{"id":4771,"date":"2015-02-10T21:53:55","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T21:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.danceanywhere.org\/news\/?p=4771"},"modified":"2015-02-10T22:40:25","modified_gmt":"2015-02-10T22:40:25","slug":"holly-rothschild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danceanywhere.org\/news\/2015\/holly-rothschild\/","title":{"rendered":"From Here to There: Holly Rothschild"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Holly<\/a>

Holly Rothschild<\/p><\/div>\n

From the midwest to the west coast, Holly Rothschild is dancing. Originally from Illinois and currently residing in California, the pulsating choreographer creates site-specific pieces while simultaneously collaborating with fellow artists in her company, Strange & Elegant Choreography.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Holly

Holly Rothschild<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0Holly studied modern dance at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign and then headed for the city of lights: Chicago. Influenced by the late Nana Shineflug<\/a> and XSIGHT!, Holly gained skills for becoming a teacher herself, as well becoming proficient in theatrical performance. Holly states that she \u201c…danced with XSIGHT! for many years and initially….it was mind blowing for me!\u00a0 The work was filled with imagery, theatricality and irreverence. I had the incredible opportunity to work with the original members Tim O’Slynne, Brian Jefferey and Mary Ward.\u201d In Chicago, her community was, \u201csmaller, more tight knit\u201d while in LA, \u201cit\u2019s so vast and spread out\u201d, however, she states that she has, \u201cdeveloped relationships with a larger variety of people in the arts community\u201d in California.<\/p>\n

\"Holly<\/a>

Holly Rothschild<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u201cI love doing site specific work because there are so many variables that you can\u2019t control\u201d, says Holly in response to her decision to choose the atmospheric and location specific performance art. Recently, Tongva Park, designed by James Corner in Santa Monica, was utilized by Strange and Elegant Choreography and Performance Installations. The performance entitled, Tongva After Dark: Holly Rothschild\u2019s Strange and Elegant Dance (2014)<\/i>, featured dancers throughout the park in five different locations which were inhabited and intensified by the appearance and presence of Holly\u2019s dance company. In one particular location, dancers emerged with long pole-like structures that extended from their fingers to the ground–creating a crutch as they bended, veered, and glacially moved through the natural space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Holly<\/a>

Holly Rothschild<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0Holly says, \u201cI feel like site work leaves a ghostly imprint on a place for the people who witness it. You never see the space in the same way again. There is a resonance that lingers. When I do a site work, I spend time observing and taking in the space. The lines, the light, the textures and colors\u201d. In the performance at Tongva Park, lights in the ground illuminated the figures as eager audience members encircled the fervor of movement and absorbed the atmosphere of site-specific dance. Holly\u2019s decision on where and when to perform can alter a landscape, park or bus terminal significantly. Planning, precision, but an avid awareness of freedom, are all important components of site-specific dance.<\/p>\n

\"Holly<\/a>

Holly Rothschild<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0In addition to her personal work, Holly collaborates with various artists, performers, musicians and multi-media projects. Her process includes a \u201cbalance of collaborative work and individual work\u201d in which she works with fellow dancers, directors and ensembles to learn and engage with a vast range of creative outlets. Holly continues, \u201cI am always surprised by little epiphanies that occur throughout and often after the process.\u00a0 I glean a lot of new information after evaluating a process.\u00a0Sometimes when I’m in the thick of creating the work the mechanics of it aren’t as apparent.\u00a0I started collaborating very early in my career.\u00a0I think it initially gave me the confidence to venture out to create my own work\u201d. String Theory<\/a>, Holly\u2019s performance group whom she founded with her designer\/composer husband Luke Rothschild and cellist\/composer, Joseph Harvey, will be premiering new work at the Miles Playhouse<\/a> in Santa Monica the last two weekends in May 2015. The performance will encompass several mediums, including video, installations, music and sound, and of course, dance.<\/p>\n