The Jazz Standard(s) – Program – Rhythmically Speaking

11/16/24 @7:30pm | 11/17/24 @ 2pm | 11/17/24 @ 7:30pm

Amsterdam Bar & Hall – St. Paul MN

Rhythmically Speaking is back at it with their longtime partner Amsterdam Bar & Hall to present The Jazz Standard(s), a new original production offering a spirited dance through the culture of standards: personal and social ideals, and, when it comes to jazz, well-known tunes that have stood the test of time and helped define an artistic genre. This show explores the communal nature of standard tunes in jazz like “Basin Street Blues” and “Chameleon,” and the three principles RS holds as standards at the heart of their work in jazz dance – groove, interaction, and improvisation. We welcome you to enjoy and pint and a meal while experiencing the vibrant stylings of a cast of eight of Rhythmically Speaking’s dynamic company dancers and a live quintet of some of the Twin Cities best gigging jazz musicians. Kicking back is fine but you can also lean in, relaxing is great but you can also engage, and however you go about it, ENJOY The Jazz Standard(s)!

REMINDERS:

Prior to the show, please silence your devices, and be advised that taking photos and/ or videos of the show is not permitted.
Excellent food and drink will be on sale in the Amsterdam Bar area – please feel free to hop up at any time during the show, and especially at intermission, to order!

SOME NOTES ON PURCHASING TICKETS, PARKING & SEATING:

Mobile Purchase: When purchasing tickets on a mobile phone, you will be prompted to download the DICE ticketing app (as per the way the venue has opted to sell tickets).
Desktop Purchase: If you’d rather not download an app, purchase your tickets through a web browser on a laptop or desktop computer. If you have trouble/ are receiving error messages, our patrons have reported using the app as the most seamless purchase experience. Advance ticket sales are only available online.
Online Sales Cut-Off: Advance ticket sales will end two hours before each show time, after which tickets can be purchased at the door starting an hour before showtime.
“Pay As You Can (Sun at 2pm)”: This option allows attendees to choose their own price of attendance (offered in $5 increments + tax and fees). We ask folks to consider the set ticket price of $22.00 + taxes and fees – if an audience member needs to pay less than that, they can pay less. Those who can pay that set price or more are welcomed and encouraged to do so, and their generosity will help cover the cost of someone else’s ticket.
Parking: There’s often a lot going on in downtown St. Paul that weekend – make your parking plan ahead of time, and leave extra time! We recommend the Wabasha Victory Ramp (one block away), or checking out the service SpotHero.
Start Time: Be advised that the DICE ticketing service lists the shows as starting at 6:30pm and 1pm – these are the times the doors open, NOT show start times. The show start times are indeed 7:30pm and 2pm. That said:
Seating: Seating is first come, first served y’all, so get here early if you want a good spot! The good news is, Amsterdam will keep you in good food and drink while you wait 🙂
WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!: That is all 🙂

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

We acknowledge that our work occurs on the traditional lands of the Dakhóta Oyáte (Dakota People), and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. We also acknowledge that as a company built around jazz and American social dances, forms with African diasporic roots and branches, anti-racism and intersectional justice efforts must also be central in our work. We view these efforts as an ongoing journey, and welcome you to read more about this at our Anti-Racism page.

NOTE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR:

Welcome, Friends!

We’re so glad you’re here at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall with us for yet another collaboration with this awesome night spot. This show marks our seventh outing here, and we glad to be back, offering you jazz music and dance in the type of place from which it sprung – a social venue!

This time around, we are exploring the idea of ‘standards.’ A strong word, ‘standards.’ Evocative for sure. While it does make me think of scantron tests and criterion that must be passed to move from middle to high school and beyond, it more strongly evokes for me, personally, the concept of personal and social ideals. As a person very invested in jazz, I have also found it interesting that when the word ‘standards’ is applied to this type of music, it refers to a set of widely known, performed, recorded and heard tunes that have stood the test of time and helped define an artistic genre. While I’ve been exploring creating and performing movement to jazz standard songs for many years, this intersection of meaning made desire to create a full program dedicated to exploring it.

I love that there is no official arbiter of what is and what is not a standard in jazz – it’s reflective of the communal nature of jazz, which is also shown in the interpersonal play required for an ensemble to gel and offer intriguing improvisations that are led by an individual but supported by the whole. I appreciate the promise within jazz culture that if you know the melody of a tune well enough and have the chops, all that needs agreeing upon is tempo and meter, and musicians who have never met before can jam together. Through various projects over the last ten years, I’ve been exploring the development of shared movement information for standard tunes like “Basin Street Blues” and “Chameleon,” with the idea that if dancers know set movement for the melody of a tune, they have all the information they need to jam together and create robust, connected improvisations, just as jazz musicians do. This show is a result of that creative research.

