It Was Never Your Fault!

Rich Ryan Productions, LLC through the We Are Many Foundation are pleased to present LEMON MERINGUE, a new play written by Rich Ryan, directed and adapted for the stage by Terri Muuss and choreographed by Enforced Arch 'Mover' Tracey Katof, with original music by Athena Reich will premiere at The TBG Theatre November 8th - November 24th in New York City.

LEMON MERINGUE is a moving roller-coaster ride through the therapeutic process of Rich, a typical guy from Long Island. As Rich struggles to overcome the devastating effects of childhood sexual abuse, we witness his anger and pain slowly giving way to happiness and forgiveness. This true story, told through music, dance and dialogue, illustrates one man's inspirational journey towards survival and finding, then healing, his inner child. LEMON MERINGUE is a compelling success story that should not be missed. It will leave your heart soaring.

The show runs at The Barrow Group Theatre, 312 West 36th Street 3rd Floor (bet 8th and 9th Avenue), New York, NY 10018. Tickets $18. For tickets visit: www.smarttix.com. LEMON MERINGUE is an Equity Approved Showcase.

Rich Ryan (Writer) is a devoted father of three who lives on Long Island and works in New York City. Rich is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Since breaking his silence in 2003, Rich has been dedicated to raising awareness about childhood sexual abuse and helping others heal from the effects. He has attended many male survivor conferences and his artwork has been displayed at several survivor art shows. In 2010, Rich made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show to share his story with a group of 200 male sexual abuse survivors and a national television audience of 15-20 million people.

Rich is a fervent believer in the notion that victims of abuse have the power to live full, rewarding lives. Recognizing the profound impact that sharing one's story can have on the healing process of others, Rich felt inspired to write Lemon Meringue - a one-act play that chronicles the story of a man struggling with and overcoming the effects of childhood sexual abuse. This is his story. For Rich, the process of writing a play for the first time - particularly a play addressing this subject - has been both challenging and rewarding.

Rich has dedicated Lemon Meringue to all of the men and women who have perished from the effects of childhood sexual abuse as well as those who continue to struggle.

All proceeds from the new play LEMON MERINGUE (www.LemonMeringue.org) benefit The We Are Many Foundation (www.wearemanyfoundation.org).

The We Are Many Foundation helps, heals and educates society concerning children who have been sexually victimized, as well as adults who struggle in their current life from the horrific ordeal they experienced when it was done to them in their youth.

For more about the show, visit www.LemonMeringue.org.

Young Choreographer's Festival

After hearing so many spectacular reviews about the Young Choreographer's Festival (YCF), I had to get a hold of the brilliant mind behind the scenes and ask her a few questions. Emily Bufferd, founder of the YCF and creative director of BEings dance, is also a young choreographer in New York City and believe it or not, has had her own share of challenges along the way. Being a young choreographer in the dance world can be very overwhelming. Fortunately, the YCF provides much needed clarity for young choreographers. Let's see what Emily Bufferd has to say on the subject:

James Koroni: In your own words what types of struggles have you come across as a young choreographer?

Emily Bufferd: I think as a young choreographer, the hardest part is getting people to take you seriously, and feeling like you have to prove your ability.  Applying to shows in the hopes of being presented when you have no track record is asking someone to take a chance on you, and since dance is such a fragile art-form to begin with, it sometimes is really hard to find that person who is open to being the first one to present you.  You have to continuously prove that you are capable of handling the job.

Koroni: Are these the reasons why you created the Young Choreographer's Festival(YFC)?

Bufferd: It is definitely a big part of it; I was fortunate enough in the early stages of my starting to choreograph that one of my mentors/friends suggested I attend a selection panel he was sitting on with him as a learning experience.  It really showed me how hard it is to get your work presented, especially as a young artist who doesn't have tangible proof of why you should present them.  It can be hard when watching so much dance to be able to see past the fact that it is rehearsal footage, or not costumed/lit/finished... any number of reasons.  I wanted there to be something that looked past all of those factors, and only looked at the caliber of the work.

Koroni: Did you anticipate that the YCF would be such a big success?

Bufferd: 100% truth, I had no idea.  Is it a big success?  I hope someday it is; we're getting there I think (I hope).  I want all of our young choreographers to book jobs and work; I would love to be able to provide them with more opportunity and education.

Koroni: Aside from supporting and celebrating young choreographers, does your selection process consider other criteria such as innovation?

Bufferd: The selection process takes many things into consideration... quality of the choreography (in all genres) is top priority though.

