Tracey Katof

TRACEY KATOF

Tracey Katof graduated magna cum laude from Hofstra University with a Bachelors of Dance. She also trained at Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Dance New Amsterdam, and Ballet Academy East in New York City. Tracey has contributed choreography and performed for both stage and video productions. A few of her credits include HBO award winning comedian Rebecca Drysdale, international pop star Sasha, Calabash Records, Naganuma Dance, Avodah Dance Company, and The Society for Cultural Exchange. In collaboration with James Koroni, she a was invited to Paris to perform at La Bellevilloise. Tracey is honored to be working with a talented cast and production team as the choreographer of Lemon Meringue.

"I choose dance as my form of communication and self expression because I feel speaking through movement is the natural global language. In addition,  I hope that my body and movement can serve as a vessel for social change and awareness.  My dancing is driven by my devotion to a cause and a desire to express truth.  If I can spark an emotion or idea in an audience member that leads to a positive change, then I have accomplished my goal. In a sense, I dance to be larger than myself." -Tracey Katof

Be the One

I'll never see what you wanted... love The earth created life for unknown reasons but life is positive and the only known reason is “love.”

I was the hell that you needed... oh Our existing assumptions for life lead to the planets very downfall. We exploit natural resources and deplete the planet of what life bearing properties it had.

I was the one when you needed love I was the one when you needed love Finally the earth speaks up but not to destroy us. The earth repeatedly sends signs that only conscientious love & compassion for the earth will sustain life. A cycle of outcries in the form of natural disasters, war, famine & global warming communicates that we will return to our “mother” whether it be through tender love or instant death. We are dependent and yet, ignorant of our downfall. We need to re-identify with our “creator” or our life support and respect it’s wishes before we fulfill our own. Either way will sacrifice something. What’s worth more, Strife or Life?

song: 'Be the One' BY MOBY

choreography: JAMES KORONI TRACEY KATOF

dancers: JAMES KORONI LAUREN COX SCOTT HAMILTON TRACEY KATOF

video production: JOSHUA KATCHER perhapsmedia.net/

Please, Don't Touch

Distance from home can be frightening considering culture shock, facing strangers or the potential of getting lost in a new land. I don’t feel this way however, I find myself inspired and excited to explore endless possibilities. Throwing myself into the fire lifts what impression of the world I may have had. We tend to seek commonalities in relationships with other people before we can relate but by releasing that need for a cultural comfort zone, you create more acceptance. In this I see beyond my own experiences and expand my capacity to be compassionate towards others.I hope to travel the world one day and share my "voice" with others. This past weekend I traveled south a few hours to our nations capitol, Washington D.C., for the Annual Anti-Fur Society Conference. I was accompanied by Lauren Cox, a professional dancer from San Francisco. She comes from a much different upbringing than myself but somehow we both dance with compassion and understanding. Our artistic journey may not end in the same place but for this past weekend our path was from New York City to Washington D.C., a big adventure for open minds and open hearts on open roads.An art initiative online called PINNACLE Reinvent The Icon, encourages artists to utilize their talents to make a statement against Fur. Fur bearing animals live terrifying lives while enduring a great deal of suffering and all for human vanity! After doing my research I felt compelled to create a piece that brings forth their perspective. Hopefully in turn providing a voice for the voiceless.The piece was inspired by Satyrs, a popular character within Greek Mythology, often portrayed as half man and half goat. These creatures live jovial lives, love to dance, play music and enjoy sexual encounters all making them innately free spirited. I imagine any living being would wish to live their lives this way. I contacted Marlena Pavich, a compassionate costume designer and film stylist, to create the anti-fur pants that would simulate the half goat element of our character. Using all recycled vegan materials, she constructed the most brilliant interpretation of a Satyr I could have ever imagined!As we walked on stage you could hear clinking silverware and people boasting about the bread sticks. The room was silenced by our focus, intention and powerful advocacy. The music began, our bodies shivered and the story was told.Taking a moment to realize our experience here on this planet is blind to suffering, society shelters us from these issues because it wants us to stay ignorant to what suffering exists. With information compassionate people take action and this isn’t what the Fur industry wants. “We must be the rebel, and reclaim our position of being the visionary. The fashion industry poses in rebel iconography, when they are the conformist selling out to the fur trade”, said Joshua Katcher of TheDiscerningBrute.com. They have no right to treat animals as painless, lifeless creatures meant for luxury, vanity or power. My anti-fur piece entitled “Please, Don’t Touch” will release in late July of 2011.

Tonya's Not Just O'Kay

Tonya Kay smokes the entertainment biz and wins best supporting actress in the 2011 Los Angeles Movie Awards. This compassionate 'Mover' has many talents and needs not compromise them as a dancer but rather finds a way to utilize them and enrich her career. Being a dancer, danger expert, actress and a writer are among her many talents. It's no surprise that she won this excellence award. She won for her most recent portrayal of KIELLE in Silver Lake where she plays an artist whos actions are dauntless and her relationships are titillating. I find her performance intriguing. Don't miss it!

