Respect My Step

Respect My Step is a new social media network that expands the dance community to a global scale. It is a simple yet effective concept. Each dancer is asked to submit one minute of movement that expresses their unique voice, say their name and end with "Respect My Step". All they ask is that you be creative with a camera in a imaginative location and move. It helps to watch the already existing videos, give them respect and then build upon the collection of work.

Enforced Arch founder, James Koroni recently submitted a video to Respect My Step which is currently featured on the front page. Check it out and if you like what you see simply click Respect My Step and show some support. Here's the LINK!

Who started this project? About Respect My Step's creative directors:

The idea began to brew when an unlikely duo of choreographer, Jermaine Browne, and technologist, Edgardo Burgos, began to discuss the future of dance as well as advancements in technology.

“I wanted to give dance a bigger voice.” said Jermaine. “Get it to a larger audience and put a name to the nameless faces who share a passion for dance. A place to bring everyone together.”

“Technology affects every sector in life and culture,” continued Edgardo, “so I started thinking about how the dance community was affected. How can technology embrace the dance community?”

Together, they learned about each others fields, discovered and explored possibilities to make their vision come true, and created the perfect synergy of technology and dance. With a name like Respect My Step - everyone can relate. Jermaine explains: “Peoples passions are a part of them and they shouldn’t be judged for what they enjoy to do. You are who you are and you should be respected for that.”

For more information visit Respect My Step!

Sunsetboys by Notic Nastic - Official Video

James Koroni & Tracey Katof, Creative Directors of Enforced Arch and KaKoNYC, were commissioned by recording artist Notic Nastic, along with video artist Joshua Katcher to create a music video for their latest single, Sunsetboys.

"The video is about a race of super intellegent alien women, who come to earth in hopes of impregnating the earth boys with hope, smarts and higher vision for the future. it's an artsy take on the revolution in action!!" - Notic Nastic

Sunsetboys Official Video HERE

Recording Artist – Notic Nastic Video Director – Joshua Katcher Choreographers & Producers – James Koroni, Tracey Katof Dancers – Charles Alexis Desgagnes, Christopher Nolen, James Koroni, Julio Hugo Penagos, Katherine Roarty, Keshia Robinson, Lauren Cox, Tracey Katof Womens’ apparel – Ruffeo Hearts Lil Snotty Mens’ shoes – Brave GentleMan Womens’ shoes – Cri De Coeur and Novacas, courtesy of Mooshoes

MOVE For KIDS

Broadway Dance Center is proud to be partnering up with Wellness in the Schools organization to get kids and family's moving! Join them for these fabulous classes and support the strive for healthy living! Ages 10 and up. Wellness in the Schools inspires healthy eating, environmental awareness and fitness as a way of life for kids in New York City’s public schools. All proceeds of these two classes will go to the Wellness in the Schools organization.

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Katherine Roarty Bas CONTEMPORARY JAZZ Sat, 9-10:30 am Jun 23

Jared Jenkins Bas HIP-HOP Sat, 7:30-9 pm June 30

The Man Who Wasn't There

Journeys are seldom undertaken voluntarily. Somehow we look up to find that we've been traveling with no clear direction or destination. We collide with others and imprint their experiences onto our own- we take on each other's mannerisms, thoughts, points of view. Occasionally we are injured, and these experiences can teach us to withdraw, to retreat within ourselves for fear of rejection, inadequacy, sorrow. But if we take care, we can move through the world expanding, our spirits growing at every intersection of two souls, growing to include every joy and every sorrow, preserving through this expansion all that is essential in human experience.

-Jessica Myers

FT Collab presents: 'The Man Who Wasn't There' at DIXON Place Thursday, June 21 8PM

Our creative process is a journey of it's own and we invite you to join us! We will be updating our blog throughout our rehearsals and performance season which begins Next week! Here's the link:

The Man Who Wasn't There BLOG

The Man Who Wasn't There Facebook Group

ALLIANCE Art & Activism - Highlights

Dancers - Alexandra Shieron, Andy Allen, Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, James Koroni, Julio Hugo Penagos, Katherine Roarty, Keshia Robinson, Klara Beyeler, Lauren Cox, Rebecca Lloyd-Jones

Contributing Recording Artist - Amanda Lee, Clara Lofaro

Creative Directors & Choreographers - James Koroni, Tracey Katof

Costume Designer - Lui Konno *Please, Don't Touch - Marlena Pavich

Lighting Designer - Amanda Clegg Lyon

Camera Operators - Joshua Katcher, Melissa Fornabaio

Gay, Proud & Compassionate

Enforced Arch founder and Co-founder of KaKo NYC, James Koroni, is proud to model John Bartlett's Gay, Proud & Compassionate tank. Details:

In honor of Gay Pride Month, we are proud to present this Limited Edition "John Bartlett Gay, Proud and Compassionate" Tank. This super soft cotton tank features our signature "Tiny Tim" Logo in rainbow foil (a throwback to the great graphic tees from the late 80's/Early 90's.) While these tanks are certainly fun and fabulous – they are more than a cool and colorful way to show your pride this year; with 10% of the proceeds donated directly to The Tiny Tim Rescue Fund, they also highlight another part of our strong and powerful community that is often overlooked - our compassion.