Also reflected within this show is how the concept of ‘standards’ can also imply a deeply held set of principles. In the case of Rhythmically Speaking, that’s the three artistic elements at the heart of our work in jazz dance – groove, interaction and improvisation. While approaches to jazz dance are numerous, no matter how differing they manifest physically, we find these three elements to be at the heart of them all. The Jazz Standard(s) also illuminates how we pull from many styles, using groove, interaction and improvisation as our creative glue, to create a unique and cohesive approach to jazz dance. Like audience favorite Riffin’ (our Winter 2021 program), this show will have a casual, MCed feel that will provide further background information on the ideas inspiring each section and the show as a whole, which we hope will help you build a greater understanding of and appreciation for what’s happening on stage.

So as I stated above, kicking back is fine but you can also lean in, relaxing is great but you can also engage, and however you go about it, we encourage you to ENJOY the warmth of this great space, the tastes of well-crafted drinks and food, the good company you brought with you or are just meeting now, and the high standards of the excellent group of artists that bring The Jazz Standard(s) to life.

I hope this show inspires you vibrantly, connects you to your shared humanity, and speaks to you, rhythmically 🙂

Jazz Love,

Erinn Liebhard

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::Help us better our efforts by filling out this SHORT SURVEY!::

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SPECIAL THANKS:

To the Amsterdam Bar & Hall – we’re thrilled to be back in our Winter home; Joy Liebhard for costume assistance; to the RS Advisory Panel for their enthusiastic and ongoing support; to the dancers, musicians and technical artists – without your dedication to this work, it wouldn’t exist! And: to our friends, family and supporters – thank you for believing in what we do!

PROGRAM:

Basin Street Blues (1928, originally composed by Louis Armstrong)

Summertime (1934, originally composed by George Gershwin)

Well You Needn’t (1944, originally composed by Thelonius Monk)

St. Thomas (1955, originally composed by Sonny Rollins)

Footprints (1966, originally composed by Wayne Shorter)

— Intermission — (grab a drink, visit the loo, fill out our audience survey!)

All Blues (1959, originally composed by Miles Davis)

Mercy Mercy Mercy (1966, originally composed by Cannonball Adderley)

So What (1959, originally composed by Miles Davis)

The Chicken (1969, originally composed by Pee Wee Ellis)

Chameleon (1973, originally composed by Herbie Hancock)

:: Wish to SUPPORT BEYOND THE PRICE OF YOUR TICKET? CLICK HERE! ::

::Help us better our efforts by filling out this SHORT SURVEY!::

:: FOLLOW US!: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | eNews ::

PEOPLE:

Advisory Panel: Tameka Davidson, Brian J. Evans, Rae Fox Charles, Doug Hooker, Erinn Liebhard, Kristoffer Olson and Shannon Nemer

Patrick Adkins (Piano)

Patrick Adkins (He/Him) is a Minneapolis based pianist and composer excited to be making his debut with Rhythmically Speaking! Most frequently active as both a sideman and band leader at jazz venues across the Twin Cities, he is equally at home in a variety of settings and genres, most recently appearing in An Opera Theatre’s production of The Cradle Will Rock. As an in-demand band leader and sideman all over town, Patrick has made his mark on the Twin Cities jazz scene, performing at jazz festivals across the midwest, and sharing the bandstand with luminaries such as JT Bates, Martin Dosh, Jay Epstein, Michelle Kinney, Brandon Wozniak, and more. Patrick’s primary projects include co-leading the modern jazz collective SPACE, and switching from piano to synthesizers for the indie glam-pop band d’Lakes. | @PattyPiano

Greg Byers (Bass)

Greg Byers, M.M. uses his talents as a performer, composer, educator and producer to share the joy of music with a diverse range of audiences. Greg graduated from the University of Miami Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Instrumental Performance/Studio Music & Jazz on cello and bass. Since then he has performed on BBC Two and Univision, won the International Journalists Award at the 2020 Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition and was named a Global Music Initiative Artist-in-Residence at MacPhail Center for Music in 2021 & 2022. He is also the recipient of numerous grants, including the 2017 Artist Initiative Grant, the 2020 Next Step Fund and 2022 Creative Support for Individuals. He currently teaches cello at Carleton College and performs around the country with The String Showdown. In his spare time, Greg practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and plays with his rescue cats. | @CelloGreg

Bill Cameron (Photographer)

