I Believe ________________

Our next full evening show (April 2-4, 2010 @ Round House Theatre) is titled I Believe/The Disorder of Things. I need YOUR help! Please send me your thoughts - in any form - WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

You may send anonymously, if you like. I am curious to know what you believe and to hear/see/experience your thoughts!

Many Thanks,

k.k. :)

Big News for Contradiction Dance!

Click here

December 2009 Contradiction Dance News Events, Classes, Performances In This Issue Moving Party Funds 4 Darhyl Quick Link About Us Winter/Spring Classes Contribute! Donate Now! Greetings! Beginning January 11, 2010, Contradiction Dance will move from our current location in Takoma Park to Downtown Silver Spring. As the Dance Company in Residence at Round House Theatre, our new studio will be in the Round House Education Center located at 925 Wayne Avenue. We are thrilled about the new partnership and the opportunities for growth it presents. To celebrate our move, we are offering a WEEK OF FREE CLASSES January 11-17, 2010. We look forward to seeing you in our new home! Smiles, k.k. :) SAVE THE DATE: April 2-4th, 2010 Contradiction Dance premiers I Believe/The Disorder of Things at Round House Theatre's Silver Spring Series Moving Party Saying Goodbye to Takoma Park& Hello to Silver Spring! DATE: Saturday December 19th TIME: 8pm til we stop dancing Place: 7014 Westmoreland Ave, Takoma Park MD 20912 Tickets: $20 http://movingparty.eventbrite.com/ CONTRADICTION DANCE: An Exchange Between Life & Dance Contradiction Dance is a place where theatre, dance, and pop culture meet. The company's vision is to make dances that report on, reflect, and question the world in which we live. Nurtured on the belief that artists and audience members communicate in a dialogue through the chosen medium, Contradiction Dance fosters discussion, reflection, and change through live performance and dance education. GIVING BACK Update: Fundraiser for Darhyl Lyons As a community, we raised almost $8,000 to support Darhyl. A MATCHING DONOR has stepped forward willing to match up to $4,000 in new donations between December 20th & December 31st. Please give generously! DONATE: http://funds4darhyl.eventbrite.com/ CONTACT: www.contradictiondance.com Email: contradictiondance@gmail.com Phone: 240.450.2420 Kelly Mayfield Contradiction Dance

Meandu

...And so are you! :)

from the webcomic: http://xkcd.com

Funds4Darhyl in the Gazette!

Friends, neighbors drum up support for Takoma Park co-op activist
When cancer struck Darhyl Lyons, residents held fundraiser to aid hospital bills
by Jeremy Arias | Staff Writer

Jeremy Arias/The Gazette

A smile creased the lips of Takoma Park resident Darhyl Lyons Saturday night as his hands danced over the taut surface of his trusty drum and he surveyed the chorus of residents, friends and neighbors who had come out to support him.

As an enthusiastic drum instructor at the Contradiction Dance Studio and well-known staff and board member at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Co-Op, Lyons is accustomed to helping his community, but when doctors at Holy Cross Hospital discovered a cancerous tumor in his lung last July, his friends and neighbors were quick to help him. Refusing to stand idly by as Lyons faced the news of a second tumor discovered in his brain only a week after the first, a group of local businesses and Lyons' friends organized a fundraiser to help pay for his escalating medical bills.

More

And a tid-bit:
Hmmm...

PISCES [February 19–March 20] White dwarfs are small and dense stars. They're typically no bigger than the Earth, but as heavy as the sun. You currently have a resemblance to one of those concentrated balls of pure intensity. I have rarely seen you offering so much bang for the buck. You are as flavorful as chocolate mousse, as piercing as the scent of eucalyptus, as lustrous as a fireworks display on a moonless night. Personally, I'm quite attracted to your saucy and zesty emanations, and I think most people with strong egos will be. But some underachievers with lower self-esteem may regard you as being more like astringent medicine. My advice: Gravitate toward those who like you to be powerful.

More

Fundraiser for Darhyl Lyons: A Helping-Hand for a Hometown Hero.

Come enjoy an evening of dance, music and martial arts performances, an eco-fasion show, a silent auction of things from Old Takoma businesses, goody bags, and more. Darhyl leads A Different Drum Drumming circle, works as both staff and board member at the Takoma Co-op, and is a great local guy with big medical bills. All proceeds go directly to Darhyl.

