Arts Professional Story: The Open Space Project

Interview with Erin Kilmurray, with help from Suzy Grant and Anna Normann. This story includes editorial support from CAR Dance Researcher Meida McNeal.

What's the story behind The Open Space Project? How was it conceived?
The Open Space Project is a grassroots organization that presents emerging and growing Chicago choreographers in a social atmosphere. The project developed out of two main observations I’ve had about the dance community since beginning a professional dance career. The first was a lack of opportunity for young dancemakers to present their work. The second was that it was becoming increasingly difficult to promote performances I was in, since friends and peers (dancers and non-dancers) seemed to enjoy watching dance but did not necessarily want to sit through a two-hour concert then leave the theater with no continued connection to what they’d just seen.

After graduating from college with a dance degree, I found myself in the very real world with the rest of my class, performing as professional dancers, sometimes paid, choreographing and self-marketing, all while trying to make ends meet (read: waiting tables, teaching Pilates, walking dogs). I had expanded my dance network beyond CCC graduates after a handful of random project-based jobs and realized the sheer number of folks in the same boat.

What was so inspiring was that everyone was creating work despite the challenges newcomers face—perhaps just for fun, perhaps to keep the blood going. There needed to be an outlet for this! A reason to hire dancers, hold rehearsals, and make work. There was a need for a platform to present dance created by emerging and lesser-known choreographers and a place for this community to grow.

So out came The Open Space Project [TOSP], a dance event made by us, for us, and for anyone who wanted to be a part of it. We held our first showcase in December 2009, where I curated the program, and produced the show with Anna Normann at The Inconvenience Loft. The artists chosen were largely based on the fact that I liked them, trusted them to show up with something great (they did!), and because for the most part they were meeting one another for the first time. As a result, our audience was huge and diverse!

The contributing artists saw each other’s work, asked names, exchanged numbers, networked, and had a beer while twisting the night away. It was glorious. We decided to do it again in April with our show SHIFT, this time with Suzy Grant on board (who is an administrative goddess), thus completing the TOSP production team, which we've named "The Broads in Charge." SHIFT called for a new slew of choreographers, which then led to a new audience, and we ran with it.

Describe your trajectory as an organization. How have you been building and developing? What kinds of projects have you staged, presented, collaborated on?
Our working mission is to create performance opportunities for emerging and growing dance artists while also providing a social networking environment. It is important for us to cultivate a welcoming, open community that encourages connections between the audience and the artists. TOSP is attempting to bridge the gap between the artist and audience. We build dance audiences by creating a relaxed and social atmosphere to watch performance, see visual and video art, and talk about what has been witnessed. TOSP provides a stage for choreographers who may not have the experience or resources to fully produce their own work. And then after the show, we have created a community so that our featured artists can continue to grow with a base of support and knowledge. But really… a live performance is worth more than these 1000 words. If I were you, I’d come to the next show and see for yourself. Try it, you might like it!

In the past year, we have produced two fully realized shows and one benefit performance, all featuring a wide variety of talents. These performances have multiplied our network of people who create work, perform for our project, or have expressed interest in future TOSP involvement. This has been possible in part by the support of The Inconvenience Artists, a like-minded multi-arts company, of which I am a member. They generously provided the space for both the first TOSP concert, and the second, titled SHIFT, allowing us to put up the show in their lofted headquarters. We're excited that we've now outgrown the space and are actively looking for a new spot.

What’s on your plate in the near future?
We are planning a third Open Space this coming December while in the midst of a mad search for this new space: something raw, something outrageous, something that will bottle the charm and grit of the previous performances we have done. The Inconvenience is lending a hand in production of our benefit event on August 28, 2010, The Fly Honey Show. [A website is underway, but in the meantime check our Facebook page for updates and information.] This event is another opportunity for us to feature a wider range of emerging performing artists (not just dancers) in a Burlesque-themed cabaret performance.

Ultimately, there is no future for us if we slack, so we are going to keep on keeping on.

