The 2009 MAP Fund online application is now open for registration.  Please keep in mind the following eligibility requirements:

• Applications must come from organizations based in the United States that have current nonprofit federal tax status - 501(c)(3). Artists or ensembles without 501(c)(3) status may apply to MAP through a fiscal sponsor.
• Organizations and artists must demonstrate at least 2 years professional experience.
• MAP supports only projects that contain a live performance.
• Eligible projects must not have premiered anywhere in the world before September 1, 2009.
• The touring or documentation of work that has already premiered is not eligible for funding.
• MAP does not fund projects whose main purpose is educational, for example art-in-the-schools or artistic training programs.
• Artists who are full-time students in degree granting programs at the time of application are not eligible.
• MAP does not fund organizations’ general operating expenses.
• MAP does not fund festivals or contests.
• Current employees or board members of Creative Capital, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation or the Rockefeller Foundation, or immediate family members of such persons are not eligible.
• Artists who were MAP Fund recipients in 2007 and 2008 may apply again in 2010.

MAP supports most direct costs related to the conception, creation and premiere of a new work. These include but are not limited to commissioning fees and artists’ salaries, research costs, rehearsal and workshop expenses, promotion, and audience outreach and production costs up to and including the premiere run of the work.

To read more about the guidelines, visit http://www.mapfund.org/apply.html.  If you’re a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas and are interested in applying, please contact our staff at support@fracturedatlas.org.  The final day to register for the MAP fund through Fractured Atlas is December 31st.

This one goes out to our members in NYC…

As part of Fractured Atlas’s Place + Displaced project we sponsored a series of performances of Danny Hoch’s new show Taking Over in some NYC neighborhoods that are experiencing gentrification-related struggles.  Taking Over is now headed to The Public Theater, and there are discounts for members of the FA community. Use the code “DHTOUR” to get access to $25 tickets.

Name: Mariana Bekerman
Websites: www.mbdancecompany.com
Fractured Atlas Member Since: March 2005
Fractured Atlas Services Used: Fiscal Sponsorship, Calendar of Events, Job Listings

The Mariana Bekerman Dance Company is an eight-year-old modern dance company that fuses the classics with underground dance styles, in particular, “vogue” dance.  The New York-based company has performed throughout the tri-state region and is currently in the process of expanding its audiences by performing its repertoire both nationally and internationally.  Additionally, the MBDC is delving into arts education programs, teaching and performing for youth in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Artistic director Mariana Bekerman focuses on making work that touches the human spirit, avoiding what she calls “the gloom, doom and angst of concert dance.”  Recently, she took the time to answer a few questions from Fractured Atlas…

Mariana, who and/or what are your biggest influences?

Boris Eifman, Baryshnikov, Nijinsky, Erte, Madonna and Bjork.  In terms of the work itself, I am influenced by my personal life philosophy, experiences and human interactions.

What has been your greatest success to date?

Self-producing five dance concerts, including one at the Joyce SoHo; co-producing with LaGuardia Community College; and most recently, signing an eighteen-month contract with Global Talent, who sponsored us when we performed at City Center Studio as part of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference this past January.

How did you find out about Fractured Atlas and what motivated you to become a member?

I knew of Fractured Atlas through the Field, I believe.  I was a member of another non-profit…but was soon informed that it is best to be a member of an organization that funders are familiar with.  This is why I joined, along with other great perks such as funding opportunities for members from Fractured Atlas itself!

How do you use your Fractured Atlas membership?

I use Fractured Atlas as my fiscal sponsor when soliciting for grants and individual sponsors…and for general advice.  I frequently use the Fractured Atlas website to scroll through job listings and other happenings around town, to remain connected with the art community.

Finish this sentence: A world without art is ______. “…colorless.”

Is there any advice that you would give to a dancer at the start of their career?

A dancer who is at the start of his/her career needs to dance for everyone and be available for everyone at all times…which is unrealistic, so they had better know what they can/not handle and be truthful about it.  If they are working with someone, they must have faith and full trust in that artist — otherwise, why even dance for them?  And they must research the company or artist they will commit to, since it is a commitment.  Thanks to today’s technology, this is not a problem at all.

