toil and trouble

New Orleans has stolen my <3.

ticktockdance — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:38:53 +0000

Hey tickockland!

Well! It was an insane month of preparations to get us here. I can’t even begin to go into detail. It seems like every time we put up domestic variations, it darn near kills us. Then… we don’t die, we do the show, and it’s over all too soon.

Wednesday night we wheeled the bed outside to the pre-party and parked it on the road by the train tracks and Dani stopped traffic so we could do our preview performance. We were totes punk rock.

Thursday night the house was not quite full, but the audience was lovely. The venue manager reported that one woman said as she was leaving, “I want more variations!” And the guy selling pizza in the alley watched the show from the doorway and bought a ticket after it was over. That might be my favorite story ever.

We’ve gotten a great response so far. It’s almost like people here like art or something.

Yesterday we got up at 5am to go down to the venue and perform for a TV spot on Good Morning New Orleans. Look Mom! We’re on TV!
http://www.abc26.com/news/local/wgno-news-fringe-fest,0,4794619.story

Last night we pulled the biggest house in the history of the festival, and they turned about 30 people away.

The Nola Defender named us “best of the fest”. That probably helped.
http://noladefender.com/content/even-more-views-fringe

This festival is amazeballs!! We saw Hand2Mouth do their incredible show “My Mind is Like an Open Meadow” and everybody cried. Then we saw “Zombies, Actually… an undead musical” and everybody laughed. So… we got that covered, lest you worry that we weren’t having a well-rounded Fringe experience. Tonight we’re seeing a couple shows before call, and tomorrow as well. I’m excited to see Poki and Ember’s show “Button Wagon”, and Claire Moody’s “the invisible draft”… and SO many more that I will probably miss.. *sigh* I might come back next year just to attend. The work is THAT good.

Tonight we’ve got a late slot at 11pm, and then we’re going dancing at Mimi’s. Catch up with us if you’re in town!

Love from Above,
Liza
and ticktock/team NOLA!

our “Selfstarter” fundraising campaign video

ticktockdance — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:12:49 +0000

YOU can get us to New Orleans!

As you know, we are incredibly honored and excited to be performing at the New
Orleans Fringe Festival in November! As an emerging company, we don’t
yet have all the financial resources of a more established
organization, and we are depending largely on individual supporters to
get us to New Orleans. Get involved! Help us represent our remarkable
Seattle arts community at the NOFringe, where we will perform not only
for brand new audiences, but also an audience of our peers–theatre
makers from all over the country. We need to meet our fundraising goal
of $7000 by October 23 in order to send 3 performers, one stage
manager, one technician, and our entire set of custom apparatus to New
Orleans. Whew!

So don’t delay! We are a Partner Artist of Shunpike, a 501(c)(3)
umbrella organization. This link will take you directly to the online
form where you can make your 100% tax-deductable donation today:

And don’t forget to include your snail-mail address. We have special
thank-yous for donors who contribute $100 or more!

Thanks so much!

-Liza

PS: Special thanks to Wes Hurley for the video magic. <3

TEAM NOLA

ticktockdance — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:47:06 +0000

Announcing Team NOLA: Liza Rose, Sage Cushman, and congratulations to the beautiful Rachel Strickland, who was selected from the auditionees on Saturday! We’ve got the inimitable Dani Prados of Gesamtkunstwerk! Theatre as our stage manager, and thank goodness. She makes me feel like I don’t have to do all the hollerin’. : )

The NOFringe schedule will be announced in a few days and we are PSYCHED! In the meantime, please consider a tax-deductable donation to help get us there. It’s easy!

Just –>click and pledge<– !

We have to raise almost $7000 to make this trip happen, and frankly, we’re relying on you. As an emerging company, we don’t have all the financial backing of more established organizations. We are excited for the opportunity to show everyone at the NOFringe how we do it in the PNW. It is an important step for ticktock. Seattle represent!

We are perilously close to rolling out a new website– keep your eyes on ticktockdance.com.

Off to rehearsal…

xo,

Liza

Alley-Up! + Audition for ticktock!

ticktockdance — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 23:23:44 +0000

Hello everybody!

We have more information on the very fun show coming up on Sept. 29 that I mentioned in the previous post. Here’s the full story: From 6-7pm we will be performing domestic variations: reprise in the Nord Alley in Pioneer Square (that’s the alley behind the old Eliott Bay Book Store). We’re being produced by the Alley Network Project, a fine group of Pioneer Square business owners committed to the vitality of their neighborhood. We’ll be joined in the other Pioneer Sq. alleys by the fantastic folks at Versatile Arts, Vita Arts (a great youth outreach arts organization), and our friends Stimulate Dance. It’s free! So come on out and see some funky wierd performance in the alleys!

Jill and I have been working with Sage in rehearsal and it’s going to be great! Admit it: you’re curious.

Also, we’re auditioning! Did you know? Here’s the deets:

Open call for female Aerialists, Acrobats, and Dancers

ticktock is looking for one physical performer to join the company for
4 shows in New Orleans, LA, Nov. 17-20, 2011. Female strongly
preferred, but male dancers with ensemble-compatible energy will be
considered. Travel expenses and performances are paid. Continued
collaboration following this project is likely.

Performers must exhibit a strong blend of the following skills (in no
particular order):

- solid modern dance technique
- good basic acrobatics including walkovers and handstands (aerials
and handsprings a plus)
- strong aerial skills, static trapeze preferred
- ability to say “yes”, make bold choices, and develop memorable characters

We understand the rigorous nature of all four of these skill sets.
Some coaching will be available during the rehearsal process, so don’t
freak if your handstands aren’t perfect or ankle drops scare you, as
long as you are willing to work on things in and outside of rehearsal.

