Reflections on Russia

Dinner after our successful performance

Moses, Megan and the technical crew

Dancers warming up before their performance

Dancers before their performance

Tiffany with Elena, the Festival Director 

The Tiffany Mills Company recently returned from our first international tour to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. What a fantastic opportunity to cross into a completely new culture and be so welcomed! See blog post earlier this month for my thoughts and responses. And, see below for the Company's reflections on Russia. ~Tiffany

I enjoyed meeting so many amazing people who wanted to share and connect through their passion for art; Krasnoyarsk is such a beautiful city. ~Emily (Dancer)

The eagerness and vitality of the dance community in Krasnoyarsk was remarkable. I can't wait to return to further our artistic dialogue! ~Kevin (Dancer)

Usually when I travel, I don't ever have expectations. (Sort of a fantasy come true to go to Siberia, which is an area most people will never travel to.) You can feel the layers of tension from the post-communistic regime slowly being pulled away. There is an electric charge. They are ready for revolution and radical change. So much creativity and support -- like a young layer of skin. The students, audience, and people of Krasnoyarsk were so welcoming and appreciative. I would love to go back! Also, some responses from Russian students (who seemed to relate to "Berries and Bulls" themes of isolation and struggle) were so insightful and articulate. ~Jeffrey (Dancer)

I was impressed both with what is now (compared to when I went to St Petersburg 20 years ago) available in the supermarkets and restaurants as well as in the (modern dance) studio and on stage! This small festival, almost single-handedly afforded and run by Elena, creates a unique opportunity to explore and share international cultural experiences. Russian modern dance is still young, but the dancers and choreographers have already absorbed so much and were very eager and open to learn the processes and discoveries we (from the West, where modern dance has been around a bit longer) brought to share. Thanks for having us :-) ~Petra (Dancer)

Who would've thought that In a million years I'd be in Kransnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia? Not Me. And who would've thought that I'd be the only person of color within a 1000 miles of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia? ME!!! Over all I had a great time. The festival was fantastic and I made some new friends. Thanks for letting me "tag along". ~Moses (Technical Director and Stage Manager)

The enthusiasm of the students in the class was amazing. The experience of working with an international group of people opened a new way of seeing and experiencing dance, in and out of performance. Sharing the work of Tiffany Mills Company with new people was so rewarding. ~Megan (Company Manager and Sound Operator)

Spasiba (Thank You) Russia!

 Almost there! At Moscow airport on our way to Siberia (A 24 hour trip)...

The whole Company after our performance!

 Last Day of Class in Krasnoyarsk.

Our tour to the "International Festival of Contemporary Dance - Isadora", was a complete success! We were greeted with enormous enthusiasm by eager students ready to learn. Daily Tiffany taught partnering classes assisted by the Company. Our performance of "Berries and Bulls" capped it all off. Here's a run down on our Siberian adventure:

--During Dress Rehearsal on Sunday a cat walked onto the stage! Given that we were working with a Russian speaking tech crew and theater we were navigating a whole new terrain. (Our TMC crew -- Moses on Lights and Megan on Sound -- were fantastic!)

--Despite language differences, "Berries and Bulls" brought laughter and clear emotional response. All the dancers -- Jeffrey, Petra, Emily and Kevin -- performed with strength and resilience with a 12 hour time difference!

--People yelled "Bravo" after our performance in a 600 seat theater. All Festival students as well as community members were engaged in what was very new and different for them. (Most have not seen dance/theater.)

--The day after our performance in class, students commented on what they saw: how touch gives us information, the importance of flight, and how relationships reveal human vulnerability. We were amazed and touched to hear how our work translated across language and culture. We can't wait to return to our new sister city!

We're going to Russia!

