Hope to see you on Nov. 7!

Details about our Nov. 7 show: scroll down for performers' bios!

Moment’s Notice

A performance series devoted to
improvised music, dance, & theater

Saturday, November 7, 2009
Showtime: 8:00 pm

Tickets: $8-15 sliding scale. Available at door.

Western Sky Studio
2525 8th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710

Featuring:

Cathie Caraker : dance

Cathie Caraker is an international dance artist and teacher. Her solo performance work has been presented in NYC by Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace at St. Mark's Church, Movement Research at the Judson Church, University Settlement House and the New York Improvisation Festival, and elsewhere in N. America, Europe, Argentina and Brazil. She was recently Artist-in-Residence at CounterPULSE in San Francisco, where she premiered a new work in collaboration with Katarina Eriksson.

Cathie will show the second in a series of solo improvisations to music by Aaron Zimm. (Photo by Frank Revi)

Jon Raskin & Lisa Mezzacappa : music

Jon Raskin (sax) and Lisa Mezzacappa (bass) are both composers and improvisers who look far afield on there perspective instruments for inspiration. This duo will delve into a wide range of sonorities and melodic invention. For more information, visit http://www.lisamezzacappa.com/, www.jonraskin.com and www.rova.org (The image at the top of this blog post is one of Jon's compositions -- see it on his website!)

Linda Rodeck : action theater / depth improv

Linda Rodeck is a performance artist, writer, and teacher. She improvises nationally and internationally in solo and collaboration. For the past ten years, she has studied and performed with master improviser, Ruth Zaporah and the International Action Theater Ensemble. Linda regularly teaches the techniques of Depth Improvisation and Action Theater in New Mexico and is a resident teacher at the Harwood Arts Center in Albuquerque. She is available to teach your weekend, five day, or two week workshop throughout the United States and Internationally. http://depthimprovisation.com

Katarina Eriksson & Rosemary Hannon : dance

Katarina Eriksson & Rosemary Hannon have decided that they will make a “dansical” one day. This improvisation is a study/etude/experiment/piece of research toward it. They call it I’m Only Dancing 3. Rosemary Hannon co-produces Moment's Notice, teaches Contact Improvisation and performs with Nono Dance. Katarina Eriksson co-founded Moments Notice, way back in 2000! Katarina’s latest performance endeavours include touring with Hoppalappa Postfolki Tanziteatteri in Sweden, and shows at the SF Fringe Festival with Rowena Richie's LandEscape, a dance theater piece based on Michael Pollan’s texts.

Jen Marie & Daniel Fleischer : dance / voice

...itself in the rich avalanche of heavy words...

Jen Marie’s collaboration with Daniel Fleischer, …itself in the rich avalanche of heavy words..., is a dance structured around the grammar, rhythm, and word play within James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake. (The title comes from Agua Viva by Clarice Lispector) Operating under the mindset of stream-of-consciousness, the dance provides an arena for movements that flow into and out of one another, where the start of phrases are waylaid, diverted, or startled into other starts of phrases, references to self and culture, and re-combinations that evoke the last which becomes a new start of … and then the next. Etc. This dance is a found object, a relic of human cognition.

An Oakland-based dance artist, Jen Marie works primarily with movement and writing. She holds a BA in Dance and Performance Studies from UC Berkeley, and has performed with local artists Smith/Wymore Disappearing Acts and Shannon Preto, as well as in her own work in the Bay Area and abroad. She is excited and honored to be a part of this season's Moment's Notice!

Evan Specter : motion theater

Evan Specter is a founding member of Tumbleheart, a 7-person ensemble that composes autobiographical memoir-scapes in real time, culling the recent past for moments alive enough to fire up some mirror neurons. His background includes 10 years in the physical narrative technique called Motion Theater, which harnesses physical impulses to activate images and memories, and then weaves the emerging threads into a coherent narrative. He also has a solo show about overeating at the spiritual smorgasbord (http://therebedragons.weebly.com/). He recently joined 2 friends in preparing a 40-course French-inspired meal in Seattle to celebrate their 40th birthdays (http://bit.ly/fTCju). He savors life in Berkeley with a dog, a cat, a hen, a wife, a Legoboy & a Bollywood dancergirl.

...& who knows what surprises...

Anatomy of Presence

Moment’s Notice and NONOdance present:

Anatomy Of Presence

(a performance evening of improvised works)

Thursday, October 22, 2009 8:30-10pm

Benno Voorham (Sweden), Katarina Eriksson (Sweden/USA), Ray Chung (USA), Rosemary Hannon (USA) and Vitali Kononov (Russia/USA)

A crosspolination of contact improvisation, dance and theater, Anatomy of Presence reveals the hidden currents of human attention and it’s manifestation in space and time. At the intersection of funny and serious, deep and shallow, physical and psychic performers locate their presence and share it with the audience.

Part one: Bones. Performed by Ray Chung, Vitali Kononov and Benno Voorham.

Part two: Skin. Performed by Benno Voorham and Katarina Eriksson.

Part three: Blood. Performed by Katarina Eriksson and Rosemary Hannon.

