovered a drive to improve my hip-hop as well, as it is a completely different way of naturally moving than I prefer – and that’s why I love it!
My perception of dance keeps evolving over time as I learn and hear new things. One of my most favorite words of wisdom was from one of my past teachers at The George Washington University, Anthony Gongora, who teaches Modern/Postmodern dance. While he was teaching another student one day, he told her “when you move, think about moving the air particles around you”. I found that beautiful. In a ballet class the teachers posed, “Why don’t you dance from your inseams?” Loved that one as well. Recently I’ve been thinking about sculptors, how many great sculptors say they can just look at a block of material, see the 3D image, and remove the unnecessary surroundings. Conversely, I have been thinking of imagining the space around me to be a large block of material and there is just enough space for me to fit into a pre-designed space where I can only fit into the exact shape given.
Here is another memorable experience from working with BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance that Sam would like to share with everyone.
A great moment for me was when we performed at APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) in January. We got to dance at Jazz at Lincoln Center with a beautiful view of Columbus Circle lit up at night through the backdrop. If only in the last quarter of NOGOOHA the music hadn’t cut out! We had to dance the end in silence…certainly an unexpected challenge as the last moments are in unison taken off the music!
The dancers definitely had seamless performances that evening, surpassing even the most challenging technical glitches that can happen in live theatre!
Introducing our company members.
April 15, 2014Hello everyone! We hope you are as thrilled as we are about the arrival of Spring!
We are delighted to share some insights into the world of Monica Mordaunt, one of the stunning dancers in our company. Her journey with BodyStories began in early 2013 when she joined as an intern. In October 2013, she began dancing with us as a Guest Artist and also continues working with us administratively as our Development Associate. Please enjoy Monica’s reflections below.
Growing up in Southern California, I trained in Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Tap, and Ballet at multiple nationally ranked dance studios before continuing my studies at Chapman University in Orange, California. Here, I fell in love with contemporary and modern dance forms and knew pursuing a performance career was only fitting. I enjoyed being a freelance artist in Los Angeles following graduation and after a year I decided to expand my opportunities and relocate to New York City. It has been a wild ride in NYC so far and I have been appreciative of all those I have met and enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had to work with several artists. I love working both administratively and as a guest artist with Teresa!
To me, dance is a connection; a connection to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual elements of myself as well as the community which it encompasses. Dance connects people from all backgrounds- movers, non-movers, lovers of moves, and supporters of movers. This connection is why I love dance and why it continues to fascinate me.
I find myself gravitating more towards expansive movement that flows and is also grounding. I love exploring new movement pathways and energetic connections. Being attentive to spatial elements and dynamic choices in movement sequences interests me as well. I prefer to move in ways that encompass whole body awareness and finding ways of moving with ease in challenging movement.
A memorable experience working with Teresa was during our four day residency at Dragon’s Egg in Connecticut. Here I was able to understand and connect to our recent work by having the time to dissect the movement and experiment with what I could personally offer to it. An experience such as this is one of the reasons why I enjoy being a part of Teresa’s process.
Introducing our company members.
March 28, 2014This week, we’d like to introduce you to one of our dancers that joined our team in October 2013 – Meg Bronson.
Ever since this charming dancer was a young girl, dancing at the local YMCA and performing in front of people gave her an unrivaled feeling of comfort, happiness, and home. Her mother quickly noticed her talent and impeccable rhythm so she continued to encourage and support Meg to dance as much as possible. In a perfect culmination of this support and the passion from within her, dance became the most important thing in her life and her greatest passion.
Throughout her high school years, Meg’s devotion was never abandoned and she trained for several hours a day and excelled through various competitions. Towards the end of her college years, she followed her heart and decided to pursue her life dream of dance as a career. She followed her heart and made her dream come true. She enrolled herself at the York University of Dance and was soon training to be the professional dancer she had imagined as a little girl.
When Meg arrived in New York, her voice as an individual and an artist came alive. The big city provided a place for Meg to be comfortable to articulate her passions through her artistic movement and expression.
Meg explained for us the important role dance holds in her life and said, “Dance is the strongest way for me to express myself. I’m more of an introverted individual, especially while I was growing up…So movement was the most powerful tool for me to non-verbally communicate.”
