This past year, even as we’ve had to move between in-person and online modes of work due the the pandemic, we’ve set new seasonal patterns to fulfill our mission of supporting experimental dance and performance here in Utah. Below, we’ll recap what we’ve accomplished, but first, I want to talk a little bit about the journal and the blog and introduce a new feature.
In 2021, we published our latest print journal Conversation Pieces, available to order here through Lulu. On our website, we’ve published over fifty new pieces of original dance journalism by dozens of local writers covering hundreds of new and historical dances. According to our analytics, we estimate that these pieces have reached more than 20,000 readers — we also share our work through our brilliant partner Artists of Utah/15 Bytes.
What I love about Conversation Pieces, is that it captures the energy and passion of dancers talking about dance. Like live performance itself, this is something we’ve all been missing when it’s been in short supply during the pandemic. This energy can be felt in Alex Barbier’s lively interview with Uprooted director Khadifa Wong, and in Halie Bahr’s conversations with Molly Heller, Dominica Greene and Queer Spectra’s organizing team.
We remain committed to fostering dialogue and paying dance artists to write about their peers’ work. We’re introducing a new feature on the site, which has been a part of the last two print journals, called Briefly Noted. It’s essentially an opportunity for our writers to bring us mini-reviews, shorter impressions of multiple performances in a single flash — for reference, think of The New Yorker’s events pages.
Our journalism efforts are expensive and we need your support to keep them going. Click here to make a donation.
A rainbow seen this summer at Halie Bahr’s loveDANCEmore-sponsored performance at Liberty Park
New Work in 2021
In the spring of 2021, our Only the Lonely platform — the first year of our now-annual artists-in-residence cycle — presented new work by eight artists across Utah and one guest from South Korea. Read about it here and here and watch some of it here.
In the fall, we presented twelve artists and eight original works at our new Sunday Series at the Rooftop at Spy Hop. Watch some highlights below from the last show of 2021, an evening with Jordan Danielle (video by Benjamin Ukoh-eke)…
Fiscal Sponsorship and Artists’ Support
loveDANCEmore has hosted independent artist projects since 2011 and fiscally sponsored artist projects since 2014. Fiscal sponsorship is a way for independent artists to access funding streams and opportunities usually only available to registered non-profits.
Since 2014, we’ve sponsored Molly Heller, Katherine Call, Nichele Woods, Breeanne Saxton, Karin Fenn, Natosha Washington, Graham Brown, Movement Forum, Tanja London's Speakers’ Corner, and Erica Womack, among others. This year, we were happy to support the work of Interdisciplinary Arts Collective for their durational performance of Erik Satie’s Vexations, discussed in this digest piece, through the use of our Marley floor.
Finding affordable rehearsal space is one of the greatest challenges facing independent choreographers and performance makers in Utah. loveDANCEmore doesn’t have a space of its own, but we’re here to help. Many venues offer lower rates to non-profits or to groups of artists who can bundle their efforts and rent many hours of space at a time. We are here to help facilitate. If you’re working in Salt Lake County, we suggest you begin your space search with Sugar Space, The HERC, UAA and the many facilities for rehearsal and performance owned by Salt Lake County taxpayers. With some administrative work, you should be able to find space for between $5 and $15 per hour. Ask us for help.
When booking a venue, we can also help you with insurance, aiding you in finding volunteers, and other things that make performances possible. We own a reversible white/dark grey Marley floor, two video cameras, several tripods, and a variety of DIY construction worker-style lights which are available to rent at modest fees which cover the cost of delivery. We also love helping out with grant writing, moderating post-performance discussions, and facilitating classes and workshops in conjunction with your performances and other events. We are also happy to distribute our performance journals at your events, usually free of charge.
To inquire more about these services, write to sam@lovedancemore.org or call 801.915.0625.
Ashley Anderson Dances
Ashley Anderson Dances is excited to announce that we’ll be showing witch dance again this fall, likely at a Sunday Series performance. This past year, Ashley continued her work with the BTS Program at the University of Utah, her advocacy for arts education, and her work supporting arts in K-12 settings through Arts Integration Club — which provides free arts lesson plans to educators. loveDANCEmore also provided outdoor dance classes in the spring to children whose families weren’t ready for them to attend class indoors.
We were also thrilled to present Ashley’s dear old familiar in the spring through Only the Lonely and again this November at the Alfred Lambourne Program’s annual arts showcase at Sugarspace.
As the parent organization of loveDANCEmore, Ashley Anderson Dances wishes to the thank the Salt Lake City Arts Council, Salt Lake County Zoo Arts and Parks, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, John and Martha Veranth, the City Library, Spy Hop, and all of our individual donors and volunteers. Happy New Year!