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The Golden Dance Experiment by Lindsey Golden

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The Golden Dance Experiment by Lindsey Golden

As an artist I am constantly striving for new ways to express the vast array of swirling emotions within my being, and living in Baltimore has inspired the dance piece I am currently finishing: “Baltimore…the Dirty-B.” The piece explores the contrast I see among the resident hobo, downtown lawyer, wealthy socialite, and gang leader in Baltimore, and plays with the way different worlds co-exist. This is a concept that reaches far beyond my backdoor, to cities throughout America. But Baltimore has developed in a way that intensifies this harsh contrast, with dangerous back-allies and “blue-light districts” (the blue lights indicate heavy crime areas) interwoven among high-rent skyscrapers and fine-dining restaurants.  The movement in the dance is introspective and dark, with a little narrative quality. The composition is split into four sections, with a combination repeating in the beginning, middle, and end of each section, demonstrating that section’s theme. Each section is dedicated to a different worldview in Baltimore. The first three are: the wealthy couple shopping for wares, the desperate homeless family struggling to be seen, and the drug dealer on the street corner hiding beneath a cold stare. The last section combines the pieces together.

Choreographer Lindsey Golden

I’m making the “..the Dirty-B” for my new dance company, The Golden Dance Experiment, a professional contemporary ensemble with a focus on modern dance and contemporary ballet.  All of the dance performed by The Golden Dance Experiment will feature music by the company’s resident composer, Seth Milder. Seth is trained in classical and electric guitar, electric bass, and electronic music composition. Last year I formed The University of Baltimore Contemporary Dance Company as an arts education program for University of Baltimore students interested in dance. The company is a little piece of my soul — I make all costumes, choreograph all pieces, teach all technique classes, create all marketing materials, and organize all photo shoots. It’s a labor of love for me, and I am very proud of the students who participated in it this year. “Linked in Motion,” is a piece I originally composed for The University of Baltimore Contemporary Dance Company based on a poem I wrote. For that piece, Seth and I combined his classical guitar with my vocal recording of the poem, adding in electronic waves of sound to intensify the auditory experience. We performed the piece at the Baltimore Theater Project’s recent ‘Open Marley Night,’ and based on positive feedback I am working to add a second section to the piece for The Golden Dance Experiment. For the second part of “Linked in Motion”, my plan is to incorporate my flute playing along with new guitar work. The choreography is a modern trio with airy and soft movement. I hope that the connection between the dancers and the poetry create an understanding of the way our closest relationships are like trickling rivers, climbing up and down a mountain and dripping slowly into a still pond.

I frequently start my choreographic process by transferring my ideas into drawings I make in a visual journal.  From these images I develop movement concepts and a structure for the choreography.  This process helps me take my ideas to new places I would never see by working from dance improvisation alone. I’m regularly inspired by dance artists I have worked with in the past, visual art, live African drumming, classical ballet and choreographers and companies including Paul Taylor, Jose Limon, Merce Cunningham, and the American Ballet Theater. Ballet was my life while growing up, but as a student of the James Madison University Theater and Dance program, I began to make the switch from ballerina to contemporary dance artist.  In 2009 I graduated and began to dance professionally, with AriDen Dance Company and DanceAntonini, and both companies have influenced my work as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer.

Last month I was asked to lead a lecture-demonstration for a local elementary school hip-hop dance event.  I jumped at the idea, and at the Hip-Hop Dance Party at Stoneleigh Elementary School, 100+ boys and their mothers were entertained with a hip-hop duet I choreographed and performed with The University of Baltimore Contemporary Dance Company member Sue Wu. We rocked the crowd by combining hip-hop, break-dance, and contemporary partnering. The performance was followed by a thirty-minute lesson where I taught the students a section of the hip-hop duet, and led the students in a dance improvisation exercise. Dance is my joy, my passion, and my way of life, and I hope you’ll check out The Lindsey Golden Project website, which includes a detailed calendar of events, as well as original poetry, dance blogs, video of past performances, and photo galleries.

Lindsey Golden graduated from James Madison University with a B.A. in Justice Studies and a minor in Dance. During her training she performed with the Fairfax Ballet, as well as JMU contemporary dance companies The Associate Dance Ensemble, Contemporary Dance Ensemble and the Virginia Repertory Dance Company. Lindsey performed at the American College Dance Festival twice, and was honored to perform in the Gala Concert in 2008. Ms. Golden began her professional career performing with modern dance companies based in the Washington D.C. area: DanceAntonini and AriDen Dance Company. In 2011, Lindsey began to focus her attention on choreography and arts education by forming the University of Baltimore Contemporary Dance Company.  The company was featured in “The Open Marley Night” at the Baltimore Theater Project. In 2012, Lindsey became a member of Dance Baltimore, and branched off to direct and perform with the professional contemporary ballet and modern company, The Golden Dance Experiment.  The Lindsey Golden Project website reflects all of Ms. Golden’s artistic works including poetry, music compositions, and dance choreography, as well as news articles and blogs regarding upcoming events: http://lindseygolden.com.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Lindsey, We have always loved you, your ability, enthusiasm and the fact that you seek goals and then make plans to meet them. Loved your article. NOW you are a writer, too, in addition to a dancer, choreographer, flutist, organizer and performer! ! ! Love Grandma in OHIO

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