Rehearsals will be held at Versatile Arts in Greenwood; schedule is
subject to performers’ availability.

Be prepared to learn approximately 1 minute of choreography,
demonstrate aerial combinations on demand, and improvise on the floor and in the air. We will warm up together.

Please direct questions and RSVP to Elizabeth Rose at
liza@ticktockdance.com or call 718-974-4742.

ticktock is the Pacific Northwest’s only experimental circus and dance
company, creating genre-bending choreographic works on horizontal and vertical planes.

Watch the trailer from our latest show here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-chx-Hn32Qk

More soon– I actually leave on the 29th for New York to perform in the New York Burlesque Festival the following night. But New Orleans and Austin are up next!

Keep in touch, ok?

Love,

Liza

Fall approacheth, so it goes

ticktockdance — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:10:17 +0000

Hey!

Here is a pic from Lo-Fi:

Great photo by Cindy Apple.(c) 2011 www.cindapple.com

AND!!!!

We are performing Perseus again soon at the Rainier Beach Art Walk on Sept 17, thanks to SEED Arts Seattle and 4Culture Site Specific. The event happens from 11 to 3 that day and we don’t have times yet, but will let you know.

Then, on Sept 29 at 6pm, we will be performing scenes from domestic variations in the Nord Alley in Pioneer Square as part of Alley-Up!, presented by the Alley Network Project. We’re excited about that for a couple of reasons. 1) Because it’s a really cool event. 2)Because it’s being shot by Goldie Jones for a web vid about us by Subversionz Media and 3) Because Jill and I will be joined in the air by the remarkable Sage Cushman, Seattle newcomer and recent graduate of the National Institute of Circus Arts in Australia. Whew! So come on out and see what happens when we set up our apartment in an alley.

We have more news brewing and some traveling on the horizon (hello major fundraising), but that’s all for now. We are interested to see how the rehearsal process with Sage shapes up and excited about bringing her on board for this show. And don’t worry, Bridget is still around.

Ok now Liza, go to bed…

xo. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

on to the next one…

ticktockdance — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:06:38 +0000

Hey! Ok. We have recovered from the exhausting experience that was domestic variations. Mostly. It was our most ambitious work yet, and we are proud of ourselves for what we accomplished artistically; taking huge risks, and expanding our vision. We got excellent feedback from our fans, peers, and community. I feel like ultimately it was a valuable and explosive step in our creative evolution. We are hoping to remount it in a few other cities, and perhaps in Seattle agin in Fall of 2012. We love it for what is was, and what it is going to be. It’s life is just beginning. Us artists… we’re never quite satisfied, are we? But I feel like as a company, we’re making peace with that.

In the meantime, the next few weeks will be consumed with redesigning ticktock vs. Perseus (performed on a 21 foot tall kinetic sculpture by Miguel Edwards) for our appearance at Not to Scale, the Lo-Fi Summer Arts Festival at the Smoke Farm. Smoke Farm is a magical place located outside Arlington, Washington, in the north fork of the Stillaguamish river. It used to be a dairy farm, and was purchased from the Smoke Brothers in 1993. It is now part of the Rubicon Foundation, and dedicated to supporting art, science, and philosophy through creative and community work. We love to spend time there, and this festival is THE best thing you will attend this Summer. If you love us, you MUST come and spend time with us in this place. Please. The artist roster is insane (72 visual and performing artists!) and includes, DK Pan, Awesome, and Titanium Sporkestra, just to name a few. Plus, our dear friend Keely Isaac-Meehan, artistic director of Manifold Motion, will be performing a new solo work! w00t!

Hope to see you soon.

Love,
Liza

here it is…

ticktockdance — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 05:55:43 +0000

we made a little promo vid. check it:

the “post show” post

ticktockdance — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:20:21 +0000

I’m still processing the experience of producing domestic variations. It was a difficult journey. While the three of us were able to work together in a positive, cohesive, and ultimately rewarding way, there were so many external or technical factors involved in the show that for three months, it seemed like everything might fall apart at any moment. I don’t know if I have the energy to do it like that ever again. We learned a lot about what to delegate and what to do ourselves, what and what not to pay for, who will and who will not show up, and how to just keep going — and be easy on ourselves.

I am profoundly grateful to my collaborators and to every single audience member who had enough faith in us to put their evening on the line by coming to our show.

Love,
Liza

a few pics from dress rehearsal <3

ticktockdance — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:35:10 +0000

photos by migueledwards.com

dear fans and loved ones

ticktockdance — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:57:17 +0000

photo: migueledwards.com

Hi!

Guess what? You can buy tickets to our show right here!

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/177142

What’s this show about anyway? Well, here’s a handy description right from our press release:

Seattle’s favorite aerial trio is at it again, fusing theatre, dance, and circus to intrigue and astonish you! Casting themselves as three women who live in the same house at different times, the ticktock trifecta explores the idea of “home” and where we find it, make it, or imagine it in “domestic variations”, running Friday-Sunday, June 17-26 at FRED Wildlife Refuge. Performed entirely on invented apparatus, ticktock puts their heavily acrobatic and circus infused dance into the literal landscape of an apartment, using furniture, human-sized picture frames, and the occasional household appliance instead of trapezes and silks to create a genre-defying work that challenges the mundane, the hyperreal, and all the day-to-day moments in between.

Tickets are $15 through brownpapertickets.com. Friday/Saturday showtimes are 7;30pm. Sundays are 7pm. ticktock is an associated program of the Shunpike.

We have a limited number of seats for each show, and we have to pack every night. We need your help. Share, re-post, tweet, send psychic brainwaves, bottle some messages, or activate the phone tree. TELL YOUR FRIENDS.

See you there,

ticktock