the way you move your body: press pack
DESCRIPTION
This mixed-ability dance / theatre piece exposes and dissolves disability prejudices. Both abled-bodied and disabled dancers guide the audience from a dark world of freaks to a joyful world where difference is celebrated. It is an unsettling but eye-opening journey, leaving the audience cringing, laughing, crying, smiling, and questioning the way we conventionally perceive differently-abled people. Fierce, dynamic, and unconventional movement will emerge from the unique rhythms and capabilities of differently-abled dancers. This project will comment on the traditional representation of marginalized groups in society, particularly disabled groups.TRANSCRIPT
media
media, cotd. — performance photos
media, cotd. — performance photos
media, cotd. — performance photos
media, cotd. — performance photos
praise for THE WAY YOU MOVE YOUR BODY
“I managed to get to a half-dozen performances over the week of the New Works Festival and thought most of them were very good, each in its own way. But The Way You Move Your Body was the most courageous, risky, and viscerally moving of all the work I saw. Courageously conceived, courageously performed, and courageously presented to your audience.”
— D O U G L A S S D E M P S T E R , D E A N O F T H E CO L L EG E O F F I N E A RTS
“It was so interesting, different, uncomfortable, and happy. I have thought about it a lot and I think you totally accomplished what you set out to do…make us examine our attitudes, especially the fear, of people that are different. What has really stuck with me is how the person that I thought to be the most disabled and “scary” in the beginning seemed to be the most warm and joyful in real life. I hope I will always remember what you showed me Thursday night. It was a great evening.”
— P E T I E L E W I S , CO M M U N I T Y M EM B ER
“It is everything I love about theatre.....it ’s bold, it ’s brave, it complicated, it ’s thrilling, it ’s joyful.”
— S T E V E N W I L S O N , M . F. A . C A N D I DAT E
“The Way You Move Your Body has been a memorable moment of growth in my life. To look past the aesthetics of the body and find the core, the pure passion for movement, is what this this piece brings to the table. I was humbled by the opportunity to work with a mixed abilities cast because it showed me that anybody can dance, the expression of movement is universal, to share it with everyone is truly a life-altering experience.”
— MO RG A N TAY LO R , DANCER
participant quote
Audience Response
“BR AVERY! Celebra-tion! Inclusivity! Com-munity! JOY! Thank you for sharing all these!”
“Touching, moving, necessary, beautiful.”
“AS BOTH family and friend to people with mixed abili-ties, this piece was incredible. This show should tour, every-one needs to see this.”
“THIS piece changed me.”
“CHALLENGING, then exuberant.”
“I WAS MOST MOVED by the moments of vulnerability and intimacy. I thought about how we all have things about ourselves that we sometimes consider a disability. The beauty of the piece was seeing each person’s body be touched, held, and proudly shared.”
“This was the single most inspiring and brave piece of art I’ve ever seen. I will carry this piece with me always.”
The Way You Move Your Body is an evening length dance-theatre piece featuring a cast and team of diverse body-types, ages, backgrounds, and experiences. Lucy Kerr was inspired to create this piece a couple years ago after suffering from multiple injuries that prevented her from dancing in the technical and classical forms she was trained in. It was during this time that Lucy began to think about people with extreme physical limitations; people that will forever be foreclosed from participating in technical forms of dance and will always be marginalized when trying to navigate public space. In response to these prejudices, Lucy wanted to create a work in which conventional notions of dance, disability, and aesthetics would be suspended and the audience would be lead to appreciate the unique rhythms and movement possibilities of diverse bodies. After doing a significant amount of research on disability studies in performance, Lucy created this work as part of her Philosophy Honors and B.A. Theatre and Dance Thesis. Her written Thesis applies social theories to disability in performance, examining how categories of “normal” and “abnormal” body-types create ingrained prejudices which can be both enforced and challenged through physical performance. The Way You Move Your Body premiered this past March as a “must see” event at The 2013 Cohen New Works Festival presented by the University Co-op.
