Day 8 was very emotional for me. Besides just the stress of being in the middle of these two weeks plus getting sick, I realized that every piece in which I perform resonates with me deeply. That makes it pretty crazy while jumping from one rehearsal to another. Last week on Facebook I made a point to express my gratitude for all of the actors I know and the great work that they do. I don’t perform often – usually only while I’m here – so I am reminded of how incredible the work they do all the time is.

Add to the mix how my body isn’t used to movement 8-12 hours/day, and project topics ranging from:

• Health care reform
• family
• environmental decay
• the Virgin Mary

Michael Velez & Tina Chancy rock out together

While many took the day to explore Indianapolis, catch up on sleep,or go on a nature walk, Staff and a few artists joined again at the Wheeler to get a head-start on tech for the Open Lab Performance.

Here’s a cool pic of one of the trees on our set coming together

one tree on our set

 Here is the inspiration for the trees sent by Resident Designer Ian Garrett

And…. a 30-second check-in that Managing Director Caitlin filmed with Artistic Director Robert:

Stay in touch or email us questions!

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Day 6 was an unusual day, assuming there is ever a usual day at an intensive designed to stretch your creative boundaries.

Beginning with Pilates was typical, yet everyone noticed how everyone else in the room threw themselves into it. People who were

Puppets begin with string, newspaper and tape

hardly able to do simple stretches when they arrived kept up with every move and felt good about it.

The main difference between the rest of the week and Day 6: we don’t run directly to our coffee between warm-up and check-in. We grab our props in progress to finish before rehearsal, we check the callboard and finish any ‘homework’ given by a project leader. Day 6 had a particularly unique quality, because it was half workshops and half rehearsals, all culminating in the day off on Sunday. Past years haven’t given a day off in the middle, and I have to say, it’s incredibly appreciated. Just having the time to do laundry and walk in nature, or go to an art museum – whatever people planned to do on the day off – often including working at the theater –we all looked forward to the idea.

The first workshop of the day was Bunraku Puppetry lead by Leila Ghaznavi. After her initial instruction, for the rest of the day you couldn’t tear people away from their puppets. I was on documentation duty, taking pictures and video, but the lure of creating a dragon out of string, paper and tape overcame me and I hope to finish him today.

It wasn’t until the end of the workshop that Leila thanked us for being her first students, to which we all applauded. You never would have known!

A quick lunch and we launched into my own workshop, Self-Promoting Without Annoying Your Friends. I run this workshop for small groups all the time, and often larger groups. The whole point is to change it based on the makeup of the people in the room, and this time was no different. We spent a lot of time carving out our story in order to understand the long-term effect you can have towards your own vision of the world. No one wants to hear “Come see my show!” You have to make them buy into the whole experience, invest in the work and the possibilities it provides. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the workshop, and it always thrills me to see how people immediately change their habits to try things I taught. For instance, Ellen Denham said she signed up for Twitter after my workshop last year, but wasn’t happy with her handle, her Twitter name. We threw some ideas around and when she started following me an hour later, I saw that her name was now @EllenImagines . She’s still working it out, but the new name will help a lot.

A dance piece by Ashley Bennington had its first rehearsal after that, due to scheduling conflicts. Ashley admitted earlier that she was nervous because projects are hard to fully understand until you work with the people. I heard it went really well, and am very interested to see “Square” after last year’s exploration of “Circle”.

Then Tina Chauncey ran her workshop. It is hard to describe, except that she made us view sound and music through a wide range of lenses. Fascinated by the different talents of the people in the room, we paired up and one person told a story through their medium (for example, dance) and the other mirrored through their own method of communication (in my case, story-telling). The exercise didn’t always “work,” per-say, but we all understood how very intangible these creative expressions are, and how similar even when seemingly disparate. Amazing. After some more discussion and then making a medley through the Jabberwocky and the pattern on a rug – I’m serious, and it was awesome – we were all left a little more rejuvenated at our own special process within music and understanding the possibilities within Tina’s side project. A great experience!

