2006 Lab Artist

Jody Sperling/Time Lapse Dance

From September 1-10, 2006 Marlboro College and Vermont Performance Lab collaborated to bring New York City choreographer and dance scholar Jody Sperling and her contemporary dance company, Jody Sperling/Time Lapse Dance, to Southern Vermont for a 10-day artist residency.

Sperling is known for her contemporary choreography that gives a postmodern twist to vintage dance genres; from the dazzling fin de siècle spectacles of modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller, to circus and music hall entertainments. Sperling has gained international recognition for her re-interpretations of Fuller’s art. The Portland Phoenix writes, “Sperling's expansive musicality and expert manipulation of her enormous costume were perfectly analogous to the solution today's technological sophisticates are still searching for—not just a merger of dancing and media but a transfiguration of both."

Working with dancers Lisa Natoli and Kelly Hayes, costume designer Michelle Feranti and lighting designer David Ferri, Sperling developed a new work, Roman Sketches during the the residency. In Roman Sketches Sperling expanded beyond the soloist form to create a trio that pushed the boundaries between dance and technology. Like earlier projects, this newest work is a close collaboration between choreographer and lighting designer. The College and surrounding community had many opportunities to participate in the residency through observing open rehearsals, participating in a hula hooping workshop led by Sperling, taking a lighting design workshop led by Sperling and Ferri, attending a lecture by Sperling on modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller, working with the Company in the studio during the development process and attending a Tea Dance where the Company shared draft and finished versions of their repertory.

Visit Jody Sperling's Lab Project page to get a glimpse of the residency and the project. To learn more about Jody Sperling/Time Lapse Dance visit www.timelapsedance.com.

View Jody Sperling's video.

Photos by Julie Lemberger