The Urgent Artist

We've moved! Follow us!

2009-10-08T17:33:00.005-04:00

Friends! Readers! Bloggers!We've moved on!It's been swell here, but we're switching over to wordpress so that we can be bigger better sexier, and most importantly: so that we can keep evolving, bringing you the information and investigations you love. This site will stay up as an archive as past work, and you're welcome to dig around, but as of right now, this site is HISTORY!We're evolving, and

Falling in love = Creativity?

2009-10-01T14:19:00.003-04:00

Check out this article i found on Scientific American.It's basic premise is that the mindset of being in love actually induces and builds creativity. The part that i find most interesting is their postulation that a larger worldview, or more perspective/time (ie: the long term idea of "love") inspires creative thinking while more goal-oriented or self-serving thinking (ie: sex) inspires

New Rehearsal Videos...

2009-09-27T14:51:00.001-04:00

We're Moving!

2009-09-27T14:18:00.025-04:00

Hey all, i know there's been a general lack of posting recently, but fear not! We're about to hit hard and in a big way. Over the last month or so, I've been working with Emily, our resident web genius to design, build, and refine the NEW Urgent Artist blog. That's right! We're Moving!Blogger's been great to us, but we thought that it was time to move on over to wordpress, and start crafting a

For reshearsal this satruday...

2009-09-17T08:12:00.001-04:00

To solo or not to solo...

2009-09-15T08:06:00.000-04:00

In the meantime...

2009-09-07T00:33:00.002-04:00

So i've been trying for a good four days now to write something concise about the piece i mentioned below. Having a really hard time with it becuase i want to convey how glad i am for this new discussion, while at the same time pointing out a few massive flaws in it. Also, i'm in Wyoming. Today i saw a grizzly bear. And a sulfurous spring with the same acidity as battery acid. It was cool.In

Is this progress?

2009-09-02T12:16:00.006-04:00

Have you seen this yet? (A big thank you to miss Atwell for bringing it to my attention!)It's the first letter from the new "collective arts think tank" (or CATT) - a group of funders and presenters (Jennifer Wright Cook of The Field, Vallejo Gantner of Performance Space 122, Aaron Landsman of Thinaar and Elevator Repair Service, Sheila Lewandowski of The Chocolate Factory, Carla Peterson of

Goddamn, i say goddamn!

2009-08-28T00:34:00.005-04:00

So if you haven't checked it out already, you really need to be watching the TED talks. They're interesting, exciting, and always informational, and they kind of make you have hope for humanity and the future again - perhaps the opposite of watching George Bush on the tv for so long, if you will.And now, masters as always of the digital age, they've cataloged all the talks into an excel

A gentle morning wake up call

2009-08-25T08:05:00.002-04:00

So usually i like videos where things are exploding or expressing some sort of angst, but this was a lovely way to wake up this morning. I really like towards the end when the smoke starts looking more organ-like. Watch! And have a beautiful day!let yourself feel. from Esteban Diácono on Vimeo.

#37:

2009-08-24T16:56:00.003-04:00

tear up pieces of paper. tear off your sheets. pull your hair. imagine getting hit by subway cars. imagine getting hit by subway cars. imagine getting hit by subway cars.no!right. now.focus.imagine getting hitby a subway car. would the impact be enough to wake you up?imagine. you will wake from drowning.

Are you new here? Welcome!

2009-08-24T15:45:00.002-04:00

One of the weirdest things about writing a blog is not knowing who is reading it.Especially in this situation where it started as a personal project, then was found and listed by a few other dance and dance-tech blogs, and is now undergoing a shift into a more conscious publicity, it's always a question for me who my readers are. I know some of you (from the comments, or because you've mentioned

the AOMC's ///NEW!/// Mission Statement

2009-08-24T14:43:00.003-04:00

I'm super excited to share this with all of you - it's been through one round of focus groups (ie: a few close friends and family) and now i'm ready to bring it to step two: the Urgent Artist community - the AOMC's supporters and insiders. So here it is: our new mission statement for 2009/2010. As one of my round-one's pointed out, it's a bit more manifesto than mission statement, but I'm very

