We [heart] Flashers

Flash Mob Dance @Atlanta Pride from Will Day on Vimeo.

Thanks for coming out and shakin' your groove thing.  How did you dance in that mud?  You all looked great and we had so much fun.   We'd like to thank Sheffield and the Atlanta PRIDE Committee for all their support and for sharing the meadow with us.  We'd also like to thank Dance 101 for giving us a place to get it all together.  Big props & heartfelt gratitude to our partner in crime -- Bubba Carr.

Most of all -- Thanks to everyone of you who put the Flash into flashmob.

Here are two video clips courtesy of Will Day at willday.net -- the first one is a little pre-show fun and the second is the performance.

Here are some additional links to video clips of the dance from Bubba Carr, WhetWetty, clarkrobertf, jpbpsyched, MWpro44, helenkellercantsee, TeacherBlackwell, hueyproductions

We'll continue to post your videos as we come across them (or please email us a link).  We'll post our official video soon.   WXIA gave coverage about the flashmob during their 10pm newscast and the Southern Voice blog carried this report.

Stay tuned, everyone... we'll do it again!  Want to join us?  Then just drop us a line at info(at)brooksandcompanydance(dot)org


Here we are, ladies and gentlemen from Will Day on Vimeo.

Join Us for COMPOSED!

brooks & company dance (BCD) is proud to present COMPOSED, an evening of dance that explores the chaos and order that composes the inner psyche and external world.

Friday, November 13, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
A pre-show lecture will begin 45 minutes before each performance.

Theatrical Outfit’s The Balzer Theater at Herren’s
84 Luckie Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30303

$25.00 General Admission
$15.00 Student/Senior
Admission is free for children 12 and under.

Buy Tickets Online
or through the Theatrical Outfit Box Office (678) 528-1500

COMPOSED features two distinctly different views of chaos and order and the effect they have on the human spirit:

Chiaroscuro, which is the interplay of light and shadow, focuses on the inner landscape of the mind. Choreographer and founding member of BCD Kristyn McGeehan examines the moments of darkness in the psyche and the struggle to control the chaos of that internal battle. McGeehan brings those invisible forces that provoke anxiety and depression to life as dancers manipulate one another on stage, unraveling the struggle between the conscious and the subconscious. “The moments of darkness that occur when facing an emotional dilemma have the power to strengthen an individual, which ultimately produces a beautiful lightness in the soul and extends outward into the world”, McGeehan notes.

4.3.5., choreographed by Joanna Brooks, Artistic Director of BCD, explores those external elements of the world that appear chaotic but are actually composed of precise structures and order, often overlooked by the eye. Brooks uses models in nature which are described by deterministic equations and fractal theory to inspire her choreography. “Branching veins, dried mud flats and the surface of the skin create patterns that continue to evolve”, Brooks explains. “I tried to create a choreographic visualization of these mathematical equations to illustrate the order that appears from the seeming chaos in the world”.

This program is supported in part by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council and by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs.

Be There

Happy Meal

We send out a great big Thank You to everyone who joined us at Wahoo! Grill on Monday night.  It was a lot of fun to dine out with you and we hope to do it again soon.  Our servers and the entire staff at Wahoo! made the event very nice.

Dine Out for BCD

Please join us on Monday, October 19, 2009 at the Wahoo! Grill in Decatur for our very first Dine Out for BCD. Come have a great meal and drinks between 5:00-10:00 PM and tell your server you are dining for brooks & company dance. Wahoo! will then donate 10% of your check to BCD. Bar tabs are included too, so this is a great opportunity to invite your friends and coworkers out for happy hour!

Click here for address and a map to Wahoo! Grill.

See you at dinner!

Meet Jena Michele Kovash

The light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to crest...

Kristyn McGeehan and I are almost finished with the choreography for Composed! Her work, titled Chiaroscuro is looking fantastic. I am consistently awed by Kristyn's creativity and vision. In dance it is rare and refreshing to see new movement I have never seen before, and Kristyn never fails to make my jaw drop. Yesterday during Kristyn's rehearsal I saw Jena and Stephen do a complete revolution in a lift, face to face and right-side up, with Jena's legs extended absolutely perpendicular to the ceiling. Try to imagine that.

My new work is titled 4.3.5. I am not telling a story or making a statement; it is simply a dance. The lack of drama does seem a little bit different from my usual M.O. Last night I was talking to my mom on the phone about this piece and she asked if she was going to cry when she sees it. I told her that this ballet is not at all depressing and no one dies so I didn't think she would. I think my mom may even smile, or better yet, laugh!

The six BCD company members have been working harder than ever for Composed, as has our apprentice, Kayte Porter. Since she has been the only understudy, I've thrown Kayte into the run-thrus a few times now and she always receives applause from the company for hitting the choreography.

Five more weeks until curtain. See you there.

Meet Kristyn McGeehan!

Getting to Know the Dancers - Cara O'Grady

From the Eye (and Mouth) of the Director

I have spent the last several weeks thinking hard about what I should write for my very first entry on BCD's new blog. I wanted it to be informative about what the company has been working on, as well as welcoming, insightful and entertaining. Once I got my hands on our newest toy, the fabulous Flip camera (an in-kind donation from the "momarvelous" folks at Momar), it became very clear what my first entry should be... a VLOG!

I hope you enjoy this first behind-the-scenes look at BCD, and please join us on September 27th, 2009 as we unveil the '09-'10 season and our beautiful new images. Enjoy, and be sure to catch us live and in the flesh this season!

Anniversaries to Celebrate with Our Peers

Congrats to all of you. Thanks for blazing the trail for us. We wish you many more successful years!

The Atlanta Ballet: 80th Anniversary
The Georgia Ballet: 50th Anniversary
Several Dancers Core: 30th Anniversary
Ballethnic Dance Company: 20th Anniversary
Giwayen Mata: 15th Anniversary
The Inman Park Dance Festival: 10th Anniversary
Zoetic Dance Ensemble: 10th Anniversary

FCAC Contract Signing

Yesterday was signing day for artists who received Fulton County Arts Council Contracts for Services. Events like this are fun because you get to meet peers from all disciplines and catch up on what they've done over the past year and what they've got planned for the upcoming season. Yesterday was extra special because it marked the 30th anniversary of the FCAC.

Our very first grant was through the Fulton County Arts Council - a time that strangely seems both far away and near. Maybe that's because its not just the grant process that stands out but rather the friendships that were formed with staff members who were genuinely concerned with helping us create a successful grant, folks who want to see artists and the Arts succeed. These are the same staff members who attended our performances or who we see at other performances and events around town. We've had similar experiences with staffers at the Georgia Council for the Arts.

As we get ready to announce our fourth season, we do so with great appreciation to the Fulton County Arts Council, The Georgia Council for the Arts and the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. These organizations currently provide the majority of our funding.