Tag Archives: Ann Woo

ANN WOO: ARTIST, COMMUNITY LEADER

With great sadness, The Lively Foundation announces the passing of Ann Woo. Ms Woo was a participant and supporter of the International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley. She taught a week long (M2F©) workshop and a class on Full Day of Dance© in Classical Chinese Dance, IDF@SV 2015. In addition, she choreographed a premiere work for her dancers to perform in the 2015 Festival Concert. It is a shock to realize she has been taken from us.

It was a special delight to offer her teaching Classical Chinese dance to both adults and young dancers, age 12 and up. She was an exceptional person in so many ways. She was the Founder and Director of CPAA, Chinese Performing Arts of America. She earned a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and was a successful business woman in Silicon Valley. She has an incredible 9 patents to her name. When she studied EE at UC, Berkeley, she was the only woman out of 120 students!

Ms Woo turned her energies to advancing the understanding of Chinese culture through the arts, especially dance. She received many awards. she was the Co-Founder of the Asian Heritage Council, Chair of Arts & Culture for the Cupertino-Hsinchu Sister Cities Association, Executive Director of the Chinese Folk Dance Association in San Francisco. Her company has performed in major theaters in San Jose and San Francisco, and she has been profiled by SPARK on KQED-TV.

Ann Woo (2nd from left) with some of her students at IDF@SV, 2015. Usha Srinivasan, far right.

Chinese Classical Dance has a very special way of moving that makes the dancer seem to glide through the air, just above the floor. Ann determined that her IDF@SV students would learn that and the beautiful manipulations of props, enormously long silk scarves or fans, which is an integral part of the dances.

A personal note: I met Ann Woo through Usha Srinivasan, Founder & Director of Sangam Arts. Ann and I met and immediately hit it off. We shared personal and artistic values. Then, I learned that another friend, Leianne Lamb, had taken Chinese Folk Dance classes from Ann. So, although we saw each other far too seldom, there was a feeling of the net of community holding us together. When I saw her at her Center, she had beautiful roses from her garden on her desk. She loved her roses. She invited me to present my dance, Face to Face, a  quartet, on her Gala Spring Festival. It was an honor to be part of this exceptional program which included music and dance of several different Chinese cultures. I admired her immensely hard work in establishing her Center and her dedication to expanding understanding through sharing culture. This is a very great loss.

Beijing Opera Star in San Jose, October 17

Beijing OperaAnn Woo, Director of the International Performing Arts Center, 6148 Bollinger Road, San Jose, invites the public to a unique arts event, October 17, 9:30 a.m. Madam Pei Yu Wang of Beijing will lead a seminar/demonstration of Beijing Opera. She will bring a troupe of seven to demonstrate the elaborate make up, singing, and acting of this 400 year old art form. Ms Woo explains that the Beijing Opera was actually created from diverse regional theatrical traditions and includes choruses, recitatives, martial arts, acrobatics and magic. It made “a very entertaining performance to the common folks as well as to the royal families.” In earlier centuries, the performers toured distant cities. As they could not afford to carry sets, props and costumes, they had to develop ways to convey their stories through expressive movements, singing and facial expressions. Developed long before electricity, the art required that the performers learned how to be heard without any amplification except their own voices. The program will be bilingual, English/Chinese and is free of charge. There is parking available near the International Arts Center’s entrance.

IDF@SV IS “AWESOME!” – DANCERS’ COMMENTS

LF Angel hi-resINTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL@SILICON VALLEY, 2015 began just two months ago. It was a whirlwind of dance, energy, creativity. Comments keep coming in from participants about how much they loved their experiences. The word most often, and most appropriately, used is AWESOME, awesome teachers, awesome dancers, awesome new friends. Here are just two sent to Dr. Leslie Friedman, founder and director of IDF@SV.

Amity Johnson“Boy, did I have fun taking those classes!  I am glad you offered Pilates because I have always wanted to try it, and I just loved it—and Amity is awesome! What a wonderful, fun experience and I just adore all the people I’ve met at the festival this year and last…Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making all this possible. Love & admire you to pieces!”     C

Ann Woo 12“Leslie, Thank you so much for the wonderful forum to present dance to the Silicon Valley!  Loved the teachers, classes – (yours was awesome!) and beautiful environment you created!  Great to see Ann Woo again too!  Much appreciated, Leianne

COME DANCE WITH US! it really is that wonderful.

Pictures: top to bottom: Artist/teachers Leslie Friedman, Contemporary Dance & Choreo-cubator©; Amity Johnson, Pilates; Ann Woo, Classical Chinese Dance.

