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72 episodes with infinitebody
Eva Yaa Asantewaa (2017 Bessie Award winner for Outstanding Service to the Field of Dance) is a writer, curator and community educator. Since 1976, she has contributed writing on dance to Dance Magazine, The Village Voice, SoHo Weekly News, Gay City News, The Dance Enthusiast, Time Out New York and other publications and interviewed dance artists and advocates as host of two podcasts, Body and Soul and Serious Moonlight. She blogs on the arts, with dance as a specialty, for InfiniteBody and served as Editor in Chief of Dancer's Turn, a blog devoted to longform profiles of dance artists, created by students of her "Writing on Dance" workshop series at New York Live Arts. Ms. Yaa Asantewaa joined the curatorial team for Danspace Project’s Platform 2016: Lost and Found and created the skeleton architecture, or the future of our worlds, featuring 21 Black women and gender-nonconforming performers for an evening of group improvisation. Her cast was awarded a 2017 Bessie for Outstanding Performer. As EYA Projects, she has begun partnerships with organizations such as Gibney Dance Center, Abrons Arts Center, Dance/NYC, BAX and Dancing While Black to curate and facilitate Long Table conversations on topics of concern in the dance/performance community. She was a member of the inaugural faculty of Montclair State University’s MFA in Dance program. She has also served on the faculty for New England Foundation for the Arts' Regional Dance Development Initiative Dance Lab 2016 for emerging Chicago-area dance artists. In May 2017, she served on the faculty for the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography's inaugural Moving Forward Dialogues Dance Lab for Emerging Choreographers. Ms. Yaa Asantewaa served as a member of the New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards committee for three years and as a consultant or panelist for numerous arts funding or awards organizations including the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. A native New Yorker of Black Caribbean heritage, Eva makes her home in the East Village with her wife, Deborah, and cat, Crystal. https://infinitebody.blogspot.com
An interview with Eva Yaa Asantewaa. Eva --who writes the InfiniteBody arts blog-- is a New York City-based critic, educator and curator specializing in dance and performance.
Cristiane Bouger muses on time. Cristiane Bouger is a Brooklyn-based artist and writer. She explores the intersection of performance, theater, philosophy, literature, do-it-yourself practices and post-punk influences. Her work reveals existential examinations reflecting upon the female body, desire, cultural conducts, behavior and symbols, biography and fiction. She is a 2012 Movement Research Artist-in-Residence and a 2012-2013 Performa Magazine Writer-in-Residence. Learn more on InfiniteBody blog (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com) (c)2013, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody
Dancer Jennifer Monson, artistic director of iLAND (Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Art, Nature and Dance), talks about her new project, "Live Dancing Archive" which will be presented in New York City at The Kitchen, February 14-16, 21-23. For more information, see http://www.ilandart.org/ or my InfiniteBody blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. (c)Eva Yaa Asantewaa InfiniteBody http://infinitebody.blogspot.com
Listen to JoAnna Mendl Shaw, choreographer and artistic director of The Equus Projects, as she talks about how an Arabian stallion named Hamlet influenced her creative process. Visit The Equus Projects site: http://www.dancingwithhorses.org/ (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Dance artists who happen to be both female and Black often find it tough to forge a viable, sustainable career, says Camille A. Brown, the well-regarded choreographer and Artistic Director of Camille A. Brown & Dancers. They need role models. Listen as this inspiring artist shares her experience of taking nourishment from talking with young dance students of color. Camille A. Brown & Dancers http://camilleabrown.org (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Listen to the multitalented Steven Reker (dancer, choreographer, musician, songwriter) talk about "creating sonic landscapes" with his band of musicians and dancers, People Get Ready. People Get Ready/Steven Reker will present the world premiere of Specific Ocean at New York Live Arts (October 18-20). Prior to the October 18th show, there will be a conversation about 'Where Contemporary Dance and Pop Music Intersect in NYC Today" at 6:30pm, moderated by Michael Azerrad. More information here: http://www.newyorklivearts.org/event/specific_ocean (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Listen as