Described by Dance Magazine as “clean and sharp, geometric and postmodern… a thrill to watch,” KDNY, is an all-female modern dance company based in New York City, which takes inspiration from the compelling experiences of women. Since 1997, KDNY has delighted audiences both around the US and abroad with its repertory of dynamic high-energy dance works that combine live original music with a movement vocabulary that is charged with athleticism and grace. In addition to annual New York seasons, KDNY has performed in many national dance festivals including the New York International Fringe Festival, Joyce SoHo Presents, DanceNow, the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
Daily Life in Art (Grades K-6)
What inspires a choreographer to make a new dance? How do they express a story or emotion through movement? Many things in our daily lives can inspire a dance: where we live, people we know, places we have been, music we hear, images that we see. KDNY’s “Daily Life in Art” program introduces live modern dance as a means of self-expression and discusses with students how daily life influenced the creation of three different dance works: “Navigating the Hallway,” “Blade of Grass,” and “Wide Asleep.”
Inspired by the pace and proximity of urban life, KDNY turns the school into an urban apartment building using a set of five area rugs in “Navigating the Hallway.” “Blade of Grass” was inspired by a painting of a violent storm brewing over a single blade of grass and explores the power and resiliency of nature. In “Wide Asleep,” the wacky things we sometimes dream about are brought to life and inspire a whole bunch of movement antics. Following each work, KDNY discusses the inspirations for it and how the use of energy, intention, shapes, expression, and relationships to others are used to convey different meanings. Length: 45 minutes
Single Performance: $1000
Back to Back Performances: $1200
Navigating the Hallway Workshop –Who are you? What do you have to say? (Grades K-6) Max: 25 students
This workshop builds on the concepts discussed during the performance program. The students are divided into groups led by each of the KDNY Dancers and are led through an experiential segment in which they are asked to visualize their rooms in their homes and create movement gestures to describe the space and their chosen character. With the idea that choreography can be developed from daily life, the students play with different ways of opening the door to their room and then try those movements using different emotions. Each of the groups’ movement gestures are put together into short phrases and then performed by the KDNY dancers at the end. In this exercise we establish unique “rooms” created by the students through a community effort of cooperation and teamwork. Length: 45 minutes
Single Workshop on Performance Day: $250
Curriculum Connections: Dance, Music, History and Social Sciences, Language Arts
KDNY Program Curriculum Connections:
Daily Life in Art Curriculum Connections:
Source: CT Arts Curriculum Framework K-12 for Dance
Standard 3 – Meaning
Students will understand how dance creates and communicates meaning.
Standard 4 – Thinking Skills
Students will apply analytical and evaluative thinking skills in dance.
Standard 7 – Connections
Students will make connections between dance, other disciplines and daily life.
Source: CT Social Studies Curriculum Framework Grades K-5
Standard 1.6 – Describe patterns of human movement across time and place.
Students will compare urban, suburban, and rural areas. Why people might move from one area to another?
Standard 1.13 – Understand the characteristics of interactions among culture, social systems, and institutions. Students will discuss the need for interpersonal relationships.
Standard 2.4 – Demonstrate an ability to participate in social studies discourse through informed discussion, debate, and effective oral presentation.
Students will share personal past and future events or experiences through group discussions and dramatization.
“Navigating the Hallway Workshop” Curriculum Connections:
Source: CT Arts Curriculum Framework K-12 for Dance
Standard 1 – Elements and Skills
Students will identify and perform movement elements and dance skills.
Standard 2 – Choreography
Students will understand choreographic principles, processes and structures.
Standard 3 – Meaning
Students will understand how dance creates and communicates meaning.
Standard 7 – Connections
Students will make connections between dance, other disciplines and daily life.
Source: CT Healthy and Balanced Living Curriculum Framework for Physical Education 2006
Standard 11 – Engaging in Physical Activity
Students will participate regularly in physical activity.
Standard 13 – Responsible Behavior
Students will exhibit responsible personal and social behavior that respects
self and others in physical activity settings.
Standard 14 – Benefits of Physical Activity
Students will choose physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-
expression and/or social interaction to sustain a physically active lifestyle.
Study Guide: Study Guide KDNY DailyLifeStudyGuide
Video: View KDNY video clips online at http://www.kdnydance.com/videoselections.html
For additional information about KDNY visit www.kdnydance.com
Young Audiences Arts for Learning Connecticut: Our mission is to integrate the arts into the lives of children in educational and community settings. Our vision for Connecticut is that all children realize their potential through the arts; that the arts are valued for their ability to improve our schools and communities; that, by participation in the arts, children come to understand and value themselves, their neighbors, and the world cultures they share.
We are an Affiliate of VSA arts… an international nonprofit organization that is creating a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts.
We offer educational classroom workshops, school cultural programs, school arts programs, assembly programs, arts integration programs, artist in residence programs – bringing theater, music, drama, puppetry, visual arts, storytelling, drawing, painting, history and cultural arts to the classroom.