 

IDF@SV FESTIVAL CONCERT TODAY!

The International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley presents the FESTIVAL CONCERT, today, Aug. 16, 3 p.m. It is at the Mountain View Masonic Center, 890 Church St., corner of Church & Franklin, in Mountain View, CA, 94041. Don’t miss the beauty and fun of this concert! Dance styles include: Bharatanatyam, choreographed by Shilpa Torvi; Classical Chinese ribbon dance, choreographed by Ann Woo; Contemporary dance, choreographed by Leslie Friedman; Salsa, choreographed by Leanne Rinelli; Tap choreographed by Audreyanne Covarrubias. Tickets: $15 general/$10 for over 65 or under 10 years of age. $25 sponsor ticket receives preferred seating and includes a $10, tax deductible donation to The Lively Foundation, the not for profit presenter of IDF@SV. Don’t miss this great event!

International Dance Festival@Silicon Valley: PROGRAM DATES!

Leslie angelLeslie 5IDF@SV, 2015, the fourth season of this amazing, unique festival, opens August 9. Please take a look at the program dates below. You won’t want to miss your opportunity to dance, perform, create, watch and enjoy great dance. All events and classes at the Mountain View Masonic Center, 890 Church St., Mountain View, CA, 94041. Accessible building. Free parking.

FESTIVAL PREVIEW:  Sunday, AUGUST 9, Features 2 drop-in classes, Afro-Haitian/Dunham Technique, and Cuban Salsa. No partner needed. FREE COFFEE TASTING PRESENTED BY GAVINA GOURMET COFFEE, FREE SALSA PERFORMANCE LED BY SENSUOUS, FABULOUS  SALSA-ISTA, LEANNE RINELLI.

M2F© INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS: MON-FRI, AUGUST 10-14, practice technique & learn repertory in Classical Chinese Dance, Contemporary Dance, Cuban Salsa, Afro-Haitian/Dunham Tech, and the all new Choreo-Cubator© which is your opportunity to create or polish your own dance. Classical Chinese Dance is offered in two classes: one for ages 12-14, one for mid-teens to any adult age. M2F© workshops are best for intermediate to advanced/professional dancers. You might be advanced in contemporary but a newbie in Chinese, that’s fine. Choreo-Cubator© dancers show their work on Aug. 14, 6 p.m.

               Etta WaltonSmallFULL DAY OF DANCE©: Saturday, Aug. 15, The Original, Wonderful Full Day offers 7 open master classes. All are mixed levels. Take something you love; try something new. Classes start at 9 a.m.; end at 5 p.m. Take one or more. Best Deal & Most Fun: take them all. Price per class reduces with each added class. Afro-Haitian/Dunham, Leslie Arbogast; Tap, Audreyanne Covarrubias; Classical Chinese Dance, Ann Woo; Pilates mat, Amity Johnson; Contemporary, Leslie Friedman; Cuban Salsa, Leanne Rinelli; Line Dances, Etta Walton. No partners needed for Lines or Salsa. Please bring a mat or big towel for Pilates, tap shoes preferable for tap class. Ages 15- any age adult.

FESTIVAL CONCERT! Sunday, August 16, 3 p.m.,The Gala Celebration of Dance, Premiere Works & Guest Artists. Performances & Choreography by our Nationally & Internationally Acclaimed Artists: Leslie Arbogast, Audreyanne Covarrubias, Leslie Friedman, Leanne Rinelli, Etta Walton, Ann Woo, and The Festival Dancers. Complimentary refreshments. Open Seating. Tickets: $15 general/$10 over 65 or under 10/$25 Sponsor: best seats &LeanneSmall $10 is a tax deductible donation.

For information & reservations, contact livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net  or call 650/969-4110 follow  IDF@SV on facebook/international dance festival silicon valley & facebook/The Lively Foundation see more details on prices and programs here on the Livelyblog http://www.livelyfoundation.org/wordpress/?=cat2

Pictures: at top: Leslie Friedman (L); Leslie Arbogast (R); middle head shot, Etta Walton; bottom, Leanne Rinelli.

 

 

Time to Dance! Time to Shine! Scholarships for Your Art

 

BeingACatIDF@SV, 2015,Scholarship application form is below. Deadline for us to receive your application is June 30, 2015. That will give us time to review your information and reply. There are full and partial scholarships. Festival Dates: M2F© workshops: 8/10-8/14; Full Day of Dance© 8/15; Festival Concert: 8/16.