Saturday November 28

7pm

$30/single, $50/couple, $80/group of 4

Tickets: http://funds4darhyl.eventbrite.com

Contradiction Dance Studio, 7014-A Westmoreland Ave, in Old Takoma.

Reality and such...

I love this web-site: http://xkcd.com

I'm debating how to make more money so I can let go of some stress that has been blocking me. Fighting my way through the maze to a solution, not just to the money, but to the trap. When I came across this, I smiled.

poetry of the moment...

Little Firefly

Turned Butterfly

Turned Duckling

Turned Swan

She floats above

Spreading her wings

With love,

She envelops me

And sings...

Grown Up

Drex turned me on to this site: http://xkcd.com/

Lovely Ideas

Some lovely ideas I came across.... from Rob Brezsny

http://www.freewillastrology.com/beauty/pronoia.therapy.html

TORRENTIAL PRONOIA THERAPY
Experiments and exercises in becoming a blasphemously reverent, lustfully compassionate, eternally changing Master of Transgressive Beauty

1. Take inventory of the extent to which your "No" reflex dominates your life. Notice for 24 hours (even in your dreams) how often you say or think:

"No."
"That's not right."
"I don't like them."
"I don't agree with that."
"They don't like me."
"That should be different from what it is."

Then retrain yourself to say "YES" at least 51 percent of the time. Start the transformation by saying "YES" aloud 22 times right now.

AND MANY MORE....

Don't Copy That 2

I had the joy of participating in an industrial with several company members... ENJOY!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUCyvw4w_yk

Parrot Joke

A lady goes to her priest one day and tells him, 'Father, I have a problem..

I have two female parrots,
But they only know how to say one thing.'

'What do they say?' the priest inquired.

They say,

'Hi, we're hookers!

Do you want to have some fun?'

That's obscene!' the priest exclaimed,

Then he thought for a moment.
'You know,' he said,

'I may have a solution to your problem.

I have two male talking parrots,

Which I have taught to pray and read the Bible.

Bring your two parrots over to my house,

And we'll put them in the cage with Francis and Peter.

My parrots can teach your parrots to praise and worship,

And your parrots are sure to stop saying . .

That phrase . . In no time.'

Thank you,' the woman responded,

'this may very well be the solution.'


The next day,

She brought her female parrots to the priest's house.

As he ushered her in,

She saw that his two male parrots
Were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying.

Impressed,
She walked over and placed her parrots in with them.

After a few minutes,

The female parrots cried out in unison:

Hi, we're hookers!

Do you want to have some fun?'

There was stunned silence.

Shocked,

One male parrot looked over at the other male parrot

And exclaimed,

'Put the beads away, Frank.

Our prayers have been answered!'

AUDITIONS!

OPEN AUDITIONS

SEEKING PROFESSIONAL & PRE-PROFESSIONAL DANCERS

DATE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2009

TIME: 4PM REGISTRATION; 4:30-6:30 AUDITIONS

PLACE: CONTRADICTION DANCE STUDIO

7014 WESTMORELAND AVE., SUITE A

TAKOMA PARK, MD 20912

CONTRADICTION DANCE: PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE COMPANY

Contradiction Dance is a place where theatre, dance, and pop culture meet. The company’s vision is to make dances that report on, reflect, and question the world in which we live. Nurtured on the belief that artists and audience members communicate in a dialogue through the chosen medium, Contradiction Dance fosters discussion, reflection, and change through live performance and dance education.

Rehearsals: Wed & Fri 10am-2pm Sat 3pm-7pm


M A S S I V E A T T A C K: PRE-PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE COMPANY

We are seeking thirsty young adults willing to take creative risks exploring the fusion of dance styles. We are looking for a very diverse group of movers who are interested in expanding their core technical skills, building a common movement vocabulary, and augmenting each other's specialties.

Rehearsal: Sat 3-5p
Class: Wed 6-7:30pm AND Sat 1:30-3pm

Please visit: www.contradictiondance.com for further information.

Email: contradictiondance@gmail.com Phone: 240.450.2420

In the News :)

My breakfast meeting didn't show up... I had an enormous breakfast all by myself, reading the paper and enjoying the precious moments alone. AHHHH... great way to start the workday!