The Way You Move Your Body seeks to take the audience on a journey through the unique experiences, struggles, and joys of the mixed-ability dancers. The piece interrogates and dissolves body fears, assumptions, categories, and prejudices in a courageous work that brings the audience out of its comfort zone in order to recognize the ills of a prejudiced society and realize the hopes for creating a more integrated community. The first section of this piece is a comment on disability stereotypes and the traditional representation of disability in performance, which has presented disabled people as grotesque, comical, inhuman, asexual and pitiful in the context of the freak show and popular movies. The dancers push through oppressive social perceptions into the second section of this work, in which “normal” and “abnormal” categories are dissolved in a final celebration of difference.
project description
“There are three major ways people see me: like I should be locked up away from society, like I’m so courageous for doing everything I do, or like I’m some poor thing that needs fixing. I think, feel, and dream like everyone else. I do face unique challenges, but that doesn’t make my life any harder. Most people are too busy to take a deep breath, but my disability has taught me to enjoy the little things in life. I just wish people would see me as a person, not the disability.”
— S U S I E A N G E L ( SC E N E I I . I I )
production excerpt
COMPANYSusie Angel, Morgan Taylor, Tanya Winters, Jamie Schanbaum, Juanita Butler, Juan Munoz, Joey Gaona, Jack Leahy, Reema Bounajem
ACCOMPANIST Mic Vredenburgh
DRAMATURGYLucy Kerr & Jack Leahy
ADVISORRebecca Rossen
SET DESIGN/BUILDLance Green & Daniel Berkowitz
SOUND DESIGNLucy Kerr
LIGHTING DESIGNGavin Cantrell
STAGE MANAGERBrett Tribe
PR/GRAPHIC DESIGN,PROGRAM & POSTER DESIGNRaquel Breternitz
VIDEOGRAPHER/PHOTOGRAPHERMeg Seidel Sam Nicole OrtegaCharlie Pearce
COSTUME DESIGNLucy Kerr & Kirsten Schröder
PERFORMANCE EDITORSChuyun Oh, Steven Wilson, Brett Tribe, Emily Stout
MUSICemptywhale, Another Neglected Hobby, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Tocher, Coolio, No Way Out, “Pop Music Mix” by Lucy Kerr and Michael McNamera, and Clive Tanaka Y Su Orquesta
cast and crew
Created and Directed by Lucy KerrChoreographed & Written by Lucy Kerr & Company
Students debating on whether concealed weapons would create a safer envi-ronment at UT revealed the deep discord over the ben-e�ts of concealed handguns on campus.
Law professor Sanford Levinson and Sherri Green-berg, director of the Cen-ter for Politics Governance, moderated the “Gun Con-trol, Mental Health, and the Law” forum Monday, where students discussed the im-possibility of �nding an e�ec-tive solution to the issues sur-rounding gun control laws.
�e introduction of a bill in the Texas Legislature to allow concealed handguns on cam-pus has almost made “guns on campus” a loaded term, Dan-ny Zeng, the vice president of College Republicans, said.
“I don’t think we’re really introducing anything new here,” Zeng said. “Guns are, in a way, already on campus. If you’re a licensed CHL holder, you’re allowed to carry your gun on public streets like Dean Keeton and 21st Street.”
Only 5 percent of CHL
carriers fall in the 18- to 25-year-old category, Zeng said, making an in�ux of guns on campus unlikely.
Educating students on mental health services available may provide bet-ter protection than allow-ing concealed handguns on campus, undeclared fresh-man Rishi Singh said.
“I can understand the logic of wanting a CHL but I can’t understand why a student would need a handgun,” Singh said. “While I’m in a classroom, safety shouldn’t be a main priority, safety should be le� up to the University. So it shouldn’t be up to a
student to protect themselves or to protect the lives of other people in the classroom.”
Gun owners’ constitu-tional rights are not threat-ened by any proposed gun control law, Levinson said.
“None of [the gun control bills] raise constitutional issues,” Levinson said. “All raise interesting issues of policy on which reasonable people can disagree.”
While no legislation will eliminate gun crime, it is im-portant to focus on legislation that can make a di�erence, Greenberg, a former member
an advertising special edition of The Daily Texan
APRIL 27, 2012
Including... THROWING A GRADUATION PARTY BY PERSON NAMEALT GRAD PROGRAMSBY PERSON NAMEGRAD PROGRAMSBY PERSON NAME
...and Much More!