Start off your morning with the Big Bang

2009-08-22T10:12:00.003-04:00

So i think this is pretty cool.For those of you that i haven't told already, i'm leaning towards the next piece being about time travel (albeit, the way that sex and relationships and the human body navigates time travel) but about time travel nonetheless. And where does that start? A basic understanding of the universe.I've purchased "the Elegant Universe" for some light summer reading over my

2009-08-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

Do you fear physical numbness? When you see a movie or read a book, are you able to experience it objectively, or do you immediately align yourself with the characters? Are you more hesitant to admit love or weakness to a potential partner? When you curl up in your covers, are you sleeping alone? Consider these questions as you wake from drowning.

From Lillie via email:

2009-08-18T13:13:00.002-04:00

"Sarah, i might be drowning: my ears feel clogged and my head feels like a brick.It's hard to keep my eyes fully opened and my lips are dry no matter how much water i drink."I was very confused for a minute - i thought she was telling me she was too sick to go see a show tonight that we have tickets too. Then i realized. But while we're at it, you should probably go see this show too. It's Cory

Are you following us?

2009-08-18T10:26:00.001-04:00

Obviously yes, because you are reading this.Here we go anyway:

"toss off the night covers" w/ Jon

2009-08-18T10:24:00.002-04:00

Unveil! the new A.O. Model

2009-08-18T09:56:00.001-04:00

My friends, we've reached the NOWtime.As i mentioned in my last post, it's the time of unveiling. We've got SO MUCH about to happen, coming from both the AOMC and A.O. PRO(+ductions), as well as right here at UA. And i mean SO MUCH as in "major revolution of structure mind body and spirit", not just "a list with more than three things on it", although; the list does have more than five things

From a good friend:

2009-08-17T16:01:00.000-04:00

"Maybe you should pour some cold water on your neck and take a good long look in the mirror and say "I AM SPECIAL AND PEOPLE LOVE ME." Maybe you will wake from drowning."

Oh we are unveiling, Oh we are blooming!

2009-08-10T17:34:00.002-04:00

My first year in New York has officially happened.I say "happened" rather than "drawn to a close" or "come to an end" because it certainly hasn't - the momentum of the events of this year are pushing us all - me, the AOMC, my dancers, Urgent Artist, and A.O. PRO all included - vastly and swiftly into the new year and next season - think of an avalanche, mixed with the legs of a running baby horse

From Lillie via the beach:

2009-08-10T17:32:00.001-04:00

puff air into your mouth and let the bubble pull you to the surfaceMeditate - go deeper until

2009-08-04T17:33:00.002-04:00

"Listen. There's no way to wake from drowning. You either are or you aren't. Or you go to bed drowning, certain you'll be drowning for the rest of your life, and then you wake up to the sounds of the radio that you left on blaring auto-tune and country at three in the morning, the clothes from yesterday scattered on the floor. And as you go to pick them up, thinking 'what exactly about this

2009-08-01T23:13:00.002-04:00

Way number three: store water in your eardrums and feel the tidal inclinations of your audio-lunar intuition. You will wake from drowning.

The Number Way to Wake from Drowning

2009-08-01T00:52:00.004-04:00

Breath in quickly in order to avoid attention. Close both eyes and concentrate until you sincerely have no questions. This may cause fatigue and light swaying. Dig in deeply through the back side of your stomach and jump. You will wake from drowning.

2009-07-30T17:09:00.002-04:00

Hey all! First post by text! Way number 52 - 'develop systems to deal with systems. Within the matrix of systems, locate where the dust is trickling in from the single hairline crack in the celing. You will wake from drowning.'

And the New Epic is called......

