Category: News / Announcements

News and updates about classes, etc.

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News / Announcements

WORKSHOP: Audio Description for Traditional Ballet Performances (Saturday, December 17th)

Background image is a lithograph by an unknown artist of ballerina Carlotta Grisi performing in the title role of Adam's Giselle, Paris, 1841. Over this image, black and white text on tan and grey backgrounds reads: DARK ROOM BALLET WITH KRISHNA WASHBURN AUDIO DESCRIPTION FOR TRADITIONAL BALLET PERFORMANCES SATURDAY DEC. 17 4 PM TO 6 PM (Eastern Time) Using the framing device of Act 1, Scene 1 from Giselle, participants will develop a different set of expectations for audio described traditional ballet performances, and will co-create a manifesto for ballet audio description for wide-spread dissemination among traditional arts presenters. All Dark Room Ballet classes and workshops take place online via Zoom - visit darkroomballet.com or LINK IN BIO for more info
(Image description in alt-text)

Hosted by Movement Research, Dark Room Ballet is designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults.

NOTE: This is a FREE class, but donations are welcomed.

Dark Room Ballet Presents:
Audio Description as an Art Form

Audio Description for Traditional Ballet Performances


Saturday, December 17th , 2022
4 PM to 6 PM (Eastern / New York Time)

NOTE: This is a 2 hour class

This workshop is offered online via Zoom


To register, please email: 
info@darkroomballet.com

Workshop Description

Using the framing device of Act 1, Scene 1 from Giselle, participants will develop a different set of expectations for audio described traditional ballet performances, and will co-create a manifesto for ballet audio description for wide-spread dissemination among traditional arts presenters.

Note: this is the last workshop in the Audio Description as an Art Form series, sponsored by Movement Research.

More audio description workshops are planned for 2023!

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News / Announcements

WORKSHOP: Forming Effective Audio Description Partnerships Between Dancers and Describers (Saturday, December 10th)

On a sparkly gold background, a quirky edited photo of Krishna and Alejandra smiling widely side by side (from the last time they were able to do that together in January 2020), but appearing to be in black and white. On gray, gold and yellow backgrounds, text reads: Dark Room Ballet with Krishna Washburn FORMING EFFECTIVE AUDIO DESCRIPTION PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN DANCERS AND DESCRIBERS SATURDAY DEC. 10 4 PM TO 6 PM (Eastern Time) A speech bubble makes it look like Krishna is saying: Audio describers can create their best art when they can form real partnerships with dancers that have self-audio description skills. Whether you are a dancer who wants to hone your self-audio description skills or an audio describer who wants to learn the questions to ask when developing descriptions (and what to do with the answers), this crucial teamwork will be cultivated here. A speech bubble makes it look like Alejandra is saying: THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS! At the bottom, smaller text reads: All Dark Room Ballet classes and workshops take place online via Zoom - visit darkroomballet.com or LINK IN BIO for more info
Description of image in alt-text

Hosted by Movement Research, Dark Room Ballet is designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults.

NOTE: This is a FREE class, but donations are welcomed.

Dark Room Ballet Presents:
Audio Description as an Art Form

Forming Effective Audio Description Partnerships Between Dancers and Describers


Saturday, December 10th , 2022
4 PM to 6 PM (Eastern / New York Time)

NOTE: This is a 2 hour class

This workshop is offered online via Zoom


To register, please email: 
info@darkroomballet.com

Workshop Description

Audio describers can create their best art when they can form real partnerships with dancers that have self-audio description skills. Whether you are a dancer who wants to hone your self-audio description skills or an audio describer who wants to learn the questions to ask when developing descriptions (and what to do with the answers), this crucial teamwork will be cultivated here.

Note: this is the second to last workshop in the Audio Description as an Art Form series, sponsored by Movement Research

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News / Announcements

Support the Telephone Film and Dark Room Ballet on #GivingTuesday!

Cyber Monday is coming to a close, which means that tomorrow is Giving Tuesday!

You may have heard about the Telephone Film project before. 