How can we see, experience and learn more about your company’s work?

The Mariana Bekerman Dance Company website is www.mbdancecompany.com.  We will be performing on Saturday, November 1st at 11:30 PM at China Club, 264 W. 47 Street (bet. Broadway & 8th Avenue). Contact us through our website for performance details or to be put on our guest list.

Photos by: Tetteh Tawiah

As you may know, Fractured Atlas began its life as a performing arts production company.  (I was a theatre director and I founded the company, in part, to provide a vehicle for producing my own work.)

Well, the first show I produced was called The Pumpkin Pie Show.  It featured a series of stories written and performed by Clay McLeod Chapman (with whom I spent a year at Sarah Lawrence College).  We took it to the 1998 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where we got decent reviews but bombed at the box office.  (Note to self: if you’re going to produce a show on another continent it helps to have a semblance of a plan for getting folks in the door!)

Anyway, Clay has been plugging away for the past 10 years and is now celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Pumpkin Pie Show.  Since our histories are so linked, I thought he deserved a shoutout.  He’s also offering a special discount for Fractured Atlas members.

So here’s the deal:

the PUMPKIN PIE show
stories written by Clay McLeod Chapman
performances by Clay McLeod Chapman and Hanna Cheek

October 16th - November 1st
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 PM
at UNDER St. Marks Theater
94 St. Marks Place
(btn 1st Ave and Ave A)
New York, NY

Tickets: $18 ($15 students/seniors)
www.horsetrade.info
or call SmartTix (212) 868-4444

Members of the Fractured Atlas family can use the code “FRACTR” to be eligible for $12.50 tickets.

Some praise from the press:

“Like a collection of David Sedaris short stories, these are imaginative, slightly surreal tales that will stay with you for years.” – Canadian Broadcasting Center (FOUR STARS) (2008)

“The energy in this show is so intense, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or worry that Chapman would leap into the crowd and start throwing chairs.” – See Magazine (FOUR STARS) (2008)

“Chapman and Cheek match each other character for character, voice for voice, imparting narratives so compelling and frequently funny that it’s a disappointment when they stop.” – City Pages (2008)

“Chapman… has crafted his language with care and wit, and it’s an uncomfortable pleasure to witness his characters come to life.” – Edmonton Journal (FOUR STARS) (2008)

“Clay McLeod Chapman and Hanna Cheek make kicking your theatrical ass seem easy…” – Fringe Famous (2008)

***

UPDATE (10/20/08) - Check out the rave in today’s NY Times!

Hey there Fractured Atlas friends! Welcome to Week One of our new Wednesday blog of featured Fractured Atlas members!

Name: Achinta McDaniel, blue13 dance company
Website: www.blue13dance.org or www.myspace.com/blue13dance
Hometown: Venice, CA
Artistic Discipline: Dance
Fractured Atlas Member Since: October 2003
Fractured Atlas Services Used: Fiscal Sponsorship, Annual Liability Insurance, Health Insurance

Today, we’re featuring Achinta McDaniel, head of blue13 dance company, a contemporary Indian dance ensemble founded in 1999. The company performs live original dance productions throughout the country and abroad, as well as for TV and film. McDaniel’s signature Bollywood-Tech and Neo-Kathak styles use the traditions of Indian dance, music, and culture to inspire new works of contemporary dance. The company’s mission is “to advance experimental and non-traditional contemporary dance, while preserving and cultivating the cultural and classical forms of India. Passionately translating dance into enduring societal contributions, blue13 dance company dispels cultural stereotypes and connects diverse communities through cross-genre and multicultural classes, workshops, and live performances that inspire global unity and togetherness.”

We asked Achinta a few questions about her company and its work….