2009-07-30T16:18:00.007-04:00

Some pieces (like 2007’s “Haunt”) start with titles. Others weed out the title as they go, eventually letting you know what they want to be called. Others never settle, and get named something that feels eternally not quite right, ever almost there. I know it’s not a big deal, but titles are important to me. They’re branding, they’re expressive, and they’re informational. And (although I’ve

Split Screen Improv

2009-07-29T20:46:00.001-04:00

Intern Kate's first day // a primer in the aesthetics of mess

2009-07-10T17:33:00.004-04:00

Today was Kate's first day in the office (ie: my bedroom + desk) working with me! She's totally awesome and efficient, but this isn't news - she danced for me back in 2008 in "D()!L@rS !N tHe B@nK!", so i know she's legit from way back. She offered to do some admin work for the us, and i quickly took her up on her offer - BAMN! that's how it happens!Anyway. Today i got her started on two of our

From Rehearsal 7/3 @ Soundance

2009-07-09T17:14:00.000-04:00

"i bloom so lonely"

2009-07-09T15:51:00.005-04:00

Yes folks, it's semi-official.What once was "Glass Tree" is getting over-hauled and re-worked and will now be (the/ilona's/a) "Bloomcycle".Why?For starters, "glass tree" was an idea and image that was, to me, very specific to Julia. Since she's no longer dancing it, I needed to mentally shift it before a choreographic re-envisioning could be made. This is, you'll remember, the section that once

From 7/3/09 @ Chez Bushwick

2009-07-07T15:35:00.000-04:00

Lighting Notes from the A.O. Movement Collective on Vimeo.

A conversation:

2009-07-07T11:53:00.003-04:00

"Have you found what you're looking for? Have you made sense of it?(pause) Do you have an answer? A conclusion?""Not yet.""Do you need to go back? See it all again?""Yes."(and later)"Why can't i see the real thing?""Because it's not yours. It doesn't exist any more.""Then what am i seeing? Why am i stuck here?""Look again."

New videos for your face to see + heartmuscle to love

2009-07-01T00:59:00.007-04:00

The other exciting news of late is that the AOMC has finally caved (at the suggestion of Richert, after seeing the quality from his new baby) and bought a flip camera! I've been hearing Doug Fox talk about them for a while, but was never really convinced until I got to take a look firsthand. It was getting increasingly hard to get my camera (which, make no mistake, i LOVE, but it's HUGE) to

the AOMC + Urgent Artist are back in action!

2009-07-01T00:44:00.006-04:00

Hi all - apologies to begin for the increasing lack of posting. We've been taking some time to rest (ha, no, not really) and plan for the future, but starting right now we're back with a vengeance!We had a great company meeting a few weeks ago, and one of the things we talked about was really improving the blog, doing a total revamp both in terms of look and writers, and really giving you more

New Video...

2009-06-29T00:42:00.001-04:00

Apparently this is old, but it don't matter. Yall gotta see this:thunderheist - jerk it from thatgo on Vimeo.More soon, i promise!We're revamping the blog, so it's been quiet, but we're gearing back up to bring you new posters, new media, constant videos, and some AWESOME AOMC news!

Ladybox rocks the Sugarwomb

2009-05-26T18:02:00.000-04:00

I'm clearly biased, but DAMN:yall better watch out for Ladybox.I was lucky enough to be invited to their B U I L Dstudio event out in CT a few weekends ago and see their newest collective/installation/movement/drag performance work SugarWomb. Working via a residency at the Peace Barn (a home/yoga center/15 acre property that occasionally hosts artists for the weekend) these Ladies produced a

As always...

2009-05-21T00:08:00.003-04:00

have a few posts in the works, but not enough time to post them.In the meantime, check out the sweaty slow-mo man-fight in the new sherlock holmes trailer. love it love it love it. We're headed back into the studio now that we're done with our THROW performance (thank you thank you thank you those of you that came to support us! we hope you had as much fun as we did!) and will be both re-vamping

Too good to not share...

2009-05-15T00:56:00.001-04:00

Forget from Michael Fragstein on Vimeo.

Dancewriter manifesto

2009-05-13T14:15:00.007-04:00