Description in caption

3 photos of Krishna side by side. In each she is holding a cordless phone to her ear in a playful pose, in front of a doorframe. She also wears one of her handmade Dark Room Adorned bracelets on her wrist.  The left photo is tinted with a blue effect, her expression coy. The second photo is tinted to look like a sepia mosaic, and she is making a surprised face. The right photo shows Krishna laughing, edited in watercolor style pink, purple and red tones.

If you haven’t, here is some more info:

The first of its kind, Telephone is a work-in-progress short film bringing awareness to the important art form of audio description (AD) for dance. Audio description allows blind and visually impaired people to be included fully in the joy of artistic expression.

Co-directed by Dark Room Ballet founder Krishna Washburn and choreographer Heather Shaw, Telephone is the first screendance film created specifically with a visually impaired audience in mind, while facilitating an immersive sensory experience for audience members of all sight levels.

Created during the global pandemic, the film features diverse disabled and non-disabled artists from across the globe, demystifying and legitimizing AD, not just as an access tool, but as a beautiful, rich art form in its own right.

Telephone is at the forefront of a completely new approach to audio description. Most of what is considered “best practice” for AD is meant for television or film. A neutral AD voice describes the visuals and does not express emotional content. In television and film, the performers’ voices (layered over the AD) inform the audience of the emotional themes. However, in dance, performers rarely speak. Is the neutral AD voice really the best choice for dance? How do those listening to the AD connect with the emotional content of the performance?

The audio describers of Telephone are reshaping the world’s perception of AD, adding emotional context and allowing their words to dance in the same way a dancer’s body moves. The result is a beautiful merge of poetry and movement, proving that:

Dance is visceral – not merely visual.

You can help!

Telephone is now holding initial screenings!

But we need to raise funds which will go directly towards the fantastic team of artists we have on board, as well as to cover costs to produce the film. Our original goal was met (covering initial costs) and we are now fundraising to cover post-production needs such as editing, accessibility providers, composers and more.

  • Interested in making a one-time donation? You can do so on Ko-Fi. 💰
  • Have you had a chance to buy a bracelet made by Krishna at DARK ROOM ADORNED? There are over 60 to chose from, like BLINDING LIGHTS. 💎
  • And don’t forget, there are 3 Dark Room Ballet tote bags left! You can buy one to support Telephone: Heels like Magnets (thanks to JazeluCreations on eBay) 👜

Before you go…

And if you just can’t stop thinking about telephones, watch the Yip Yip Martians discover a telephone on Earth and try communicating with it using different animal sounds they know on Sesame Street!

Thank you as always, for supporting the missions Dark Room Ballet and the Telephone Film!

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News / Announcements

Help Telephone Film reach its goal of 15k by Nov 15th!

Help Telephone Film reach its goal of 15k by Nov 15th! (on YouTube, captions available)

Support disability justice and arts access – help Telephone Film reach its goal of 15k by Nov 15th!

Funds raised will go directly towards the costs of post-production, bringing this important screendance documentary to the finish line.

No donation is too small and we appreciate all of your support.

Donate on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/telephonefilm

Video description: Split screen Zoom recording of Telephone co-directors Krishna Washburn and Heather Shaw.

Follow Telephone Film!

On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/telephone.film.AD/

On Instagram:
@telephone.film

On Vimeo and Ko-Fi, too!

Categories
News / Announcements

WORKSHOP: No Diagram Anatomy for Dancers in the Dark Room Presents: The Lower Leg Complex (Foot Class) – Saturday, October 29th

image described in caption
In this image, a pair of bare feet is together at the ankles. The left foot points up, and the right foot angles more to the right, with toes more curled. They are strong disabled dancer feet with tendons visible and a bandaid further up on the right leg. The image has been tinted so the feet and legs appear to be purple. In the foreground, a gradient purple background is layered with a light teal background above it, and against these backgrounds there is text in different areas, in white, purple and black fonts. The text reads: DARK ROOM BALLET WITH KRISHNA WASHBURN SATURDAY OCT 29TH 4 PM TO 6 PM (Eastern/New York Time) No Diagram Anatomy for Dancers in the Dark Room Presents: The Lower Leg Complex (Foot Class) No prior knowledge required Priority given to Blind/Vl students All Dark Room Ballet classes and workshops take place online via Zoom - visit darkroomballet.com or LINK IN BIO for more info

Hosted by Movement Research, Dark Room Ballet is designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults.