TEST PREP
Find the latest news on the lives of longhorns in a special edition to the Daily Texan. February 20th
Tuesday, February 19, 2013@thedailytexan facebook.com/dailytexan
THE DAILY TEXANServing the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
dailytexanonline.com
Sherwood Forest Faire still going strong in fourth
year.LIFE&ARTS
PAGE 12
Texas looks to maintain pitching prowess vs. UTA
SPORTSPAGE 7
INSIDENEWSBarbara Jordan Week kicks off with discussion featuring her former students. PAGE 6
Faculty Council passes legislation opposing campus carry similar to a bill it passed in the last two legislative sessions. PAGE 6
SPORTSTexas diver Will Chandler battles through Crohn’s disease, an ailment that kept him out of the pool all of last season, but not this year. PAGE 7
The Longhorns have yet to win a road game, but get what could be their best chance at picking one up against TCU. PAGE 7
Texas hit .348 in its season-opening series and will look to stay hot against UT-Arlington. PAGE 8
LIFE&ARTSAustin Java trans-forms into a comedy club every Wednesday night. PAGE 12
Tunesday takes a look at STRFKR’s latest album, Miracle Mile, as well as other new releases. PAGE 12
TODAY
UNIVERSITY CITY
Lawmakers defend PowersAt a time of strain be-
tween President William Powers Jr. and members of the UT System Board of Re-gents, Texas lawmakers de-fended Powers’ record and heaped praise upon him at a ceremony on the �oor of the Texas Senate on Monday.
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, �led a Senate resolu-tion honoring Powers, join-ing two more resolutions �led in the House by state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas and chairman of the House Higher Education Commit-tee. All three passed.
Eltife, a UT alumnus, said “I see a man [in Pow-ers] who shares the love for
the University that so many of the current students and former students have for this great institution. I see a man who always puts the University �rst, someone who stands up for what he believes even if it may not be politically popular.”
�e resolutions came af-ter regents intensely ques-tioned Powers during their
Feb. 13 meeting. �e ma-jority of the questions came primarily from three re-gents: Alex Cranberg, Wal-lace Hall and Brenda Pejov-ich, each appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in 2011, which marked the beginning of a more public opposition to Powers by the regents.
By Joshua Fechter
POWERS continues on page 2
Sam Ortega | Daily Texan StaffVarious dancers of mixed abilities rehearse at Anna Hiss Gym on Monday evening. The performers are working on a dance piece choreographed and written by dance and theatre major Lucy Kerr, that incorporates people with and without dance abilities.
FRAMES | FEATURED PHOTO
Local church joins group advocating gay rights
While several state sena-tors continue to advocate for LGTBQ rights in the Texas Legislature, similar support for religious equality has be-come more apparent in Chris-tian churches nationwide.
In an overwhelming ma-jority, congregation members of the First United Methodist Church, or FUMC, voted to join the Reconciling Minis-tries Network. �e network, founded in 1982, advocates for the rights of gay individu-als to serve in United Meth-odist ministry and be mar-ried in the church. �e vote took place Feb. 10, making the church, which is located on Lavaca Street, one of more than 500 United Methodist communities to advocate for religious gay rights, accord-ing to the Reconciling Minis-tries Network website.
FUMC senior pastor Rev. John Wright said the vote re-quired more than 75 percent of the congregation voting in favor to join the network, rather than a simple majority. He said the actual vote sur-passed the requirement by far.
“For six months we have been in an intense process of discussion and discernment trying to make sure that ev-eryone had an opportunity to be exposed to the issue and to voice their opinions,” Wright
CHURCH continues on page 2
By Hannah Jane DeCiutiis
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
Gun bill elicits mixed viewsNew disclosure policies bring privacy concerns
On the heels of two contro-versies involving con�icts of interest in research in the past year, UT has amended its �-nancial con�ict of interest and objectivity in research policy.
Juan Sanchez, vice presi-dent for research, spoke at length about changes in UT’s policy at a Faculty Council meeting Monday. Sanchez said the changes were not the result of any action taken by UT but instead were institut-ed by the UT System.