Koroni: From receiving your newsletters, it seems that you are offering programs or informative lectures for selected choreographers. Would you please tell me a little about this?

Bufferd: I think education can make the difference between being a successful artist and a not so successful one, so we have introduced programming for that purpose.  The selected choreographers this year got a mentor (this was the first year of this!), and will have a talk back panel with industry folks.  Sometimes the best way to learn is simply just to listen to someone who has been where you hope to go and let what they tell you sink in so I love to be able to have those with more developed careers sit down with our young artists to give them guidance, and answer some of their questions.

Koroni: I’ve also seen that you have invited established choreographers to present their work at the festival. I imagine that the purpose of their presence is to elevate the expectations of selected young choreographers. Have the young choreographers found it challenging to put work up on the stage before or after these professional choreographers?

Bufferd: My main purpose of having guest choreographers is, quite honestly, to inspire the young artists... a 'this is what I can become' kind of situation.  In my personal experiences, I have never felt more excited (or nauseous) as I did when I saw my name on a roster with the likes of Sidra Bell, Rhapsody, and Jason Parsons for the first time - it was an indescribable feeling of gratitude and accomplishment.  With that said, I have never felt in the years of having YCF that the young choreographers' works didn't stand up just as well as the guest artist's pieces... I guess that's why they were selected.

Koroni: Do you have plans to expand upon your vision for the YCF, for example, choreographer summer intensives or business workshops?

Bufferd: YCF will definitely continue to grow, and absolutely is aiming to build our educational aspects - next year is our 5 year celebration and we have some exciting things in the works for it.

Koroni: With a new group of choreographers each year there must be a whole different feel from festival to festival. What should we come to expect this year?

Bufferd: Each year is exciting because a show definitely does take on a vibe due to who is being presented.  This year's show has a really nice mix of genres being represented, and with 22 wonderful pieces being shown, it's going to be a full dance party!

Looks like the the Young Choreographer's Festival is going to be an evening of excitement not to miss. It's this Saturday, June 15th at 8pm and you can get your TICKETS by visiting: Symphonyspace.org

"connie & jimmy"

"connie & jimmy" is romantic nostalgia. We romanticize the thought of taking a horse-carriage ride, as if it makes us feel connected to our ancestors. It's quite the opposite actually. To honor them we ought to observe the past and allow it to assist us in building a brighter future. We now know that the horse-drawn carriage industry is inhumane, dangerous to horses and people, and unnecessary. Alternatives are available. It's time to make history!

"connie & jimmy" supports New York State Senate and Assembly Bill S5013/A7748, sponsored by State Senator Tony Avella and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal. This bill calls for a ban of horse-drawn carriages in New York City and finding good homes for all the carriage horses.

Gosh, don't get pulled in. Boycott horse-drawn carriages.

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Ashani Mfuko Is Unstoppable

Her heart is full for the dance community which is why she is launching a new television series entitled "Inside NYC Dance."

Since the launch of her radio show “Let’s Talk Dance” in 2010, Mfuko has gained a following of more than 20,000 listeners and launched more than 60 episodes and YouTube features. Active in the online community, Mfuko’s weekly #LetsTalkDance tweetchats are often among the top trending topics on Twitter, weighing in with questions and commentary around current trends and artist needs. Listeners and followers tune in from around the world. Mfuko provides tips and tricks as well as educates the dance community in regards to marketing, branding, utilizing social media and developing media to increase exposure and online presence. The addition of “Inside NYC Dance” will further increase community engagement to dance news and reach a new audience through MNN’s subscriber base of 620,000 in the Manhattan area.

“This past year we’ve really seen the popularity of dance TV shows take off, but there’s no real representation of what’s happening in the center of the dance world, in New York City,” says Ashani Mfuko. “This TV series is a much-needed boost to the Dance Community. Not only does it provide larger community exposure to dance visionaries but will also highlight upcoming dance events to drive community interaction.”

The weekly show premiered last Friday night at 10:30 p.m. on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) Culture Channel (Time Warner Cable 67 | RCN 85 | FiOS 36) and continues each Friday for twelve episodes.

This coming Friday we can expect features on The Young Choreographer's Festival, Exec. Director of The Ladies of Hip-Hop Festival, Michele Byrd McPhee, and Media Relations Specialist, Amber Henrie.

Where can I watch "Inside NYC Dance?"