Elastic City's director/founder Todd Shalom takes us on an improvised walk to his local post office. For information on Catastrophe!, the final "way" of the Elastic City season, with Spanish artist Xavier Acarin--tomorrow, Tuesday, October 2, 7pm, on the Lower East Side--visit the Elastic City site at http://www.elastic-city.org/. (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Listen to my guest Dan Safer (Artistic Director of the great dance/theater hybrid troupe, Witness Relocation) talking about the importance of listening. (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Listen to vocalist/composer Imani Uzuri talk about deep listening to the ocean and her own need, as an artist and a woman, for meditative time alone. For more information about Imani Uzuri and her new album, The Gypsy Diaries, visit her site at http://www.imaniuzuri.com. (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Listen to dancer-choreographer Maria Bauman talk about everything she's inspired to listen to, with great care, these days. Bauman fun facts: *Premiered "Stand" at SummerStage, August 11, 2012 *Setting "Stand" at Long Island University Dance Department this semester *Guest Artist at Connecticut College, September 2012 *Teaching contemporary dance at Hunter College this semester *Working with Jen Abrams on a new piece called "Any Resemblance," using video, photography, the Internet and live performance Contact links for more information are available on InfiniteBody blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Listen to choreographer Deborah Hay talk about what she has learned from working with highly-skilled performers and about her plans for a sabbatical to re-set, refresh and see what comes next in her work. (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Listen to director/choreographer/educator Edisa Weeks (DELIRIOUS Dances) talk about the role of storytelling and justice in her work and the inspiration of the political insights of Thomas Paine. Edisa Weeks premieres To Begin the World Over Again at the Irondale Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Sept 27-29 at 8pm; Oct 4-6 at 8pm. (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Listen as Saifan Shmerer relates how being present with impermanence launched a dreamlike journey of discovery for a choreographer at the start of her career. saifan shmerer | SASSON premieres Nothing Lasts Forever, Nothing is Lost Forever at The End (18 Kent Street, Brooklyn: map/directions). Thursday-Saturday, September 27-29. Details and tickets can be found at www.dontyousass.me. (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Surprise! It's time to revive my old dance interview podcast, Body and Soul. I'll be starting with Listen., a new series-within-the-series that will feature short, unmediated takes by artists from the dance world and allied disciplines about...well, really about anything they want to say, any way they want to say it. While I expect that these folks have plenty to say about life, art, politics, spirituality and more, each one will have to keep it all down to 10 minutes max--which is good for focusing the speaker's mind and holding the typical Web surfer's attention, right? Listen. Doug Varone and Dancers at The Joyce Theater, October 9-14 For links to more information about Varone and his company, visit my blog, InfiniteBody, at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Thanks for listening! (c)2012, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, http://infinitebody.blogspot.com
For the past few years, Paul Singh--who has performed for some of New York's most innovative dance makers--has started branching out as a choreographer in his own right with his company, Singh & Dance. In our recent conversation, he talks about what drives his creativity and the unusual risks he takes for authenticity in movement. Learn more about Paul Singh at http://www.paulsinghdance.com. (c)2009, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody, http://infinitebody.blogspot.com
Danspace Project will present "Sound Memory"--a full-evening world premiere by the talented young dancer-choreographer Julian Barnett. Barnett joins me to talk about this work, inspired by the influence of old audio technology--music cassette tapes--on memory and imagination. "Sound Memory" at Danspace Project at St. Mark's Church, Thursday-Saturday, 8:30pm. Schedule and ticketing information at http://www.danspaceproject.org or 866-811-4111 Julian Barnett Web site at http://www.julianbarnett.com Dance critic and blogger Apollinaire Scherr's essay on a preview of "Sound Memory" can be found at http://www.artsjournal.com /foot/2008/06/julian_barnetts_sound_memory_a.html. (c)2009, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Ivy Baldwin Dance premieres 'Bear Crown" at Dance Theater Workshop next week, March 18-21. Baldwin's dance-theater aesthetic immerses viewers in mysterious environments with an aura of darkness and twisted humor. Wednesday-Saturday, March 18-21, 7:30pm. Post-show talk with Heather Olson (3/18). Pre-show coffee & conversation with Sara Nash (3/19 at 6:30pm). 