“�e change in policy was prompted by changes in regu-lations by the Public Health Services, which include the National Institutes of Health, and by the guidelines issued by the UT System,” Sanchez said. “No one at UT-Austin had a say in this new policy, but I would imagine the justi�ca-tion used on the federal level was used by our regents, to protect the proper use of uni-versity and federal resources.”
In July, a study on gay par-enting by sociology professor
Mark Regnerus garnered con-troversy a�er critics pointed out that the study was funded by �e Witherspoon Institute and �e Bradley Foundation, two conservative groups. In December, the director of UT’s Energy Institute, Raymond Orbach, resigned and geology professor Chip Groat retired af-ter it was discovered that Groat published a study that found no link between hyrdaulic frac-turing and water contamina-tion, but did not disclose he sat on the board of directors of a drilling company.
�e new con�ict of interest
By Jordan Rudner
By Klarissa Fitzpatrick
PRIVACY continues on page 5 GUN continues on page 6
Office SpaceSwap out unwanted office suplies from 9 a.m. to noon and pick up ones you may need from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at this special recy-cling event in the Anna Hiss Gym (AHG) 135.
Elder justiceMarie-Therese Connolly presents an address titled “How Change Happens: The Fight for Elder Justice in the U.S.” with a recep-tion following, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the School of Law (CCJ), Eidman Courtroom 2.306.
Money Talks!Money Talks! presents Beto Pallares, cofounder of a seed and early-stage venture fund, for a talk from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Food and drinks will follow the program in the AT&T Executive Education and Confer-ence Center (ATT) 201.
Juan Sanchez Vice President for research
Austin McKinney | Daily Texan StaffA student participates in the gun forum open discussion at the Student Activity Center on Monday evening.
VIEWPOINTThe Daily Texan, a 113-year-old campus institution, faces life-or-death financial troubles. The newspaper’s student staff and the Texan’s readers and supporters must step up and take the newspaper’s destiny into their own hands.PAGE 4
Students debating on whether concealed weapons would create a safer envi-ronment at UT revealed the deep discord over the ben-e�ts of concealed handguns on campus.
Law professor Sanford Levinson and Sherri Green-berg, director of the Cen-ter for Politics Governance, moderated the “Gun Con-trol, Mental Health, and the Law” forum Monday, where students discussed the im-possibility of �nding an e�ec-tive solution to the issues sur-rounding gun control laws.
�e introduction of a bill in the Texas Legislature to allow concealed handguns on cam-pus has almost made “guns on campus” a loaded term, Dan-ny Zeng, the vice president of College Republicans, said.
“I don’t think we’re really introducing anything new here,” Zeng said. “Guns are, in a way, already on campus. If you’re a licensed CHL holder, you’re allowed to carry your gun on public streets like Dean Keeton and 21st Street.”
Only 5 percent of CHL
carriers fall in the 18- to 25-year-old category, Zeng said, making an in�ux of guns on campus unlikely.
Educating students on mental health services available may provide bet-ter protection than allow-ing concealed handguns on campus, undeclared fresh-man Rishi Singh said.
“I can understand the logic of wanting a CHL but I can’t understand why a student would need a handgun,” Singh said. “While I’m in a classroom, safety shouldn’t be a main priority, safety should be le� up to the University. So it shouldn’t be up to a
student to protect themselves or to protect the lives of other people in the classroom.”
Gun owners’ constitu-tional rights are not threat-ened by any proposed gun control law, Levinson said.
“None of [the gun control bills] raise constitutional issues,” Levinson said. “All raise interesting issues of policy on which reasonable people can disagree.”
While no legislation will eliminate gun crime, it is im-portant to focus on legislation that can make a di�erence, Greenberg, a former member
an advertising special edition of The Daily Texan
APRIL 27, 2012
Including... THROWING A GRADUATION PARTY BY PERSON NAMEALT GRAD PROGRAMSBY PERSON NAMEGRAD PROGRAMSBY PERSON NAME
...and Much More!
