Innervation Dance Cooperative

IDC SPEAKS

IDC Student Productions: Encouraging Access to Knowledge Series

IDC’s community and education outreach effort strives to: increase students’ connection with literature by presenting literary classics in a visual and visceral medium; expand young imaginations through exposure to meaningful movement; and create life-long appreciators of dance and the fine arts.

IDC is working to bring performances of our ballets GODS, MONSTERS, AND HEROES and EVERYMAN to Chicago area schools. In coordination with middle and high school curriculum, our goal is to help supplement students' education in areas of literature, music, science, and math through dance presentations and student interaction and participation.

If you would like more information about IDC'S touring programs or would like to arrange a performance at your school, please contact

STEPHANIE UNGER

stephanie.unger@innervationdance.org

INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN FOR IDC SPEAKS

IDC's latest fundraising event is dedicated exclusively to our goal of bringing arts and arts-related education to Chicago area schools. IDC is striving to raise $2000 by December 31st, to be able to provide meaningful, educational, and inspirational arts experiences to children and schools throughout the Chicagoland area.

With your help, we can reach a wider audience of students and young minds, providing an emotional and visceral connection to stories and lessons learned in the classroom, as well as encouraging an appreciation for all art forms. Our ultimate goal is to raise enough funds to tour our programs to one school per week throughout the 2011-2012 school year.

You can support IDC's touring and outreach efforts by clicking on the link to the left. Every dollar donated goes directly toward the cost of bringing one of our educational ballets, Gods, Monsters, and Heroes, or Everyman, to a Chicago school.

We sincerely appreciate your generosity!

PAST TOURS

Ravenswood School
Wednesday July 27, 2011
Selections from GODS, MONSTERS, AND HEROES

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School
Friday May 20, 2011
Selections from GODS, MONSTERS, AND HEROES

Thurgood Marshall Middle School
Friday December 10, 2010
Selections from GODS, MONSTERS, AND HEROES presented to students and faculty in celebration of IDC's Arts Partnership with Thurgood Marshall Middle School

Queen of Peace High School
Thursday November 12, 2009
Tour version of EVERYMAN

OUTREACH

As artists in residence at THURGOOD MARSHALL MIDDLE SCHOOL, through a generous grant from NEIU's 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program (CCLC), IDC is extremely excited to be directing an afterschool program for the 7th and 8th grade students of TMMS. Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, a group of about 25 students meets for two hours to participate in the dance club. For the first hour, the students study and do homework in a structured "study hall" environment. IDC instructors SHAYNA BJERKE, ELISA CARLSON, and STEPHANIE UNGER provide help with homework, lead group discussions, and work with the students on their academics. After a brief snack, the students then take dance class in a variety of styles ranging from jazz, to ballet, to modern. The three instructors take turns teaching and watching the students as they progress from simple dance steps, to complicated combinations which build on the basic skills and add elements of emotion and theatricality.

The intent of the after school dance club is to provide an extracurricular activity, while also encouraging the students to learn about and develop an appreciation for dance, theater, and arts in general. The other goal of the dance club is to integrate the arts into the students' academic curriculum, as a means to further develop critical thinking, and understanding of material presented in class. With all of these things in mind, IDC decided to use the program to help the dance club students create their very own orginal ballet.

IDC asked the students to list their favorite required reading books and a current favorite song. From that, IDC selected a story to present and chose music to accompany the presentation from the students' own musical favorites. This process is very similar to the way IDC chooses its own production material, which is generally educational with enough dramatic and culturally significant aspects to keep an audience engaged for the duration of the performance.

The story is an award winning novel by Ben Mikaelsen entitled TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR. Because the story was required reading, all of the students were already familiar with its content. Thus began the work of choosing music, selecting students to play the roles of the characters in the book, and most importantly, creating and teaching the choreography to the students. Because modern dance techniques generally strive to steer clear of more literal movement, the story had to be told using movement that would convey the meaning, without simply "acting out" the story. This can be a difficult concept to understand, especially for students who have never danced before, but IDC is proud to say that the students of the Thurgood Marshall Dance Club have come a very long way already. Along with the three instructors, IDC founder MICHAEL SHERMAN has been a guest teacher and choreographer for the club and its performance.

IDC INSTRUCTORS WORKING WITH DANCE CLUB STUDENTS AT
THURGOOD MARSHALL MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Dance Club presented TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR to the students and faculty of Thurgood Marshall Middle School and gerneral audiences on Wednesday, May 4, 2011. They performed the ballet twice during the school day and once in the evening, receiving generous praise and enthusiastic encouragement from the community. The evening performance, which was presented as part of Thurgood Marshall's "See the Stars Come Out Tonight," also included IDC performances from its newest production, REMASTERED, as well as muscial performances by the Thurgood Marshall band, talented student singers, and even a piano performance by IDC's own ELISA CARLSON. The combined performance allowed many IDC dancers to interact for the first time with the students of Thurgood Marshall, particularly the Dance Club. It was an opportunity for both the IDC dancers and the students to witness the end result of such hard work and dedication throughout the year. The mutual admiration, respect, and encouragement between the groups of performers were some of the most inspiring aspects of the evening, and truly demonstrated the nature of the Partnership between IDC and Thurgood Marshall Middle School.

Please check back often for updates as we continue this Partnership in providing a rewarding experience for the Thurgood Marshall community, IDC, and most importantly, the students.