The Tiffany Mills Company is so excited for our first Eurasian tour! We are packing our bags with warm coats and long underwear, as we prepare for a Siberian winter snow storm in April. As we are about to depart to perform at the International Festival of Contemporary Dance -- Isadora, in Krasnoyarsk, the Company is anticipating new sights, smells and sounds. We are honored to perform "Berries and Bulls", teach classes at the Festival, and learn about dance in another part of the world. Here's what our dancers have to say as we step on an airplane. Warmly, Tiffany


"I'm looking forward to experiencing the culture 'shock', the sound of unfamiliar language, unique colors and architecture. SIBERIA!"  ~ Emily


"I can't wait to experience and be inspired by the 'Eurasian aesthetic' in dance and beyond! Whoo Russia!" ~ Kevin


"I'm excited to experience Russia through the arts, dance and movement - connecting culture, expressing creativity across oceans and mountains. We are all one." ~ Jeffrey


"It's an honor to be invited to an international festival. It reminds me of 2 things: 1) that the idea of being able to travel as a dancer - dance being such an international language - was probably the deciding factor in helping me to decide to pursue a career in dance and 2) I visited Russia, then still USSR, whilst in ballet school, over 20 years ago - it will be interesting to see what has changed since those days. Great opportunity to share cross-culturally!" ~ Petra

Tiffany Mills loves teaching in Portland!

Since 2002 Tiffany Mills has been a guest artist at Conduit Dance, Inc., in Portland, OR, working with dynamic West Coast dancers in summer intensives. These workshops are always too short! Who wants to leave the sunny studio looking over Mount Hood? This past summer, Tiffany's class, "Capturing Spontaneity," elicited the following student response. Please add to the feedback!

"Not only did you bring an awareness to the fundamentals of movement but you shined a light on the human condition through collaborative exploration in such a subtle and beautiful way!" ~Lanie Bergin, www.laniebergin.com

Annual Summer Workshop...What's It All About?

Since 2006 the Tiffany Mills Company has held an Annual Summer Workshop, giving dancers a week-long investigation of movement, ranging from technique to partnering to repertory. It's always a fun and exciting week, filled with new discoveries and new friends. Don't just take our word for it! Here are our students’ first-hand impressions of our Annual Workshop:

Megan Moore attended the 2011 Annual Workshop. Here’s what she has to say:

I just wanted to thank you again for a most amazing experience during the TMC workshop. I learned a great deal about myself as a mover, your collaborative process, the intersections between modern dance and other body practices, and of course partnering! This was an extremely valuable experience for me, and I thank you for all of your sharing and insight. I really respect and admire the way you create and run your Company, and it was a fantastic environment for learning. I will recommend your work to all of my colleagues and students. It was so refreshing to be in the company of teaching artists who are so open and willing to give of themselves!  

Aubrey Kupstus attended the 2010 Annual Workshop. Here’s what she has to say: 

Attending your partnering workshop last June was a really great experience for me. It was one of my first encounters with dance after graduating from college, and it was a comforting introduction to the professional world. There was a vast variety of people there, ranging from current college students to experienced professionals, and despite varying levels of experience with contact improvisation, everyone was very accepting of each other.  

The most important feedback I got was to take my time and ease into partnering…That both partners needed to be in tune with each other and that it doesn’t have to happen fast.  The whole experience made me think of every day relationships. You have to ease into them, and just like it takes time to get to know someone’s personality, it takes time to get to know the way someone dances. As the partnership develops, there is a level of give and take—listening and responding. The more you listen to your partner’s impulses and invest in the relationship, the richer your experience will be. You’ll discover that working together will bring you places neither has imagined before.  

Tiffany Mills Company Welcomes Two New Dancers

In fall 2010 we welcomed two new marvelous dancers into our Company: Kevin Ho and Emily Pope-Blackman. Over the past eight months they have become interwoven into our tight-knit Company, joining vetrans Jeffrey Duval and Petra van Noort. Get to know Emily and Kevin in this short interview:

How is TMC different than the other companies you’ve worked with?

Emily: The difference of working with this company is the balanced attention given to thought, process and execution of the creative process by each individual. Each member is allowed to express freely his/her own perspective of the work in the moment. The value placed on each person’s feedback both intellectually and creatively allows the product of each rehearsal to feel rich and multi-dimensional. This impacts the work tremendously, and brings an intense sharing of information to serve the dance as a collection of many different elements into a whole. We grow together as a group as the focus of the work guides each performer to a new level of understanding of what the piece is about, and what is happening to each performer inside the work. 