NOTE: This is a FREE class, but donations are welcomed.

No Diagram Anatomy for Dancers in the Dark Room Presents:

The Lower Leg Complex (Foot Class)


Saturday, October 29th , 2022
4 PM to 6 PM (Eastern / New York Time)

NOTE: This is a 2 hour class

This workshop is offered online via Zoom


To register, please email: 
info@darkroomballet.com

Workshop Description

The third and final in a series of three highly detailed workshops analyzing specific anatomical areas in detail. In this workshop, we will use movement, touch, and conversation to not only cultivate scientific knowledge related to the lower leg complex (the foot and related structures!), but also initiate a higher degree of body awareness and neurological learning in this area. Evolutionary history and the marvels of human variation will also be addressed in this workshop. No prior knowledge of human anatomy, dance, or self-audio description are required to participate, but all students will come away with deep anatomical knowledge, reduced movement anxiety, and tools to start learning how to talk about movement in a visceral way. Let’s get right down to the real nitty gritty!

Material covered in this workshop will include:

  • The skeletal structure of the lower leg, ankle, and foot
  • The locations and functions of musculature of the lower leg, ankle, and foot, and their relationships to commonly known dance vocabulary
  • The nerves and nerve plexuses of the lower leg, ankle, and foot, and what it means to cultivate neurological connection to this part of the body
  • The connective tissues (fascia, tendons, cartilages and ligaments) of the lower leg, ankle and foot.

All students will receive the complete script of the workshop two days beforehand, and the script can be reviewed either before or after the workshop.

This workshop is designed for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired people and does not use diagrams.

Categories
News / Announcements

WORKSHOP RESCHEDULED: No Diagram Anatomy for Dancers in the Dark Room: The Cervical Complex (Neck Class) – Friday, August 26th

Image described in caption
On a gray gradient background that transitions into white, a photo of Krishna in a side profile, edited in green and purple tones . Her hair is pinned up, she wears a short sleeve black top, and a large necklace of translucent stones around her neck. On a diagonal, highlighted in yellow over part of the image is the word: RESCHEDULED Black and white text across the rest of the image reads: DARK ROOM BALLET WITH KRISHNA WASHBURN FRIDAY AUGUST 26 6 PM to 7:30 PM (Eastern/New York Time) No Diagram Anatomy for Dancers in the Dark Room: The Cervical Complex ("Neck Class”) No prior knowledge required - priority given to Blind/Vl students All Dark Room Ballet classes and workshops take place online via Zoom - visit darkroomballet.com or LINK IN BIO for more info

Hosted by Movement Research, Dark Room Ballet is designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults.

Note: This is a FREE class, but donations are welcomed.

No Diagram Anatomy for Dancers in the Dark Room presents:

Anatomy in Detail:
The Cervical Complex (Neck Class)

NEW DATE & TIME!

FRIDAY, August 26th, 2022
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM (Eastern/New York Time)


This workshop is offered online via Zoom


To register, please email: 
info@darkroomballet.com

Workshop Description


The second in a series of three highly detailed workshops analyzing specific anatomical areas in detail. In this workshop, we will use movement, touch, and conversation to not only cultivate scientific knowledge related to the cervical complex (the neck!), but also initiate a higher degree of body awareness and neurological learning in this area. Evolutionary history and the marvels of human variation will also be addressed in this workshop. No prior knowledge of human anatomy, dance, or self-audio description are required to participate, but all students will come away with deep anatomical knowledge, reduced movement anxiety, and tools to start learning how to talk about movement in a visceral way. Let’s get right down to the real nitty gritty!

Material covered in this workshop will include:

  1. The cervical spine, the hyoid bone, and neighboring related skeletal features
  2. The layered musculature of the front, sides, and back of the neck
  3. The cervical spinal cord, nerves and nerve plexuses of the neck
  4. Organ systems of the neck (respiratory, digestive, endocrine)

All students will receive the complete script of the workshop two days beforehand, and the script can be reviewed either before or after the workshop. This workshop is designed for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired people and does not use diagrams.