Residents within the five boroughs of New York City can watch the show through their local cable network (Time Warner Cable 67 | RCN 85 | FiOS 36). Viewers outside of NYC can watch the show’s live stream at http://mnn.org. The show will air every Friday night at 10:30pm. For additional information and details on each upcoming episode follow the show on Facebook.com/InsideNYCDance and Twitter.com/InsideNYCDance, or visit http://insidenycdance.com.

Behind The Velvet Curtain

Come out to the debut of Bettina May's new monthly show in Manhattan! Each month she'll be putting the best performers in burlesque, boylesque and variety onstage. Her inaugural show is the NY Burlesque Fest Hangover show, the perfect wind down from an amazing 4 days of international burlesque, featuring London's Kitty Bang Bang, BHOF King of Burlesque 2012 Russell Bruner from Portland, Maine Attraction, Miss Ekaterina, herself and hosted by the extraordinary Bastard Keith!

Visit: http://bettina.ca/BehindTheVelvetCurtain/for more details and for reservations.

Ticket Information:

General Admisson - $10 at the door, 1/2 off with a NYBF weekend pass (first show only!)

Reserved Seating - $20 per person, subject to availability.

Group Reservations - Special packages available for Bachelorette Parties, Birthdays etc.

Footloose In New York City

Did you know it’s illegal to dance in most bars, restaurants and even well established clubs in New York City? Or that, unless it’s a performance, dancing is not recognized as a form of expression protected under the First Amendment?

In 1926, while liquor was bootlegged and Jazz was shaking things up in Harlem, New York City instituted the Cabaret Law that required establishments serving food or drink to obtain a separate license before permitting any dancing or live music on their premises. This law successfully sought to police and restrict the interracial mixing happening in dance clubs uptown. Almost 100 years later, though times and racial attitudes have changed, the Cabaret Law is not only still in effect and enforced, but contemporary zoning regulations effectively make dancing with your friends absolutely illegal in large parts of the city!

New York’s restrictive dancing regulations affect not only individual dancers and communities, but businesses too, who suffer under the weight of intransigent bureaucracy, legal costs, irregular enforcement and disproportionate fines. Consequently, the number of legal venues has also been declining at an alarming rate. In the 1960s, in the Five Boroughs of New York City there were over 12,000 Cabaret Licenses. By 2008 there were only 179 and as of September 4th 2012 – just 135. (See details here)

After an attempt to repeal the Cabaret Laws on First Amendment grounds failed in 2006, the only avenue toward meaningful change now is through legislative action and we need your support! Please help us repeal the 1926 Cabaret Law and remove the following 7 words from the Zoning Code: "or establishments of any capacity with dancing." These reforms will have no effect on the applicability or enforcement of any of the numerous noise, fire, safety, alcohol and drug ordinances that keep our persons and venues safe and our neighborhoods livable. Help us free dancing by signing this petition and voting for candidates who support and advocate for it!

Social dancing should be freely available to anyone and everyone in any venue in the City of New York where it is safe to do so. No neighborhood should be zoned "No Dancing Allowed." Local communities and small businesses should be allowed to dance and flourish. (SOURCE)

PLEASE visit Change.org and sign/share the petition to repeal this archaic law HERE!

Article written by and brought to you by Ina Sotirova.

Bettina May at Nurse Bettie

I had a night out on the town with Bettina May. We met up in the Lower East Side at Nurse Bettie where she performed to Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him by Betty Davis. She wore a pleather one piece and looked ravishing.

She then took me to a new vegetarian falafel shop around the corner where they make fresh whole wheat pita bread every hour. It was the freshest falafel sandwich I'd ever had.

A fun nite, as always, with Bettina May! Check out her performance schedule HERE.

Give Me Some Space

I wanted to share these two websites with the Enforced Arch community. They are very helpful when searching for affordable rehearsal space in these two metropolitan cities.

We Are Family

I have grown to understand that having a community is a very important and integral part of a dance. Many of my lifelong friends have come from my past and present dance communities. Olivia Sparkuhl is one of those cherished individuals and she is currently visiting me this week in New York City. Her personality is much like mine in that we seek cozy spaces to indulge ourselves in good company and conversation. Our friendship began in one of these cozy places, on the dance floor in Los Angeles where we both attended Santa Monica College. Although we had our differences, we met them humbly and challenged one anothers' preconceived notions of the world. This helped us evolve artistically, emotionally and physically.

