Stephanie Paul (C06) and Davora Sides (C06): Be The Groove
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Rhythmic performance ensemble boasts NU roots
“The philosophy of Be the Groove (BTG) is simple,” says Stephanie Paul (C06), artistic director and a founding member of the Northwestern-born and Chicago-based rhythmic performance ensemble. “We are exploring a technique we love…which embraces rhythm and delves into its possibilities.”
All of the founding members of the 14-person cast were part of Northwestern’s own popular percussion and dance ensemble, Boomshaka, while they were students at the University. For Paul, the experience was one of the most meaningful from her time on campus: “Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I hadn’t attended Northwestern and discovered Boomshaka.”
The Northwestern group had an impressive impact on many of its other members, as well. After graduating, Paul, current BTG executive director Davora Sides (C06), and six fellow performers weren’t ready to abandon their commitment to ensemble work and certainly couldn’t shake their enthusiasm for rhythm. Sensing a space for their art in the Chicago performance scene and eager to continue pursuing their passion, they started BTG in 2006.
Transitioning from a campus group to an independent professional ensemble wasn’t easy, but Paul emphasizes that Northwestern provided the guidance essential to making it happen. The founding members had been “incredibly fortunate” to have had the chance to be a part of the diverse and energetic campus arts community while at NU. Paul points to Richard Van Kleeck at Pick-Staiger as well as dance faculty members Billy Siegenfeld and Molly Shanahan as inspirational and logistically helpful mentors.
Simply put, says Paul, “Our passion for our work with Boomshaka was the catalyst to create a professional ensemble [and is] the reason Be the Groove exists.”
Currently, the group is busy organizing educational opportunities in and around Chicago. They visit summer camps and offer master classes, workshops, and residencies. They have also worked with the Jewish Community Centers and Urban Gateways, a children’s arts education organization.
BTG seeks to reach listeners young and old alike, educating them at the practical level, in rhythm techniques, as well as in a deeper way: “We want [our audiences] to discover the beauty of rhythm and through it develop confidence, while also discovering the greatness that is ensemble work,” explains Paul.
BTG is currently preparing for big summer shows at the Taste of Chicago and Navy Pier, and Paul says that BTG is excited for where this journey will take them next. Acceptance of change and the unknown is at the core of their method. “We are open to growing, evolving, and learning….We are inspired by the arts community we are a part of and want to reach more people and share what we do because, simply enough, we love it and think other people will, too.”
You can see Be the Groove in action and link to other videos here, and see their upcoming performance dates here.
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Posted June 30, 2009.
