Austin: Where Dance Teams Get Weird
Austinites pride themselves on eccentricity, diversity and true artistry. The fourth largest city in Texas as well as the capital, Austin has a character distinctly its own. More liberal than most cities in the American Southwest, it is a hub for artistic, cultural and individual expression. The city, home of the famous South by Southwest (SXSW) annual arts festival, has a unique slogan called “Keep Austin Weird,” a reference to its eccentricity, which is often seen on bumper stickers throughout the community.
When it comes to dance teams, Austin carries on its commitment to uniqueness. Chelsee Harris, director of the Westlake Hyline Star Steppers at Westlake High School, has lived in Austin for seven years. Very early on she noticed that dance teams in Austin differ from teams in other locations throughout the United States because they do not like to be grouped in with “drill teams.”
She explains, “I think that Austin has a very unique culture in that we are very concerned with creativity, style and being unique. In Austin, we are definitely concerned with being ‘dance teams’ rather than ‘drill teams.’”
Austin teams like the Westlake Hyline Star Steppers are so successful due to their innate desire to show audiences an all-around great time. “Like many other teams around Austin,” explains Harris, “we are concerned with entertaining the audience as well as celebrating the art of dance. We vary in different styles of dance and we use as much contemporary movement as possible.”
According to Tinka Patton, director of Tinka’s Dance Studio, her team represents that “old, fun, upbeat, make you want to get up and dance” kind of feel. “Every year we do a 30 minute Christmas show that we perform at the Austin Trail of Lights, which is a mile-long light display of Disney characters…to entertain the masses that come out over a 10-day period around Christmas in Zilker Park,” she explains. “That is totally Austin!”
Throughout the years, the evolution of the arts in Austin has had a direct influence on the kind of dance performed by dance teams. Every year, teams incorporate innovative and contemporary choreography inspired by the new and creative movement that is constantly pouring out of the city of Austin.
Unlike cities such as New York, where there is a highly identifiable and distinguishable dance culture rooted in its companies, theaters and arts organizations, Austin has a “transient” feel. Aside from a few longstanding companies like Ballet Austin, which has been around for over 30 years, the majority of the organizations are fleeting or ephemeral.
Local dancer and choreographer Ellen Bartel, who has lived in Austin for 15 years and runs an annual contemporary dance event called the Big Range Festival, has noticed that dancers are always coming and going. “What appears to change are the venues, artists making new work and who is dancing,” she says. “I think this is because of Austin Community College, the University of Texas and the ever-growing population of Austin that changes the dance scene about every three years.”
Many cities claim they have something for everyone, but it seems to be the truth in Austin, at least when it comes to dance. “The choreographers in Austin include modern, improvisation (contact to Butoh), ballet, hip hop/break dancing, tap, martial arts, musical theater, performance art, jazz-ballet, African, Indian, belly dance, juggling and fire spinning, and it doesn’t really end there,” explains Bartel.
Though Austin has many state-of-the-art theaters such as Bass Concert Hall, Long Center, The Paramount Theatre and State Theatre, true Austinites have a penchant for site-specific work. “In Austin anything can become a dance venue. They can include converted and non-converted warehouse spaces, dance studios, lofts, alleyways, bars, coffee shops, art galleries, parking lots, swimming pools, roller rinks, model runways, a living room, theaters and backyards,” Bartel informs. “What is so special about Austin is that people will actually go to these events and enjoy themselves!†It is unbelievable how open the public is to new ideas in this town.”
The artistic vibe pulsating through the streets of Austin helps keep dance teams on their toes. Directors and coaches are constantly using the resources in and around town to further their mastery of the art.
“There are several wonderful studios around the Austin area [that] offer adult classes that are beneficial to advancing my dance background,” informs Harris. Daisy Thompson, director and choreographer for Starlettes and the Movin' Co. at Tinka's Dance Studio, is new to Austin, but has begun utilizing all of the opportunities in town. “I am an import to Austin and am just sort of getting used to the hang of things around here. So far, I love it,” she reveals. “Whenever I need to go take a class I have gone to Tapestry.”
In addition to adult classes, Harris finds it useful to attend conferences and conventions. “Throughout the state of Texas, there are many organizations such as Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA) that offer conferences,” she explains. “Many dance conventions have also started making their way to Austin.”
But according to Pattin, who was born and raised in Austin, it has been a very slow process. She and her students attend a couple big events in the area, but she laments the fact that “most of the conventions/workshops go to Houston and Dallas.”
Even though conventions and workshops are still rather scarce, the competition scene is thriving. “We took our teams to a couple of competitions last year and are gearing up for our first one of this year,” says Thompson, who is originally from Portland. “The competition scene was very similar to that of Oregon.†I have heard that Austin and Portland are sister cities in their ‘weirdness.’”
Much of the city’s “weirdness” comes directly out of the University of Texas (UT), which plays a central role in Austin’s dance culture. In fact, many team directors and choreographers get their start through the Texas educational system, either on the dance team or as dance majors.
“Texas Dance,” the official dance team of UT, has been in existence for over 20 years. An integral part of Austin college life, the team performs at many UT events including parades, pep rallies and halftime shows. Entirely student run, the UT dance team gives students the opportunity to direct, choreograph and learn the ins and outs of running a company.
UT also has a Department of Theatre and Dance, headed by Lyn C. Wiltshire. The contemporary based program, which offers three degrees in dance, is home to approximately 350 majors and 50 faculty members. “It is a diverse community of artists and scholars committed to passing on scholarly and performance traditions as well as exploring the boundaries of those traditions,” says Wiltshire. UT dance majors have the opportunity to perform both new and old works at The Performing Arts Center of the University of Texas, which Wiltshire says “brings the world to campus by sharing artistic work with UT and the Austin community.”
With open-mindedness, creativity and weirdness abound, Austin is a place where dance will continue to grow and thrive. Dance teams in the area are lucky to call Austin home because they are constantly being influenced and inspired by the city’s unique and ever changing artistic vibe. In Austin, you never know what you’re going to get.
“I have witnessed some of the most amazing works,” reveals Bartel. “These works include dancers who are seniors, blind, deaf, handicapped, professional, children, dancers and their dogs, semi-professional and non-dancers,” says Bartel. “This town is perfect for the fearless choreographer and dancer.”
Resources:
Ballet Austin
(512) 476-9051
balletaustin.org
Big Range Festival
bigrangeaustin.org
Tapestry Dance Company and Academy
(512) 474-9846 † †
tapestry.org
Texas Dance Educators Association
(281) 237-5222
tdea.org
University of Texas Dance Team
utexasdance.com
University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance
(512) 471-5793
finearts.utexas.edu/tad/