MOTH: Poetic Circus

Relocated and updated!

2011-09-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hello! Well fall is upon us and with that is the revamping of MOTH. I am very excited to announce that we have relocated to the beautiful mountains of Boulder, CO! I will be teaching for Frequent Flyers and working again on MOTH, all very exciting!!! With the move though, I have been contemplating a revamping of what MOTH is to me, and how I want the world to see us. I don't think Aerial Dance quite fits who we are, so I am changing the name to MOTH: Poetic Circus. I hope you like it as much as I do! It will take me sometime to change the name on all of my websites and Blogs, but hope you will spread the word. MOTH is still MOTH, just more defined and refined. Looking forward to sharing new work with you all very soon. Blessings from the Mountains!

Cirque Fantasies

2011-04-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hello!
It has been awhile indeed, but many things have been brewing. The latest news is that Deena will be performing two solo aerial acts this summer for Cirque Fantasies, in Marshfield, MA. Check it out at www.cirquefantasies.com. She has also been working with Cirque Legacy in promoting their new show, "City Life" as well as their solo and group acts. Check that out at www.cirquelegacy.com.
Deena is excited to be working in collaboration with Katrin Leblond, costume and fashion designer from Montreal. She is designing an amazing costume for the solo silks act. Pretty exciting!
One more piece of news, Deena will be working in collaboration with DreamCatcher Entertainment on a new dance film this summer. Stay tuned for news regarding this project. Hope the spring is going well for everyone!

De Plumas: A Theatrical Circus Show

2010-08-15T15:18:00.001-07:00

MOTH in collaboration with Sol y Luna Dance is heading to Houston, TX in a few weeks for the Houston Fringe Festival. We are premiering an excerpt from a show called 'De Plumas,' a 25 minute piece about memory and reality. Here is a short trailer for the show, and visit www.deplumas.blogspot.com too. Enjoy!

Works in Progress

2010-03-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy this year, continuing touring with Cirque Le Masque with Elsie, and of course teaching the Professional Training Program at the New England Center for Circus Arts.
I have been working on a new lyra solo, and will start working on a new act with Aimee on a new chandelier, something we are both very excited about. I'm not sure what the next step is, but I am searching for grants and once my vision is clear, I will be sending out another appeal letter. I am ready for MOTH to be involved in a full production again. Stay tuned!

What's been happening with MOTH you ask?

2009-10-06T16:00:00.001-07:00

Well, it was a busy summer and it continues to be a busy fall. I have been touring with a show called Cirque Le Masque, performing two pieces with Elsie Smith, a duo trapeze and a duo silks piece. It has been a great experience.
I was also recently awarded an Artistic Development Grant from Fractured Atlas, through which I will have the honor to work with Shana Carroll of Les Sept Doigts de la Main in Montreal.
Also, I have finally finished my website and would love to share it with you. Please check it out!

www.deenafrank.com

Deena working on her new chains act...coming soon on Halloween!!!

We did it!

2009-04-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone that helped make Channeling come to life! There are so many people that helped out, whether it was as a performer, a donor, production crew, tech crew, volunteers, etc. Everyone was amazing! I feel so blessed to have such a supportive community, and look forward to the next MOTH creation. Now it is time to decompress, relax and hang out with my daughter Ruby. Lot of love to everyone. I'll be posting pics and videos from the show very soon.
Hooray!

Dress Rehearsal & One Day to go!

2009-04-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo from last night's dress rehearsal...a sneak peek. :)

Dress Rehearsal

2009-04-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

We have dress rehearsal tonight! OMG, I can't believe we are doing this finally. It has come together so well. The cast and crew are amazing and I feel so blessed to have my vision come together in reality. I think the show is going to be beautiful and I hope you do to! Pictures and a video of the show to be posted next week. Thanks everyone for your support.
There is still time to help support MOTH and the project Channeling, and future projects of MOTH. Go to https://www.fracturedatlas.org, click on donate and then find the project, "Channeling." Thanks everyone! See you on Friday and Saturday!

2 weeks 2 go!

2009-04-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, the show is two weeks away!!! We are almost finished with the finale, a good feeling indeed. Work, work, work, work and PLAY!!!

Premier of Channeling coming soon!!!

