Candi Baker, director of the Lawrence Arts Center’s dance program, will chat about the 940 dance company’s New Works Concert, set for Friday and Saturday. The performance marks the farewell of artistic director Susan Warden. Baker also will take questions about dance in general.

desinr

Why is 940 ‘dance company’ in lower case letters?

ChristyLittle

What performances would you consider a highlight in your time with 940?

consumer1

Candi, what direction do you see the 940 Dance company going? will it continue to be modern? Do yo currently have a schedule of upcoming perfromances?

Moderator

We’re joined today by Candi Baker, director of dance at the Lawrence Arts Center. She’ll be taking questions about the 940 dance company, which has its last concerts of the season this weekend, and about dance in general.

I’m Mindie Paget, and I’ll be moderating the chat.

Candi, thanks for being here.

Candi Baker

Thank you for having me, Mindie. I’m delighted to be here today to talk about the 940 Dance Company’s “New Works” concert coming up this weekend at the Lawrence Arts Center. It will be a stunning and fascinating concert–truly, not to be missed. Susan Warden will be retiring after this concert and has an amazing new work to share. Also dancers Michael Ingle, Tuesday Faust, and Kathleen O’Connor have choreographed exciting new works, joined by dancers Whitney Boomer and Penelope Hearne.

Moderator

You were artistic director of the company when it was known as the Prairie Wind Dancers. Can you talk about how the company has changed, if it has, since Susan Warden took the helm three years ago?

Candi Baker

Susan was modern dance trainer and choreographed some for the company as PWD already, however, she brought a new level or artistry and excellence to the company. She is one of the best choreographers in the region and her work is excellent. In her short three-year tenue, she has choreographed five new works, taught a number of works from her repertory when she led the Susn Warden Dancers 10+ years ago, develop a technically strong, dynamic group of dancers, and encouraged the artistry and choreography of the dancers themselves. Of course, we have a name change that allows for new artistic director vision and ties the company directly to the Arts Center. And she inspired us to change the Choreographers’ Showcase into a day long event with opportunities for regional dancers to network and learn, to share and be inspired. It’s hard to quantify all she has brought to us.

Moderator

I think a lot of people envision ballerinas when they think of dance recitals. Can you talk about the differences between ballet and modern dance?

Candi Baker

Ballet began in the fifteenth century courts of Europe. It has evolved over the years, but is still based on a specific technique developed in Europe and Russia. Dancers bodies are upright, women are in pointe shoes, everything is about lifting up, jumping, leaping and about being beautiful–often with romance, magic, and mystery. Of course it is wonderful to watch.
Modern Dance (sometimes now called contemporary dance) began mostly in America by a few pioneers like Isadoa Duncan, Martha Graham, and Doris Humphrey who wanted to express themselves in new ways and wanted to explore new themes and ideas, each in his own way. Today modern dance is still varied and diverse, seeking the movement needed to express concepts, ideas, moods and more. Modern dancers fall to the floor, use off-centered movement, explore the expressiveness of the back and much more. The possibilities are limitless, powerful, and can run the gamet from pedestrian movement to complex intricacies..
Also today modern dance and ballet borrow from each other. Early modern dancers were not as technically trained as ballet dancers, but today’s modern dancers are technically amazing. And ballet dancers may fall to the floor or any of a number of choices inspired by modern dance works.
It’s a difficult subject to answer in a short reply, but if you come this weekend, you will see the power possible by the freedom modern dancers have brought to concert dance and the technical wonder of todays modern dancers.

Moderator

A reader submitted this question via e-mail, and I’m posting it on her behalf: Have any of your former dancers gone on to dance in companies in New York or other bigger markets?

Candi Baker

Yes, they are scattered all over the country. Sarah Grunwaldt is performing with a major San Diego Ballet Company, Beau Hancock is dancing with two modern dance companies in New York, Jody Pettle danced with a number of San Francisco companies ( and probably still is), early dancer Mary Halverstadt was in Texas and is now dancing and choreographing in Alabama. Michelle diane Brown has formed Kacico Dance Company in Kansas City and was part of forming aha! dance theater. Julie Rothschild dances and choreographs in Alabama. Jennifer Wilson danced in New York. Ellie Goudie-Averill is finishing her master and headed for New York. Jennifer Hold danced in Minneapolis and now is a professional singer there. And that’s just some of them

Moderator

Do dancers have to follow a strict workout and diet regimen?

Candi Baker

Yes. dancers, like athletes, must train regularly, usually taking 1-3 hours of class and training daily, followed by 4-6 hours of rehearsals. They try to eat a balanced diet that supplies energy and strength but keeps the body weight down. Dancers usually try to be thin, sometimes too thin, as the work requires incredible stamina; however, a lighter body is usually a more facile and flexible, able to jump higher and less prone to injuries.

Moderator

Well, we’re out of time for today. Thanks for your questions, and thanks, Candi, for taking the time to answer them. To close out the chat, could you tell us a little about the new director of the company?

Candi Baker

We have been fortunate to hire Susan Reiger, currently Artistic Director of aha! dance theater and one of that company’s founders. She was awarded a 2004 Kennedy Center award in choreography and has a wealth of experience in the region and promised some new and wonderful direction. By the way, we are holding an audition for dancers on this Sunday, May 13th from 1:00-3:00. And again I’d like to emphasize how exciting this weekend’s concert will be. (I’ve been looking in on rehearsals and can hardly wait!) Come see some of the best and most intriguing dance in the region. You won’t be disappointed.