One of her most breath taking performances with the company to date would definitely be the performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
When describing another adventurous experience with Bodystories: Teresa Fellion Dance, here is what Meg had to say:
“While we were there to perform, residing at Dragon’s Egg in Connecticut was one of the craziest experiences I’ve ever had. The late January forecast predicted a terrible snowstorm for the evening of our departure. Even though we left Connecticut early, our 3 hour drive turned into an 8 hour fiasco. But, I’ll just say that it was an extremely memorable and bonding experience for me and the rest of the company!”
Introducing our new company members…
March 4, 2014Hey everyone! I know the weather is still extremely chilly, and as much as we’d all love a warm sunny day that’s going to take JUST a bit longer. Although, there is one solution to keep you warmed up-DANCE it is!
We’ve got some great news for you… Ever since October 2013, our company has expanded with additional dancers joining our team. After receiving 200 submissions in New York City all through September, we invited 100 applicants to audition at the end of the month. After dancing with these super-talented dancers at our audition, in company classes, and in workshop-style callbacks, we came to choose these few simply extraordinary dancers. It’s a tough task to choose dancers and we could not be happier with our current company members, guest artists, and apprentices. Since their very first day in October, these dancers have been thriving and living in it!
In December 2013, they had their very first performance with the company as a whole, and I must say it was outstanding. Throughout January and February, these dancers have been working on new creative ideas to incorporate for The Mantises Are Flipping (P.S. I’ll have whatever they’re having) and performing with us at Jazz at Lincoln Center, GAP, Green Space Take Root Series, and more! We are looking forward to sharing peeks into the worlds of each of our company members. Please enjoy the below spotlight on Audrey Rachelle Stanley!
Taking her very first dance lessons at the innocent age of four, Audrey Rachelle Stanley knew it in her heart that she was born to be a dancer. One evening, she recalls how her mother rented the Giselle DVD and as tiny as she was, she imitated every dancer on her tip toes while her eyes never left the television for even a second. When asked about what Audrey’s thoughts on dance are, her first words were “Dance is the sharing and exposing of emotional impulses, creativity, and intelligence through physical movement.” Even though she has explored several dance forms, contemporary seems to be her most fond dance style. Currently Audrey is focusing on deepening her connection between imagery and sound effects to enhance her movement.
The charming beautiful and graceful Audrey shares a few experiences with our dance company – “I have thoroughly enjoyed rehearsing and performing with BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance for the past few months. One of the most interesting highlights for me was my first performance at the Holiday Benefit. The sense of unity I felt with the dancers and the audience that night was so serene and satisfying.”
Kicking off the New Year with LIVE Performances!
January 10, 2014Our company wants to wish all of you a very Happy New Year! As a loyal fan and supporter of BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance, we want to thank you for a lively, action-packed 2013!! We are fortunate to have had great performance opportunities at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Bryant Park SummerStage, 92nd St. Y, Booking Dance Festival Edinburgh, and John Jay Theater, performances through the Brooklyn Arts Council, and ongoing classes and workshops through the year. Your continuous support enables us to spread our mission as a contemporary dance company to capture and communicate universal human encounters through dynamic, purposeful movement.
…
Lets kick off the New Year at Jazz at Lincoln Center with performances of The Mantises Are Flipping (P.S. I’ll have whatever they’re having) and No One Gets Out of Here Alive as a part of APAP, Booking Dance Festival NYC!! We are performing as a part of Jodi Kaplan’s Boutique Roster!
FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 10th 2014 at The Allen Room
Performances from 5:30pm-11:30pm
Audience can come and go throughout the evening but tickets are also available for purchase on the either of the links below.
Booking Dance
Jazz at Lincoln Center Events
Here are sneak-peaks from last year’s performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Bodystories: Teresa Fellion Dance Holiday Benefit Party
THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING 2013 WITH US!
Thank you to everyone who came out to support Bodystories: Teresa Fellion Dance. Thank you to our dancers, musicians, Board of Directors, silent auction artists, interns, and volunteers! The night was fantastic because of all of you! The dances were beautiful, music was rockin’ and it was nothing but fun throughout the evening! There were selections of unique pop-up performances of our latest material and a variety of improvisational dance pieces. We were also happy to share a preview performance of The Mantises Are Flipping (P.S. I’ll have whatever they’re having) that we will be performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center. This was a lovely event to meet new and old friends, catch up with company members and party it up!