10th Anniversary Benefit Gala performance and party (3/19). For schedule and ticketing details, visit http://www.dancetheaterworkshop.org. For company information, visit http://www.ivybaldwindance.org Special note: Justin Jones's Minneapolis-based dance podcast--Talk Dance MPLS--is available through iTunes. (c)2009, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Dancer-choreographer Heidi Latsky presents the New York City premiere of "GIMP"--a full-throttle, passionate ensemble work that expands expectations and perceptions of the body, disability and performance. Thursday-Saturday, March 19-21, 8pm. Opening night reception honors The Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org) Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement, 466 Grand Street (at Pitt); 212-598-0400 Further information at http://www.thegimpproject.com Boston premiere at the Institute of Contemporary Art, April 24-25 (http://www.icaboston.org) (c)2009, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody (http://infinitebody.blogspot.com)
Brian Rogers talks about The Chocolate Factory--an influential multidisciplinary arts space and gallery in Long Island City, Queens--and about his new full-evening work "redevelop (death valley)." Brian Rogers, a graduate of Bennington College, is the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Chocolate Factory Theater. His works for the company include "2 Husbands" (2007), a collaboration with playwright Ken Urban; "GUN PLAY" (2006); and "AUDIT" (2004). Brian curates The Chocolate Factory's Visiting Artist Program and has collaborated as a sound, video and performance artist on numerous projects. He is also Director of Operations for Dance Theater Workshop and curator of the newly-renovated cabaret space at Queens Theatre in the Park. See "redevelop (death valley)" on Thursday-Saturday, February 12-28 and Monday, February 24, all at 8pm. Further information at http://www.chocolatefactorytheater.org. Ticketing at http://www.chocolatefactorytheater.org or at 212-352-3101. InfiniteBody blog: http://infinitebody.blogspot.com (c)2009, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Valerie Green joins me to talk about Green Space--her dance studio and performance space in Long Island City--and its many services to the artists, audiences and families of Queens, New York's most ethnically-diverse borough. See Green perform her solo "Underground" at 92nd Street Y's free Fridays @ Noon program on January 23. Information at http://www.92Y.org or at 212-415-5435. InfiniteBody blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com Valerie Green bio and company information at http://DanceEntropy.org Green Space Studio at http://www.GreenSpaceStudio.org (c)2009, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
It’s immediately clear that Tom Pearson and Zach Morris of Third Rail Projects take great pleasure in their work and that the personal bond between them creates an atmosphere of trust and courage that nourishes their entire artistic team. The dancer-choreographers spoke with me today about their partnership, their creative process and “Vanishing Point,” a new presentation at Danspace Project (June 26-28). BIOS TOM PEARSON Tom Pearson works in a variety of media. Each work introduces its own movement and/or visual vocabulary, defined by the parameters of the subject and performance environment. Pearson’s work ranges from the surreal to the absurd, and part of his creative project includes an examination of American Indian identity in urban situations and everyday circumstances. Through the lens of a contemporary movement vocabulary, he creates dense, evocative worlds that illuminate the transient and the transformational, using movement abstracted from and coupled with everyday action. Paired with this is a fierce percussive abandon, often complimented by meditative nuance. Likewise, Pearson uses art installation to achieve rich, multi-dimensional environments, and site-specific explorations seek to mine public spaces for hidden meaning and to capture and engage unwary and uninitiated passersby. Tom Pearson has been commissioned to create original site-specific works as part of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s SiteLines series, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in New York, and American Express’s River to River Festival; by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the 2006 Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival; and by the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation for the SWIRE ISalnd East Urban Dance Festival 