Artist Story: Winifred Haun

In the fall of 2005 we started as a collective of three arts organizations who each selected one invited artist. The first year we had seven artists present new work (one of the organizations had two artists present work). This year there are only two organizations in the "collective" - Voice of the City [formerly known as Arts Alliance] and Winifred Haun & Dancers. We're planning on having a third partner for next year. This year the invited artists are Jyl Fehrenkamp and Jill Heyser. Producing artists are myself (for Winifred Haun & Dancers) and Dawn Marie Galtieri and Christopher Ellis (for Voice of the City). Paul Abrahamson, artistic director of Chicago Ballet, was an invited artist for last year and while he was unable to make a new work for Circle this year, we invited him to participate this year anyway. Chicago Ballet is performing a work I choreographed in 1993, Remake. I've restaged it on pointe for Chicago Ballet.

How did the collective get formed?

We all knew each other from various festivals and Vaudeville Underground (which Voice of the City produces). And we all shared a similar vision for how to make and produce new work. And we wanted to work together.

 

Why did you choose the name Circle in the Square?

We wanted a different and distinctive sounding name. The Square kind of represents Logan Square (where many of the artists teach, rehearse and perform) but we also wanted something that could be universal. Circle in the Square is an architectural and design motif which, coincidentally, was used by architect George Maher in his design of Pleasant Home where we performed last fall. Circle in the Square is also a mathematical construct, which is kind of interesting.

What benefits do you gain from working in a collective?

One of my personal issues with making dances (and having a dance company, being an artistic director, etc.) is that there never seems to be enough time to really edit my work. Writers have editors, painters can keep working on their canvases over time, photographers have editors, etc. But, somehow, with most of my dances (and I think other dance-makers have the same issue), I get them premiered and then I have to move onto the next dance and the just premiered dance never gets fully developed. One of Circle's goals is to create opportunities for work to be seen in different venues over time (1 or 2 years), which has already led to some editing of our dances, with the result being better dances. Also, over the past two years, we've had several feedback sessions with each other about our work and we've organized two audience previews. This has been really helpful in giving artists information they need to continue making their work.

What exactly do you mean when you say that one of Circle in the Square’s goals is to inspire multi-arts collaborations?

There are artists in Circle who are do not consider themselves choreographers. Their work is movement based (at least the work that they've chosen to show as part of Circle is). One of our artists is a writer, another considers herself a performance artist. (We're looking at ways to incorporate a photo artist into performances.) Yet, we have also produced the work of Paul Abrahamson (artistic director of Chicago Ballet), who is a very traditional ballet choreographer. Paul is an interesting artist because he is so traditional yet he wants to do things like collaborate on a site specific dance this fall at Pleasant Home mansion (this will be the second year we present work there.)

What sorts of things do you do to make the work accessible to the broadest possible audience?

For us, making the work available to the broadest possible audience means many things. First of all, it mean simply that we would like a large audience (don't we all?). And also, it means performing in neighborhoods where people live, like Logan Square or even in Oak Park. "Accessible" is an interesting concept and I believe if it’s done right, most work can be accessible to a large "general" audience. And its funny, I think kids are one of the easiest audiences to perform for.

Do you have an application process for the "invited" artists?

Not right now, but if we grow, we may. Now, invited artists are people who we feel make interesting work, share our production vision and want to work on their dances over time. Also, invited artists have a connection to existing producers through other projects. One of our goals is to add a second weekend of artists.

Can you tell me a little bit about the path that your own career in dance has taken in Chicago?

I was lucky that I got into a modern dance company (Joseph Holmes) that paid us a nearly full time wage 12 months a year for four or five years. I think there was more press coverage before - the Reader did at least one dance review every week and the Sun-Times was pretty good, too. That press coverage really helped the Joseph Holmes Company. Also, we went to Israel and New York City and got great reviews there, so the locals finally sat up and started reviewing us all the time, too.

All of that really helped me when I left the company. Also, I had been nominated for Dancer of the Year for a solo that Randy Duncan choreographed for me. So, when I formed Winifred Haun and Dancers I had a nice launch – it wasn't like I was starting from zero. People were really curious about what I was going to do with my own company and Laura Molzahn wrote some really nice things about my work and my company early on (and I wasn’t working like mad teaching, choreographing, etc...), so like I said I was lucky.

My company and I were doing really well, we were in the paper a lot, we also produced the annual Chicago's NEXT Dance Festival, and then I had a baby (and then a 2nd and a 3rd) and I really had to change the way that I worked and made dances. And I have to say that its been really good for my work. Having children forced me to really examine how and why (and even where) I make dances. And that examination steered my work in new ways.

How has the climate changed in Chicago for modern dance over the past 15-20 years? How is it still the same?

I think dancers are less likely to commit to a single choreographer than they used to. But, I think, in general, there is more work being made and there are more companies and artists out there, which is good, as far as I'm concerned.

The issues for Chicago modern dance were, are and always will be the same: we need more money, more opportunities to present work, more money, more affordable rehearsal space, more money, more press coverage and I did I mention more money?

