IMPACT Dance Company

presents

EVERYDAY PLACES: Life in Ritual

EVERYDAY PLACES - Life in Ritual is a collaborative project involving artists in dance, visual art and video. The project explores everyday human experiences that become the basis for our living rituals. In today’s world, we are bombarded by information, speed and noise.  We lose sight of the importance of simple rituals that endure the passage of time and bridge cultural boundaries.  EVERYDAY PLACES - Life in Ritual is an exploration of the universality of these rituals.  The artists emphasize the simplicity of human contact, intimacy, and gesture to illuminate these often-unconscious human experiences, bringing them into the conscious for examination and contemplation.

Since its premiere in 2006, this project has evolved and grown with each subsequent performance.  The installation and live performances are shaped to fit each venue and reflect the current focus and passion of the participating artists. EVERYDAY PLACES - Life in Ritual features live performance by IMPACT Dance Company with choreography by Artistic Director, Judy Bejarano and Project Lead and Assistant Director, Lisa Morgan. Adam Brandon, Technical Director for IMPACT Dance Company, has created the video and photographic imagery for the current production and installation. The work of visual artists John Giarizzo and Kaidi Dunstan grace the space, along with artwork and custom canvas design by Erika Howrey Clark.  Custom silk painting by textile artist Siobhan Elder-Dodge are used in set and costume design.    

Project History

In the spring of 2003, IMPACT Dance Company performed an improvisational lecture demonstration at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Fort Collins, Colorado (FCMOCA) that focused on the interaction of the art forms.  Later that same year, the company performed in the space again as part of an “outside of the box” evening of art with two area theater groups.  Artistic Director, Judy Bejarano and Assistant Director, Lisa Morgan began discussing their desire to create a season of projects for IMPACT Dance Company that would take place outside of the traditional stage setting.  Of particular interest was the sustained integration of the process of creating work with artists of other disciplines.  These creative “jam” sessions would be as important as the final product.

In the fall of 2004, they met with Jeanne Shoaff, Director of FCMOCA, with a proposal for the installation and performance.  With the support and enthusiasm of Ms. Shoaff, the participating artists, Bejarano, Morgan, visual artists John Giarrizzo and Kaidi Dunstan and video artist, Randall Sinner met along with IMPACT Dance Company members. The first collaborative work session took place in January of 2005.  This group furthered the development of the project during a magical session at the UCROSS Artist Retreat in the summer of 2005.

The performance premiered as Finding Place: Life in Ritual in the spring of 2006 and included the aforementioned artists as well as textile artists Erika Howrey Clark and Siobhan Elder Dodge and video editing by Adam Brandon.  The show was performed again in the spring of 2007 at the Sandy Carson gallery in Denver, Colorado.  As the focus of the project and its collaborators continued to evolve, the name was changed to Everyday Places: Life in Ritual, to emphasize the focus on the simplicity and beauty found in our daily experiences.  IMPACT Dance Company gratefully acknowledges the contribution of all artists to this project, as well the organizations that have supported its development FCMOCA, UCROSS Foundation, Colorado Council on the Arts, the Wyoming Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.