2007. His work has been presented in New York by Dixon Place; La Mama E.T.C.; with The Thunderbird Indian Dancers at Theater for the New City; Dance Theater Workshop; Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church; The New York International Fringe Festival; the D.U.M.B.O. Dance Festival; The Bridge for Dance; and Crazy Cuban Productions/Dance Space Center. Pearson has been supported by creative residencies at LMCC’s MOVE:133 Beekman in space generously provided by General Growth Properties, Inc.; the Great Neck House, Great Neck, NY; by a Harkness Space Grant from the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center; Dance Theater Workshop’s Outer/Space program at Topaz Arts; Epiphany Theater Company; and as part of The Swarthmore Project at Swarthmore College, PA. Tom Pearson is Co-Artistic Director of Third Rail Projects and frequently collaborates with the other members of Third Rail on joint ventures. He received his M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University, his B.F.A. in Dance and B.A. in English from Florida State University. He has taught as an Adjunct Professor of Dance at the Florida School of the Arts; as a movement instructor for Opera Workshop at LaGuardia High School for Music, Art and the Performing Arts (through New York City Opera's Arts-in-Education program); as the Dance Program Coordinator at the award-winning LEVELS teen center in Long Island; and as a part of several other high school and special interest programs and through master classes at Swarthmore College and Florida State University. Pearson's writings on dance have been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Time Out New York Kids, and Uncoolkids.com. ZACH MORRIS Zach Morris believes that art should be fun. He also believes it should be well-crafted, engaging and have some meat to it. Most of all, Zach believes that art is a means to an end–a meditative discipline and an on-going investigation of the human condition utilizing a communicative system of images, juxtapositions and metaphors that resonate on a fundamental, intuitive level. As such, he is deeply interested in exploring themes and relationships that illuminate the broader patterns of human experience. He is fascinated with evoking archetypal images and placing them into highly personal or pedestrian contexts. By colliding the mythic with the mundane he has begun to understand how these dream-like images can inform, shape and elucidate our day-to-day existence. Zach hopes to effect positive change by creating projects that allow both the artist and audience to sidestep our preconceived notions about our reality and ourselves, and allow us access to more elusive but equally potent ways of understanding. Some people have written about his work and said it is "wickedly funny", "visually stunning" and "hauntingly melancholy." Other people have said, "there is no escaping the feeling that you have been doing drugs for the past hour. Good drugs." Zach is a director, choreographer, author, visual artist, and filmmaker. His work has been seen in London, at several theaters around the US and at numerous venues in New York City including: the South Street Seaport as part of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's SiteLines Series, Dance Theater Workshop, Dance New Amsterdam, University Settlement/The New York Fringe Festival, Dixon Place, the Williamsburg Art Nexus, and The Merce Cunningham Studio. He has received the Henry Boettcher Award for Excellence in Directing, the NYC Fringe Fest Award for Excellence in Choreography, and has been granted residencies or commissions from La Mama, LMCC, the Swarthmore Project, The Great Neck House, Epiphany Theatre Company, Dance Theater Workshop’s Outer/Space program at Topaz Arts, and others. Zach is Co-Artistic Director of Third Rail Projects and has also served as the Co-Creator and Co-Director of the Westbeth New Works Program; the National and International Programs Associate at Dance Theater Workshop; the Bartender at a number of questionable establishments; and most recently, as the Dance Coordinator at LEVELS, a teen-center based in Long Island. Zach has a B.F.A. in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University. Click on name above to go to Zach's page. EVENT “Vanishing Point” at Danspace Project, St. Mark’s Church–June 26-28, 8:30pm. A post-show discussion with dance writer Brian McCormick and the choreographers will follow the opening night performance. LINKS Third Rail Projects http://www.thirdrailprojects.com Danspace Project http://www.danspaceproject.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
