COVID

Final Organizer Roundtable Discussion

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This roundtable by Ohio State University Professors Harmony Bench (Associate Professor, Department of Dance), Yana Hashamova (Professor and Chair of the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures), Hannah Kosstrin (Associate Professor, Department of Dance), and Danielle Schoon (Senior Lecturer, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures), comes at the conclusion of their 2020-21 project Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID, funded by a Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Theme Special Grants Initiative.

Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID examines the impact of COVID-19 and quarantine experiences on artistic and cultural production by examining historical precedents, considering audiences in their social contexts, and imagining possible futures based on how audiences are currently forming. This project asks: How does COVID-19 impact cultural production, reception, and circulation? How are artists and scholars evolving their creative practices and research methods in response to quarantine experiences? What engagement strategies are cultural institutions pursuing to develop new audiences as their venues shutter? How are online and offline audiences responding to changes wrought by COVID-19? In what ways do audiences participate in creating meaning and social narratives, particularly during unstable political climates past and present?

“There Is No Prize at the End of the Movement”: Master Class with Alon Karniel, November 2, 2020

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There are few things that feel satisfying or like good translations for connecting with people in our Covid-circumscribed videoconferencing world. But on November 2, 2020, we were thrilled when participants in Audiences and Online Reception experienced a connective Internet-kinesthetic experience during dance artist Alon Karniel’s master class in The Feldenkrais Method®. This somatic practice, developed by Russian-Israeli movement theorist Moshe Feldenkrais, focuses on practitioners heightening their attention to small actions in their bodies through minimal effort to foster sensitivity, being in the moment, and a pleasant experience. Karniel guided us through an Awareness Through Movement® Feldenkrais session on Zoom, and then answered questions about what it has been like to be a working artist during the pandemic. His instruction midway through class, as we coordinated the biomechanics of sliding one palm against the surface of the opposite thigh that itself was wrapped around the other leg, “There is no prize at the end of the movement,” reminded us to attune fully to the moment. Taking a proverbial step back, this instruction to do a thing fully bolsters our reserve against other encounters that come. This moment reminded me of dance theorist Ann Cooper Albright’s discussion about how somatic practices can train us for social justice.

Even though I was lying on a mat in my living room by myself, I felt as though Karniel was right there with me, his instructions so clear and themselves so kinesthetically descriptive that it felt like we were in the same room together. When he gave guidance to the group, I felt the attentive presence of the other people in the class with me as well. Some of the questions we are asking in Audiences and Online Reception are about “after Covid.” While many aspects of dancing and audiencing have not made satisfying transitions to the screen, it was gratifying to feel that Karniel’s Feldenkrais class did, with the ease and release of effort that he stressed in doing the biomechanical sequences. After Covid, we are going to make choices in our hybrid world. We will choose to return to doing some things in person, and we will choose to continue doing some things online. One of the possibilities that Covid has created, paired with the development of videoconferencing technology, is that we can be connected to Karniel in Tel Aviv and take his class there from our internet portal in Ohio, during and after the pandemic.

During Covid, Karniel is teaching, rehearsal directing, and working with students in Haifa and Jerusalem in addition to his home base in Tel Aviv. Israel has gone through patterns of lockdowns and openings, lockdowns and openings since March 2020. This rollercoaster of allowances and restrictions specifically pertaining to theaters have deeply affected Karniel’s teaching work. During the discussion session after his class, Karniel described the effort to bring a dance to performance that he had worked on staging with students for nearly a year. First they were going to perform in a theater with an in-person audience; then without the audience and without the dancers being able to touch or be close to each other; then in a studio with an in-person audience; then in a studio without an audience. Finally, they were allowed to perform the work without any audience members in the studio space, so they filmed it. Karniel mentioned the extra effort it took to rechoreograph the movement patterns to comply with the no-touch, no-partnering restrictions, then to transform a dance made for a theatrical stage to a studio space, and then again still for the camera. Karniel’s experiences are common across Israeli theatrical dance companies during the pandemic thus far. Dance writer Deborah Friedes Galili discussed what it felt like to experience a studio performance of Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv during the narrow window in which Israeli restrictions briefly lifted so that audiences could attend dance performances: the excitement of being kinesthetically together again, and the anxiety about virus transmission. As we look toward what this landscape may turn out to be, the potential for remaining connected through practices like Feldenkrais and Karniel’s teaching offer possibilities for navigating this as-yet uncertain future.

Event Announcement // Institute for Dunham Technique Certification (IDTC) Lecture-Discussion and Master Class

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Institute for Dunham Technique Certification // Lecture-Discussion and Master Class

“Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID” is delighted to host the Institute for Dunham Technique Certification (IDTC) for a two-part series on Tuesday, October 20th and Thursday, October 22nd from 5:20-6:35 p.m. (ET) via Zoom.