You might also notice this tank was not shot on a model, but an actual member of our community - who is not only proud to be gay, proud to express his love, and proud to be an individual - but also proud to be compassionate and make a difference in the lives of animals - a class of creatures that we so often forget about in today's political atmosphere.

HAVE A HAPPY PRIDE!

Click HERE to get yourself a Gay, Proud & Compassionate Tee or Tank by John Bartlett!

Burlesque Without Borders

Bombshell Bettina May is making an appearance in 'Burlesque Without Borders'.  Details for the above performances are listed below.

May 24:	Washington, DC - *Burlesque Without Borders* at Red Palace, 1212 H St NE. An all international cast of burlesque with Canadian Cutie Bettina May, Finland's LouLou D'vil, and Spanish Siren Medianoche, with host Albert Cadabra. Doors 8:30, show at 9pm. Tickets $10 advance, $12 at the door. Click here for advance tickets!
May 25:	Wilmington, DE - *Burlesque Without Borders* at MOJO 13, 1706 Philadelphia Pike. An all international cast of burlesque with Canadian Cutie Bettina May, Finland's LouLou D'vil, and Spanish Siren Medianoche, with host Albert Cadabra. Doors at 8pm, show at 9:30pm. Tickets $10 advance, $12 at the door, available at MOJO 13. Must be 21+.
May 26:	West Chester, PA - *Burlesque Without Borders* at The Note, 142 E. Market Street. An all international cast of burlesque with Canadian Cutie Bettina May, Finland's LouLou D'vil, and Spanish Siren Medianoche, with host Albert Cadabra. Doors at 9pm, show at 10pm. Tickets $10 advance, $12 at the door. Click here for advance tickets!

The Man Who Wasn't There

Battie Bwoy Fi Dead!!!

The Dixon Place Presents: Battie Bwoy Fi Dead!!! Get ready to laugh, cry, and think as Bulletyme The Artist takes you on a journey you will never forget. See life through the eyes of The Sissy, The DL Thug, and The Spiritual Guru. After surviving bouts with suicide, failure, and family tragedy, he created this show to remind the LGBT community why self love is the most important lesson one will ever learn.

Film and Photography - Prince Alexander Lutomirski Artistic Design - Ronie Reives

The Dixon Place Lounge is open before, during, and after the show. Proceeds directly support Dixon Place's artists and mission.

'MoonShoes' 10% off

Here's a great opportunity to get yourself a good looking pair of sneakers for Hip Hop class and support an endangered species. I might get myself a pair of these good looking Hensley Sneakers from Macbeth Footwear (more from Macbeth). DETAILS:

Get your shop on for the bears with ‘MoonShoes’. On Saturday, May 12th 10% of all proceeds at MooShoes (online and in store) will go to Animals Asia and their work helping endangered moon bears.

Moon Shoes Facebook Event

Peach Ballerina Bettina May

Mover, Bettina May has never failed to impress me with her charm. She designs and constructs all of her own costumes and this another beautiful example of her talents.

Shot at House of Yes by Matt Stuart.

Music: Parisian Women by Cy Coleman Petite Fleur by Henri Rene

For mature audiences.

See more of Bettina May's burlesque performances at www.bettina.ca.

In addition, don't forget to sign up for her next Pin-Up class HERE!

NY Times said:

"Fully costumed and made up I felt transformed, sexy, feminine – confident." Pretty As A Pin-Up - New York Times East Village

A GOOD DAY 2 PIE

The Brooklyn Culture Jammers will be performing at Brooklyn College next Saturday as part of the Brooklyn Peace Fair. Kathleen Stansell will be performing A GOOD DAY 2 PIE at 1:45 PM. This is a FREE EVENT.

A GOOD DAY 2 PIE is the story of Vandana, an activist with the Biotic Baking Brigade arrested for hitting the CEO of Monsanto with a pie in order to protest genetic modification of food. Vandana talks of a childhood spent in community life and activism, and explains that her action was undertaken because of the fact that ‘food is off limits’ to tinkering. Through it all, she uses the changes in food as metaphor for ‘bad magic’--those things in modern society that require faith in invisible actions. A GOOD DAY 2 PIE features Kathleen Stansell as the activist.

A GOOD DAY 2 PIE was originally produced at Kairos Theatre one-act festival in May of 1999. It has since been toured to college campuses and venues and has been performed some 30 times in support of green initiatives. This is a brand-new production of the play.