You can see view more photographs of the party by accessing our Facebook
We had live dance performances by Corey Bliss, Meghann Bronson, Celine D’Hont, Sarah Hillmon, Julia Jurgilewicz, Monica Mordaunt, Lindsey Ridgeway, Audrey Rachelle, Stanley, Koryn Wicks and Sam Wong. Live music by Joseph Haines, Orin Kurtz, Michael Sultan and Simone Jehangir. We want thank people’s
On December 15th, we hosted
-Minrui, Bodystories Intern
Before the party starts, many
-Yili, Bodystories Intern
Holiday Benefit Party 2013
December 15, 2013At Red Bean Studios
Food, Drink, Art & Silent Auctions, Live Music and Dance! We had so much fun at this year’s party with such a wonderful group of people!
Dance Performances by Corey Bliss, Meghann Bronson, Celine D’Hont, Sarah Hillmon, Julia Jurgilewicz, Monica Mordaunt, Lindsey Ridgeway, Audrey Rachelle Stanley, Koryn Wicks, and Sam Wong.
Live Music by Joseph Haines, Simone Jehangir, Orin Kurtz, and Michael Sultan.
Fall Reflections on our Summer Travels!!!
October 25, 2013We recently returned home to New York after performing and teaching in Edinburgh, Scotland! We had a fantastic trip and are so thankful for all the opportunities we were able to experience. So many exciting things happened and we are more than happy to have our dancers share them with you.
“The Fringe Festival shows can be described in a simple analogue: Fringe shows in Edinburgh are similar to the population in New York City – there is so much diversity and so many shows they cannot all be accounted for. Watching aerial artists, jugglers, comedians, and dancers I began to realize how we all are performers painting a canvas in a three-dimensional space where there is no fourth wall. How commitment informs an audience – commitment to the work, the moment, the art, and to oneself.” -Nicole Kadar
“British Prime Minister David Cameron said “Scotland’s greatest asset and greatest export is its people.” I heard that line spoken proudly by more than one Scot I met in Edinburgh, and with good reason. Scotland is filled with wonderfully friendly people who share a distinctive generosity and openness, especially when it comes to creating and viewing art.” -Corey Bliss
Throughout the festival, we had seven performances encouraged by many supporters, presenters, and press. This gave us a chance to meet with some of the people that expressed an interest in our company, for example, writers from The Mumble, Huffington Post and Broadway Baby. We received a four star review from The Scotsman, which is known as the “New York Times” of Scotland, and were mentioned as a stand out company by Huffington Post, Broadway Baby and The Mumble.
“Through Booking Dance I discovered the light, fast, fluid work of the New York based Teresa Fellion Dance company, filled with wit and levity.” -Huffington Post
“BodyStories, under the careful artistic direction of Teresa Fellion, embody the raw experience of human encounters through the medium of dance. They offer an innovative expression of the difficult coming of age phase of adolescent life – exploring the mental and physical changes in this quirky routine.” -Emma Steedman (Broadway Baby Writer)
Besides these scheduled festival performances, our company was also selected to perform on The Royal Mile. Before the festival began, we performed on this popular stage in downtown Edinburgh and gave audiences a sneak peek of what was to come. We also collaborated with several talented European dancers during improvisational sessions hosted by Core Arts Complex. We held a photo shoot capturing the beautiful scenery in Princes St. Gardens as well! Check out 00:00-00:17 to see a glimpse of our Royal Mile Performance in Edinburgh, improvising from NOGOOHA. Click here to watch the video
…
Artists’ Experiences in Edinburgh, Scotland
Going to Edinburgh was an amazing experience. The fringe festival proved to be a wonderful performance Mecca. There were so many artists and performers that I was guaranteed to find performance near by and a performer to stumble into, connect with, and exchange ideas with. Days were full of dancing, walking the beautiful city, watching inspired and new performances, and relaxing at a nice pub with other artists. I am particularly thankful for the opportunity to connect with the other dancers in the Booking Dance Festival and plan on keeping these friendships. -Daniel Chenoweth
What a lovely time in Edinburgh…there were overcasts with 80-90% chance of rain most days. The people are polite, friendly and helpful. The first few days I had to remind myself that the people were not putting on accents. When it was just about time to go home, no more shows, just one more class, I sat near the Elephant Café, where J.K. Rowling began to write Harry Potter, with a coffee in hand letting my mind unravel a bit… Career or personal stagnancy will not happen if I allow my energy and passion for my art to guide my journey as an artist. There may not be a discovery every time an artist creates, takes class or performs; but that is okay. One just needs to be responsive and aware. Understandings can be made without discoveries – and that is it’s own journey. I know these statements are not newly invented thoughts, but they gained new meaning for me in Edinburgh. -Nicole Kadar