Schedules often collide during this time as people and projects’ needs change. On Friday, Sarah Moon learned that her next rehearsal

Genia and Orrin puppeteers

had to be moved to the evening of Day 6. It was supposed to be around Day 8, so she hurried up her script revisions and made the best of it. Honestly, it ended up being the absolutely best thing. Rehearsing 8-10:30pm on a Saturday night may not seem like your idea of fun, but we had a blast. It didn’t hurt that when we got to the end, the fridge had been stocked with beer for load-in. Sarah smartly suggested that we all get a beer and work for fifteen more minutes to finish a scene. No one disagreed, and we actually stayed much longer than fifteen minutes, having a great time and feeling free to play. Apparently, if you’re going to have a late-night rehearsal, it’s best the night before people can sleep in.

A number of us went to The Sinking Ship afterwards, and I believe I’ll save that for the Day Off Flash Blog.

What do you think about our process? Is it weird to you? Confusing? Do you have questions?

As opposed to a recap of everything that happened in the last 72 hours, I’d like to express how incredibly varied and inspiring this experience is. Whether movement with Michael Velez, Kenpo with Robert or Roberta taking us through intense stretches this morning, beginning each day this way puts each artist into a very specific head-space. It depends on where we are in our process and our life, and how dropping everything in our lives to spend two weeks here affects our bodies and our minds.

For me, the morning warm-ups immediately place me into a space of openness, acceptance and freedom. Everyone understands there may be limitations and we challenge ourselves while allowing adjustments. After his own warm-up on Wednesday, Michael said something very meaningful to me. He said he could see my third eye opening, and my body (not typically accepting of intensive movement) much more open than I felt last year. “It’s got gook in it,” he continued, “but your third eye is there, and open and watching.” (paraphrase, really)

Through these last two days, especially my extremely challenging Thursday, his words meant a lot. Every morning I consider whether my body can handle the work-out posed to me, and every morning I wipe the sleep snot out of my third eye and do the best I can.

The best part about this scenario is that people notice.

That particular day, even the city of Indianapolis seemed to notice. As we left our home at the Wheeler Arts Center to drive to Ian Garrett’s Sustainability in Theater Lecture (hosted by the Phoenix Theatre), my car buddies and I were greeted by this sky:

And really, what can be better?

These last few days we’ve had first rehearsals, second rehearsals, begun discussions about tech, and shared our own individual styles and techniques with each other. I”m sure the next few days hold surprises and discoveries, and hope to see you at our Open Lab Performance on Friday, May 18th!

Yesterday was a very long day, advancing towards the hardest parts for me: the dance-heavy umbrella project and my own first rehearsal.

Michael Velez begins work on the Umbrella Project 2012

We began with pilates, taught by the Managing Director Caitlin Negron. The last time I did pilates was at least year’s Convergence, and I forgot how much I enjoy it. Something about it, possibly the focus, makes it easier for me to comprehend. It was a hard, thorough and invigorating workout.

We then started again with our daily ‘check-in’ process. This is the time that any housekeeping and announcements are given, and we move around the group with everyone just saying where they’re at in that very moment. We can say anything we want, express anything we want, and I usually ramble on and on without purpose. Everyone expressed excitement at the various projects, and for some reason the whole group ‘converged’ sooner rather than later this year. There was also extensive discussion of our various comfort zones and where they are already being stretched.

(And I just got distracted by Day 3 choreography directions about how to shape your booty. Noted for Day 3′s Flash Blog!)

We have a great new addition to this year’s Convergence: Lysandra Petersson, our official documentary director. Her comfort zone is behind her camera, and it’s fun to see her in projects, joining into the improvs – it’s always a great adrenaline jump for everyone when Zach literally takes her camera out of her hands and she jumps into the fray.

Then we broke into two rehearsals: Tauris (Sarah Moon’s side project) and Remembrances (Leila’s finger puppet project that only rehearses with Zack and his multi-talented hands). I was in Tauris, and have to say that Sarah took a fascinating concept and turned it into a science fiction adaptation of Iphigenia in Tauris. I got to read Iphigenia, flirt with a robot, have an unhealthy obsession with spooning my brother Orrin (Orestes), then slowly fall in love with the Pylades character. She is a little confused and I love it. The whole concept is wonderful and I’m excited to play within Sarah’s world, wherever I land (casting is not set yet).