Enjoy the article :)

http://www.gazette.net/stories/09162009/takonew184714_32528.shtml

Express yourself: Dance studio holds second open house and fundraiser

Whether daring, fun or controversial, studio holds art above all

by Jeremy Arias | Staff writer

E-mail this article \ Print this article

Jeremy Arias/The Gazette

Contradiction Dance instructors (from left) Kelly Mayfield, Arianna Ross, Jasmine Artis and Melissa Bustamante perform a segment from the company's controversial and acclaimed production, Objects of Hope: Washington, D.C., during an evening, adults-only studio fundraiser event held after the studioís annual open house Saturday.

Self-expression comes out in everything we do, from the way we talk to the clothes we wear. But few people choose to exhibit their personalities quite so visually as Lou Valentine and the Takoma Park-based Dance Afire group.

As the de facto leader of the daring fire-dancers, Valentine and his companions use everything from elaborate costumes to flame-tipped fans, chains and staves — combined with carefully rehearsed dance steps — to create a dazzling display of skill, artistry and fearlessness for their audience.

"I like to play with my toys — I like fire — it really gives me energy for my dance," Valentine said, explaining how, after discovering his love for fire at the age of nine – and nearly burning down his grandparents' barn in the process – he decided to find a more constructive outlet for his expression.

"Fire-spinners are very freedom-loving creatures, and they tend to balk at any sort of direction or choreography," he said. "My expression comes in being able to work with these very free-spirits and make something more than just a random crowd of people playing with fire. We come together and create art together."

And in as diverse and artistically minded a city as Takoma Park, Valentine and his group are not alone. Dance Afire is just one of the many dance groups working out of the Contradiction Dance Studio on Westmoreland Avenue in Old Town Takoma Park. The studio, which held its second annual open house and fundraiser casino night Saturday, also boasts a bevy of belly and hoop dancers and dance instruction ranging in everything from ballet to hip-hop.

At the open house, attendees were invited to sample hands-on lessons of the classes offered at the studio.

Many of the studio's instructors, and even a handful of students, including Emma Herbert, were present to guide the public through the many activities. Herbert, 17, dances in Massive Attack, the contemporary dance group of studio director Kelly Mayfield.

"I used to feel like there was nothing I could carry with me to prove that I'm a dancer," she said. "[Eventually] I realized, it's me; it's my body, and I can make art with it, and it's really the most beautiful art, because it's just me using what I have naturally."

The event also featured performances by established professionals, including an interpretive dance by Mayfield and other instructors criticizing the treatment of the homeless in nearby Washington, D.C.

The dance, from a production called "Objects of Hope," has received both harsh criticism and effusive praise from audiences for a segment, which Mayfield and others performed at the adults-only casino night Saturday, featuring the American flag.

In the show, the dancers wear all white and roll across a canvas spread over the floor, smearing themselves with red and blue paint. Mayfield, acting the part of a homeless person, was eventually draped in the American flag and stepped over and dismissed by her fellow dancers, who were playing passersby.

"I hope we will spark a dialogue [with this piece]," Mayfield said. "That's what art is all about; I put this out there in front of you and other audiences because I don't have the answer [to homelessness]. Hopefully through sparking enough dialogue, I can find an answer. Maybe we all can."

A story of a mugging...

My niece sent this.... hilarious! I'm not advocating guns for everyone, but it does make you think about the criminals being the only ones armed, huh? Thoughts? Discussion? hmmmmm....

Posted to Craig's List / Personals:



To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me in Downtown Savannah night before

last. Date: 2009-05-27, 1:43 A M EST. I was the guy wearing the black

Burberry jacket that you demanded that I hand over, s hortly after you

pulled the knife on me and my girlfriend threatening our life’s. You

also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings. I can only hope

that you somehow come across this rather important message.


First, I'd like to apologize for your embarrassment, I didn't expect

you to actually crap in your pants when I drew my pistol after you

took my jacket. The evening was not that cold, and I was wearing the

jacket for a reason. My girlfriend had just bought me that Kimber

Model 1911 .45 A CP pistol for my birthday, and we had picked up a

shoulder holster for it that very evening. Obviously you agree that

it is a very intimidating weapon when pointed at your head ... isn't

it! I know it probably wasn't fun walking back to wherever you'd come

from with that brown sludge in your pants. I'm sure it was even worse

; walking bare footed since I made you leave your shoes,

cell phone, and wallet with me. [That prevented you from calling or

running to your buddies to come help mug us again].