2009-03-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

MOTH Aerial Dance: Movement Of The Heart, presents “Channeling,” a full-length show blending the arts of circus, dance and theater to tell the story of a few American women brave enough to challenge the waters of the English Channel in the summer of 1926. The show features Amanda Goble, Aimee Hancock and Deena Marcum Frank, as they swim through the air, revel in their successes and failures, and ultimately change the course of history for women in sports.
Tickets, $12.00 in Advance at Boomerang, 12 Elliot St. in downtown Brattleboro, $15.00 at the door, $10.00 Students
For more information, mothaerialdance@gmail.com.

One Month To Go!

2009-03-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

We are officially one month away from our premier show, "Channeling." This is very exciting! Please pass the word to your friends and family that live in the New England area. The show will take place at The New England Center for Circus Arts on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25, both shows at 8:00pm. Tickets will be available for reservation soon, so stay tuned.

Production...

2009-03-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

We have assembled our production crew and I feel SO lucky. I have an amazing crew. We are in the final stages of putting our show together, working on getting the word out, piecing costumes together, finishing up choreography, editing music, deciding on lighting, looking for more funding, and getting the set design together. Sigh...all of that and then some. It is certainly coming together and I am so excited. Check in for more pictures from rehearsals soon.

"De Anima," Deena & Aimee

2009-03-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

"De Anima" Premier at The Affair of The Arts!

2009-03-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

Aimee and I just premiered our first official MOTH piece for the Affair of the Arts in Brattleboro this past weekend. The piece is entitled "de Anima" which is latin for, "of the soul." We are pretty excited about it and look forward to reworking and re-staging the piece for the "Channeling" show in April. Check it out.

Affair of the Arts

2009-03-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

MOTH is premiering a piece from Channeling, "De Anima" for the Affair of the Arts at The Latchis Theater in Brattleboro, VT. Come and support Aimee and Deena...

THIS SATURDAY, March 7th:
11 am - 4 pm, Daytime Workshops and Performances, NEYT, Brattleboro, VT - FREE
6 pm, Pre-Show Reception (Includes Reserved Seating for Performance): Latchis 4, Call BMC for Reservations
8 pm, Evening Performance, Latchis Theatre, Brattleboro, VT - Purchase tickets at BrattleboroTix.com

On Saturday, March 7th, join the Brattleboro Music Center, Fulcrum Arts, New England Center for Circus Arts and New England Youth Theatre for the second annual “Affair of the Arts”. This collaboration of artists, acrobats, actors and musicians –a celebration of our vibrant arts community – offers a full day and night for everyone to enjoy the arts!

Rectangled

2009-02-19T17:57:00.000-08:00

Aimee and I are finally making progress on the vertical rectangle duo...we have entitled it De Anima, meaning On the Soul in latin. The premier of this piece will be at The Latchis Theater here in Brattleboro, for The Affair of the Arts. We have also submitted the piece to the NYC Aerial Dance Festival in May, and of course will be performing in the Channeling debut in April. So much to do, so little time it seems. Photos to come soon.

Working hard.

2009-02-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I last posted on our progress. We have been very busy and I feel like "Channeling" is starting to take shape. Scary how quickly time is flying by though.
Amanda, Aimee and I have finished the basic choreography for the trio horizontal rectangle. Aimee and I are working on a duet on a long thin vertical rectangle, which we will be performing at The Latchis Theater here in Brattleboro on March 7th, for The Affair of the Arts. More details on that soon. Also, Amanda is working on her single point trapeze piece, making progress as she befriends the beast. Bronwyn joins us back in the rehearsal studio once she is done working on the latest incarnation of Nimble Arts' production, The Love Show.
That is the what's what for now...post again soon. And check back for some rehearsal video soon.
Happy February!

Back to work.

2009-01-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

We are back at work for our show in May. The four of us got together this morning and worked on character movement. Good progress for a first rehearsal in the year 2009. There is much work to be done. Yikes!

New Year's Show!

2009-01-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

Aimee and I had a fantastic time performing at First Night in Burlington...here are a few pictures. Amanda, Aimee, Bronwyn and Deena wish you all a Happy New Year!

Inspiration

2008-12-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

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

We need your support!

2008-12-17T17:38:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-17T05:23:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-12-04T10:52:00.001-08:00

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

New Pieces...

2008-11-28T19:22:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

Finding Space

2008-11-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

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

Excited and hopeful.

2008-10-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-10-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-02T17:28:00.001-07:00

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!!!

2008-09-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

BRONWYN SIMS!

Aimee Hancock...the fabulous!

2008-09-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Colorful Hat Tour, Summer 2008!

2008-09-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

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.