ABOUT BROOKLYN CULTURE JAMMERS: We are a collective of music, theatre and spoken word artists committed to the Occupy Wall Street movement. We embrace the challenge of changing the terms of convention and using our talents to confront the status quo.

ABOUT THE OCCUPY THE EMPIRE TOUR: the tour is a cultural outreach for talking about what change is possible in 21st century America. We are developing plays and dance and music pieces to call attention to the need for serious change in this country and this world.

For information about our tour, contact us at bkculturejammers@gmail.com.

Notic Nastic - Sneak Peek

We recently collaborated with Notic Nastic, an extraordinary artist from Berlin to create a music video for their hit single Sunsetboys. At this time we can not unfold the details but here is a sneak peek at the process:

CREDITS Recording Artist - Notic Nastic Video Director - Joshua Katcher Creative Directors - James Koroni, Joshua Katcher, Notic Nastic Choreographers/Producers - James Koroni, Tracey Katof Makeup/Hair - Tracey Katof Dancers - Charles Alexis Desgagnes, Christopher Nolen, James Koroni, Julio Hugo Penagos, Katherine Roarty, Keshia Robinson, Lauren Cox, Tracey Katof Mens' shoes - Brave GentleMan Womens' shoes - Cri De Coeur and Novacas, courtesy of Mooshoes Womens' apparel - Ruffeo Hearts Lil Snotty Men's apparel - n/a (vintage and second hand)

ALLIANCE - Double Shadow

Double Shadow is a commentary on the separation of masculinity and compassion. The masculine character in mainstream culture is a brute, the bread winner and of course, emotionless. These stereotypes are limiting and oppressive. Double Shadow presents the masculine character, exposes it’s struggles to survive with unrealistic expectations and offers viewers an opportunity to witness individuals who aren’t afraid to be seen as compassionate or sensitive.

Dancers Charles-Alexis Desgagnés James Koroni Julio Hugo Penagos Keshia Robinson Klara Beyeler Lauren Cox

Creative Directors – James Koroni & Tracey Katof Costume Designer – Lui Konno Lighting Designer – Amanda Clegg Lyon Camera Operators – Joshua Katcher & Melissa Fornabaio Choreographer – James Koroni Contributing Choreographer – Tracey Katof

ALLIANCE – Wrinkled $ by Clara Lofaro ALLIANCE – Double Shadow ALLIANCE - Funny Little Man

MOVES Brooklyn

Owners, R. Mackswell Sherman & Sarah Jones

Tracey Katof and I, James Koroni, are always in search of ethical designers to feature on Enforced Arch. Especially when they are dancer friendly like MOVES Brooklyn.

MOVES is a movement for the ethic aesthetic which we define as the independent fashion industry that exercises transparent business practices.  That means RHLS (Sarah and my own brand) and all the other designers we carry are designing and producing their wares in NYC.  Or brands like Osborne shoes that are made in Guatemala are made by a small village where the workers are treated great and further, Osborne has revitalized the entire population of this village by providing them with a sustainable stable income.  Moves is industry model proving designer products can be made accountably in the USA without the use of exploitive labor.  So every brand we carry is more than a brand they are an advocate for the future of fashion, the ethic aesthetic!

Check out their website here: http://movesbrooklyn.com/

ALLIANCE - Wrinkled $ by Clara Lofaro

In the spirit of The Beatles, ‘Imagine’ where no religion or war inhibits our ability to find peace, ‘Wrinkled $’ showcases the innocence of childhood as a utopia where no $, politics, or egos reside. Innocence exists here without knowledge or life experience and has no grounds for opinion. A child simply sees beauty in everything. It seems that we cherish these moments in our lives, ones where we are free from daily travails.  Then when does the agony begin? Part of growing into our adolescence and even into young adulthood means facing frightening truths. This may be where ignorance is born. Born as a fear, creeping up when that innocence is challenged with information that opposes our current understanding of the world, and if accepted, would require change, which is often difficult. It’s clear why people maintain an iron grip on their traditions and opinions – we can’t expect everyone to be be open to having their beliefs challenged, regardless of the validity of those challenges.

On the contrary I can see benefits in our innocence and value it. A child is brought into life with an unconditional ability to love. Something to admire, they remind us of what is truly important. How might I wonder do we sustain this ability to give unconditional love. When a child asks a question about the world, we may find it in their best interest to be dishonest with them, to protect them. However, if we provide them with a platform of knowledge that helps them understand the world, they will be prepared for tough transitions. Life has a lot of evolutions to undertake and this is yet another one that we need to identify, where Innocence meets Ignorance. Our fear of evolution is simply something to acknowledge and seek understanding in its wake.

