Inspiration

Here are a few photos of the ladies that are the inspiration of Channeling.


Clarabelle Barret


Mille Gade


Lillian Cannon and her dogs.



Gertrude Ederle, the champion!

New Fabric Piece!

Winter Circus Cabaret...Deena's new fabric solo!

We need your support!

Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you already know, MOTH Aerial Dance: Movement Of The Heart, a new performing arts company located in beautiful Southern Vermont was launched in September of 2008. MOTH will be debuting its first full-length show, Channeling, in April 2009, inspired by four American Women who swam the English Channel in 1926.

We are currently in rehearsals three days out of the week, collaborating with dancers, choreographers and circus folks in the New England and New York areas. We are interviewing a local woman who swam the Channel 15 years ago, and hope to connect with more athletes that accomplished this amazing feat. This is truly an inspiring project, that touches upon a few themes such as women’s rights, the bikini, perseverance, and celebrity.

As exciting as this is, Channeling cannot happen without your support. Although we’re starting small, rigging/apparatuses, rehearsal space, theater rental, tech crew, costumes, promotion, and a website don’t come free. That’s why we’re asking for your financial support. Large or small, your donation contributes to the tradition of art in small communities and will help MOTH get Channeling of the ground, literally and figuratively.

MOTH is comprised of Deena Marcum Frank, dancer/founder/Artistic Director, and dancer/collaborators Amanda Goble, Aimee Hancock, and Bronwyn Sims. Channeling is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.

Contributions in behalf of MOTH are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please send to Deena Frank, 66 Highlawn Rd. Apt 102, Brattleboro, VT, 05301. Checks should be made payable to Fractured Atlas, with Channeling in the memo line.

Thank you for your generous support. Happy Holidays!


Sincerely,


Deena Marcum Frank
Artistic Director
MOTH Aerial Dance

The logo!

Check out the new logo! Wow, I am excited about this. Please let me know what you think. I had it made through www.99designs.com, a fantastic resource for getting quality work at a price that you choose. Check it out!

MOTH, featured member of Fractured Atlas...

This week, MOTH is a featured member on Fractured Atlas' blog...very exciting! Please check it out *HERE*

New Pieces...

Currently all members of MOTH are taking a break from the "Channeling" project to work on corporate acts for the coming holiday season. This is how we pay the bills for now ladies and gentlemen! I am working on a fabric piece, Bronwyn is reworking a lyra piece, Aimee is working on a new single point trapeze act, and Amanda is reworking her static trapeze piece...all very exciting and great stuff. Interested in booking MOTH for your party? Contact us, and we would be happy to talk with you about options.
Happy holiday season!
Love and light,
Deena and the Members of MOTH

Work In Progress & Moving Meditations

Finding Space

There is a trapeze, there is a dancer, and there is so much space...in between the ropes, outside the ropes, above and below the bar, between an arm and the bar, or the rope, or the floor, or the rigging. What does the trapeze represent at any given point? There is an automatic conversation between the trapeze and the dancer, and the audience needs to be let in on the secret. There are so many possibilities.

Dancing in the woods of Vermont...so inspiring!

Excited and hopeful.

I just found out that we have been approved for fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas! This is fantastic. More on that later. Tomorrow, the video camera comes out in rehearsal. Check back again soon for more updates.

Duo Sling

More successful partnering on the slings today...we figured some fun things out, and learned that we all can base and fly. Pretty fun. I am happy about the organic process that we are finding, through trust and joy. Looking forward to being in the studio again next week.

The Single Point!

Ahhh, what a lovely rehearsal we had today. Sadly Browyn wasn't there today, but Aimee, Amanda and I got some great work done. We did two different improvisation exercises on the single point trapeze, which was super inspiring and fun to watch and participate. There were many moments of clarity for our different characters, and the movement was both thoughtful and organic. I have grand visions of projecting images onto the moving bodies...that is the next step then...bringing the video camera to rehearsal, and recording the improvisations. It is time to start piecing the moments together...whoopee!

Improvisations.

Today Aimee and I did a few improvisations on the single point trapeze...took a few moments to get in the groove, but it proved fun and inspiring. It feels so good to work with someone who understands my language as an artist, and who is strong in their own artistry. Sigh...I have been longing for this.
Wednesday we work as a whole group again. Check back in.

Bungee legs!

We tried to drill holes in the beams yesterday to no avail. The drill wasn't powerful enough, so alas, we didn't get to rig all of our slings into the rehearsal space. Just another day in the life of an artist. We have a lot of work to do. The bungees work well though, and are a lot of fun. Afterwards I still had the feeling that I was bouncing in the air, kind of like sea legs...bungee legs! More soon.

Bungee!

I have finished the working music score for rehearsals tomorrow, and I am super excited about it. We are going to be starting work on the slings, including adding a bungee pack to the top. Yay for buoyancy! Check back again for more pics and video soon.

AMANDA GOBLE!!!

Yay, here are a few pictures from Amanda's final projects for the Professional Training program at The New England Center for Circus Arts. She is so hard core! And that is why I love her so.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

BRONWYN SIMS!

Aimee Hancock...the fabulous!

In an effort to show off my dancers and their past accomplishments, here is another video from MOTH company member Aimee Hancock. This clip is from Cirque Eloize's Production, "Rain." Really, just watch...it speaks for itself.

The lovely Alisan...

Here is a video from MOTH member Alisan Funk, who choreographed this piece and performed in May, 2008. Alisan is part of the Montreal aerial scene, though she is a native New Englander. We love her!

For Ruby: Single Point Trapeze, 2008

Colorful Hat Tour, Summer 2008!

Here is a duo fabric piece that Elsie Smith and I performed on tour this summer.  This particular show was in Indianapolis ( and I am on the right). We had a lot of fun...7 adults, 3 kids, a van and a lot of Cracker Barrel!

Welcome to MOTH!

Hooray, my dream has come true!  I finally have started an aerial dance company...M.O.T.H Aerial Dance Theater: Movement Of The Heart.  We are currently working on a project that will premiere in the spring of 2009.  The main piece is about four women who swam the English Channel in the 1920's, one of whom was the first woman to do it, Gertrude Ederle.  The dancers working on the project with me are, Amanda Goble, Aimee Hancock, and Bronwyn Sims. They ROCK!!!

Keep checking in, as I will be posting pictures and videos from rehearsals soon!

Thanks for visiting the MOTH blog.