Upcoming: The Spark, online class series and more!

Greetings and happy fall!

Things are really picking up pace in our studio in Saxapahaw. Though our public in-person programs are limited this fall, we are busy preparing for several online offerings described below. Additionally, we are thrilled to welcome a new full-time Managing and Development Director to our team, made possible in part by a generous capacity-building grant from the William R. Kenan Charitable Trust. Who is this new mystery person? Read further to find out :)

Finally, The Culture Mill Lab is now filled daily with rehearsals, residencies and workshops, which is all part of the work required for us to offer the projects that will unfold in the spring of 2022. We will give you glimpses into those journeys on an ongoing basis if you follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

We hope to see you at one of our offerings below, and if not then, we will see you before long somewhere around the village or further out!

Warmly,
The Culture Mill Team

October 21st at 7:30pm: Join Culture Mill codirectors Murielle Elizéon and Tommy Noonan for a virtual conversation on The Spark with Tift Merritt.

Based on the series Tift Merritt produced for the acclaimed Marfa, Texas Public Radio, The Spark peels back the polished performance to reveal the elbow grease, risk, fire, and courage behind the art—and artists—we think we know. Each month, Tift will welcome a new artist to speak about integrity and process — how they really make their work and their lives. The conversations are not about neatly packaged finished products; these are conversations about laughter, teachers, and turning points — the not so neatly hewn insight which comes from having your hands in the dirt.

Register at carolinaperformingarts.org/CultureMill
Registrations are open until 6:30 PM EDT on Thursday, October 21
Tickets are free with a recommended optional donation of $15 per household
All registrations come with 72-hour on-demand access of the episode

Starting November 1st, sign up for virtual "Dancing With" Movement series, hosted by ADF Studios.

Classes will be held
Thursdays at 10AM-11:30AM on the following dates:
November 4, 11, 18 and December 2, 9, 16

You must register for access to Zoom classes. Please follow the instructions below to attend Dancing With classes on Zoom:

1. Fill out the Dancing With Zoom Class
Registration Form by clicking here.

2. Download Zoom to your computer, tablet, or phone.
For more info on Zoom, click here.

3. At the time of class, click the link provided to launch Zoom
on your device. A host will let you in.
Turn on your camera and/or microphone to be seen and heard.

4. Enjoy a LIVE virtual class with Murielle, Tommy and collaborators!

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About Dancing With:

This free workshop series will use mindful movement, dance and imagery to provide people living with Parkinson’s disease the tools to achieve increased quality of life, a reduction in the risk of falls, and a sense of personal agency. Workshops will be led by professional choreographers and dancers who will guide participants safely through a warm-up and exercises emphasizing body awareness, flexibility, balance, an enhanced relationship to the floor, the room, and other people, as well as an awakened sense of playfulness and creativity.

The continuation of this project follows the 2019 creation of the ADF-commissioned performance They Are All and is an integrated part of a unique 3-year project led by choreographers Murielle Elizéon and Tommy Noonan in collaboration with a diverse group of dancers living with and without Parkinson’s, dance educators, Physical and Occupational Therapists, and Neuroscientists. The goal is to seed new perspectives on the positive effects of creative, mindful movement for those living with Parkinson’s, and to lay the groundwork for a future formal research project.
Find out more at movingthrough.live.

Dancing With is funded in part by ADF with a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council. Culture Mill's work is made possible in part with a grant from the Kenan Charitable Trust. Additional support is provided by RTI International.

New Managing and Development Director Caitlyn Swett (pictured right) joins the team in our covid-safe outdoor office!

We are thrilled to welcome Caitlyn to our team. Caitlyn Swett is an artist and administrator from North Carolina who has co-founded artistic projects including Paideia (NC/NY) and On Site/In Sight Dance Festival (Winston-Salem), performed with independent choreographers across the state, and served arts organizations such as the American Dance Festival (Durham). Caitlyn currently lives in Durham and plays with electro-poetry band Streak of Tigers. She is so excited to join Culture Mill as their Management and Development Director!

This week's creative residency for AROZ

Choreographer Murielle Elizéon, works with visual and installation artists Sarah Marguier, Katie Cassette and Raven Hughes in the Culture Mill Lab on the development of the upcoming work AROZ -- a duet with cellist Shana Tucker, which explores themes of heritage and belonging for both Elizéon and Shana Tucker.