After I called your mother, or "Momma" as you had her

listed in your cell, I explained the entire episode of what you'd

done. Then I went and filled up my gas tank as well as four other

people's in the gas station on your credit card. The guy with the big

motor home took 150 gallons and was extremely grateful! I gave your

shoes to a homeless guy outside Vinnie Van Go Go's, along

with all the cash in your wallet. [That made his day!] I then threw

your wallet into the big pink "pimp mobile" that was parked

at the curb ... after I broke the windshield and side20window and

keyed the entire driver's side of the car.

Later, I called a bunch of phone sex numbers from your cell phone..

Ma Bell just now shut down the line, although I only used the phone

for a little over a day now, so what's going on with that? Earlier, I

managed to get in two threatening phone calls to the DA's office and

one to the FBI, while mentioning President Obama as my possible

target. The FBI guy seemed really intense and we had a nice long chat

(I guess while he traced your number etc.). In a way, perhaps I

should apologize for not killing

you ... but I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate

punishment for your threatened crime. I wish you well as you try to

sort through some of these rather immediate pressing issues, and can

&nbs p; only hope that you have the opportunity to reflect upon, and perhaps

reconsider the career path you've chosen to pursue in life. Remember,

next time you might not be so lucky. Have a good day!


Thoughtfully yours,
Alex

Contradiction Dance OPEN HOUSE - Sept 12

Fall Open House

A little taste of the classes we are offering for the Fall 2009 Session

The Details:

Date: September 12, 2009

Time: 9am-3pm

Place: Contradiction Dance Studio

7014 Westmoreland Ave., Ste A

Takoma Park, MD 20912

FREE!

&

At the Gazebo (across the streeet from the studio):

9am -11am : Face-painting & Demos

Future Shock and MASSIVE ATTACK

1pm: A Different Drum circle

At the Studio:

9-9:30 Parent and Child Classes

Kelly Mayfield

9:30-10 Creative Movement

Melissa Bustamante

10-10:30 Pre-Ballet

Rebeka Dolid

10-30-11 Stories in Motion

Jasmine, Arianna, Kelly

11-11:30 Live Performances Story Tapestries

Arianna Ross

11:30-12 Live Performances Contradiction Dance: Objects of Hope

12-12:30 Hip-hop kids

Jasmine Artis

12:30-1pm Hoop

Dance Afire

1-1:30 Tribal Belly

Shakra

1:30-2 pm Contemporary

Kelly Mayfield

2-2:30 pm Hip-Hop (Teens and Adults)

Gary Beauford

2:30-3 pm Adult Creative Movement

Kelly Mayfield

CONTACT: RSVP http://openhousesept12.eventbrite.com/

Contradiction Dance

7014 Westmoreland Ave, Ste. A

Takoma Park, MD 20912

contradictiondance@mac.com

240.450.2420

ALL LIT UP with Contradiction Dance!! Sept 12!

ALL LIT UP!

Casino Party & Fundraiser for Contradiction Dance

September 12th, 7-10pm
$25/person, $40/couple

Purchase Tickets: http://falllitup.eventbrite.com/

Prizes for top winners! Food & Beverages Served!
Performances by:
Contradiction Dance
Dance Afire
Shakra Tribal Fusion
Rick Udler

LIVE PERFORMANCE • DANCE EDUCATION

Contradiction Dance is a place where theatre, dance, and pop culture meet. The company’s vision is to make dances that report on, reflect, and question the world in which we live. Nurtured on the belief that artists and audience members communicate in a dialogue through the chosen medium, Contradiction Dance fosters discussion, reflection, and change through live performance and dance education.

Contradiction Dance blends several dance forms (modern, hip-hop, tap, and jazz) with aspects of storytelling and theater. This mix allows the company to create an exchange between art and life for audiences, performers, and collaborators alike. The company has performed throughout the greater Washington, D.C., area including The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, The Jack Guidone Theater at Joy of Motion Dance Center, Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre, the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, and St. Mary’s College. For more information, please e-mail contradictiondance@mac.com

CONTACT

Contradiction Dance

7014 Westmoreland Ave, Ste. A

Takoma Park, MD 20912

contradictiondance@gmail.com

240.450.2420

Thoughts on Change....

Got this lil piece of wisdom from the village voice horoscopes...