TEST PREP
Find the latest news on the lives of longhorns in a special edition to the Daily Texan. February 20th
Tuesday, February 19, 2013@thedailytexan facebook.com/dailytexan
THE DAILY TEXANServing the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
dailytexanonline.com
Sherwood Forest Faire still going strong in fourth
year.LIFE&ARTS
PAGE 12
Texas looks to maintain pitching prowess vs. UTA
SPORTSPAGE 7
INSIDENEWSBarbara Jordan Week kicks off with discussion featuring her former students. PAGE 6
Faculty Council passes legislation opposing campus carry similar to a bill it passed in the last two legislative sessions. PAGE 6
SPORTSTexas diver Will Chandler battles through Crohn’s disease, an ailment that kept him out of the pool all of last season, but not this year. PAGE 7
The Longhorns have yet to win a road game, but get what could be their best chance at picking one up against TCU. PAGE 7
Texas hit .348 in its season-opening series and will look to stay hot against UT-Arlington. PAGE 8
LIFE&ARTSAustin Java trans-forms into a comedy club every Wednesday night. PAGE 12
Tunesday takes a look at STRFKR’s latest album, Miracle Mile, as well as other new releases. PAGE 12
TODAY
UNIVERSITY CITY
Lawmakers defend PowersAt a time of strain be-
tween President William Powers Jr. and members of the UT System Board of Re-gents, Texas lawmakers de-fended Powers’ record and heaped praise upon him at a ceremony on the �oor of the Texas Senate on Monday.
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, �led a Senate resolu-tion honoring Powers, join-ing two more resolutions �led in the House by state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas and chairman of the House Higher Education Commit-tee. All three passed.
Eltife, a UT alumnus, said “I see a man [in Pow-ers] who shares the love for
the University that so many of the current students and former students have for this great institution. I see a man who always puts the University �rst, someone who stands up for what he believes even if it may not be politically popular.”
�e resolutions came af-ter regents intensely ques-tioned Powers during their
Feb. 13 meeting. �e ma-jority of the questions came primarily from three re-gents: Alex Cranberg, Wal-lace Hall and Brenda Pejov-ich, each appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in 2011, which marked the beginning of a more public opposition to Powers by the regents.
By Joshua Fechter
POWERS continues on page 2
Sam Ortega | Daily Texan StaffVarious dancers of mixed abilities rehearse at Anna Hiss Gym on Monday evening. The performers are working on a dance piece choreographed and written by dance and theatre major Lucy Kerr, that incorporates people with and without dance abilities.
FRAMES | FEATURED PHOTO
Local church joins group advocating gay rights
While several state sena-tors continue to advocate for LGTBQ rights in the Texas Legislature, similar support for religious equality has be-come more apparent in Chris-tian churches nationwide.
In an overwhelming ma-jority, congregation members of the First United Methodist Church, or FUMC, voted to join the Reconciling Minis-tries Network. �e network, founded in 1982, advocates for the rights of gay individu-als to serve in United Meth-odist ministry and be mar-ried in the church. �e vote took place Feb. 10, making the church, which is located on Lavaca Street, one of more than 500 United Methodist communities to advocate for religious gay rights, accord-ing to the Reconciling Minis-tries Network website.
FUMC senior pastor Rev. John Wright said the vote re-quired more than 75 percent of the congregation voting in favor to join the network, rather than a simple majority. He said the actual vote sur-passed the requirement by far.
“For six months we have been in an intense process of discussion and discernment trying to make sure that ev-eryone had an opportunity to be exposed to the issue and to voice their opinions,” Wright
CHURCH continues on page 2
By Hannah Jane DeCiutiis
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
Gun bill elicits mixed viewsNew disclosure policies bring privacy concerns
On the heels of two contro-versies involving con�icts of interest in research in the past year, UT has amended its �-nancial con�ict of interest and objectivity in research policy.
Juan Sanchez, vice presi-dent for research, spoke at length about changes in UT’s policy at a Faculty Council meeting Monday. Sanchez said the changes were not the result of any action taken by UT but instead were institut-ed by the UT System.
“�e change in policy was prompted by changes in regu-lations by the Public Health Services, which include the National Institutes of Health, and by the guidelines issued by the UT System,” Sanchez said. “No one at UT-Austin had a say in this new policy, but I would imagine the justi�ca-tion used on the federal level was used by our regents, to protect the proper use of uni-versity and federal resources.”