For more on Tonya Kay visit her website and watch Silver Lake here!

Broadway Bares

Broadway Bares XXI: Masterpiece will offer up a modern-day burlesque show packed with museum-quality human canvases that would make an art critic blush. 'Mover,' Summer Broyhill will be one them baring some skin in attempt to raise much needed funds.

The first Broadway Bares in 1992 featured seven dancers performing choreographed stripteases on a bar that raised $8,000. In the 20 editions so far, Broadway Bares has collectively raised more than $7.5 million.

A letter from Summer:

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Hello!

I very much appreciate your support, whether it be by donation or in your attendance at Broadway Bares XXI STRIPATHON.

All proceeds go to support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a phenomenal non-profit that not only supports those living with this horrendous illness, but also a variety of other public health programs geared at the artistic community.

BC/EFA is the major supporter of seven programs at The Actors Fund, including The HIV/AIDS Initiative, The Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, The Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic (a personal Godsend for me in times when the only health insurance I could afford was insufficient), The Actors Fund Work Program, The Dancers’ Resource, The Stage Managers’ Project and three supportive housing residences. BC/EFA also awards annual grants to more than 400 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.

No amount is too small (or too great), so let's use small change to make a big difference!

-Summer Broyhill

Visit here to contribute a donation of your own OR buy tickets to the event here!

Rise and Fall of the Machines

Using machines to workout has become commonplace in our culture. For many people they are irreplaceable. But let's pause for a moment: is there anything strange about using machinery to train our bodies? Well, it's certainly a good way to become proficient at using machines! But what about high-dynamic or everyday activities that use our full body in a coordinated way? Workout machines (with a few exceptions) just don't replicate that. And relying on them can actually detrain your nervous system and its ability to coordinate many muscle groups efficiently and effectively. Not only that, but machines do such a great job of creating a stable environment that little-to-no balance is required on your part. And that means you need far fewer muscle groups to accomplish a given task. In the end that means you do less work in a machine-based activity and hence less you get benefit for your muscles and overall fitness. Many such machines were developed in the 20th century and are a mainstay for physical therapy and helping patients recover from injuries. For these patients, having a more stable environment is often necessary because of a previous injury and the need to isolate a specific muscle or muscle group. But for the rest of us what we need is actually a less stable environment and less isolation! (Not to mention that many people recovering from injuries can benefit from stability training too.) I see the popularity of workout machines being due to a few things: increased comfort from an indoor workout environment; sense of satisfaction in knowing that you are working a single muscle and what that muscle is; sedentary workouts - most machines require that you sit down to use them; and simplicity of participation, e.g. press a button or move a weight pin and adjust seat height, then begin. Simplicity is good, but maybe we would benefit from taking some time to learn more complex, non-machine-based movements. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe that traditional exercises without machines are better for you and more worth your time. And in the end, what is so complicated about a push-up?

In my personal workouts and my programs for clients I emphasize 'functional' training and 'stability' training. These are closely-related training methods and, in my opinion, make the most sense if your goal is total fitness and long-term health. An exercise is "functional" if it trains you to accomplish tasks that might come up in your ordinary life, e.g. lifting boxes, opening heavy doors, recovering from a fall, running up stairs, etc. But functional training can also go beyond these more everyday activities to include any activity that uses most of your body to accomplish a specific task, e.g. climbing a rope, throwing a large object, and jumping onto a high surface. When we are moving in the world, most of our body is required (hence the argument against machines). This means complex coordinations are performed by the nervous system to organize one's entire body toward attaining a set goal. There are major muscle groups activating to generate power, but there are also smaller muscle groups that bear the responsibility for keeping you from falling over, keeping your joint surfaces aligned, etc. And it is the activation and training of these smaller muscle groups that 'stability' training focuses on.

Stability training is composed of movement patterns and environments that have intentionally unstable aspects. An example would be a movement that requires some time balancing on only one foot. Another would be accomplishing a task with a moving object, so that you have to compensate for your center of gravity constantly shifting. Balancing is all about managing how you fall. Overtime, the falls become smaller and smaller (think of an infant learning how to walk) until you are proficient at the given task. And, just like the infant, once you are proficient it is time to try something more difficult and unstable again (like jumping, spinning, doing a handstand, etc.). In fitness training we call this a progression, and the idea is simply that your training increases in complexity as you increase in your own ability. In short, your fitness training should evolve with you.

To train my clients in functional movement patterns and stability exercises, we perform movements in the real world (often outside) and with simple equipment (bodyweight, floor mats, benches, playground structures, resistance tubing). The only time I use more equipment is at my private studio where my clients train themselves with medicine balls, stability balls, and dumbbells, but all in ways that recruit numerous muscle groups and increasingly challenge their coordination.