About No Diagram Anatomy Workshop Series


No Diagram Anatomy workshops are in-depth dancer’s anatomy workshops that de-center sight and are designed for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired people. Participants will learn about their bodies’ layered anatomy from the outside-in using a combination of guided audio description, imagination, touch, and movement experimentation, and will also be given opportunities to practice talking about how the movement feels in the body (self-audio description).

For 2022, the theme for No Diagram Anatomy has been Nitty Gritty, in which a single anatomical region is demystified and explained in depth. These three workshops are:

  • The Gluteus Complex (Butt Class) (June 11, 2022)
  • The Cervical Complex (Neck Class) (Rescheduled to August 26, 2022)
  • The Lower Leg Complex (Foot Class) – (October 29, 2022)
Categories
News / Announcements

Dark Room Ballet Introductory Classes for Blind and Visually Impaired Adults — New Cycle Begins Saturday, September 3rd

Image described in caption
Image as shared and described on social media: A flyer with text that is superimposed around an edited photo of Krishna, who appears in black and white in side profile as if she is in a blue sky sky among fluffy white clouds. She wears a black leotard, tights, ballet shoes and dark glasses, front leg bent with the other leg extended straight behind her. One arm extends back and holds up her straight cane behind her, the other arm extends to the front and her hand seems to be swallowed into the clouds. There seems to be a small clock in the sky behind her. Text in white against the blue sky reads: Dark Room Ballet with Krishna Washburn, and in black on white at different spots in the sky: INTRODUCTORY BALLET FOR BLIND / VI ADULTS (no prior knowledge required) Starting Sept 3rd 8 SATURDAYS 4 PM to 5:30 PM (Eastern / New York Time) All Dark Room Ballet classes and workshops take place online via Zoom - visit darkroomballet.com or LINK IN BIO for more info!

Beginning Saturday, September 3rd from 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM (Eastern / New York Time)

NOTE: Sponsored by Movement Research, this class is designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults.

About Saturday Introductory Level Class:

This is a FREE class!

This class is suitable for people with no prior knowledge of ballet. This repeating series of eight classes introduces students to the most common ballet vocabulary that they would need to know in order to participate in Open Level Dark Room Ballet Class. The class introduces students to necessary anatomical concepts like turnout, torso stability, foot sensitivity and mobility, sightless balancing, and the use of a taped floor for orientation.

Classes take place each Saturday online via the Zoom platform; there is also the option to call in via phone.



Register:

Please note that Dark Room Ballet Introductory Level Classes now operate as a scholarship program for new blind and low-vision students.

Learn more about the Dark Room Ballet Intro Level Scholarship Program.

The next Intro Level cycle begins on Saturday, September 3, 2022.

If you are a blind or visually impaired individual interested in learning ballet remotely, you MUST contact us by no later than August 26th, so you can complete the intake process to register for this class.



To register, email info@darkroomballet.com to begin the intake process

You can also reach Dark Room Ballet by phone at (929) 367-0025


If you have some ballet experience, you may also qualify to join the ongoing Dark Room Ballet: Open Level Class on Monday nights; please contact us if you are interested.

Returning students are welcome to re-join intro level classes, as well as encouraged to join Dark Room Ballet: Open Level Class. Please let us know if you would like to re-join intro class as a returning student.

If you work with an organization that serves blind or visually impaired people, please share this information with people who may be interested in registering for this class.

If you are NOT a blind or visually impaired student, you may qualify to join the ongoing Dark Room Ballet: Open Level Class on Monday nights on a select basis; please get in touch with us to explain your interest.

Other Classes in the Dark Room

In addition to online Introductory and Open Level ballet classes for blind and visually impaired adults, Krishna often teaches workshops on related topics open to everyone, including anatomy, improvisation and audio description.


Learn more about past and upcoming online workshops: Dark Room Ballet Workshops

Categories
News / Announcements

New inventory at Dark Room Adorned on Etsy!