Ian Garrett teaches us the anatomy of a lighting instrument. Zack waits to train one-on-one.

This year Ian Garrett, Resident Designer, wanted to give a Stagecraft 101 lesson. Every year everyone is expected to help with tech in some way, and this is a chance to review or train dancers, writers, actors, musicians in tying a strong knot on the grid as well as hanging a light. It was a lot of fun and a very smart addition to the year.

Then my absolute favorite game was introduced by Michael Velez in preparation for his umbrella project: Big Booty. I actually leaped into the air with excitement when he announced we were doing it. I’ll explain a lot more later or see if we got video of it, because it’s hard to explain the game. But it’s fun, demanding, and all thanks to four young girls Michael saw playing on the streets of San Francisco one day.

Dinner break and leaping into the Umbrella Project. Since he work-shopped it as a side project last year, Michael has a lot of great insight into what last year was pure instinct on the story to tell. Much more on that later, but introducing the newbies to the whole concept of a choose your own adventure through health care reform took the full three hours.

And from 9:30-11pm I had my first rehearsal. I’m learning a lot about the story: what is compelling, what is unnecessary, what was a good writer’s exercise but doesn’t jump off the page. One of the more interesting aspects to the story is how people react when I use the title as hashtag on Twitter: #FatimaQuest .Two people leaped into the discussion with their own relationship to the story of Fatima. I love it and there is much more to come.

On to Day 3!

Today was an extraordinary first day. Starting with the fact that I had real staff duties as Resident Artist, it felt awesome to be able to

Me, Alice & Sarah with our tall PBR's after finishing the Flash Blog

help Robert and Caitlin with general getting-shit-ready-for-new-people.  This morning I was greeted by Sarah W. G.’s 2 & ½ year-old when I picked her up, and we traveled together (just Sarah and me, not Olivia unfortunately) to the Wheeler Arts Center.

Every day at the Indy Convergence begins with movement of some sort, and this morning was a meditative yoga session with Jaclyn Virgin. I honestly think of Jaclyn as my first yoga teacher, from my first convergence in 2009. I was able to keep up with a lot of people and go at my own pace without judging myself. That in and of itself was an accomplishment.

Then we had coffee, breakfast and chatted with each other. The Convergence always has some ‘regulars’ and then ‘newbies’. The newbies were quite intrigued by the whole experience and made a point to introduce themselves. Once we started the general housekeeping and ‘way things will go’ talk, we threw a lot at everyone. I always think it’s weird to start the post-yoga with things you cannot do at the rented space, and always forget to mention that to Robert & Caitlin. Maybe this flash blog will remind me.

THE PROJECTS. Most everyone has a side project (I am part of 3 and writing/directing my own) plus we are ALL part of the Umbrella Project. Typically everyone’s projects are interesting, but this year they are all fascinating. Everyone opened up immediately to the idea that we are all in this together. Two are specifically based on Greek mythology, which just makes me squee – and I do not use that term lightly.

Most importantly, we all understood very quickly that this is a process. Robert, Caitlin and Ian made a huge leap in the 3rd year (I was not able to attend) toward creating an environment where the audience arrives on our last night for the artists’ benefit. They are invited into our process and not there to see a ‘show’. Last year it felt like a sit-in with some art happening. I was nervous, but for the people in whose pieces I was performing, not for my own. I knew where I was at in the process and what I wanted to get out of the evening, and I got it. That is a sensitive and difficult line to cross in this workshop situation, and the Indy Convergence has the vibe down pat.

I can’t even explain how exciting the work sounds. After our project check-in, we had another short break. It was just enough time to grasp the enormity of the work before us, yet we are still so close to the beginning that no one is overwhelmed yet. (That will change soon.)