Part four: Muscules. Performed by Rosemary Hannon, Katarina Eriksson, Ray Chung, Vitali Kononov and Benno Voorham.

Part five: Heart. Performed by Benno Voorham.

Sawtooth Building, 8th Street Studio, 2525 8th St., Berkeley, CA 94710

Donation: $8-15 encouraged but not forced

For reservations call 510-703-1085 or email nono at artsomatic.org

Next Show: November 7!

Hello, friends of Moment's Notice!

Our next show is coming up... The extraordinary Jon Raskin & Lisa Mezzacaa will bring us music. Linda Rodeck is flying out from Albuquerque to perform for us; she is a superb improviser of Action Theater and Depth Improv. We'll also have dances by Jen Marie, Cathie Caraker, Katarina Eriksson & Rosemary Hannon. We will even have a surprise or two in store...

Hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 7, 2009
Showtime: 8:00 pm

Tickets: $8-15 sliding scale

Western Sky Studio
2525 8th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710

Featuring:

Cathie Caraker : dance (http://www.caraker.com)

Jen Marie : dance (http://www.youtube.com/user/jeminthesky)

Jon Raskin & Lisa Mezzacaa : music (http://www.jonraskin.com/)

Linda Rodeck : action theater / depth improv (http://depthimprovisation.com)

Katarina Eriksson & Rosemary Hannon : dance (http://nonodance.info)

...& possibly a surprise or two...

Tickets available at door. For more info, email MomentsNoticeInfo (at) gmail.com

Next Show: August 29, 2009

Hey, friends of Moment's Notice!

Our next show is coming up -- it will be a sweet, intimate gathering of old friends, finding our way to magical moments through improvisation.

We'll be welcoming back Moment's Notice co-founder Katerina Eriksson, fresh from her latest performance tour in Sweden -- yay!

This month’s performers are:

Antyne : music

Victoria Pizzinat Joy : Action Theater

Himma (Christine Cali, Amy Helmstetter, & Sarah Sass) : dance

Rosemary Hannon & Katarina Eriksson : dance

Imaginary Friends (Abhay Ghiara, Kim Criswell & Krista Gullickson) : physical theater

NoNo (Vitali Kononov & Rosemary Hannon) : dance

Saturday, August 29, 2009
8pm
$8-$15 sliding scale; tickets available at door

Western Sky Studio
2525 8th St.
Berkeley, CA 94710

Antyne is a musician and artist who, at a very young age, was told often that her mouth was running too much and that it needed to be controlled. Today, though she still makes mistakes, she is learning to run her mouth appropriate amounts, and control her mouth, masterfully, all the while striving to keep the wild alive.

For this Moment's Notice, she will perform improvisational vocal "paths" or "ways", as the Temiar shamans of the Malaysian rainforest refer to them.

Victoria Pizzinat Joy last performed at Moment's Notice with a group of singers... I always find her theater work sensually dramatic and edgy. She's also an artist who makes gorgeous jewelry: http://www.vittajoy.com/

Himma is a new movement research group that practices and performs spontaneouschoreography. The group members Christine Cali, Amy Helmstetter and Sarah Sass are interested in uncovering layers of presence for performance, accessing archetypes from the unconscious, and consciously shifting space, time and energy to create form.

Rosemary Hannon co-produces & co-curates Moment's Notice, teaches Contact Improv and performs with Nono Dance: nonodance.info.

Katarina Eriksson co-founded Moments Notice, way back in the ‘90s! She has been involved with improvisational dance since 1989, collaborating with artists such asJulyen Hamilton, Ray Chung and Cathie Caraker. She teaches CI and other improvisational forms in Europe, US, and Canada. Katarina's traditional dance background includes The Gothenburg State Theater and Opera. She has only just returned from several months of performing and teaching in Sweden; earlier this year she was an Artist in Residence atCounterpulse, San Francisco.

Katarina's focus in her teaching and performance work is communication and play, plus the challenges and joys of collective instantaneous composition.

(That's Katarina in the photo at the top of the page. But, you probably already knew that.)

Someone recently said that Imaginary Friends' comic physical theater is like "The Marx Brothers meet Butoh". We like that description. "We" being me (Moment's Notice co-producer Kim Criswell), Abhay Ghiara, and Krista Gullickson.

Vitali Kononov is another frequent Moment's Notice performer. He co-founded Nono Dance, teaches weekly Contact Improv classes, and does the most amazing sound scores for his dances.

Ruth Zaporah & Bob Ernst in About Time

The reservation list for tonight's show is FULL!!!

If you haven't made a reservation and do want to see the show, we'll do our best to squeeze you in, but can't guarantee it. There are always a few no-shows, we're looking for more chairs, and there will be some opportunities for standing room or sitting on the floor. (I know, right: standing room; SUCH an opportunity! But Ruth & Bob so rarely perform together these days, and they're so consistently amazing, that it'll probably be worth it.

Hope to see you there tonight!

A Moment's Notice special event: Ruth Zaporah & Bob Ernst!