My experience in Edinburgh was an extremely positive one. Every aspect of the trip was incredibly enjoyable, but I have to say my favorite part was walking around and exploring the city. Whether it was strolling across Princes Gardens, walking through the halls, dungeons, and rooms of Edinburgh Castle, or just reading in a small cafe with an Americano and croissant, I couldn’t get enough of that city. Even the times when I was lost just trying to find my way to a show were still great fun and more importantly an eye opening experience into the Scottish way of treating lost tourists. Their kindness and willingness to help has definitely made me more aware of how I treat the lost souls in NYC. During the Fringe Festival, there is an excitement and happiness in the air that is infectious. Edinburgh is a magical place during the Fringe Festival and I can’t wait to go back. -Julia Jurgilewicz
Wow – the experience of traveling to the fringe to perform with BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance was super fun… and a whirlwind of an experience. From my side, the first big accomplishment was getting all my gear packed into two suitcases and then making it to the venue… I was interrogated at the Scottish border by the police – they said “we ask more questions of those who appear more interesting, or more suspicious.” I really dig the scotch, and the city – full of caverns and comedy really – and this festival (the fringe) is just bonkers. absolutely bonkers. I wonder what Edinburgh is really like. The dance work we did was fun… and while in it we are just trying to listen, breathe and enjoy… but i can say after seeing stills and video of the performances – it was really hot! the work was strong, the dancers killed it and it looked really great. a blast overall and kudos to Ms. Fellion for steering the ship! -Ryan Edwards
One night, we participated in a contact improvisation “dance jam” that was open to members of the Edinburgh dance community. Anyone in the company will tell you that I have the least contact improv experience out of all of us – but, something about being in that fresh, open space (the jam was held in a brand new arts center) with dancers from all over the world made my insecurities melt away. After a while, my inquisitive fingers making shapes on the floor somehow found the fingers of Clyde, a slightly older gentleman who refused to identify himself as a professional dancer. He was an incredibly sensitive and receptive partner – we seamlessly morphed into and out of lifts, rolls, balances, and quiet moments for what must have been 15 or 20 minutes. It felt like I could dance forever with this perfect stranger – it was a rush, a release, and an ease of movement that I had never before experienced. From what the other dancers in the company said, he had a similar effect on everyone he danced with that evening. In sharing his special energy and awareness with us, and creating a memory that will last for many years to come, Clyde truly became that “greatest Scottish export.” -Corey Bliss
Check out the full photo album!! Posted soon on our website gallery and Facebook page.
Dance Enthusiast Audience Reviews! CPR-Center for Performance Research June 27-29th
July 29, 2013Our NYC Season is over, and what a success it was! Thank you so much to all of our friends and fans for supporting us at CPR- Center for Performance Research and at Bryant Park. The performances on June 27th, 28th, and 29th featured overwhelmingly enthusiastic audiences, and we couldn’t be more pleased! We were thrilled to be able to share and perform Flipping Dominion, which consisted of two pieces, Control Dominion and The Mantises Are Flipping (P.S. I’ll have whatever they’re having). We hope everyone enjoyed the performances and the receptions sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery and are still having happy thoughts about them as we are. Special thanks to The Dance Enthusiast for facilitating audience reviews during the show! We appreciate the feedback and loved what you had to say!
“The movement never lost its connection with the audience. The lines did not break and the continuation of body movement made it captivating.”
“I felt like being caught writing my secrets in my diary and being forced to read them out loud in front of the public. This is what this piece- The Mantises are Flipping brought out of me.”
“Choreographed perfectly to draw attention at the right time.”
“I can’t remember seeing a piece of art that was so abstract and entertaining at the same time. The combination of choreography and live music was phenomenal; they created their own world on stage.”
“Great watch- kept me captivated the whole time. [I didn’t find myself] wondering what came next. [I was in] awe of the raw feelings expressed on stage and completely satisfied with the music and sounds of the dancers. I saw myself feeling all kinds of things- scared, anxious, happy, serene, curious, accomplished and much more.” Continue reading →
Company Member Journal
April 25, 2013
BodyStories: Teresa Fellion company members have been reflecting on our current processes of the works in the upcoming NY season. Take a look at what some of the dancers have to say about the cyborg society of Control Dominion. Continue reading →
Dragons Egg Residency
March 5, 2013