Dancers Alexandra Shieron Charles-Alexis Desgagnés James Koroni Julio Hugo Penagos Katherine Roarty Keshia Robinson Klara Beyeler Lauren Cox Rebecca Lloyd-Jones

Creative Directors - James Koroni & Tracey Katof Costume Designer - Lui Konno Lighting Designer - Amanda Clegg Lyon Camera Operators - Joshua Katcher & Melissa Fornabaio Choreographer - James Koroni Contributing Choreographer - Tracey Katof

ALLIANCE – Wrinkled $ by Clara Lofaro ALLIANCE – Double Shadow ALLIANCE - Funny Little Man

M.O.V.E. - Grant's Safari

Last week I had the pleasure of witnessing Grant's Safari, from Javanna Productions, under the creative direction of Nicole Johnson. When it comes to the Safari you might imagine a ruthless world but in watching 'Grant's Safari', I had a very different experience. It's complexity was worth being taken on a journey through.

Nicole Johnson derived inspiration from her brother who is a member of the autistic community. She explained that there is no need to focus on the limitations of these individuals. They have many talents and aspirations. She tapped into her brothers driving force, which happens to be the Safari. Her brother, Grant Johnson can name more animals and facts about them than anyone she knows. This fascinating truth is why Nicole decided to collaborate with him to create 'Grant's Safari'.

You can follow Nicole Johnson's community efforts here: JPmove.webs.com!

ALLIANCE Art & Activism - Teaser

If you missed last night, don't fret. TONIGHT is our closing night and you can still get tickets HERE!

'ALLIANCE' Art & ActivismGET TICKETS NOW!

http://www.EnforcedArch.com/tickets/

Creative Directors, James Koroni & Tracey Katof

Vocal artist, Clara Lofaro

Photography by Joshua Katcher

Lighting by Amanda Clegg Lyon

Costume Design by Lui Konno

MixTape Dance - 'Daily Psongs'

Don't miss MixTape Dance Company, TONIGHT at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center.

A word from 'Daily Psongs' creative director, Anneliese Kappey:

MixTape Dance was designed to do two things: first, to bridge a large gap between those who appreciate dance and those who haven’t; second, to bring to the stage dancing that is technical and exciting, while telling stories that convey honest emotions everyone can access. We tell modern stories, we create characters with which everyone can empathize, we dance to pop music, songs that have provided the soundtrack of our lives. We reference famous movies, lines from books, and pop culture in general. We bring to the stage intricate, technically challenging movement with notably complex musicality. Most importantly, these elements are only components of a larger whole, an offering where pure human emotion is the motivation. It feels right. The dancers feel it, and the audience does too.

For TICKETS visit: http://www.enforcedarch.com/tickets/

ALLIANCE - Part 7: Julio Hugo Penagos

Julio Hugo Penagos is a cornerstone. What sets him apart is his dedication. He is always prepared and confident, making seemingly large obstacles within the process manageable when he's around.

On April 6th and 7th, Enforced Arch is presenting their latest work, ‘ALLIANCE’ Art & Activism, which features past and current pieces by creative directors James Koroni and Tracey Katof. Julio Hugo Penagos is a member of this project and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him join us on this adventure! After rehearsal this past week we had an opportunity to ask him a few questions…

How do you as an individual live the ‘ALLIANCE’ of Art & Activism?

By creating something new every day, and encouraging others to do so as well. I live by the philosophy of creating just for fun. Exercising your creativity every day not only keeps you in great spirits but also keeps your brain active. I am also a strong believer of dreaming big. Having this profession has allowed me to teach and encourage children to create, and encourage them to fight for their passion.

What part of the rehearsal process or subject material did you find most inspiring?

The human interaction. It is truly inspiring to work with genuinely sweet and talented individuals with open minds and a great attitude. They believe in something, and they use their art to create a positive change in the world.

I am not a morning person, LOL, but working with these people early in the morning never felt like work. Every day it was walking into a bubble of creativity, time always flew by.

I also enjoyed all the different kinds of dancers I got to work with. The quality of movement in all of them is so different and interesting, that for me, observation and learning was also one of my favorite parts of the process.

What did you learn from your experiences that you would like to share with others?

Positivism. Always see the glass half full. The performing arts business is a tough one. I know that sometimes it gets hard, but you have to believe in yourself. Practice your craft every day and be better, every day.

I have had a long and bumpy road here from Guatemala City, but it is all about keeping it positive and knowing that if you want something bad enough, you will get it. Passion and positivism will get you far.

For TICKETS to ‘ALLIANCE’ Art & Activism, click here: EnforcedArch.com/tickets/

ALLIANCE: Part 1 – Lauren Cox ALLIANCE: Part 2 – Charles Alexis Desgagnes ALLIANCE: Part 3 – Katherine Roarty ALLIANCE: Part 4 – Alexandra Shieron ALLIANCE: Part 5 – Klara Beyeler ALLIANCE: Part 6 – Clara Lofaro ALLIANCE: Part 7 - Julio Hugo Penagos