By: Erin Williams, PlySpace Residency Coordinator—
Muncie, Indiana—PlySpace, an artist-in-residence program of the Muncie Arts and Culture Council, continues the Fall 2018 Residency Term with Resident Linda Ryan, who has collaborated with the Cornerstone Center for the Arts for free public workshops on dancing and movement with technology. Her final workshop will be held this Saturday, November 17th, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM.
Ryan, the first dance resident at PlySpace, joins the program from Upstate New York via Washington, DC. Since her arrival in September, she has been busy with numerous personal and public projects, including a dance performance inside the former Chase Bank building on Walnut Street during the October 2018 ArtsWalk in downtown Muncie. She has also begun work on a heat-sensitive flooring system that can be used for new dance performances. She will continue her community collaborations with three workshops held at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts that explore methods of working with technology as a medium for creating post-contemporary dance performances. Ryan’s own dance and choreographic work explores dance performance with unconventional costumes, tools, and technologies, such as velcro suits, wearable audio speakers, GoPro action cameras, and more.
Ryan’s collaborative workshops with the Cornerstone Center for the Arts are free and open to the public with RSVP registration through the PlySpace Events page or through the Cornerstone Center for the Arts website. Her final upcoming workshop for advanced adults, those who are familiar with dance classes, or those who have taken the beginners’ workshop, will occur on November 17th, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM. Participants will have the chance to try out some of Ryan’s favorite technologies for dancing, including the GoPro camera and video projections, and will include simple tricks and techniques for incorporating technology with dance steps. This workshop will include a short discussion centered around the role of digital technology in art and performance, along with a choreographed series of steps. Ryan’s first two workshops in October, one for children and one for beginner adults, have been a great success.
Ryan holds a BA in Dance from the George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, where she received the Luther Rice Research Fellowship as well as the Enosinian Scholars Grant. She is an award-winning dance researcher, conducting movement research and experiential choreography both internationally and at home in the US. Her previous performances include work by The Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, Vladimir Conde Reche, Annika B. Lewis, I-Fen Tung, and Anton Ovchinnikov. Ryan will be in residence at PlySpace for a full twelve weeks, until December 7th, 2018.
More information about Linda Ryan, her process, and her upcoming workshops and performances can be found on the PlySpace website at www.PlySpace.org and the PlySpace Facebook page. Questions or comments about the PlySpace Residency program, events, and community collaborations can be directed to Residency Coordinator, Erin Williams at hello@plyspace.org.
PlySpace is a program of Muncie Arts and Culture Council in partnership with the City of Muncie, Ball State University School of Art, and Sustainable Muncie Corporation. PlySpace is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