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Bill Cameron is a Minneapolis photographer who loves photographing people. He specializes in working with local dance companies and their wonderful dancers. | @Bill.Cameron

Emma Garau (Drummer)

Emma Garau is a drummer and composer based in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated with a BFA in jazz and contemporary music from UNC Asheville in 2022 while independently studying with Dave King of The Bad Plus, and touring extensively with Fortezza- which she co-founded in 2016. Emma has worked with artists including Powderhorns, Grace Christian X, Brandon Wozniak, Erik Fratzke, Zacc Harris, and Geologist (of Animal Collective). She currently tours and records with art punk duo, ¿WATCHES?, and as a solo artist. Emma endorses 651 Drums. | @em_garau

Mike Grogan (Lighting Designer | Technical Director)

Mike has been designing lighting for dance, theater and music for more than twenty years. He started working on the technical side of theater while studying acting in the early 1990’s, and when he began designing lighting for dance productions, he realized he had found his career. In the years since he has had the privilege of designing for numerous groups spanning the disciplines of dance, theater and music. He has been privileged to work with many great artists during the course of his career, and notes “if my work looks good it is only because their work is good.” We’re lucky to have him on board again!

Doug Hooker (Administrative Associate | Dancer)

Doug graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Dance. He has had a variety of professional performing opportunities, including with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps, the Broadway show Blast! and the Dancing People Company, and locally with ARENA DANCES, Collide Theatrical Dance Company, Concerto Dance, Shapiro and Smith Dance and Threads Dance Project. He has been in Rhythmically Speaking productions since 2017, and has been a company member since 2019. Website | @MisterHookerSir

Amy Jones (Dancer)

Amy performs, teaches and generates concert, commercial, interdisciplinary and experimental work. She graduated from Luther College with a double-major in Theatre/Dance and Management and studied on scholarship with Jennifer Muller/The Works, Susan Marshall & Company, Eva Dean Dance and Broadway Dance Center. In NYC, she performed for Noemie LaFrance; a mindfulness, arts and activism group; and freelance. Locally, she has worked for The Mystic Dancers, Emily Johnson, St. Paul City Ballet, Stuart Pimsler, Morgan Thorsen, Alternative Motion Project, Laurie Van Wieren, Zhauna Franks and Enticing Entertainment. She loves sharing her joy of movement and community as a pilates instructor and bungee dance and Cirque-It Fitness teacher-trainer. She has been in Rhythmically Speaking productions since 2016, and has been a company member since 2020. | @dancerunspirit

Sara Karimi (Dancer)

Sara Karimi is a Wisconsin native and a graduate of the University of Iowa (BFA in Dance Performance, BA in English). She performed and toured with 10,000 Feet Dance Company, The Architects, and Kayle + Co. before relocating to Minneapolis. Performance credits include Borealis Dance Theatre, Dance & Other Behaviors, RJDT, Rogue & Rabble Dance, and 43X94 Movement Research. She is a current company member with Threads Dance Project and Concerto Dance. Sara is also a Mat Pilates instructor and a certified 500 E-RYT yoga instructor, leading classes and workshops locally and nationally. She has been in Rhythmically Speaking productions since 2016 and a company member since 2019. | @Karimi__Sara__

Mike Lauer (Music Director)

Mike Lauer grew up in Hutchinson, Minnesota studying classical violin, and attended Minnesota State University Moorhead to pursue a degree in Jazz and Studio Studies with an emphasis in Guitar, during which he developed a strong love for jazz. After college, served as the director of Music and Worship at Faith Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, and started giggling with George Maurer and Justin Ploof and the Throwbacks. In 2015, Mike and his wife Wendy moved to North Minneapolis and Mike began working in a similar role at Central Lutheran Church in Elk River, Minnesota, and he performs around the country with The String Showdown. When not performing music, Mike works as the Assistant Brewer at Bobbing Bobber Brewing Company. | @MikeLauerGuitar

Erinn Liebhard (RS Artistic & Executive Director | Producer | Choreographer | Dancer)

Erinn is a dance artist (MFA University of Colorado Boulder, BFA University of Minnesota) making opportunities for people to experience the reflective and connective power of groove through performance and education. Besides RS, she freelances and performs as self-created character entertainer “Nerdette” for Saint Paul Saints Baseball. She is also active residency artist, teaching and creating new work for professional companies and higher education institutions, and is on faculty at Carleton College, St. Olaf College and Winona State University. Photo by Galen Higgins. Website | @ErinnLiebhard.DanceArtist

Andrew Long (Saxophone)

Andrew is a woodwind instrumentalist living in Saint Paul. He pursued classical saxophone studies as an undergraduate and is now expanding his musical vocabulary to the ends of the earth.

