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| Photo By Mamluft&Co. Dance |
Jeanne Mam-Luft recently relocated to Cincinnati from Dallas -- with her husband, who plays percussion for the Dayton Phiharmonic -- and has already held auditions for their post-modern dance company, MamLuft&Co. Dance. Mam-Luft is a multi-hyphenate par excellence: She serves as the company's artistic director, choreographer, scenic/lighting and costume designer, photographer and videographer. She also handles the company's graphic and Web design.
Oh, and by day she's an intern (pre-licensed) architect.
CityBeat: How would you describe your choreographic style?
Jeanne Mam-Luft: The company is sort of a post-modern style. I expect my dancers to be technical, and I still choreograph technical choreography. I guess you would say my aesthetic and personality is to make it more alternative in terms of style. I guess what you would call the avant-garde techniques of dance are really important to me, too -- things like contact improv(-isation) and release techniques are really important. In fact, I've only been trained in post-modern techniques so I don't have a lot of classical training. ... We're definitely not a conservatory-style company.
CB: What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Mam-Luft: We're going to have at least two exclusive performances that are just Mam-Luft&Co. Dance, and then we're hoping to have three festival-type performances. We're looking at that, and I think it's a pretty good season ... but it's still lighter than what I would like for it to be. My goals, a lot of them are really business-oriented. We need to get financial stability, and I'd like for us to be a presence in the community and hopefully it will be a go-to company where people who think of dance in Cincinnati will think of Mam-Luft&Co. Dance.
CB: What dance-related connections have you made here so far? What's your sense of the community?
Mam-Luft: It seems really welcoming, and I think a lot of people were surprised that I just got here and I was like, "Let's go!" But I sort of had to because I already felt like I was behind. Everyone's already booked everything, and I'm having a hard time booking dates right now because the season has already begun.
But everyone seems really generous and kind and open, and that really excites me because I feel like there's a spirit of participation -- that people here really want to get going on some art projects and that everyone's excited to be involved in art projects. There are so many people that seem like they're really up for collaborating and seem so open to doing work with other people.
MORE ON MAM-LUFT&CO.: www.mamluftcodance.com