Then we jumped into the first project. Tina, who is an Early Music professional gone “to the dark side” in her own words, chatted about variants in sound and music in a storytelling context, then showed us the 3 silent films she is considering for use in her project. One of the most important parts of the convergence – which Caitlin reminded us of – is to allow your project to change and morph over the course of the two weeks. As we watched these fascinating silent movies – one from 1909 that took my breath away – Tina discovered it will be too long a segment and so we decided on the spot to work on the 13-minute early version of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” I am sure I will write more about that soon, but quite frankly need to get to the Improv class before our Flash Blog is over.

We usually do all the workshops at once, but for scheduling reasons they are scattered this year. This is the part when each participant teaches the group their specialty. We had a tag team of Acting, Voice and Dance Improv. Acting I had been through last year, taught by Zack who is just inspiration and too much talent rolled into one person. I still made many mistakes and firmly believe in his philosophy of turning story-telling faux pas into improvements (think Benjamin Zander’s “How Fascinating” video). We got closer to the Movement Improv, which holds the potential for my arch enemy —- contact improv. But Ellen Denham, one of my favorite writers/opera singers in the world, jumped in with Singing Improv. I love this. I always have. So I jumped in with gusto. I learned over the course of it that she has a grant for her Convergence participation this year and logged in my mind to ask her about it.

Then–Movement Improv. Ashley Benninghoff is one of the most amazing, sweet, talented with no pretension people I have ever met in my life. She easily and seamlessly guided us through multiple short and longer exercises to get us comfortable with our bodies, how they move and they come in contact with one another.

Here lies the brilliance of the Convergence. Yes, we literally end up rolling around on teh floor sometimes. That just happens. We actually fall into the stereotypes of an artist retreat that many people mock.

And you know what? For me, an introverted, actually shy person who is scared of her own mind and what comes out of it sometimes, but more importantly, who is not comfortable in her own body, this is the adrenaline rush I need to move forward with my work. I asked my husband Dan why he is always SO supportive of me traveling to Indianapolis every year. His answer boiled down to the fact that I always return invigorated, I always return with a writing project finished or having taken great leaps, I always return creatively fulfilled as well as creatively exhausted.

I also always return with many new, good, even great friendships. After our dinner and this current Flash Blog in The Sinking Ship with tall PBR’s, I have to say that this year shows signs of one of the better experiences I could possibly predict.

Much more later, but there is my 2(5) minute Flash Blog!!! May 7th, 2012. Where and Who am I again? Ah yes, Cindy, and Indianapolis is the only place I’d like to be right now.

Pictures by Alice Venessa Bever

Things here are going great. With Desiree’s expert teaching and translation skills Michael and Caitline just finished choreographing a dance with some girls that live in the neighborhood. They’ll be balancing water buckets on their heads the whole time- yes filled with water. What these little kids can do is truly amazing.

Wednesday the kids in the dojo had an exam and ten kids passed. They recieved their brand new gi’s dontated by the Shaolin American Dojo in North Hollywood on Friday. They were so incredibly excited and walked out with a new swagger and pride.

Sa-K-La-K-Wel was just on the radio today. They announced our show that will be on Wednesday. So far we have the bucket dance, kids doing sword forms, a Haiti “first impressions” piece, a duet, roof dance, and song prepared for the show. Every day someone new walks into the locale to show us some hidden talent. Yesterday it was a trumpet player who returned again today to invite us to his wedding.

Sorry we know this is all jumbled. We’re just afraid the internet will go out again, that’s been the down side, it’s already stopped and started again about 8 times since trying to send this. Can’t attach photos this time- taking way too long and light is fading.

Can’t wait to tell you all more!

We’re making large puppets with artists here and planning on having puppets and musicians on stage throughout our show we create in April. It’s all slowlycoming together. I can’t wait to get back to show all the photos I’ve been taking while here in Jacmel.

I return Friday and can’t believe this month is flying by. Gabe will stay at Saka-La-Ka-Wel and keep preparing for the Convergence and teaching at the school. I know I’ll be ready to come back in April. I’m really starting to love it here.

Recently we’ve started making puppets with the kids who take our kenpo classes. They bring recycling to pay for class and after kenpo we use it to create art projects and puppets from newspaper and duct tape (Thanks Christina Aimerito for showing us how last Convergence). The puppets are a huge hit and we’re looking forward to making some more tonight.

