For Immediate Use
July 10, 2017

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Rachel Johnson, Executive & Artistic Director
                                  The Bell House
9926 N. Ashfield Rd.
Owasso, OK 74055
(918) 549-1231
johnsonrac@gmail.com

THE BELL HOUSE PRESENTS
THE 2017 EXCHANGE CHOREOGRAPHY FESTIVAL,
BRINGING 23 BUDDING CHOREOGRAPHERS AND
CLEVELAND’S INLET DANCE THEATRE TO TULSA FOR CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
 
The Bell House’s EXCHANGE is the only dance festival of its kind in the region, a weekend dedicated to fostering conversation about the creative process among dancemakers. Now in its fifth year, EXCHANGE prioritizes and supports choreographic process and artistic community in the tradition of dance centers like New York City’s Judson Church. 
 
Held August 24-26, 2017, at Holland Hall’s Walter Arts Center, EXCHANGE features informal performances by 23 developing choreographers from across the country at 6:30pm on the first two evenings, followed by a choreography workshop and networking opportunities. All events are open to the public.
 
EXCHANGE culminates in a Gala performance at 6pm on August 26, featuring works from 2017 guest artist Bill Wade and his INLET Dance Theatre from Cleveland, Ohio. INLET arrives in Tulsa fresh from an August 4 performance at the legendary Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA. INLET dancer Dominic Moore-Dunson, recipient of the Creative Community Fellowship and mentored by Mr. Wade, will be Exchange Choreography Festival’s Featured Guest Choreographer, presenting his work The “Black Card” Project. 

Three review-accepted submissions will contest for a “Best of the Fest” honor, awarded with a slot in the Saturday night Gala along with dance film shorts on the nature of making art in dance, a local choreographic project by Rachel Bruce Johnson, and a performance by New York City artist, Shawn Rawls. Other events include a lecture on the topic of “Artist as Entrepreneur” by guest artist Bill Wade.
 
The festival will be held at Holland Hall’s Walter Arts Center, 5666 E 81st St., Tulsa, OK 74136, and is made possible in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council.
 
For more information, contact (918) 549-1231, email bellhouseart@gmail.com, or visit http://www.thebellhouse.info/exchange-choreography-festival.html

Dance In The Mix welcomes Evangeline Bonin as our first student guest blogger sharing thoughts are research she has been developing during her undergraduate work at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK. ​

Part I of this research examined the beginnings of Dance/Movement Therapy (sometimes referred to as DMT) in the early to mid 1900s and the positive physical effects of dance used as therapy for World War II veterans, autistic children, and breast cancer survivors. The benefits from Dance/Movement Therapy are not only physical but can also be emotional and psychological. The emotional and psychological effects will be addressed within this issue.

One experiment performed for patients suffering from anxiety consisted of placing the patients in either a math class, a music class, a modern dance class, or an exercise class. Surprisingly, the dance class proved to be the one that significantly helped to decrease the patients’ anxiety (Devereaux). Dance/Movement Therapy is an effective way to relieve stress, which can manifest itself in many ways within the human body, both physically and emotionally. At some point in time, every person will experience stress in their lives, whether it be from work, school, or relationships. People tend to subconsciously hold tension in their neck or back, which is directly correlated to stress. If left unattended, built up stress can allow for a variety of health problems. These problems can include ulcers, insomnia, and high blood pressure. In some cases, the health effects of stress can become as severe as arthritis and heart disease (Huber 99-100). Dance is an excellent way to release pent up emotions and relax the body.