For more on the Author, Sebastian Grubb, visit his ‘Movers’ page!

SUPPLEMENTATION: Part 5 of 7

VITAMIN D DETAILS

Vitamin D is required by the body to absorb and utilize calcium. Without enough Vitamin D in the body, one will not be able to keep one's bones strong by maintaining their calcium balance. Vitamin D is available to us in three forms: synthesis via sun-exposure on one's skin, consuming certain foods, and supplementation/fortification. Most whole foods that contain Vitamin D are not otherwise the more nutritious of foods (e.g. cow liver, fish liver, cheese, and egg yolks). Hence most experts recommend obtaining adequate Vitamin D via the other two methods. Supplementation is relatively easy to do and is recommended for many categories of people: those living far away from the equator, the elderly, those with known difficulty in synthesizing Vitamin D via the skin, those living in a wintry climate, those who remain indoors, those with dark skin who get little sun exposure, and those who always cover themselves completely with clothes or sunscreen. Aside from people living on or near the equator, most people will for some part of the year be helped by Vitamin D supplementation. Near the equator and elsewhere in summer, most people can get enough Vitamin D by exposing the skin of their arms and face to sunlight for 15-20 minutes. For those with darker complexion, more time is required. Far from the equator or when it is no longer summer (i.e. the sun remains within 45 degrees of the horizon), consumption of foods fortified with Vitamin D or supplementation of this nutrient is recommended. It is of course possible to get too much of a good thing, so please check with a physician about your daily recommended intake (400-800 IUs is typical).

SUPPLEMENTATION: Part 1 of 7 SUPPLEMENTATION: Part 2 of 7 SUPPLEMENTATION: Part 3 of 7 SUPPLEMENTATION: Part 4 of 7 SUPPLEMENTATION: Part 6 of 7

For more on the Author, Sebastian Grubb, visit his ‘Movers’ page!

'Cut Color Move' OFFICIAL VIDEO

I am thrilled to release my proudest work yet! So many talented artists worked on this project including Layla Joy an Aveda Cosmetologist, Tracey Katof a commercial and Broadway Showcase Choreographer as the Assistant Choreographer, and Joshua Katcher a talented video artist from Perhaps Media Production Co. stepped in to help capture every moment I had envisioned for Cut Color Move.

Cosmetologist, Layla Joy, contributed all Aveda hair products and sourced them to be cruelty free and environmentally responsible.  Styling for the dancers was either borrowed, thrift or all cruelty free sourced vegan materials. Lifestyle icon, Joshua Katcher recently released his Mens Eco Shoe line which can be seen, worn by me, from his upcoming online store, BraveGentleMan.com.

Without further ado, 'Cut Color Move'! For more on James Koroni and Enforced Arch website visit the About page!

Cut Color Move, Tomorrow!

Coming June 3rd

cut color move

Dear Stranger

Dance inspires action, expresses ideas or wisdom, and is given as a gift to others. 'Mover,' Nicole Javanna Johnson has developed a way to implement all three of these elements to make a difference for others while doing what she loves. Johnson created Javanna Productions, a nonprofit organization that presents an annual effort entitled M.O.V.E.: Motivation Opportunity Vision Entertainment. In this effort all are encouraged to take action, be creative and develop a stronger sense of community within their neighborhoods while raising funds for a cause. This years efforts are entitled M.O.V.E. The Cambodia Project. They are working with the Bernie Krisher foundation to build a school in rural Cambodia, thereby raising awareness and funds for education. The following excerpt from M.O.V.E. The Cambodia Project’s theme song by Bridget Barkan describes our relationship to those whose shoes we may not have walked in, but in light of, whose experiences we can certainly dance:

Dear Stranger, I love you, (I love you) I know, what this world can do to you.

Dear Stranger, I need you. You need me too. Together we can make it through.

The people of Cambodia have faced deep tragedy in the last century. Recovering from genocide requires much forethought. Generous action from strangers will help catapult progress. By building schools we teach Cambodian children their history and generate a light of hope. M.O.V.E. The Cambodia Project has set a goal to raise $20,000 in funds to support their cause.

Fortunately New York City is culturally diverse and provides its patrons with tremendous opportunities in which we can spread awareness and instill what change is needed. Johnson grasps these opportunities to spread Cambodia’s needs, and without question, onlookers emphatically express interest and find ways to support her efforts.

M.O.V.E. The Cambodian Project was most recently seen at the New York Dance Parade with support of Broadway Dance Centers educational department. Now in its fifth year it has brought together almost ten thousand dancers, almost two hundred dance organizations and nearly one hundred unique styles. Before May 21^st these dancers may have been considered strangers, but when brought together with a common love for dance one can appreciate and experience their power. Click here for more on M.O.V.E. The Cambodian Project.

Click here to donate and help them reach their goals!

Photography by Serena Dykman