PISCES [February 19–March 20] I've borrowed a fable from the ancient Greek writer Aesop to create a parable you can use in the coming weeks. Once upon a time, there was a very thirsty crow. Rain hadn't fallen in a long time, and the creek from which she'd always drunk had dried up. Searching for a bit of moisture, the crow happened upon a tree under which sat a pitcher with some water in it. But the pitcher's neck was narrow, and the crow couldn't fit her beak past it to reach the water. Inspired by desperation, the crow at last got an idea. Why not drop small rocks into the pitcher, making the water's level rise? And that's exactly what she did. How sweet it was when at last she quenched her thirst.

Reminds me of the Einstein quote:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

- Albert Einstein

Half-Day Openings Next Week for Camp!

All,

We have openings for half-day students in camp next week. Please give us a
call, or register on-line...

www.contradictiondance.com
240.450.2420

About Stories in Motion

Dance • Drama • Visual Art

Get your kids IN MOTION at Takoma Park's Contradiction Dance studio. Our
"Stories in Motion" curriculum blends creative writing, drama, story-telling,
visual arts, costume making and dance education.

The Stories in Motion curriculum was originally created for Montgomery County's
S.A.I.L. Program by Story Tapestries founder, Arianna Ross and Contradiction
Dance's founder, Kelly Mayfield. We are pleased to bring it to you!

Best,

k.k. :)

REGISTER for Fall Classes at Contradiction Dance!

Photo by Lloyd Wolf

All,

The fall schedule is up & online registration is open. We have tons of classes for all ages... please take a peek & join us as we grow!

- Parent/Child
- Creative Movement
- Home School Classes
- Adult & teen programs
- Stories in Motion on Saturdays

More info: www.contradictiondance.com
REGISTER: http://cdfall09classes.eventbrite.com/

Contradiction Dance is a place where theatre, dance, and pop culture meet. The company’s vision is to make dances that report on, reflect, and question the world in which we live. Nurtured on the belief that artists and audience members communicate in a dialogue through the chosen medium, Contradiction Dance fosters discussion, reflection, and change through live performance and dance education.

Matches

Love is an unlit match
Untapped potential
Waiting to burn

Strike that match
watch it burn
relationship

In the Flesh - Reviews :)

photo: copyright Tony Powell

Here are the reviews so far... Thanks for being there and supporting the company!

http://wideningthei.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/fleshy-examinations-at-the-fringe/

http://dctheatrescene.com/2009/07/24/in-the-flesh/

http://tonypowell.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/phillips-in-the-flesh-darlington-house-and-smith-point/


Love,
k.k. :)

Thoughts & Footage

My horoscope for today made me smile:

You must devote yourself this time to those whom you love. Everything will depend on the way you'll live with your near ones; if harmony prevails, if aggressivity is banned from your relationships, then things will go all well. Your career situation will be good on the whole; you'll be quite favored despite some small clouds here and there: you'll have original ideas, and you'll be supported and helped by your entourage. Too rich a diet will prove more harmful to you than ever; avoid the foods that may perturb your balance and have negative effects on your blood circulation.

Here's a sneak peak at some new material for our In the Flesh Concert at the Phillips Collection July 23rd... this was our first rehearsal with it - more to come!

blogging, writing, creating and such...

Been in a flurry of busy-ness, business, and dancemaking. I haven't taken much time to document things, but I'm making my way back to it. More to come....

In the mean-time, visit: http://casinoparty.eventbrite.com and RSVP for our Open House & Casino Party on Saturday!

OPEN HOUSE JUNE 20TH!

Contradiction Dance                             

An Exchange Between Life & Dance

 

ALL  LIT  UP

 

 

 

Join us on Saturday June 20

for

Free Classes!

 

– 10am Creative Movement

– 10:30 Parent/Child Dance

– 11am Hip-Hop (7-12 yrs)

– 11:30am Hip-Hop (Teen/Adult)

– 12pm Modern Dance

– 12:30 Staff (Object Manipulation Class)

– 1pm Hoop Dance

– 1:30pm Drum Jam

– 2pm Afro Fusion

– 2:30 Taiji

 

* Classes are limited to the first 15 people

Please pre-register by email at contradictiondance@gmail.com

 

-over-

There’s MORE!

 

 

Join us at 7pm

for

an exciting performance featuring:

 

– Contradiction Dance

 

– Massive Attack

 

– Dance Afire

 

and more…

*Tickets are $25 per person or $40 per couple

Please visit www.contradictiondance.com