One of the interesting things about TOSP is its approach to space/presentation, bringing intimate performances to audiences. Is that something you want to continue in the future?
Absolutely! That is essential to our project. We try to make each TOSP event a new experience, bringing a new vibe and experimenting with the way we present and create space. We keep asking ourselves the question: How close can we get? Open Space can be a seamless atmosphere between performers, choreographers, and viewers. There is no backstage; the dancers sit right in the audience and get up to dance when it is their time. There are no tricks. Nothing is polished. It’s raw performance where the dancer must acknowledge the space, see the audience, see all the sets of eyes, recognize faces, and be real. From the audience perspective, you have to watch the production and technical team run around like crazy people, fixing lights, messing with sound equipment, cueing dancers. It’s exposed and sincere.

We set up the performance spaces so that they're gallery-style and the audience members are able to roam as they will. There’s no pressure to sit still with program in hand; people can be as involved as they choose. By removing the frame of the proscenium stage we hope to also remove any anxiety new audiences may have about seeing modern and contemporary dance. We're left with a relaxed environment where the audience and artists can discuss what they've seen and ask questions to create a larger dialogue.

Is the organization meeting a particular need for emerging artists and/or artists at other stages of their career? If so, how?
We have the ability to expand the audience for dance, which both the new and seasoned professional performer can appreciate and benefit from. People have shown up to Open Space for different reasons. Perhaps they went in to support one person involved in the show but ended up seeing and being exposed to so much more. Non-artists feel welcome. It's not a "cool kids club." Open Space is approachable. The same idea applies for the different kinds of dance artists that attend or participate. Open Space offers the possibility to forge relationships and exchange ideas. This is great for all parties. It’s a win-win situation.

It is also an opportunity for dancers to be noticed. As a working dancer in this city, the audition circuit can be tough. This is a venue for choreographers to see a wide range of techniques and talents and seek out possible candidates for their own ventures. I want to note that we pay all the choreographers who participate in the fully produced concerts. They take their money and do what they will: pay dancers, reimburse themselves for rehearsal space, provide late-night snacks for a post-show party, etc.

What's your general sense of dance and live performance in Chicago right now? Strengths? Things you you'd like to see developed?
That is a heavy question. It’s important to note that we are just starting out as an organization and all involved are fairly young in their careers. However, I can only speak from personal experience, and I believe the strength is that there is so much is going on! There is an amazing amount of dance being made in Chicago, and I have seen much of the work premiered at TOSP go on to become more fully developed pieces presented at larger-scale venues. This is exactly the point. Again though, the support for contemporary dance can be slim whether it’s established companies or independent choreographers. I think this is remedied by helping each other out. As soon as we start to alienate ourselves, we find that we are all alone. TOSP was developed out of the idea that it can be an evening where the gossip and blues can be left at the door. We can be supporters and friends until the sun comes up. Clearly this is a pretty romantic idea, but a girl can dream.

What are the future goals of the organization? What's your five-year vision?
In five years, I hope we are still alive and thriving. I hope we will still be playing an important part in exposing and supporting new choreographers and dancers in this fine city. As far as our future goals as an organization? Those are in the vault. If I told you any more, I’d have to kill you.

The Open Space Project is a collective of dancers who have begun a biannual showcase of works created by emerging and under-produced choreographers in Chicago. With the first events occurring in December of '09 and April of '10, TOSP is building a community of choreographers, dancers, visual, and video artists whose works are presented in a raw space followed by a casual social event. Erin Kilmurray, Anna Normann, and Suzy Grant make up the team behind The Open Space Project. All three broads met and graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. In addition to working on TOSP, Erin is a performer with Kate Corby & Dancers, guest artist with Same Planet Different World Dance Theater, and a member of The Inconvenience Artists. Anna Normann is a collaborating performer with Kate Corby, Mordine and Company and an emerging independent dancemaker. Suzy Grant is a dancer, choreographer, and improviser who provides freelance administrative and production support to the Chicago dance scene including Chicago Moving Company, Peter Carpenter, Julia Rae Antonick, Jonathon Meyer, Rachel Bunting, and performs as her alter ego, Rocco Granite.