            Since dance is, in itself, very personal and expressive. It is also a way of accessing hidden emotion; in this way it can instigate or advance the process of emotional healing. Jenna Cheung, an Oral Roberts University alumna who studied Dance Performance, presents some examples of how dance affects circumstances in her life. She explains how choreographing a dance allows her to process things within her life and her Christian faith. Cheung is then able to implement these ideas into her piece and finds herself growing closer to God through the process. When asked the reason for her dancing, she replies, “I dance because I don’t want my mind to get in the way of my raw emotions as I communicate” (Cheung). She appreciates how improvisation allows her to express her moods in the moment by creating movement to either compliment or create discord with the music. Cheung shares about an experience in which she recently took part with the dance program at Oral Roberts University: after the loss of one of their dance instructors, a modern dance class at the university learned some of the instructor’s choreography to honor her (Cheung). These movements were the breaking points for some of the students who had not been able to cry or fully process the situation before. Eventually, the motions from the original phrase were taken by each student and were morphed into their own expressions of honor towards their instructor. The emotions released in this class provided needed closure and facilitated community for these grieving students.
​
            Dance/Movement Therapy evidently affects one’s emotional state but it can also affect their psychological state. Looking back at the group of cancer survivors mentioned in Part I of this series, not only did they benefit physically, but in addition, those who took part in a Dance/Movement Therapy class showed improved self-esteem and had an improved self-perception (“Dance”). Since moving one’s body is necessary for dance many people find that as they grow more confident in their dancing it boosts their confidence in the way they look. This is a result of the individuals learning how their body works and gaining an appreciation for how it moves. The bodies of adolescents go through drastic changes within only a few years. Because of this, it is very important for them to be able to move and grow accustomed to their bodies, as well as to learn how to control and coordinate their limbs, core, and muscles through dance (Engelhard). As a result, teenagers who have taken part in DMT tend to have increased stability and assurance in themselves despite the difficult time of adolescence when everything around them, and even within them, is changing.

            Some studies show that teenagers suffering from depression have decreased dopamine levels with increased levels of plasma serotonin (“feel good” chemicals) after twelve weeks of Dance/Movement Therapy. This suggests that DMT could even aid in balancing the nervous system. More time and research will be needed to verify this conclusion but there have been several findings that substantiate this idea. A study performed with depressed teenage girls in Sweden in 2006 shows that after only three months of Dance/Movement Therapy their mental health improved (Engelhard). Another study performed at the Wonkwang University in Korea confirms this idea as well. Once again, teenagers were invited to participate in twelve weeks of DMT, at the end, conclusions were drawn that dance can aid in alleviating depression along with other psychological disorders (Devereaux). Unlike some hobbies, there is an aspect of dance that touches every person. It can reach through lost memories, wandering thoughts, and clouded minds. Whether an individual prefers ballet, modern, or hip-hop, there is always a style with which they can identify. The final part of this series will discuss the social effects of dance and how it can benefit you, our readers.

THE BELL HOUSE PRESENTS
THE 2017 EXCHANGE CHOREOGRAPHY FESTIVAL,
BRINGING 23 BUDDING CHOREOGRAPHERS AND
CLEVELAND’S INLET DANCE THEATRE TO TULSA FOR CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
 
The Bell House’s EXCHANGE is the only dance festival of its kind in the region, a weekend dedicated to fostering conversation about the creative process among dancemakers. Now in its fifth year, EXCHANGE prioritizes and supports choreographic process and artistic community in the tradition of dance centers like New York City’s Judson Church. 
 
Held August 24-26, 2017, at Holland Hall’s Walter Arts Center, EXCHANGE features informal performances by 23 developing choreographers from across the country at 6:30pm on the first two evenings, followed by a choreography workshop and networking opportunities. All events are open to the public.
 
EXCHANGE culminates in a Gala performance at 6pm on August 26, featuring works from 2017 guest artist Bill Wade and his INLET Dance Theatre from Cleveland, Ohio. INLET arrives in Tulsa fresh from an August 4 performance at the legendary Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA. INLET dancer Dominic Moore-Dunson, recipient of the Creative Community Fellowship and mentored by Mr. Wade, will be Exchange Choreography Festival’s Featured Guest Choreographer, presenting his work The Black Card Project. 

Three review-accepted submissions will contest for a “Best of the Fest” honor, awarded with a slot in the Saturday night Gala along with dance film shorts on the nature of making art in dance, a local choreographic project by Rachel Bruce Johnson, and a performance by New York City artist, Shawn Rawls. Other events include a lecture on the topic of “Artist as Entrepreneur” by guest artist Bill Wade.
 
The festival will be held at Holland Hall’s Walter Arts Center, 5666 E 81st St., Tulsa, OK 74136, and is made possible in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council.
 
For more information, contact (918) 549-1231, email bellhouseart@gmail.com, or visit http://www.thebellhouse.info/exchange-choreography-festival.html.