In July, a study on gay par-enting by sociology professor
Mark Regnerus garnered con-troversy a�er critics pointed out that the study was funded by �e Witherspoon Institute and �e Bradley Foundation, two conservative groups. In December, the director of UT’s Energy Institute, Raymond Orbach, resigned and geology professor Chip Groat retired af-ter it was discovered that Groat published a study that found no link between hyrdaulic frac-turing and water contamina-tion, but did not disclose he sat on the board of directors of a drilling company.
�e new con�ict of interest
By Jordan Rudner
By Klarissa Fitzpatrick
PRIVACY continues on page 5 GUN continues on page 6
Office SpaceSwap out unwanted office suplies from 9 a.m. to noon and pick up ones you may need from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at this special recy-cling event in the Anna Hiss Gym (AHG) 135.
Elder justiceMarie-Therese Connolly presents an address titled “How Change Happens: The Fight for Elder Justice in the U.S.” with a recep-tion following, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the School of Law (CCJ), Eidman Courtroom 2.306.
Money Talks!Money Talks! presents Beto Pallares, cofounder of a seed and early-stage venture fund, for a talk from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Food and drinks will follow the program in the AT&T Executive Education and Confer-ence Center (ATT) 201.
Juan Sanchez Vice President for research
Austin McKinney | Daily Texan StaffA student participates in the gun forum open discussion at the Student Activity Center on Monday evening.
VIEWPOINTThe Daily Texan, a 113-year-old campus institution, faces life-or-death financial troubles. The newspaper’s student staff and the Texan’s readers and supporters must step up and take the newspaper’s destiny into their own hands.PAGE 4
press THE DAILY TEXAN featured photo
Zachary Strain, Page Editor
tuesday’s topic3Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Move Your BodyTHE WAY YOU
“The Way You Move Your Body” is among 39 other theatrical works selected to participate in the 2013 Cohen New Works Festival presented by the University Co-op, which began Monday and runs through Friday.
“Because [people with disabilities] are usually marginalized and rejected from society, they’re usually typecast,” said Lucy Kerr, a senior dance and theatre stu-dent. “They’re not considered beautiful for their unique capabilities so I was really interested in the performances that made them able to express themselves.”
Kerr began working on the piece — designed for a group of mixed abilities
dancers — in the fall of 2012. The piece exposes as well as celebrates various body types by incorporating abled and disabled dancers. It aims to blur the lines between the two.
The festival is taking place through the theatre and dance department, with most of the shows scheduled to be performed in the Winship building.
“I’m a big advocate for people with disabilities,” said Juan Munoz, a cast mem-ber who has cerebral palsy. “We can do anything anybody else can. It may take 10 times longer, but we’ll get it done.”
1 2
3
4
5
6
1. Tanya Winters and Morgan Taylor rehearse the first section of the piece, meant to portray a freakshow. 2. Juan Munoz lays on the ground to stretch his body and relax.3. Project director Lucy Kerr demonstrates choreography to Jamie Schanbaum.4. Jack Leahy holds a pair of prosthetic limbs as he walks off stage at a dress rehearsal. 5. Schanbaum reflects for a moment as she waits for makeup to be applied on her.6. Schanbaum and Juanita Butler meet face-to-face in an intimate moment of the dance piece.
Photos by Sam Ortega | Daily Texan Staff
Get an in-depth look at the cast and its experience: bit.ly/dt_move
press THE DAILY TEXAN photo story
Zachary Strain, Page Editor
tuesday’s topic3Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Move Your BodyTHE WAY YOU
“The Way You Move Your Body” is among 39 other theatrical works selected to participate in the 2013 Cohen New Works Festival presented by the University Co-op, which began Monday and runs through Friday.
“Because [people with disabilities] are usually marginalized and rejected from society, they’re usually typecast,” said Lucy Kerr, a senior dance and theatre stu-dent. “They’re not considered beautiful for their unique capabilities so I was really interested in the performances that made them able to express themselves.”
Kerr began working on the piece — designed for a group of mixed abilities
dancers — in the fall of 2012. The piece exposes as well as celebrates various body types by incorporating abled and disabled dancers. It aims to blur the lines between the two.