Tuesday, October 20th // Lecture-Discussion with Penny Godboldo

Join Penny Godboldo for the presentation “Survival/Resilience in Challenging Times Through the Wisdom of the Katherine Dunham Technique: A Way of Life.” This presentation will view our response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Black Lives Matter Movement, this divisive Election Season and the sense of isolation that permeates life in the U.S.A. today. Through the Dunham Technique, a comprehensive experience we can understand the wisdom of viewing life through the Mind/Body/Spirit experience and most importantly through the lens of Movement—the ultimate Black Experience.

Thursday, October 22nd // Dunham Technique Master Class with Rachel Tavernier

Master Teacher Rachel Tavernier will lead a Dunham Technique master class on Thursday, October 22nd. Dunham Technique is a vibrant African American dance form that engages the body, mind and spirit! Created by dance pioneer Katherine Dunham, the technique is informed by the traditional dances of the African Diaspora, as well as by modern and ballet. Dunham Technique creates strong, dynamic dancers who embody rhythm and grace. Classes in DT offer a variety of experiences, including breathing, isolations, floor work, barre work and progressions across the floor. In this class, dancers will learn the foundational movement of the Dunham Technique and will explore the intersection of Dunham technique and high-spirited, folkloric-inspired movement.

Event Information

Tuesday, October 20th // 5:20-6:35 p.m. (ET)

Lecture Registration—Open to the general public

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, October 20th at 12 p.m. (ET)

 

Thursday, October 22nd // 5:20-6:35 p.m. (ET)

Master Class Registration—Open to Ohio State Department of Dance students, faculty, and invited guests

Registration Deadline: Thursday, October 22nd at 12 p.m. (ET)

Learn more about the Institute for Dunham Technique Certification, Penny Godboldo, and Rachel Tavernier by visiting the “Presenters” page.

Photography credits (right-to-left): Bree Gant; courtesy of Rachel Tavernier.

Reception of Misinformation and Audience Responses

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What Russia Really Thinks about Chernobyl?

Photo: <https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1145211/Chernobyl-what-does-Russia-really-think-about-Chernobyl-putin-state-media-propaganda>

 

Experiencing the spread of COVID-19, the growth of the pandemic, and witnessing the various international governments’ responses to the public health crisis reminded our graduate student, Maryam Bainazar, and me about the Chernobyl disaster and the Soviet government’s response to it. While she knows about Chernobyl only through the experience of her parents who left the Soviet Union in 1991, as well as media and scientific sources, I vividly remember the official government silence and slow response. Although I lived in Bulgaria, our government followed closely the USSR’s announcements and replicated them. The immediate few days after the accident and the release of radioactivity into the environment, all students in my city were practicing the opening of a local Spartakiad (sports competition) on the stadium. Nobody warned us or stopped the practice to minimize our exposure. According to scientists, approximately 25,000 square kilometers were contaminated, and my city is about 1,000 kilometers away from Chernobyl. With such memories resurrected, Maryam and I  decided to evaluate the Soviet government censored media coverage and general response to the public health crisis which occurred following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and to compare it to the current Russia’s government agents’ false COVID-19 narratives, circulating online. In addition to analyzing available public information disseminated in the 2-3 weeks after Chernobyl’s explosion, we will examine the reception of this information by collecting the oral history of participants who were affected by the disaster. Additionally, we are interested in the reception and circulation on social media platforms of COVID-19 false narratives.

Audience behavior and reception of film and media has shaped my research and teaching in the last several years. My last book, Screening Trafficking: Prudent and Perilous, analyzes the local and varied reception of internationally distributed anti-trafficking films. As part of this more general research in audience responses, my colleague Dr. Alisa Lin and I will host a conversation with the American-Latvian film creator Michael Idov on November 18 (4:00-5:00) and we’ll discuss his work on the creation of Russian films (Summer, 2018) and TV series (Optimists and Londongrad, both available on Amazon Prime Video), their reception, and any impact of COVID-19 on his work.

Event Announcement // Tahribad-ı İsyan Performance and Presentation

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Tahribad-i Isyan Event Announcement. Image reads: Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID Turkish hip hop performance and presentation with Tahribad-i Isyan

“Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID” will host the Turkish hip hop group Tahribad-ı İsyan for a performance and presentation on Friday, November 13th from 9:30 AM-11:30 AM (ET) via Zoom.

Tahribad-ı İsyan will discuss how the company formed, the social messages central to their music, and their current work with refugees in Turkey. The presentation will be delivered in Turkish with English translation by urban rights activist Funda Oral. Following the presentation, Tahribad-ı İsyan will perform several of their hit songs and share in a question-and-answer session moderated by Dr. Danielle Schoon, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. This free event is open to the public.