When I first formed my company in 1991, I was on all sorts of committees and panels where we tried to solve all of the problems facing "the Chicago dance world" and the things we talked about then are the same things that we're talking about now (see list above...). I can go into the politics of it and the theories about why it is the way it is (dance is mostly made up of women and its about the body and so "society" considers dance to be not as important or as intellectual as the other arts, etc...) but, the main thing is, that it is what it is and really, it’s never going change. In my opinion we need to just all go out there and do the best we can and make the best work we can, given what we've got to work with (which admittedly ain't much...).

I don't think people are busier now than they were before. In 1991, I remember everyone was busy. And in 1985, everyone was busy then too. I think dancers are still struggling, like they used to, to make a living and dance at the same time.

How has it been for you teaching Modern Dance in Chicago?

For classes, it takes a while to build, but over time you’ll develop a nice following. Natalie Rast has done well. And I think as your overall reputation builds, your classes do too. Dancers will start seeking you out, wanting to be in your company, etc. Also, remember that it’s somewhat a function of money because if you have a marketingbudget you can fill your classes. On a basic level, people have to learn where and when you have classes. Also, don't forget that Chicago is in many ways a very conservative city. Modern dance classes don't fill up here the way do in San Francisco or New York City. People think ballet is a better class to take or even jazz. At Hubbard Street, where I teach, modern classes are the lowest attended. I will say, though, that during last year's big snow storm the modern classes had more students in them than the rest of the classes combined. So, go figure.

How do you develop a working vocabulary with these very differently styled/trained movers?

Remake (a work for Chicago Ballet) was choreographed in 1993. I originally choreographed it with my company, Winifred Haun & Dancers, which at that time included some really amazing modern dancers. And it was originally done barefoot. Paul Abrahamson from Chicago Ballet convinced me to set it on his company en pointe. The dancers were great to work with and they have taken the dance to a new place. I must admit, though, that as good as they are (and as wonderful as it is to see the dance again), I have mixed feelings about Remake en pointe. There's a grounded (sorry I can't come up with a better word...) quality that is missing now that it's en pointe. Or maybe it’s just me! Everyone seems to really like the dance in pointe shoes.

As for the dance I made for AMEBA, working with aerial straps has been lots of work and lots of fun. Unlike pointe, I have no experience with, or expertise in, aerial work. I really relied on the dancers to help with the invention of new moves. And movement development is slow, for me, on the straps. I think it’s just so new for me and I am so inexperienced with it. I'll be taking some more aerial workshops this spring to help me understand more about it (I took a trapeze workshop with AMEBA last year and it was a real challenge for me!). I choreographed my first aerial dance last year (it was a duet for Erika Gilfether and Andrew Adams) and we spent a whole rehearsal just finding the best swing for the solo section. It was painful (and a little scary) but we found a great 30 seconds of movement for the duet, Promise. Some I've come to really respect the process of waiting for the right moves and giving things time to "gel."

My goal for 3 plus 1 was to try and unite modern dance with aerial in an abstract way (Promise was very dramatic and somewhat narrative). I purposely worked low to the ground and tried not to do any of the traditional aerial "tricks" or moves commonly associated with straps (which is easy in some ways when you are as inexperienced as I am!). The swinging was fun and, it, like a few other moves, came about as "accidents" in rehearsals. We were playing and I saw something interesting and fun and so we incorporated the moves into the dance. Also, we spent a lot of time just putting together short, interesting movement sequences. It seemed like the dance just laid around in these short, unordered pieces for the longest time. But, we waited patiently and then in one rehearsal, it all just came together.

Winifred Haun began her formal dance training at the age of 10 at the Ellis-DuBoulay School of Ballet in Chicago. Ms. Haun attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale from 1981 to 1984, graduating with a B.A. in Theatre/Dance. Ms. Haun was a member of the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre (JHCDT) from 1985 to 1991. She performed and taught with JHCDT while on tour in the US, Canada, Mexico and the middle east. Along with her dancing and teaching responsibilities, she was appointed Company Scholarship Coordinator in 1988. Ms. Haun eventually formed the scholarship group into a separate company, the Pilsen Dance Ensemble. The Ensemble performed the works of Ms. Haun and other JHCDT company members for four years. During her tenure with JHCDT, Ms. Haun danced several solos and received great critical acclaim. In 1991, she won a Ruth Page Award nomination for Dancer of the Year. Ms. Haun has received many grants for choreography from the City of Chicago, Illinois Arts Council, and other midwest foundations. Her dancing and choreography have been presented and commissioned by several Chicago and midwest dance companies, including Chicago Ballet.

Ms. Haun won a Ruth Page Award in 1999 for Outstanding Contribution to the Dance Community for her work establishing and furthering the NEXT Dance Festival. In 2005, Ms. Haun was featured as part of HMS Media’s Chicago Dance Project, which aired on Chicago public television.She is currently a modern dance instructor at the studio of Hubbard St. Dance Chicago and an Associate Artist with Voice of the City. For more information on Winifred Haun & Dancers see: http://www.winifredhaun.org

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This article was co-developed for the Chicago Artists Resource Website and Cultural Chicago E-Zine.