Our Friends at Tulsa Modern Movement wrote this nice shout out to us for EXCHANGE! 

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The Exchange Choreography Festival, by our friends at The Bell House, is coming up this August. We think you would enjoy it.

Since 2009, The Exchange Choreography Festival has been Tulsa's only adjudicated contemporary dance festival. Exchange provides a platform for artists at various stages in their careers to showcase their work and make a place for the broader community to engage with dance on a deeper level. The 2017 Featured Artist is Bill Wade, Jr., Artistic Director of Inlet Dance Theatre, who will lead the ART Talk/Q&A and a choreography workshop.

The featured performance of the Gala concert is an excerpt by Inlet's Dominic Moore-Dunson, The "Black Card" Project. By combining dance and comedy, Dominic tackles the issue of racial self-perception and identity by examining the African American idea of the "black card" in order to facilitate an intergenerational conversation about the past, present, and future of racial identity and economic development. Dominic will be joined in performance by Inlet company member Kevin Parker during the Saturday night Gala concert.

Purchase your Exchange tickets here. We can't wait to see you this August.

Festival Schedule: 
Thursday ~ August 24
6:30-8:30 p.m. --  Informal Showings/mixed concert
8:30-10:30 p.m. -- Festival Launch Party
 
Friday ~ August 25
11:00-3:00 p.m. -- Choreography Workshop with Featured Artist with Bill Wade
6:30-8:30 p.m. –  Informal Showings/mixed concert continues
 
Saturday ~ August 26
2:30-4:00 p.m. – ART Talk/Q&A - "Artist as Entrepreneur"
(open to all workshop participants)
6:00 p.m. -- GALA Concert, after party to follow

Location: Holland Hall, Walter Arts Center, Tulsa, OK 
5666 E 81st St, Tulsa, OK 74136

For more information, visit The Bell House
For tickets and price inquiries, click here
​

Dance has proven to be an effective and natural tool for physical, emotional, and psychological therapy. In addition, dance can aid in developing social skills. These effects of dance as therapy will be addressed and examined in a three-part series, beginning here with an introduction to Dance/Movement Therapy and its physical effects.
​
According to the American Dance Therapy Association, Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) is “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual” (“About the American Dance Therapy Association”). Dance therapy first began, due in large part, to a woman named Marian Chace (1896 -1970). After a driving incident damaged her back, Chace’s doctor prescribed dance as part of her physical therapy. Once Chace started dancing, she never stopped. She realized the value of dance and saw a multitude of ways it could be used to impact the lives of those around her and how it could be used to reach the mentally disturbed. The rest of her life was dedicated to discovering how she could help people learn more about themselves through movement. In 1947, Chace became the first full-time dance therapist. In 1942, she was invited to work with St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. Once at the hospital, Chace worked with World War II veterans suffering from psychological problems due to their traumatic experiences. Through dance movement, Chace helped these veterans learn how to cope with life after the war (Chaiklin; Kolcio 92).

            When most people hear of dance therapy they think of only the physical effects, such as increased flexibility, coordination, and strength. While there are other benefits from DMT, the physical effects are the most prevalent. Because of this, dance has been used to help children with autism for years. Autism can come in many different forms with varied symptoms; yet, every autistic child will have difficulty interacting and communicating with their peers. Children with autism often become over-stimulated by their surroundings, causing them to become agitated. This is where dance can benefit them. Ballet is an excellent hobby for autistic children because it calms their bodies and allows for a different kind of communication with their classmates: communication through movement instead of words (Webb).

Another example of dance as physical therapy is a study done on women who survived breast cancer. Some of the women took part in a 12-week Dance/Movement Therapy class. By the end of it, they showed improved mobility in their shoulder joints compared to other cancer survivors who did not take a DMT class (“Dance Therapy”). As experienced by the participants within this study, dance is an excellent form of exercise and, as such, gives the benefits of other workouts by lengthening muscles and ligaments as well as gaining strength in those muscles for a greater range of motion, flexibility, and quality of movement. While the physical effects are, indeed, the most commonly recognized results of Dance/Movement Therapy, they are certainly not the only benefits. The next issue will look at the emotional and psychological effects of dance used as therapy.