The festival is taking place through the theatre and dance department, with most of the shows scheduled to be performed in the Winship building.
“I’m a big advocate for people with disabilities,” said Juan Munoz, a cast mem-ber who has cerebral palsy. “We can do anything anybody else can. It may take 10 times longer, but we’ll get it done.”
1 2
3
4
5
6
1. Tanya Winters and Morgan Taylor rehearse the first section of the piece, meant to portray a freakshow. 2. Juan Munoz lays on the ground to stretch his body and relax.3. Project director Lucy Kerr demonstrates choreography to Jamie Schanbaum.4. Jack Leahy holds a pair of prosthetic limbs as he walks off stage at a dress rehearsal. 5. Schanbaum reflects for a moment as she waits for makeup to be applied on her.6. Schanbaum and Juanita Butler meet face-to-face in an intimate moment of the dance piece.
Photos by Sam Ortega | Daily Texan Staff
Get an in-depth look at the cast and its experience: bit.ly/dt_move
press THE DAILY TEXAN photo story, cotd.
press THE DAILY TEXAN video story
ht tp: //da i l y texanonl ine .com/v ideo/2013/03/26 /the -way-you-move -your-body
“The final piece I wish to write about is Lucy Kerr’s dance piece, The Way You Move Your Body. It was thrilling to be a part of the audience for this well thought out piece.Lucy brought together able-bodied dancers and mixed them in with performers with a wide range of disabilities to create a performance hybrid that combined beautiful choreography with personal autobiography and bold social commentary on what it means to be a human being in society. The performance seemed to have two phases. The first was a type of circus, freak show aesthetic that all the performers leaned into in such a great way. The second phase was a beautiful coming together of the disabled and the abled into some harmonious and incredibly joyful moments. There was a young performer, recently diagnosed with a type of meningitis that caused her to lose both legs and all of her fingers. To watch this fearless performer do a dance in phase one of the show on two pairs of stilts, giving her the appearance of some type of space age spider was just as powerful as this same performer re-appearing in phase two to dance a duet with an able bodied performer, only after removing her prosthetic legs.
Directorially, it was a reminder of how we make motion. Lucy was able to take two performers that were in electric wheelchairs and seamlessly integrate them into the musical choreography with dancers. It did not appear jarring. It did not appear as if it was something that the audience should just accept. She clearly thought about the motion of the electric machines in contrast with bodies. She continued to do this type of work throughout the piece almost intentionally pushing opposite forces together to create profound moments of beautiful movement that one may not think could work at first thought.The performers threw themselves at the piece with abandon and revealed deep truths. This is a piece that you could easily drop into the “feel good” category. Or you could also accuse it of being rather exploitative. But to do so, would be a disservice. Lucy did not just put these different types of individuals together and stop there. She rather meticulously choreographed this piece with a rigor that I found extremely provocative. The dance party at the end of this piece felt the most honest of all the others’ dance parties!”