What/who are your biggest influences?
“The Hindi Language Film Industry, i.e. “Bollywood,” based in Mumbai, India has had a huge influence on blue13’s work, inspiring the company to produce large, bright, and vibrant dance performances, or “Bollywood Ballets,” as blue13 calls them. Of course, the company’s Bollywood-Tech signature style is rooted firmly in technical contemporary dance inspired by greats like Jose Limon, Martha Graham, Lester Horton, and more, along with influences from ballet, hip-hop, jazz, tap, and classical Indian Kathak and Bhartanatyam dance.”

What have been your greatest successes to date?
“blue13 dance company’s greatest successes have come in the past few years with sold out world premieres at Hollywood’s famous Ford Amphitheatre, including Karishma, a contemporary Bollywood Midsummer Night’s Dream, and 2007’s two-night sell out, Paheliyan: The Story of Alice.”

Finish this sentence: Art is important because….
“…. it unites diverse audiences with a shared experience of new forms, bridging the conventional gaps in artistic genres, societal divisions of class and ethnicity.”

How can we see, experience, or learn more about your work?
blue13 dance company’s website, listed above, is jam-packed with the company’s information. You can view videos and photos and check out their performance calendar, which includes upcoming blue13 classes and events in Los Angeles and beyond.

In 2008, the company will premiere Bollywood Cabaret! at Highways Performance Space, as well as KHEL, an original Bollywood Ballet at the Ford Amphitheatre. Through the blue school, the company teaches its Bollywood.Bhangra.Beats™ classes and workshops all over Los Angeles.

Long-time Fractured Atlas member Misnomer Dance needs your help! They’re competing for a $10,000 grant at IdeaBlob.com and the entrant with the most votes over the next couple of days wins. Please take a second to vote for Misnomer.

Now, the more skeptical among you may be wondering why I’m suddenly spamming for one Fractured Atlas member out of the 50,000+ artists in our community. That’s a valid question and hopefully I’ve got a valid answer. The main reason is that the project proposed by Misnomer Dance is one that I believe will benefit the entire performing arts community.

First, a little background:

For the past several years, Misnomer has made groundbreaking (and ridiculously successful) use of online social networking technologies as a tool for building audiences for modern dance. Thousands of people from around the world who’ve never seen a Misnomer show have become fans of the company through their website, where they can view videos of performances, get a behind-the-scenes look at how the company is run, read commentary by the choreographer, and more. Misnomer then leverages this online community with real-world presenters, since they can compellingly demonstrate that an audience exists in a particular city, even if Misnomer has not yet physically performed there.

Misnomer now wants to codify these techniques and make them widely available for other performing arts companies to use. If they win the grant from IdeaBlob, they’ll have the seed funding to get such a project started. The tools they create will be freely downloadable for use by any performing artist or performing arts company.

Votes at IdeaBlob are especially valuable if they come in by December 7th, so vote today!

Project Shaw is an ambitious undertaking that will present every play written by George Bernard Shaw as concert readings at New York’s legendary Player’s Club.

The driving force behind the project is Fractured Atlas member David Staller, the Artistic Director of Gingold Theatrical Group and a lifetime Shaw aficionado. “Shaw’s voice has been an anchor of reason for me during most of my life,” says David. “It serves as a reminder that it’s our responsibility to question and challenge ourselves, daily, as to what’s right and wrong; to define ourselves independently of societal expectations; to take responsibilities for the choices we make.”

David also believes that Shaw’s work is particularly relevant to a contemporary audience. “Each of his plays deal with the issues we’re still wrangling with today,” he says. “The most current topics on any news program are debated in his works.”

“The entertaining brilliance of these plays is that Shaw offers a 360º look at each argument,” continues David. “No point of view is clearly represented as the author’s. He wrote comedies to present ideas which would activate self-questioning.”

Since beginning the project in 2006, David has recruited some of the top talents from both film and theatre to participate in his readings including Malcolm Gets, Veanne Cox, Raul Esparza, Marc Kudisch, George S. Irving, Olympia Dukakis, Nancy Anderson, Ed Dixon, Cynthia Harris, Charlotte Moore and Simon Jones.

“Luckily,” says David. “Actors are eager to take a bite out of really good writing.”

For more information about Project Shaw, visit www.projectshaw.com.