Now that she lives in San Francisco we have found other ways to inspire one another from afar through skype, the telephone or browsing one another's professional work. Although our friendship has changed, the potential to inspire one another has only grown exponentially. Her experiences influence my own and our knowledge of each others dreams and aspirations have helped keep us focused.

It may occasionally seem overwhelming to have someone or some community know you intimately but these raw and genuine relationships will only help propel you to achieve your lifelong goals.

All the images took place at CHAMPS Family Bakery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where you can get some seriously delicious vegan food. I didn't have a chance to eat any of the goodies but I certainly took some photos to give you an idea of what wonders can be had at this Brooklyn joint.

Photography by James Koroni & Rachael Gentner

Occupy Grand Army Plaza

Art by C.Martinez

Enforced Arch community is pleased to introduce you to Kathleen Stansell! Her effort entitled Occupy Grand Army Plaza is part of her company "Move for Change." She invites the dance community and supporters of this Movement to use their voices to support Occupy Wall St.

A statement from Kathleen Stansell:

Many have been saying, "Those people at Occupy Wall Street don't know what they stand for," which is just not true! If you ask anyone at Zuccotti Park, they'll tell you exactly why they're there. To save you the time and trip, I'll tell you. Occupy Wall Street is a movement inspired by our unjust and selfish government. Yes the banks are at fault. Yes the politicians are at fault. Yes greed is to blame. There are many to blame. But the truth is WE THE PEOPLE allowed this to happen. We accepted, for whatever reason, everything that's happened and has been happening. So first, the change must happen within ourselves. We must fight greed within ourselves. I ask myself, "Do I need that iPod or do I need to buy the food that is more expensive but better for my health? The LATTER! Do I need that extra pair of shoes, or do I need to donate that $60 to a homeless shelter." Occupy Wall Street is about standing together, in solidarity to help the people who live with us, next to us, far away from us, and everywhere. So please, if you don't help me, help that homeless shelter. If you don't help me, help companies like Reciprocity. If you don't help me, help yourself.

Please join us this Saturday at Grand Army Plaza, enjoy the performances and make donations for Occupy Wall Street in the form of food, clothing, blankets, hand warmers, warm clothing, first aid supplies, literature-both books and OWS literature such as information about credit unions, etc. Details:

DATE: Saturday, October 29th COMPANY: Move for Change EXEC. PRODUCER & CREATIVE DIR.: Kathleen Stansell LOCATION: Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY TIME: Noon - Midnight ADMISSION: Free!

MASTER CLASS Fundraiser

          With choreographers James Koroni & Tracey Katof of Enforced Arch website! All proceeds go towards the 'Please, Don't Touch' fundraiser.

$20 - 2 hr class* Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00 PM Location: Pearl Studios Nyc Studio K 500 8th Ave., New York, NY 10018

7:00 PM - 7:45 PM Contemporary warm-up including pilates strengthening

7:45 PM - 9:00 PM Athletic & quirky Contemporary segment from 'Please, Don't Touch'

*The Enforced Arch community is searching for compassionate 'Movers' for upcoming opportunities. This is a great way for us to get to know you as a dancer and artist!

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.

Foh Real? Faux Feathers!

Where in the world is Bettina May? Well she's in New York City. Certainly wouldn't be the same without her. Her innovative performances are more than just fanfare. Every bit of her costuming, performance and smile are genuinely committed to ending cruelty. She showed up to teatime today in a FAKE full length fur coat with matching hat. When I asked her where she acquired her matching set, she said, "I sew, made it myself." Well that's impressive! Little did I know she envisions and creates all of her own costumes. Her resistance to the mainstream costuming industry is that traditional Burlesque dancers use feathers, leather, and fur in all their performances with little thought of who they took it from. You don't need these items to entertain, be creative, innovative and inspire others to not feed into unfortunate tradition. We must not get involved with indulgent lifestyles that breed thoughtless performance rather evolve along with the environment and return the respect. Very refreshing to meet such a unique 'Mover' in our industry!

Check out her home made "Feather" Headdress in a performance entitled,

'Don't Touch My Tomatoes!'

While one end of a feather is soft to the touch, tickle worthy and awe inspiring there is another end of this quill that isn't quite as lovely. Live plucking is of commonplace among feather producing farms. If you thought getting hair waxed off was painful, imagine living a lifestyle, against your will, where being "waxed" regularly for anothers kicks and giggles was all you understood.

Alternative choices are available!

Coquette Faux Furriers

Bettina May's Links

For more on Miss Bettina May check out her website, click on the link below!