Lucid Illuminates

Who are you, where are you from, and how did you start in this field?
I was born in Gary, Indiana (me and Michael Jackson), and raised in nearby Merrillville. My first generation Eastern European parents, who were determined to give their adopted son and daughter the opportunities they never had, started us on piano lessons at age eight.

I received the spark of music from Andy Krull, the hip guy who played the electric (!) guitar for the parish youth choir I joined at age twelve.
I had other interests and aspirations, but music had become the primary focus of my life by the time I escaped from college and moved to Boston.
I have sung in many choirs, learning from each director.  I was also accompanist for two local choral groups, and am currently organist and choir director at St. David’s in Kennebunk.

Tell us something you know that we may not know, about yourself or the world.
Barcelona is one of the greatest futbol teams that has ever been.  I put that in because, of the things I know, probably the fewest of “us” know that.
Which reminds me of another thing we may not know.  You probably do know of people wishing to be known differently. For instance, someone I know used to be a he and now wants to be known as a she. And you have probably heard of those wishing to be known as a ‘they’. Well, I recently heard of a former ‘they’ now wishing to be known as an ‘us’. I think I might have a problem with this one.

What inspires you and keeps you motivated?
Watching Barcelona play. I am also inspired, more and more, by the multitudinous miracles of Great Nature.
I think part of my motivation comes from my belief that in the field of music it is possible for someone to never stop growing.

Share with us something funny that has happened to you recently.

I have been delaying writing this, waiting for something funny to happen to me. For almost six months. Although I am sure that something funny has happened , and I just missed it, I am going to delay no longer!

Alhan middle eastern ensemble

How do you bridge the gap between what this profession pays and making a living?
I am lucky. I haven’t had to work as a house-painter in more than five years. I wear several musical hats, three of which actually provide income! I also live as a housemate with four (used to be six) other people.

"Fire on Fire" - one of Tom K's bands

What’s the best advice for the creative person that someone has given you?
I don’t know if it’s “the best” – or even good- advice, but it’s the one I seem to have ended up following. According to a book-cover (the old days) I had, Mark Twain said “Put all your eggs in one basket. And then — watch that basket!”

What projects are in the pipeline for you? Do you have a “dream” project?
I have been working on my first ever solo recording for almost two years now (kind of a tar sands pipeline). And I am not procrastinating, even though this recording has nothing to do with something funny happening to me recently.
Dream project? I would like to play in the World Cup 2014. I am many years too old, and I only recently began playing, and these are only two of the reasons why this is a DREAM project.

Would you like to share you contact information? How can readers find out more about you?
(Editor’s note: Tom K. does not use e-mail, nor does he own a cell phone or answer his land-line. If you would like to meet him, your next opportunity will be at The Blue Lobster Troupe’s Winter Concert at Lucid Stage on February 19th at 7:30pm.)

Who are you, where are you from, and how did you start in this field?
My name is Smith Galtney. I was born and raised in New Orleans. I went to NYU in the fall of ’89 and ended up living in NYC for 20 years, working as an entertainment journalist at various magazines and newspapers. In the fall of 2006, my partner and I bought a lake house in Raymond, and after two summers here, we decided to ditch Manhattan and take a shot at being full-time Mainers. After a rather bumpy and very isolated transition that stretched on for about a year and a half, I decided it’d be a good idea for me to reconnect with real-life human beings other than my partner, so I registered for Rachel Flehinger’s improv-comedy class and started performing with classmates who quickly became friends. One of them recommended me for a play, and someone I befriended in that play recommended me for another. All of this happened in a span of, like, six months.

Tell us something you know that we may not know, about yourself or the world.
I’m a music junkie and have been all of my life. There are, like, over 125,000 tracks in my iTunes library. I own thousands and thousands of CDs and keep them all alphabetized as best I can. I won’t throw out all the boxes of cassette tapes I keep upstairs in our farmhouse outside of Buckfield. I still own a record player and use it frequently and can often be spotted leaving Bull Moose – or any other of the incredible used-record shops in Maine – with a medium-sized stack of vinyl tucked under my arm. Music is my most longest-lasting love affair, and it’s a co-dependent one, to boot, since every morning I wake up and ask myself, “Should I pursue some short-term goals in the hopes of achieving my long-term ones? Or should I hunt down copies of albums by bands with names like Cults, Black Lips, the Horrors and Ringo Deathstarr, just to hear what all the fuss is about?”  The long-/short-terms goals, alas, usually have to wait.

What inspires you and keeps you motivated?
Great movies, great documentaries, great TV shows, great books, great plays. Last night I watched “Half Nelson”, the Ryan Gosling movie, and thought it was pretty impressive how it dealt with mega-huge issues like race and drug use and disenchantment in an deftly honest, offhand manner. “Breaking Bad” is so damn good it’s utterly intimidating, and if Giancarlo Esposito doesn’t take home one of the big trophies for his performance as Gus, I’m gonna be really mad. August: Osage County and Becky Shaw are probably my two favorite plays of the 21st century, and reading Tom Perrotta novels usually leave me wanting to crank out one or two of my own. Nice weather helps, too. One too many a rainy day always gets me down, and Mondays are usually a bitch.

Share with us something funny that has happened to you recently.

Smith Galtney

A few months ago, I’m putzing around our cottage a little too long one morning and the UPS man comes knocking. I answer the door, still wearing my bathrobe and slippers, and our English bulldog runs out and flops down on the deck. So I sign for the package, and the UPS man turns and starts making his way back to his truck, while I look at our dog and ask, “Would you like to come inside?” But the UPS man half-looks back, like maybe I’d asked him this question, and heads for the truck just a little bit faster. The whole encounter left me feeling like a very lonely housewife.

How do you bridge the gap between what this profession pays and making a living?
I may not be lonely, but I am a housewife, to a certain extent. My partner maintains a steady gig on the work front, and he’s done rather well for himself and for us in recent years. Hence I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to flex my skills as a domestic general and neophyte actor.

What’s the best advice for the creative person that someone has given you?
In the words of the muy-talented and ever-bodacious Rachel Flehinger, “Fuck it” and “fail big.” Anytime you step in front of people, onstage or otherwise, there’s a 99.999% chance that you’re going to look and feel like a dork. So just go out and totally own every ounce of that dork-ness! Audiences always connect with someone who’s giving them the proverbial 110%, even if the show or the scene or the bit they’re watching sucks. If you give them anything less, the only thing you’ll earn is their charity and pity applause, or their pity and charity applause.

What projects are in the pipeline for you? Do you have a “dream” project?
I just started a new acting class called “Duos” at Acorn Productions, taught by Rachel Flehinger (yeah, her again). I also just completed a weeklong workshop on Digital Photography at the Maine Media Center, and I’m excited to explore and expand on everything I learned there by taking lots of pictures throughout the fall. As for a “dream” project, I’d love give a crack at writing something for the stage. I recently read Conor McPherson’s Port Authority, a trio of interlinked monologues, and would love to create something similar, perhaps a trio of interlinked monologues involving pop-music obsessive and vinyl addicts? I’d call it Disco-Dependent!

Would you like to share you contact information? How can readers find out more about you?
I’ve yet to maintain a personal blog or website for any significant period of time. But there’s always my Facebook page, I guess. And if you want to read some of my journalism, feel free to Google me.

Who are you, where you are from, and how did you start in this field? Jennifer Bourgeault (Artistic Director/Choreographer/Dancer –  Collective Motion) I am a Maine native, Saco to be precise. I started dancing, well bouncing, on my Johnny Jumper as a wee one. I started dance lessons   at the age of three. In high school I continued my training and thought wouldn’t it be fun to have dance as a career. I left Maine for Philadelphia where I obtained my degree in dance. I came back to Maine and started Collective Motion.

Jennifer Bourgeault

Tell us something you know that we may not know, about yourself or the world. I am terrified of clowns, clown music and the circus. I mean why the red nose? Why the over sized attire? And the make up, it gives me the heebies jeebies.

What inspires you and keeps you motivated? I love what I do. My fellow dancers and choreographers keep me motivated and inspire me.

Share with us something funny that has happened to you recently.   I have a lot of on going jokes about Sinbad, Heineken, the Beatles, playing bad music at dive bar jukeboxes.

How do you bridge the financial gap between what this profession pays and making a living? I have many jobs because I cannot fit the corporate world. I’m a nanny, dance teacher and a waitress.

What’s the best advice for the creative person that someone has given you? If you have a goal then you will find a way to make it happen.

What projects are in the pipeline for you? Do you have a ‘dream’ project?  I always have tons of projects in my head. The one that has started to hash out is an evening length sort of rock opera collaboration with a live band. My dream project is to make Collective Motion a non-profit and one day pay my dancers.

Would you like to share your contact information? How can readers find out more about you?  Sure! Check out our website www.collective-motion.com

photo by John Barrett

  Liz Pettengill, Dancer & Choreographer. Started dancing when I was first able to stand by rocking back and forth in time to various kids songs and some of my mother’s favorite tunes. Thankfully my mom saw this as potential and put me my first dance class when I was just 2 and a half years old. I have been pursuing my growth in this art form ever since.

Liz Pettingill

Something you may not know about the world: the most soothing sonic vibration in the world is that of ocean waves. Something you may not know about me: This is why I could never live away from the ocean.

Music and life experiences inspire me daily. Support from family, friends and my company members keep me motivated.

 I recently suffered a series of battle wounds after wiping out in the mud on the Fourth of July during an incredibly intense water gun and balloon battle.

I work a series of odd jobs to make ends meet but I have to be completely honest it’s a struggle. 

The best advice that someone has given me? “It was good but it wasn’t good enough.” My reasoning for this being the best advice I’ve received is because it caused me to learn to stand up for my creations and defend the reasoning, motivation and message behind them with conviction.

I’m presently working on using tap dance as a percussive instrument with several local musicians and am always looking for more who are interested in experimenting with this pairing. My ‘dream’ project would be a multimedia experience that encompasses the various local art talent that Portland has to offer; with visual art, dance, videography and live music.

Contact info. Liz Pettengill, LizPettengill@gmail.com

Michelle Bernier

Who are you, where you are from, and how did you start in this field?  My name is Michelle Bernier, I’m originally from Winslow, Maine, and I now reside in South Portland. I’ve been dancing, like most members of Collective Motion, since I was a child. I received a lot more intensive training in high school and college, and I now study and teach in and around Portland.
What inspires you and keeps you motivated? In creating art, I find myself inspired by repetitive patterns, the flow of energy, justice, passion, flying insects, traffic, Republicans, sunlight, best friends, enigmas, physics, and my chihuahua, Zucchini, the Duke of Sherwood.  

Share with us something funny that has happened to you recently. I sat in my kitchen for 3 hours trying to think of something funny. 

 How do you bridge the financial gap between what this profession pays and making a living?  I try not to rely on my art to make any part of my living. It gets messy that way. Without the burden of making art pay bills, the creative process can be intrinsically fulfilling. Sounds nice, huh? Until you have to pay the bills… Luckily as a massage therapist, I have the privilege of performing another kind of art, the healing art, that is generally able to keep me fed. 

What’s the best advice for the creative person that someone has given you? My first dance teacher told me to never limit the number of people you study with or learn from, and that a good dancer can take class with the best dancers, but a great dancer can take class with anyone.

What projects are in the pipeline for you? Do you have a ‘dream’ project? The best thing about a dream pipeline is never knowing what’s coming out next!

 Would you like to share your contact information? How can readers find out more about you? My email address is michellemariebernier@gmail.com, but the best way is to come see the show!

 Who are you, where you are from, and how did you start in this field?

Vivid Motion, Inc. was founded in 2003 by Brigitte Paulus and Ellen (Joyce) Rathbone, who looked around the greater Portland area and realized that if you were an adult who wanted to dance and perform, your choices were to pay to take classes at a studio and dance in a recital alongside teenagers, stay in college, or be good enough to join a professional company. So they decided that there was a niche for the kind of dancers they were and wanted to cater to. Nutcracker Burlesque was our first production; a ‘making fun’ of the traditional holiday fare. Many of the original company members and choreographers attended USM together. We became a 501(c)3 non-profit soon after, our mission being to make dance accessible – both to dancers of all skill levels and for traditional and non-traditional dance audiences.

 Vivid Motion is a all volunteer non-profit, much like a community theatre. We share a love of dance and community. We continue to be able to do what we do because we remain at this time a ‘guerrilla group’, utilizing space and other in-kind donations where we can and keeping our production costs as low as possible. Keeping our ticket prices low allows uninitiated audience members to take a chance they might enjoy something new. Dancers and our VM community are key in promotion, because if our friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues don’t attend and support us, we won’t be able to continue to offer the dance opportunities we now enjoy.What projects are in the pipeline for you? Do you have a ‘dream’ project?
Nutcracker Burlesque will once again be in the offering this Christmas, and 2012 launches our 10th Anniversary season, culminating in our 10th Annual NB in December 2012. We plan to revisit “Eclipse”, a one act ballet set to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and offer a dance concert of new dances, and more!

 Would you like to share your contact information? How can readers find out more about you?

Vivid Motion has a website, www.vividmotion.org, and a Facebook page. We have mailing lists, too. You can request to join our mailing lists (for dancers or event notifications) at info @ vividmotion . org