Since Gabe and I arrived we’ve made good connections and been working with two visual artists and three musicians. They’ll be joining us in April for Indy Convegence-Haiti and are very excited to meet everyone else.

First day of hard sun in a few days. It’s been raining pretty hard lately. Everything pretty much shuts down in the rain and we have been getting a little stir crazy. We’ve busied ourselves with dominoes and poker, and have made a pretty nice poker set out of bottle caps.

Today, we are heading to La Valle with Pierre. Should make for some welcome activity and nice change of scenery.

Our freedom really came once I was able to get the hand of riding the motorcycle again in the city and on the less maintained roads near Saka-La-Ka-Wel. This all came to a screeching, literally, when we ended up on a particularly rough road and took a spill with three of us on the motorcycle (people commonly ride up to 5 here!). We all sustained some cuts and bruises, and luckily no one was seriously injured. The bike was left unscathed.

After the spill, we rode a short distance to Reggie’s house/theater/recording studio in Jacmel. (Reggie is a good friend of Desiree’s and is a rasta and an artist.) He fixed us up with some basic first aid and we spent the evening recovering and talking shop about the art scene in Haiti.

When we arrived back at Sake-La-Ka-Wel we were happy to see the electricity was back on and many of the regulars had gathered to watch a movie for the evening. Later that night Gabe said “tonight is the first night I felt like we were coming HOME. “

Our education continues every day in many ways, Creol and French are coming along well, but in different areas for both of us. It has actually turned out to be helpful to step in for each other in different situations.

Looking forward to Carnivale this weekend. The town has been preparing since we arrived.  Should be an exciting, entertaining and educational weekend!

There is a great feeling of collaboration that is beginning to take root. Our day is split between being a teacher and student. Whether it be learning creol, dice or having any one of the thousand things we don’t understand throughout the day explained there is always something new to learn. Water has been the hardest thing to adapt to so far. Buckets are filled from a VERY slow dripping faucet and carried back to the house about a half mile. Happily, Desiree hopes to have running water by mid-March.

I have turned my attention to building furniture for the upstairs rooms at the school. I hope to build large shelves from wood and nails, but have begun building smaller pieces from palms and found items.

In other news, I bought a goat yesterday and named him Tasty. Gabe and I have high hopes he will live up to his name.

We met up with Desiree in Jacmel at her new and much better location. Gabe and I have already started teaching some kenpo to local kids and with any luck we will have 6-7 people that know the sword forms Caitlin is choreographing a dance around in April. We’re working on our language skills and playing lots of dominos in the evenings with Desiree and local artists.

Ah, yes, another bit of very important news- Gabe has already found a spot on the local soccer team playing defense.

Deadline to apply with funding is January 15, 2012.

Final deadline to apply (without funding option) is February 13, 2012.

The Indy Convergence seeks out professional artists with a passion for exploration and a unique talent or approach that will contribute to the ensemble. Participants also have the opportunity to focus on their own genre specific works and are required to teach a workshop that is open and free to the Indianapolis community. The goal of the Indy Convergence is for working artists to gather, collaborate, learn, share and teach.

The 2012 Indy Convergence will be May 7 -18.

Over two weeks each artist:

• Participates in one collaborative “Umbrella Project”
• Works on one or more personal “Side Projects”
• Teaches at least one “Workshop” in their field of expertise.
• The Indy Convergence concludes with a culminating presentation where work is shared in an open lab environment. All workshops and events are open to the public and free of charge.
• At the core of the Indy Convergence we are “artists at work” — at work in our community and at work with one another.

Join us in Indiana this May to share space with other dedicated artists for 2 weeks of open space.

To Apply, visit the application page by CLICKING HERE

To view video and images from the last convergences, check our archives to see the artists at work!

From resident artist Cindy Marie Jenkins, this year’s umbrella project is a workshop of a partially devised work revolving around how mythologies and histories are made, and where they intersect. Taked parallel stories from mythologies, religions, histories and has fun with them, playing with the ways they are told and by whom.