Kevin: In my experience, there's something about Tiffany's work that beyond respecting you as an individual, really celebrates everyone's uniqueness as an asset to the Company. This creates an interwoven community of talented contributors that each bring a very human element to our compositions. Tiffany's commitment to personal integrity is a rare find to what can sometimes be a very competitive art-microcosmo here in New York City, driven by grants, deadlines and financial restrictions. It may sound deceptively simple, but I find it both refreshing and quite subversive (in the most positive and beautiful way), that she trusts us enough to actually be ourselves; fully ourselves both onstage and off.

Describe what it’s like to work with such a small and intimate group of people.

Emily: The group dynamic is intimate, respectful, and mature. There is an inherent sense of value between us to "see" and "hear" each other. We practice to improve these skills daily in hopes to enrich ourselves as artists, and as people. We seem to be developing a common based language not only in movement modalities, but in the dialogue sessions that happen before and after a "run" of a section of material. The key to this flow of information exchange, is Tiffany's ability as a director to be able to trust the work and the cast in an honest format. She has created a "way" of working that promotes understanding by asking questions of herself, the work, the cast, her collaborators, and the audience. Every moment is focused on helping each other along the way to find the meaning behind each movement, each phrase, and each line of text. There is a lot of room to improvise, change and rediscover moments as the piece develops a life of its own through each of us.

Kevin: The intimacy of such a small company affords us the time and energy to dive deep into the material and conduct what I call "research" into all aspects of the composition, both self-referentially on the narrative level and as a whole on the social interpersonal level.  It's a deeply investigative process that really hones in on the intentions of each and every action of each and every dancer.

How is Tiffany’s approach to contact improvisation different or similar to other approaches you’ve encountered?

Emily: Tiffany's approach is multi-layered and we "play" with many different ways of connecting by changing the focus, intent, and reason for the "connection". I appreciate the experimental nature and freedom of our "contact" exercises. It is less academic than other situations where "contact improvisation" can feel like a showing of tricks instead of expression.

Kevin: Being a Contact Improv-based dancer myself and coming out of a strict training where Improvisation was treated as a strict and practiced discipline, I find Tiffany's approach to contact an extension of that into the act of performance.  However, Tiffany's work around this elevates it to what I call "present-tense composition" where scores are tight and movements may be limited but choices and therefore possibilities, are endless.  This practice of performance-based improvisation really challenges each dancer to ascend to a certain level of "choreographer" as well as executor of movements.

We all know that dancers have many talents. What other jobs or activities are do you do? 

Emily: I am a teacher, choreographer, and sometimes also an actor and video-grapher (dance). I have lots of other hobbies or subjects of study too, like sewing, drawing, writing, music, and art in which I find self-expression through the making of things.

Kevin: In addition to dance, I'm actually also a classically trained chef specializing in Contemporary American haute cuisine.  I started my training under Chef Anita Lo at her "BarQ" concept, and then worked at her fine-dining Michelin Starred restaurant "Annisa" in downtown NY as the Garde Manger-appetizer and dessert cook.  Known for her savant-like understanding of food and respect for the ingredients, Anita Lo is the brain child behind Annisa, BarQ, and Rickshaw Dumplings, as well as multiple TV appearances on Top Chef Masters (coming in 4th out of some of the world's best Chefs) and Iron Chef America (beating out Mario Batali in battle mushrooms).  There's something about food that's akin to dancing. You could do the same steps, the same recipes, and yet each moment is still fresh. That improvisation requires presence, pathways become ever informative, and beauty is revealed through necessity. It's really very wonderfully human.

April 20, 2011 Audience Feedback

On April 20th, 2011, we held a showing at Baryhsnikov Arts Center as part of our 2010-2011 BAC Residency. At this showing, we shared excerpts of a new work titled "Berries and Bulls" and also launched our new website. Here, we wanted to share some anonymous responses to our work. Thanks to all of you who joined us!

"I LOVED it!!! Enjoyed every minute! It was a fascinating expose on relationships and personality types. The movement was gorgeous and so well crafted. The text was witty, humorous and truthful. Well articulated and performed by the dancers."

"Use of music was interesting. Music created ambiance and set the mood of scenes. Dialogue without music in the background created intimate environment in space."

"Really liked use of space and shifting combinations. Really like a lot of the phrases, very original."

"Interesting investigation of physical, temporal and "other" realities. Beautiful movement and superb performers!"

"I especially enjoyed the horizontal tango, as well as the juxtaposition of words and movements."

"Did touch me."