Education
  • Presenter Testimonials
    "In 'Materializing the Ephemeral,' Jody Sperling took students through a wonderful excursion-verbal, visual and kinetic- into the creative and interdisciplinary contributions of Loie Fuller. Using slideshow/lecture and movement articulation Ms. Sperling brought modern dance students onboard with the prowess of possibilities that spawned and underlie the tradition." -Catherine Mapp, Chair, Fine & Performing Arts Dep't, Iona College

    "Jody Sperling’s lecture-performance on the art of Loie Fuller distills the active transmission of dance and dance history. Her artfully seductive presentation quickly captivates students—especially those who have never seen a dance performance—enabling them to apprehend the visionary movement of Fuller and see it transposed into a contemporary idiom." -Susan Tenneriello, Prof. Dept of Fine & Performing Arts, Baruch College

    Above: Slide-show of Jody Sperling's master classes at the Society of Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN). 

    Right: A Poster of Loie Fuller by the artist PAL, c. 1896.

    Below, right: Jody Sperling teaches a hooping workshop at Marlboro College as part of a 10-day residency. The workshop was open to students and members of the community. (Photo by Sarah Lavigne)


MATERIALIZING THE EPHEMERAL:
A LECTURE-PERFORMANCE ON THE ART OF LOIE FULLER PAL poster of Loie Fuller
An extremely popular presentation, Sperling has delivered variations of this lecture-demonstration at many colleges, museums, festivals, conferences, and other venues nationally and internationally. Sperling shares her research to give a vivid account of the art of Loie Fuller. The talk treats the emergence of Fuller's unique aesthetic, from its origins in the music-hall skirt dance to its developments into new technological media. The lecture is accompanied by a slide presentation of more than 50 visually arresting images. The presentation may either conclude with a live performance of one of Sperling's Fuller-style works (such as Dance of the Elements, Debussy Soiree or Magic-Lantern Dance), or a video screening of one such dance. This presentation is especially fitting for a museum or academic setting, as the material is relevant to many disciplines including, Art, Art History, Dance, Dance History, Gender/Queer Studies, Film Studies, Technology and Performance.
Length: 1 hour (may be adjusted from 45-90 minutes depending on context)

 “LOIE” TECHNIQUE MASTER CLASS
 A modern-dance class in which students learn to expand  energetically beyond their physical selves through the use of fabric manipulations. Students learn the basic vocabulary of scarf-work, to billow, soar and unfold in multiple directions. (see photo above).

Hooping ClassHULA-HOOP WORKSHOPS
Fun "hooping" classes open to anyone of any age or level of  movement experience. As participants tune into the circular rhythms used to sustain the hooping action, they experience a blissful harmony of the self in motion. Hooping helps develops fluidity of motion, as it also works to motivate and tone the core muscles. This whole-body workout offers an energetic and accessible way to connect the body into a three-dimensional kinetic environment. Material can be geared towards specific age, social group and/or educational context. Class may be given as one hour-long session or as a multi-part workshop.

DANCE WATCHING & WRITING
A workshop designed for dancers or non-dancers to enhance observational skills. Movement and writing exercises are given to facilitate the ability to perceive quality and texture in performance, and to articulate more clearly what one sees. As we watch dance, we will practice asking the questions that tease out connections between action, quality and meaning. We will ask: What are the performers doing? How are they moving? And why? By engaging in a process of active looking and struggling to put what we see into words, we aim to increase our subtle understanding of the dances unfolding all around us. Ultimately, we aim to become more articulate, not just as writers, but also as movers. This workshop can be taught in one or two three-hour sessions.

TIME-LAPSE CHOREOGRAPHIC METHOD WORKSHOP
A stimulating introduction to the "time-lapse" approach to choreography. Through compositional exercises of quoting and distorting historical dance sources—provided by the instructor in the form of manuals, videos and/or photographs—this workshop frees students beyond their own imaginations and present-day assumptions about movement. The course spurs students to create their own surprising and innovative dances, with inspiration from the past. Taught as three-hour master class or available as a more intensive two-day workshop.

CHOREOGRAPHIC RESIDENCY
An intensification of the Time-Lapse Choreographic Method Workshop in which choreographer works in collaboration with the students to develop new ensemble work for performance. Two-week engagement.