Event Information

Tahribad-ı İsyan Performance and Presentation

Friday, November 13th

9:30-10:15 AM (ET): Tahribad-ı İsyan presentation with translator Funda Oral

10:15-10:45 AM (ET): Live concert by Tahribad-ı İsyan

10:45-11:30 AM (ET): Question-and-answer session

Registration for this Zoom event is required. Please fill-out the RSVP form by Wednesday, November 11th to receive the Zoom event link.

Learn more about Tahribad-ı İsyan by visiting the “Presenters” page.

Event Announcement // Feldenkrais Method® Master Class with Alon Karniel

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Alon Karniel Master Class Announcement consists of two images. Karniel stands against a white wall wearing and blue and black stripped shirt. Karniel leans forward arms to the right high diagonal. He is wearing all red.

Headshot photography by Rosen-Jones. Dance photography by Natasha Shakhnes.

Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID is pleased to announce it will host Alon Karniel for a Feldenkrais Method® master class on Monday, November 2nd from 8:30 AM-10:00 AM (ET) via Zoom. This free event is open to the public and will feature a question-and-answer session moderated by Dr. Hannah Kosstrin, Associate Professor of Dance. No prior experience necessary.

About the Master Class

The Feldenkrais Method is a somatic approach to education and self-inquiry developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-84), a renowned Israeli physicist, engineer and Judo master. In a group class, or Awareness Through Movement® lesson, the teacher verbally guides students through a particular movement sequence. These movements are performed with minimal effort, as easily and pleasantly as possible, with the aim of heightening kinesthetic sensitivity and improving the ability to detect differences so that the finer details of the self and surroundings can be better sensed. In this way, people effectively learn to become aware of what they are doing (as opposed to what they say or think they are doing), let go of unnecessary efforts and mobilize their intention into action.

Event Information

Feldenkrais Method® Master Class with Alon Karniel

Monday, November 2, 2020

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM (ET)

Registration for this Zoom event is required. Please fill-out the RSVP form by Friday, October 30th to receive the Zoom event link.

Learn more about Karniel by visiting the “Presenters” tab.

Dancing through the Pandemic, Jewishly

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Theatrical dance artists’ work conditions changed overnight when COVID-19 shuttered theaters and canceled tours. These changes affect how audiences access and understand dance. My work in Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID focuses on Jewish and Israeli choreographers’ experiences of COVID-19: how lockdowns during the pandemic affected and continue to affect reception to their work; how they maintain mobility online or in other ways when they are stuck in place or their movement is otherwise restricted; and what they foresee and hope for the future.

The research I pursue with this grant supports my current book project on Jewish choreographers who circulated between the Americas and the Middle East through migrations, dance touring, and intercultural collaborations between the 1950s and the 2020s. Central to my project are Jewish choreographers in cultural minorities and Jewish interracial, intercultural, and LGBTQ+ contexts in concert dance. I examine how the reception to these choreographers’ work in print newspaper reviews and online determined how audiences understood them. I show how Jewish choreographers’ work from diverse backgrounds engenders what I call “kinesthetic peoplehood,” a transnational phenomenon wherein people feel connected to or estranged from a diasporic community through bodily practices. Divergent reception to these artists’ work across national contexts, particularly in COVID-19 shifts from the theater to the screen and re-conceptions about how audiences can come together around dance performances, generates transnational narratives stratifying the Jewish diaspora.

I am excited to welcome dance artists for online events during the 2020–2021 academic year. These events are open to the Ohio State community and to the general public. The artists will share some of their work and talk with students and community members about what it has been like to be a working artist during the coronavirus pandemic. First up is Alon Karniel, who will give a Feldenkrais Method® master class on November 2 and discuss his experiences working in Israel during the pandemic. Stay tuned for details on this and other upcoming events!

This Is Where We Dance Now

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This image shows a Zoom dance class.

Ohio State Professor of Dance Susan Van Pelt Petry leads dancers through a Hawkins-based spiral floor sequence in April 2020. This is just one example of how studio dance practices have moved online and into our homes during the COVID era. Image used with permission.

For my work as part of Audiences and Online Reception: Before and After COVID, I am delighted to be guest editing an issue of The International Journal of Screendance with Alexandra Harlig (OSU alum, 2019).

Teaching technique on Zoom, holding online dance film festivals, DJing house parties on Instagram, streaming archival performance documentation, making TikToks—the current era of quarantine and social distancing has rapidly rewritten the playbook for dance onscreen and dance online, impacting the dance field at every level. The long-term implications of this upheaval remain to be seen, but for the moment, we are seeing the culmination of a trend that has been unfolding over the past two decades or more: now all dance is screendance.

We are very excited for this issue, which considers both dance artists that have long viewed the Internet as a primary platform for sharing their work within vibrant online communities, and others who have been forced to innovate in response to sudden and radical changes to their practices.

The International Journal of Screendance is open access, and we look forward to sharing this work in May/June 2021. We are also planning roundtables and possibly a small symposium, so stay tuned for related events!!!!