At Green Street Studios
By Susie Davidson
CORRESPONDENT
With music and poetry open mics ubiquitous in an area where
creativity and diversity are encouraged to the point of reverence, the expansion
of the concept seemed a natural progression to dancers Carolyn Merritt and K.C.
Chun. The two, who belonged to the Royal Jelly Collective, a collaborative
group of dancers, musicians and studio artists, launched its “Open
Floor” series in 2000. When each left Boston to further their studies,
leadership passed to current co-directors Carey McKinley and Heather McQuiston.
The Collective has been fostering and presenting multi-media
performance art, with an emphasis on dance, in the Boston area for the past
3-and-a half years. Among other venues, the group has performed at Green Street
Studios, the Dance Complex, Trinity College in Hartford, the Zeitgeist Gallery,
the Somerville Museum and Squawk Coffeehouse.
Central Square’s Green Street Studios provides performance
space on the first Sunday of each month for the Open Floor; it has sponsored
the more formal "Open Floor Showcases," which include special
lighting, expanded seating and additional marketing, as well (the next Showcase
is set for the spring of 2003).
“We have been very pleased with the growth of Open Floor
over the past couple of years,” said McKinley, who with McQuiston had
attended from the beginning. “Open Floor participants put time and energy
into creating new ideas to share with our community.” They also encourage
musicians to watch and/or participate.
“Some dancers come without music or looking for musical
ideas,” she explained. “Open Floor often serves as a great place
for dancers, musicians and performers to network and begin new collaborations.”
Royal Jelly Collective members sought to emulate the sharing and
community experience they observed at other open mics. “Every night of
the week, on every week of the year,” said McKinley, “musicians
fill the open mic scenes at local venues to share their music and songs with
other musicians and patrons.” In the same way, local choreographers can
come to Open Floor each month to share their ideas, creations or works of
movement and dance with other dancers, artists and with the greater community.
“Open Floor is a chance to perform,” she stressed, “to polish
new ideas, to get critical feedback from audience members including other
choreographers, to perform with live musicians who frequently attend, and to
enjoy watching local dancers of all sorts in their process.”
Since its inception, a great variety of dance and performance art
has embellished the Open scene. Modern dance, classical ballet, improvisation,
break dancing, fight dancing, tango dancing, Indian dance, jazz dance, hip hop,
and other forms of movement are a regular part of the action. Accompanying
media is also diverse, and has included poetry, narrative readings, original
music and sound, both live and recorded, film footage and slide shows, as well
as props and costumes. “All ages, all styles and all types of movement
art are encouraged to share their own and others’ work,” said
McKinley.
Open Floor is a not-for-profit, monthly and on-going project for
dancers and choreographers to show completed or in-progress work in an informal
setting. Audience members are welcome, as are musicians. A $3-5 donation is
requested.
The next Open Floor is Sunday, Nov. 3. Sign-up is 6:30 p.m.
showings are from 7-8:30 p.m. at Green Street Studios,185 Green St., Central
Square. For more info, email Royal_Jelly_Collective@yahoo.com, or call McKinley at 617-783-9773
or McQuiston at 617-480-9630.