Don’t sleep on the new inventory at Dark Room Adorned on Etsy!

Over a dozen new designs — here are just 2, WATERWAYS and TAJABONE…

⚡️ Use code WEARME for 10% off! ⚡️

All bracelets are made in a wrap style that is adaptable and adjustable for many sizes and uses, and each is created using ethically sourced supplies from the United States, Czech Republic, Austria, and Mexico. 💎

Every bracelet is named after music used in Dark Room Ballet classes for blind and visually impaired adults, many of which are songs requested by students.

Proceeds from every sale at Dark Room Adorned benefit the Telephone Dance and Audio Description Film project, so that editors, composers, ASL interpreters and consultants can be paid.

Descriptions with each image.

Shop at Dark Room Adorned on Etsy today!

Inspired by Ludovico Einaudi’s beautiful, delicately atmospheric song, Waterways. This powerfully beautiful bracelet is made with a cyan blue vegan leather strap, cyan nylon thread, beautiful rare and special cyan blue apatite gemstones cut in a unique faceted cube shape, cyan blue Baroque freshwater pearls, matte finish Czech glass beads, and two shapes of silver-filled beads: round and filigree, and a silver-tone pewter oval button with swirl detailing. At four wraps around the wrist, it fits up to a six and three quarter inch wrist. This bracelet can also be worn loose at three wraps, unwrapped as a necklace, or double-wrapped as an anklet.

All purchases from Dark Room Adorned support Krishna, the blind ballet teacher who made this bracelet, and The Telephone Film, a screen dance project with choreographer Heather Shaw meant to promote the field of audio description for dance. The song Waterways was used in Dark Room Ballet class on May 23, 2022; this song was introduced to Krishna by her disabled dance mentor, Sasha!



Image described in caption
Inspired by the impossibly talented Senegalese musician, Ismael Lo, and his heartfelt ode to childhood holidays, Tajabone. This especially beautiful bracelet is made with an olive green vegan leather strap, olive green nylon thread, beautiful natural green garnet and peridot gemstones, olive green freshwater pearls, flickering crystal rondelles, and two shapes of gold-filled beads: round and hexagonal, and a gold-tone brass oval button with pinpoint detailing. At four wraps around the wrist, it fits up to a seven and a half inch wrist. This bracelet can also be worn loose at three wraps, unwrapped as a necklace, or double-wrapped as an anklet.

All purchases from Dark Room Adorned support Krishna, the blind ballet teacher who made this bracelet, and The Telephone Film, a screen dance project with choreographer Heather Shaw meant to promote the field of audio description for dance. The song Tajabone was used in Dark Room Ballet class on June 6, 2022; this song was introduced to Krishna by her disabled dance mentor, Sasha!

Categories
Krishna's Thoughts News / Announcements

Dark Room Ballet on the NFB “Scene Change” Podcast (June 2022)

NFB Scene Change logo: a square logo that is divided directly in half diagonally from the bottom left corner to the top right corner. The bottom right half is green and the top left half is blue. Right on top of the halfway line in the blue area, it says "SCENE" in white text, and just under the halfway line in the green area is says "CHANGE" in blue text. The top left corner says "National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division" in white text.

The Scene Change podcast is presented by the National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division: 

So, you're blind. Can you sing? Can you play an instrument? Can you act? Can you dance? Of course you can! 

Join Lizzy Muhammad-Park and her special guests as they pull back the curtain on their successes and struggles as blind people in the performing arts. Be educated, be challenged, be entertained, and be empowered to join us as we work together to make a "Scene Change" for the blind.

On this month’s episode:

Accessible Ballet

Join Lizzy for this month’s riveting episode featuring Krishna Washburn, a professional ballet dancer, and the artistic director and sole teacher of ‘Dark Room Ballet‘, along with The ‘Dark Room Ballet’ program coordinator and lead administrator Alejandra Ospina.

Interested in ballet? This is an online ballet course specifically for blind dancers. She’s got something for everyone. She’s got intro courses, they are eight weeks long, and she also has open courses for experienced blind professionals. They are tuition free.

In this episode, you will hear more about this exciting opportunity and all it entails.