ADDITIONAL AID is available in the form of:

1)  FREE Home Stays in the charming, residential neighborhood near our center. Within walking distance for all classes and rehearsals.                                                                                                          2)  FRIENDLY FRIEND FEE: bring a friend with you and both of you receive a discounted rate              3)  EARLY BIRD FEE:  You will still have time to apply with the Early Bird fee, another big discount. So, if you receive a partial scholarship, you can save more by getting the Early Bird rate, too.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FOR IDF@SV, 2015; Deadline is June 30, 2015. You may add pages if necessary for any items.

NAME:

Home Address:

City, State, Zip code:

Email address:

Tel: _____________________________(home)____________________________(cell)

Previous Dance Training:

 

 

I am primarily a dancer of ( ) Ballet ( ) Contemp ( ) Jazz ( ) Other –please specify

 

Please describe your interest in the International Dance Festival‐Silicon Valley

 

 

What are your previous performance experiences?

 

 

Will you perform in the Festival Concert? ( ) yes ( ) no

Will you take the full Festival or only part of it? {  } yes  {  } no

The Lively Foundation offers a limited number of full or partial scholarships. Partials include help for the M2F© workshops and/or Full Day of Dance©. Please let us know if you would accept any of these opportunities or only one. NOTE: The Lively Foundation scholarship does not cover transportation or housing. We try to find suitable home stays for full time students who request this.

VIDEO: Do you have a video of yourself dancing? Please send it to The Lively Fndn by email: livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net OR by US mail: 550 Mountain View Ave, Mountain View, CA 94041-1941

IF you have a resume which shows your education, dance training, performance experience you may send that, but we also must have this application form. For more information, please see Facebook/The Lively Foundation   AND Facebook/international dance festival silicon valley OR email: livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net OR call 650/969-4110

OUR GOAL IS TO DANCE WITH YOU. WE MAKE THE APPLICATION PROCESS ACCESSIBLE and OFFER YOU HELP WITH HOUSING. YOU COME TO DANCE, EXPRESS YOURSELF, INVENT YOUR OWN DANCES, WORK WITH FANTASTIC ARTIST/TEACHERS. APPLY NOW!!!Lively Foundation Artistic Director Leslie Friedmanphotos: top: Being a Cat, Leslie Friedman & Amity Johnson, rehearsal IDF@SV, 2014; above/left: Leslie Friedman, Artistic Director.

Put Your Heart Back in Your Art: Scholarships Applications for IDF@SV-2015

"                               "

Scholarship application form is below. Deadline for us to receive your application is June 30, 2015. That will give us time to review your information and reply. There are full and partial scholarships. Application is below.

ADDITIONAL AID is available in the form of:

1)  FREE Home Stays in the charming, residential neighborhood near our center. Within walking distance for all classes and rehearsals.                                                                                                          2)  FRIENDLY FRIEND FEE: bring a friend with you and both of you receive a discounted rate              3)  EARLY BIRD FEE:  You will still have time to apply with the Early Bird fee, another big discount. So, if you receive a partial scholarship, you can save more by getting the Early Bird rate, too.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FOR AUGUST 10-16, 2015; Deadline is June 30, 2015. You may add pages if necessary for any items.

NAME:

Home Address:

City, State, Zip code:

Email address:

Tel: _____________________________(home)____________________________(cell)

Previous Dance Training:

 

 

I am primarily a dancer of ( ) Ballet ( ) Contemp ( ) Jazz ( ) Other –please specify

 

Please describe your interest in the International Dance Festival‐Silicon Valley

 

 

What are your previous performance experiences?

 

 

Will you perform in the Festival Concert? ( ) yes ( ) no

Will you take the full Festival or only part of it? {  } yes  {  } no

The Lively Foundation offers a limited number of full or partial scholarships. Partials include help for the M2F© workshops and/or Full Day of Dance©. Please let us know if you would accept any of these opportunities or only one. NOTE: The Lively Foundation scholarship does not cover transportation or housing. We try to find suitable home stays for full time students who request this.

VIDEO: Do you have a video of yourself dancing? Please send it to The Lively Fndn by email: livelyfoundation@sbcglobal.net OR by US mail: 550 Mountain View Ave, Mountain View, CA 94041-1941

IF you have a resume which shows your education, dance training, performance experience you may send that, but we also must have this application form. For more information, please see Facebook/The Lively Foundation   AND Facebook/international dance festival silicon valley

OUR GOAL IS TO DANCE WITH YOU. WE MAKE THE APPLICATION PROCESS ACCESSIBLE and OFFER YOU HELP WITH HOUSING. YOU COME TO DANCE, EXPRESS YOURSELF, INVENT YOUR OWN DANCES, WORK WITH FANTASTIC ARTIST/TEACHERS. APPLY NOW!!!