Curtis Stedge, a student in the Arts Management Program, has big plans for the dance scene in Buffalo.
While completing his master's degree, Stedge is also taking steps to create a prominent dance community in Buffalo and has set his vision in motion by creating the KineoLab dance school in Buffalo's Downtown Theatre District.
"My intention with KineoLab [are] to build community," Stedge said.
After graduating with his bachelor's degree in Dance and Business Administration from Potsdam College, Stedge chose to attend UB after considering graduate programs at York University in Toronto, Boston University and New York University. With the assistance of Ruth Bereson, an associate professor and director in the Arts Management Program, Stedge chose the master's program in Buffalo.
"I had a chat with Dr. Bereson and she had me attend a conference where I met people from all over the world," Stedge said. "That was the day of my [graduate school] interview. It really enticed me and, as it turns out, the best program was right in my regional backyard."? According to Stedge, KineoLab happened "out of the blue" when he considered teaching dance classes in Buffalo and was introduced by a fellow SPoT Coffee employee to a local resident who owned a space downtown. After just a few months, KineoLab became a registered dance studio.
Stedge holds classes twice a week at the KineoLab studio. Each dance class follows the same basic structure, and throughout the class, students join Stedge in an improvisation. After the improvisation dance, students participate in a center combination, a short dance that Stedge creates to further facilitate his lesson, and the class ends with an "across the floor combination."
The KineoLab mission is to "reestablish dance as an integral and visible part of societal health and expression." This idea allows students the opportunity to participate in an unregulated framework to combine personal stylistic choices to create a one-of-a-kind dance routine.
Students that have participated in Stedge's dance classes at KineoLab agree that Stedge provides dancers with a new opportunity to express themselves.
"I like that [Stedge] is doing something new," said Tina Zhai, a student in attendance. "Most dance teachers I have learned from only teach you to move your limbs. [However], Curtis wants you to understand the concept [of dance] and I think that is very valuable."
The specialization of the dance classes that Stedge hosts also attracts local dancers to the studio.
"What I enjoy about the classes are the [Rudolf Laban] and [Irmgard Bartenieff] base [KineoLab] is using," said Nancy Hughes, a dancer, choreographer and KineoLab student. "It's not very common to have a [dance] class that is so focused, and it's special to find that in Buffalo."
According to the KineoLab website, Rudolf Laban was a visionary, humanist, teacher and theoretician whose revolutionary ideas bridged the gap between performing arts and science. Irmgard Bartenieff, a student of Laban and one of the earliest proponents of Laban's work in the United States, applied developmental principles and Laban's theories to originate a physical education method known as the Bartenieff Fundamentals.
For Stedge, KineoLab is a springboard and has seen the potential for growth in Buffalo's dance scene since the studio's beginning. Stedge has also been the Associate Director of Box Office Operations for Geva Theatre Center (N.Y.), Artist Liaison for Community Performance Series (N.Y.), Marketing Administrator of The National Centre for Early Music (York, United Kingdom), Marketing Coordinator for Downstairs Cabaret Theater (N.Y.) and the Executive Director of Projective Kinetics/Geomantics Dance Theater (N.Y.).
Through his time at Geomantics Dance Theater, Stedge has trained in modern dance and Laban Movement Analysis.
"Dancing with Geomantics has greatly formed who I am as a dancer and choreographer," Stedge said. "Being the executive director of Geomantics and being in the Arts Management program [at UB] has prepared me as I look to the future to potentially start my own dance company and a dance service organization."
Stedge said that he has always been a visionary, and the Arts Management program has helped him to apply a critical lens to his ideas and become realistic about them.
For more information, visit www.kineo-lab.com.
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