Her summer course is beginning on June 25, and registration closes on June 18, 2022. Sign up here: darkroomballet.com

Listen to the episode

Listen on YouTube:

NFB’s “Scene Change” Episode 21: Accessible Ballet on YouTube (transcript available)

Listen on SoundCloud:

NFB’s “Scene Change” Episode 21: Accessible Ballet on SoundCloud

Visit the podcast on Anchor.fm to listen or link to other platforms:

NFB’s “Scene Change” on Anchor.fm

Read the Transcript:

Transcript: Dark Room Ballet on NFB “Scene Change” Podcast (June 2022) – opens in a new tab

Episode 21 notes:

0:41 – Introducing Krishna
3:10 – How it’s like to be a blind ballet instructor
16:08 – How to sign up and prices for other courses
31:48 – The difference between sighted, blind, and balanced
36:15 – Do students need to purchase ballet shoes before class
37:05 – What tape is used
39:49 – Krishna dancing while teaching
41:59 – Who taught Krishna
47:39 – Misconceptions for teachers to break
54:40 – Advice for anyone advocating for equality in the dance space
1:04:51 – Contact information
1:07:54 – Outro

Connect with the National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division!
Website: www.nfb-pad.org
Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PerformingArtsDivision
Follow on Twitter: @NFB_PAD

Categories
News / Announcements

Dark Room Ballet Introductory Classes for Blind and Visually Impaired Students — New Cycle Begins Saturday, June 25th

Image as shared and described on Instagram: A flyer with text that is superimposed over a photo of Krishna, a thin, pale skinned woman with long dark hair pulled into a braid, poses on a studio stage. She is wearing a simple white dress with her shoulders exposed and a fluffy white headdress perched on her forehead and wrapping down her braid. She looks over her left shoulder as she lightly holds a straight cane between her hands and points her left foot behind her. Text in orange and black over a grey background reads: Dark Room Ballet with Krishna Washburn INTRODUCTORY BALLET FOR BLIND / VI ADULTS (no prior knowledge required) Starting June 25th 8 SATURDAYS 4 PM to 5:30 PM (Eastern / New York Time) All Dark Room Ballet classes and workshops take place online via Zoom - visit darkroomballet.com or LINK IN BIO for more info!
Instagram promotional image (described in alt-text)

Beginning Saturday, June 25th from 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM (Eastern / New York Time)   

NOTE: This class is designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults.

This is a FREE class!

Hosted by Movement Research, Dark Room Ballet classes are designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults.

About Saturday Introductory Level Class:

This class is suitable for people with no prior knowledge of ballet. This repeating series of eight classes introduces students to the most common ballet vocabulary that they would need to know in order to participate in Open Level Dark Room Ballet Class. The class introduces students to necessary anatomical concepts like turnout, torso stability, foot sensitivity and mobility, sightless balancing, and the use of a taped floor for orientation.

Classes take place each Saturday online via the Zoom platform; there is also the option to call in via phone.



Register:


If you are a blind or visually impaired individual interested in learning ballet remotely, you MUST contact us by no later than June 18, so you can complete the intake process to register for this class.



To register, email info@darkroomballet.com to begin the intake process

You can also reach Dark Room Ballet by phone at (929) 367-0025


If you have some ballet experience, you may also qualify to join the ongoing Dark Room Ballet: Open Level Class on Monday nights; please contact us if you are interested.

Returning students are welcome to re-join intro level classes, as well as encouraged to join Dark Room Ballet: Open Level Class. Please let us know if you would like to re-join intro class as a returning student.

If you work with an organization that serves blind or visually impaired people, please share this information with people who may be interested in registering for this class.

If you are NOT a blind or visually impaired student, you may qualify to join the ongoing Dark Room Ballet: Open Level Class on Monday nights on a select basis; please get in touch with us to explain your interest.

Other Classes in the Dark Room

In addition to online Introductory and Open Level ballet classes for blind and visually impaired adults, Krishna often teaches workshops on related topics open to everyone, including anatomy, improvisation and audio description.


Learn more about past and upcoming online workshops: Dark Room Ballet Workshops