Guest Dance Artist, JoAnna Mendl Shaw arrives next week Monday, February 28th-Friday, March 4th to the SOTD Dance Area! She hails from New York City and will be spending time with the dancers in Modern Technique, Laban and Composition classes as well as coaching Composition 4 students on their projects for the BFA Showcase. 

JoAnna Mendl Shaw

The big public lecture on Wednesday, March 2nd at 7pm in G-6 is JoAnna’s presentation about Dancing with Horses coupled with Shark Whisperer, David Ulloa.

Physical Listening & Dancing

Choreographer JoAnna Mendl Shaw and Filmmaker David Ulloa are passionate about the kinetic dialogues they share with animals: Shaw has been investigating the kinetic dialogue between dancers and horses for over 12 years. Her company The Equus Projects is made up of professional dancers who are trained in Natural Horsemanship. They make large and small site specific works for dancers and horses all over the country. Ulloa is a filmmaker who specializes in filming hundreds of feet below the surface of oceans. A lifetime horse owner, David translates the dancing he has always done with his three horses into an exploration of dancing with sharks.   David was featured both in front and behind the camera on “The Quest for Sunken Warships,” a four part special series for Discovery Networks¹ Military Channel.  In 2009 his work was featured in episodes of “Mystery Quest,” a series for History Channel.   His ability to communicate and dance with sharks has also been published internationally online and in print.

Shaw and Ulloa will share stories and film clips about their work and talk about the techniques they use to engage horses and sharks. They will teach some simple natural horsemanship techniques and show clips of how those techniques play out in film clips of each of them engaging with David’s horses.

Both Shaw and Ulloa believe that the physical listening they use in their interspecies dances is fundamental to human communication. Humans are quite familiar with Physical Listening at birth and slowly learn to forget as we become immersed in our highly verbal and visual culture. Connecting deeply with other moving bodies lies at the foundation of dancing.

Shaw teaches Composition, Improvisation and Choreography at Juilliard, in the Alvin Ailey BFA program, at The Bates Dance Festivals and as a guest artist at colleges throughout the US.  The Equus Projects comes to Florida several times a year to train and perform and is developing collaborative dialogue between Florida dancers and equestrians. Ulloa is currently developing a documentary series for network television about his work with sharks and how important these majestic animals are to our planet.

Joanna’s Class Schedule

(midterm week) 

Monday 2/28

Laban Movement Analysis 12:50-2:20 studio G-10

Stephani Rehearsal 12:50-2:20 studio G-11

Olivia Rehearsal 5-6:30 studio G-11

Melissa Rehearsal 5-6:30 studio G-10

Unshowings 6:30-9? Studio G-6

Tuesday 3/1

Int/Advanced Modern 10:40 – 12:10 studio G-10 

(KO & Melissa observe for Midterm—Neta leads Basic II)

Comp 4 12:50-2:20 studio G-10

Molly Rehearsal 5-6:30 studio G-11

Wednesday 3/2

Basic II/Int. Modern 10:40-12:10 studio G-6 

(KO & Neta observe for Midterm, Isa leads Advanced)

Laban Movement Analysis 12:50-2:20 studio G-10

Teaching Methods 3-4:30 studio G-10

Whitney Rehearsal 5-6:30 studio G-10

Presentation of Horse and Shark  Work  with David Ulloa, 7-9pm studio G-6

Thursday 3/3

Comp 2 12:50-2:20 studio G-11?

Josh Sally Rehearsal 3-4:30 studio G-11

Kendra Rehearsal 5-6:30 studio G-11

Friday 3/4

Majors Modern 10:40-12:10 studio G-6

~Artist Chat/Brown Bag Lunch~ 12:15-12:50 studio G-6

Professional Development 12:50-2:20 studio G-10

** 2:20 –Later, Rehearsal depending on who is leaving for ACDFA