review by STEVEN WILSON MFA candidate
— S T E V E N W I L S O N , M . F. A . DIREC TING C A N DIDATE, Un ive rs i t y of Texas a t Aus t in
media, cotd. — press photos
media, cotd. — press photos
media, cotd. — rehearsal photos
media, cotd. — rehearsal photos
media, cotd. — rehearsal photos
media, cotd. — rehearsal photos
media cotd. — video
Demo VIdeoht tp: //w w w.youtube .com/watch?v=1tT YJ6A1d4w
media cotd. — video
Jamie’s Stor y ht tp: //w w w.youtube .com/watch?v=WKOsaiUMIVo
media cotd. — video
Dressing Room Video http://youtu.be/JwdGwjT9Vmw
media cotd. — video
Teaser/ Trailerht tp: //w w w.youtube .com/watch?v=uuX _ LR6IDd0
further press links and credits
SOCI A L MEDI A
TUMBLR
ht tp: //moveyourbodyprojec t . tumblr.com/
FACEBOOK ABOUT PAGE
ht tps : //w w w. f acebook .com/TheWayYouMoveYourBody
FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE
ht tps : //w w w. f acebook .com/event s /106854352836368 /108754559313014/
PRE S SDEPARTMENT BLOGS
ht tp: //ddce .utexas .edu /d i sab i l i t y/2013/03/march -22-29 - cohen-new-works- fes t i va l /
ht tp: //b logs .u texas .edu / f inear t sd ivers i t y/2013/03/25/the - cohen-new-works- fes t i va l /
FOR MORE MEDIA , INFORM AT ION, A ND QUEST IONS, CON TACT LUCY K ERR AT LUCY.P.K ERR@GM AIL .COM
about Lucy Kerr
LUCY KERR is a dancer, choreographer, and scholar interested in social
philosophy, contemporary dance, and dance for social change. Lucy received her early training at Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. In 2009 she continued her education as a B.A. Dance Major and B.A Philosophy major at The University of Texas at Austin.Lucy trained in ballet for ten years and she has trained in contemporary with Yacov Sharir, Jennifer Mabus, Lyn Wiltshire, and Holly Williams. Lucy has also studied choreography with David Justin and Donna Unchinozo and has delved into contact improvisation with Brandon Gonzalez and Butoh with Ellen Bartel, Vangeline, and renowned Butoh artist Imre Thormann. Lucy is a regular participant
of Body Shift, an ongoing project between Forklift Danceworks and VSA Texas, where she dances, performs and choreographically assists with mixed-ability performance workshops. While working as a PR and Marketing Intern at Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre in the Summer of 2012, Lucy gained experience helping run and promote a dance company. Lucy has choreographed and taught for HITS Theatre and Grady Middle School in Houston, TX and worked as the co-leader, dance teacher, and choreographer for The Children’s Theatre Workshop in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in the Summer of 2013. Lucy holds University Honors and received The James W. Moll Endowed Scholarship in Drama for the 2012-13 year and the Dr. David
THE WAY YOU MOVE YOUR BODY was considered a “must see” event at
the New Works Festival and received praise from faculty, students, and the community. Following the performance, Lucy was asked to present excerpts and a video presentation of the work at Austin Community College’s Carnival Ah, and the work was then chosen by VSA Texas to be performed at Knowbility’s “Access U” conference this past May. Lucy strives to create original work that is surreal, visually stunning, emotionally stirring, and has social meaning and drive to inspire change. Lucy is interested in how the experiences of marginalized groups are represented in performance and how performance can further social activism. Lucy is looking forward to collaborating with VSA Texas, telling the story of The Way You Move Your Body in an episode of PBS’s “Arts in Context”, and participating in local art films. Lucy seeks to continue developing and presenting The Way You Move Your Body to diverse audiences across the country in order to share her drive to challenge problematic social norms which create disability prejudices. Lucy strives to communicate that diverse body-types should be appreciated for their unique and valuable movement possibilities and are not transfixed by limitations or “disability” identity. She will finish her thesis in December and is working towards starting her own dance company, titled “OTHER Dance Theatre.”
about Lucy Kerr, cotd.
Nancarrow Scholarship in Theatre and Dance for the 2013-14 year, as well as having been the recipient of a Merit Scholarship at Interlochen Arts Academy in 2008-09. At the University of Texas Lucy performed on the main stage in Dance Repertory Theatre, Ears, Eyes + Feet, and in graduate student works at The Cohen New Works Festival presented by the University Co-op in 2011 and 2013. With a passion for getting out into the community, Lucy has performed works with local musicians and artists and has created a number of site-specific improvisational and Butoh performances. Lucy is an avid researcher and is working towards completing her Philosophy and Dance Thesis on Disability in Contemporary Performance. Lucy has recently been asked to guest lecture on her thesis to undergraduate courses and clubs in the Philosophy department. Lucy has choreographed about nine works including The Passions, which premiered as part of the 2011 Cohen New Works Festival, ODDWORLDS a multimedia dance work as part of Ears, Eyes + Feet in 2013, and her biggest project to date, the evening-length mixed-ability dance theatre work, The Way You Move Your Body, which premiered at The Cohen New Works Festival in 2013. Lucy is the director, producer, choreographer, and sound and costume designer for The Way You Move Your Body.
THE WAY YOU MOVE YOUR BODY