Hey, friends of Moment's Notice --

Thanks so much to everyone who came to last Saturday's show. We've got the best audiences -- it's so fun. Of course, it helped that we had amazing performers. Diana Lara opened, dancing to sounds of traffic and ocean waves. Vitali's sound scores for NoNo Dance always make me want to MOVE -- this time, he and Rosemary did a witty dance that introduced the "iBox"; they were joined by a violinist who added a touch of intrigue. Andrew Wass's & his group's creativity never fails to amaze; Claire Peaslee's physicality and humor are always surprising: Catherine Debon was so, so French and we so, so related to her solo about bravely facing life's pains. At least, I did! The Brine's music was fresh and quirky.

Our next "regular" Moment's Notice will be on Saturday, August 29.

Before that, though, we have a special event:



Ruth & Bob are Bay Area performance art / improvisation legends -- they're written up in books about improvisation -- real masters of the art.

Ruth co-founded Moment's Notice's home, Western Sky Studio, where she honed & taught her own personal style of improv, Action Theater. She lives in Santa Fe now, so this is a rare chance to see her perform.

Bob was a co-founder of the Blake Street Hawkeyes, the experimental theater ensemble that's famous for being Whoopie Goldberg's old stomping ground, as well as John O'Keefe's, George Coates', and other local luminaries'. He's performed on virtually all the major local stages, as well as on TV & film. He's in the Guinness Book of World Records for a 24+ hour improvisation he did for the Hawkeyes' Actualist's Convention. Insane? Well, maybe insanely wonderful. The July 11 show will be much shorter than that, we promise.

More info is here: http://momentsnoticeimprov.wordpress.com/

Usually we have tickets available at the door, but this time, reservations are advised!

Hope to see you there!

Details about our June 13th show

Showtime: 8:00 pm

Tickets: $8-$15 sliding scale

Location: Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th Street, Berkeley (in the Sawtooth Studios building, between Dwight Way & Parker St.)

Andrew Wass and Kelly Dalrymple-Wass : dance

Andrew Wass and Kelly Dalrymple-Wass founded Non Fiction in 2007. They have been working together for the past 8 years teaching/performing in festivals, universities, and studios in the States and abroad. The Non Fiction website is still under construction so until then, check out www.andrewwass.com and www.lowerleft.org They’re performing “Anything Is Permitted to Us”, an adaptation of a solo body score for ensemble performance.

The Brine (Andy Strain, trombone; Jason Hoopes, bass; Noah Phillips, Guitar) : music

Formed in the East Bay Area in Spring 2008, The Brine is a free improvisation trio that blends elements of accessible tonality and popular music sensibilities with an avant-garde emphasis on texture. The Brine has developed a unique and recognizable sound and is currently putting the finishing touches on their 1st recorded work. (http://www.myspace.com/thebrinetrio)

Claire Peaslee & Kim Criswell : action theater

Claire and Kim will be exploring solos – alternating, interrupting, and perhaps overlapping - in shared space.

Claire Peaslee has a life practice in Action Theater and finds that "improvisation of presence" is actually happening most of the time when life is good. This is why she performs, teaches and studies the form. Claire lives in Point Reyes and subsists as a writer/editor and naturalist. Tonight's improvisation is offered in celebration of possibility and imagination.

Kim Criswell recently returned from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she participated in a gathering of Action Theater teachers and advanced practitioners from around the world. She co-produces Moment’s Notice.

Diana Lara : dance

Diana Lara is a choreographer and dancer from Honduras. She graduated from the Choreography Program of the Center for Research and Choreography at the Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA) in 2003. In 2006, she received a scholarship to study at the program in Somatic Research and Participatory Arts offered by the Moving-on-Center School in Oakland, California. She has worked as a dancer and choreographer for contemporary dance groups in México (Caída Libre and Luna Roja) and Honduras (Danza Libre), participating in festivals in Mexico and Central America. She has training in ballet, Humphrey-Limon and somatic techniques. She was a professor of Humphrey-Limon technique at Centro Cultural Los Talleres in Mexico City for seven years. Diana currently lives in San Francisco and works as an independent artist developing projects based in the exploration of somatic elements.(http://www.escenica7.com/lunaroja/). For Moment’s Notice, she will dance to music by Paul Lansky and John Rodgers.

Catherine Debon : theater

Catherine Debon has been creating performance pieces since the mid 80's – most recently as part of the improv duo, “Radio Brunettes”. These days she only has time to create theater on the spot. In keeping with her fashionable cultural heritage (she’s French!), Catherine is planning nothing but her costume, and hopes for nothing more than hanging in the unknown. Experience tells us this is likely to work out perfectly.

nono dance (Rosemary Hannon & Vitali Kononov) : dance

Nono Dance is a performance collective dedicated to conceptually, visually, and aurally framed improvisation. Formed by Rosemary Hannon and Vitali Kononov in 2007, Nono Dance investigates the somatic realms of dance performance. Nono’s improvisational work explores expanded awareness through non-doing. This authenticity in performance elicits a shared experiential field with the audience, offering somatic resonance and rich imagined non-linear narratives. (nonodance.info)