Ben McGinley (Videographer)

Ben has over 15 years’ experience working as a video producer, communications expert, editor, and arts documentarian in Minneapolis, MN. | @BenMcGinley

Kelli Miles (Dancer)

Kelli is a Minneapolis-based dancer, choreographer, teacher and arts manager. She graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in the Spring of 2018 with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Leadership. Throughout her training, she has spent time dancing in New York City, San Francisco, Nashville and Israel. She has had the honor of performing works by Ohad Naharin, Banning Bouldin, Gina Patterson and Angharad Davies. Kelli is constantly inspired by way in which this movement form sparks conversation, invokes visceral reactions and creates community. She has been a Rhythmically Speaking company member since 2019. Website | @KelliBelliii

Jake Nehrbass (Dancer)

Born and raised in Minnesota, Jake is a teacher and performing artist in the Twin Cities. Having tap danced since the age of three, and being trained in ballroom dance, modern dance, as well as having an interest in physical therapy, Jake graduated from St. Olaf College with degrees in Dance and Exercise Science. Along side being a member of Rhytmically Speaking, Jake has danced with Threads Dance Project, Flying Foot Forum, Katha Dance Theatre, Eau Claire Dance, Stephan Koplowitz’s Northfield Experience, and has danced in Au, a Live at the Shed work with Hatch Dance and Honey Works. Jake also teaches tap dance at Praire School of Dance as well as Ballare Teatro Performing Arts Center. He has been a Rhythmically Speaking company member since 2022. Website | @Jake_Nehrbass

Kathleen Pender (Dancer)

Kathleen Pender is a performer, dance educator, arts administrator, and massage therapist with a B.A. in Dance from St. Olaf College and an A.A.S. in Therapeutic Massage from Northwestern Health Sciences University. She has performed in works by choreographers Erinn Liebhard, Suzanne Costello, Kathleen Doherty, Cara Hagan, Laura Osterhaus Rosenstone, Gretchen Pick, Julie Warder, Taja Will, Laura Ann Smyth, and Pat Taylor/JazzAntiqua, among others. She teaches with Young Dance, where she also works as Program Manager, and practices massage with TC Fit at Motion St. Paul, a physical therapy clinic. Kathleen is passionate about community and relationships cultivated through movement exploration, education, and performance. She has performed in Rhythmically Speaking productions since 2013, and has been a company member since 2019. Photo by Bill Cameron. | @KatDewPen

Betsy Schaefer Roob (Dancer)

Betsy (she/they) was born and raised in Elm Grove, WI. Based in Minneapolis for fifteen years, she has worked with ARENA DANCES, Threads Dance Project, Dance & Other Behaviors, 43X94 Movement Research, and has performed works by over 25 choreographers (Sasha Kleinplatz- Montreal, Salia Sanou- Burkina Faso, Pat Taylor- LA among others). Betsy has been grooving with Rhythmically Speaking since 2019. Their own work with faux pas, a duo with Julie Marie Muskat, has been presented as part of CANDY BOX Dance Festival at the Southern Theater. Betsy holds a self-designed Bachelor of Individualized Studies in English, Dance, and Sustainability Studies from the University of Minnesota. Her career path has encompassed the arts, education, and healthcare, and she’s mama to one. She has been a Rhythmically Speaking company member since 2019. | @betsy_kae

Mitch Van Laar (Trumpet)

Mitch Van Laar’s journey with the trumpet began in the 4th grade, and he furthered his Jazz education at The University of North Texas with a degree in Jazz Studies. During his time at UNT Mitch Van Laar had the opportunity to record with the 2 o’clock and 3 o’clock Lab Bands. Post-graduation, Mitch’s career led to an adventure at sea working on cruise ships, allowing him to perform in six different continents including Antarctica. Today, Mitch Van Laar resides in the Twin Cities where he contributes to the local music scene composing, recording, touring, or performing with artists such as Leslie Vincient, Dilly Dally Alley, Lorie Line, Freaque, Gary Larue, JazzMN, Peter Kogan, and more. Mitch’s musical imprint extends to several notable records, including “About Last Night,” “Make You Whole,” and “Just After Midnight.” | @Mitch_Van_Laar_

SPONSORS AND FUNDERS:

This show is made possible in-part by funds from the St. Paul Cultural STAR program.

We also couldn’t spread JOY through JAZZ without the generous support of our individual donors. Our fiscal year and programming season just began (October 1st) and Give to the Max Day – Minnesota’s annual giving holiday – is just around the corner, so join the ranks of our donors and support beyond the price of your show ticket!: