THE MOVEMENT ARTIST ENSEMBLE, OR MAE, is an inter-generational movement ensemble composed of women in their 40's through 80's. All choreography is improvised in the moments of filming, after which the footage is edited and special effects are added.
Music is add after the improvisation sessions, during editing.
MORE ABOUT PROCESS...
THE WORK consists of influences from contact improvisation, performance art, expressive arts, Butoh, authentic movement, experimental video, visual art, and other labels we undoubtedly haven't yet remembered! The ensemble meets seasonally--fall, spring, and summer-- in filmed movement improvisation workshops which are then edited by Gwyn Henry, aka/Bold Hen Productions, into a series of images-- a process which results in the actual choreography being done post session by the editing, ie selection images to include and/or exclude, camera POV, choices of effects, music, color, lighting, transitions, and clip sequence.
Filming/camera work is always done by members of the ensemble, sometimes passing the camera back and forth by the dancers as they move. Although we always work to music, the music for the actual film is chosen and added during the editing process. This sometimes results in a film which becomes something completely different than what was apparent in the raw footage-- formerly hidden realities emerging with the editing. 
MAE attempts to be iconoclastic, breaking through confining cultural concepts of who is allowed to be dance artists-- only those of a certain age, virtuosity, and fitness level. The women of MAE believe that anyone can move expressively from the place and state of being to which life has brought them in any given moment. We further believe that such expression can rise to the level of "art."WHERE CAN MAE'S FILMS BE SEEN?
MAE's videos are screened at the Escondido Municipal Gallery http://www.escondidoarts.org/details/details.php?p=screenings and many can be viewed from the posts on this blog site as well.
Other films have appeared on San Diego's public access television stations, and have received awards in art gallery shows.