It’s immediately clear that Tom Pearson and Zach Morris of Third Rail Projects take great pleasure in their work and that the personal bond between them creates an atmosphere of trust and courage that nourishes their entire artistic team. The dancer-choreographers spoke with me today about their partnership, their creative process and “Vanishing Point,” a new presentation at Danspace Project (June 26-28). BIOS TOM PEARSON Tom Pearson works in a variety of media. Each work introduces its own movement and/or visual vocabulary, defined by the parameters of the subject and performance environment. Pearson’s work ranges from the surreal to the absurd, and part of his creative project includes an examination of American Indian identity in urban situations and everyday circumstances. Through the lens of a contemporary movement vocabulary, he creates dense, evocative worlds that illuminate the transient and the transformational, using movement abstracted from and coupled with everyday action. Paired with this is a fierce percussive abandon, often complimented by meditative nuance. Likewise, Pearson uses art installation to achieve rich, multi-dimensional environments, and site-specific explorations seek to mine public spaces for hidden meaning and to capture and engage unwary and uninitiated passersby. Tom Pearson has been commissioned to create original site-specific works as part of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s SiteLines series, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in New York, and American Express’s River to River Festival; by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the 2006 Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival; and by the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation for the SWIRE ISalnd East Urban Dance Festival 2007. His work has been presented in New York by Dixon Place; La Mama E.T.C.; with The Thunderbird Indian Dancers at Theater for the New City; Dance Theater Workshop; Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church; The New York International Fringe Festival; the D.U.M.B.O. Dance Festival; The Bridge for Dance; and Crazy Cuban Productions/Dance Space Center. Pearson has been supported by creative residencies at LMCC’s MOVE:133 Beekman in space generously provided by General Growth Properties, Inc.; the Great Neck House, Great Neck, NY; by a Harkness Space Grant from the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center; Dance Theater Workshop’s Outer/Space program at Topaz Arts; Epiphany Theater Company; and as part of The Swarthmore Project at Swarthmore College, PA. Tom Pearson is Co-Artistic Director of Third Rail Projects and frequently collaborates with the other members of Third Rail on joint ventures. He received his M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University, his B.F.A. in Dance and B.A. in English from Florida State University. He has taught as an Adjunct Professor of Dance at the Florida School of the Arts; as a movement instructor for Opera Workshop at LaGuardia High School for Music, Art and the Performing Arts (through New York City Opera's Arts-in-Education program); as the Dance Program Coordinator at the award-winning LEVELS teen center in Long Island; and as a part of several other high school and special interest programs and through master classes at Swarthmore College and Florida State University. Pearson's writings on dance have been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Time Out New York Kids, and Uncoolkids.com. ZACH MORRIS Zach Morris believes that art should be fun. He also believes it should be well-crafted, engaging and have some meat to it. Most of all, Zach believes that art is a means to an end–a meditative discipline and an on-going investigation of the human condition utilizing a communicative system of images, juxtapositions and metaphors that resonate on a fundamental, intuitive level. As such, he is deeply interested in exploring themes and relationships that illuminate the broader patterns of human experience. He is fascinated with evoking archetypal images and placing them into highly personal or pedestrian contexts. By colliding the mythic with the mundane he has begun to understand how these dream-like images can inform, shape and elucidate our day-to-day existence. Zach hopes to effect positive change by creating projects that allow both the artist and audience to sidestep our preconceived notions about our reality and ourselves, and allow us access to more elusive but equally potent ways of understanding. Some people have written about his work and said it is "wickedly funny", "visually stunning" and "hauntingly melancholy." Other people have said, "there is no escaping the feeling that you have been doing drugs for the past hour. Good drugs." Zach is a director, choreographer, author, visual artist, and filmmaker. His work has been seen in London, at several theaters around the US and at numerous venues in New York City including: the South Street Seaport as part of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's SiteLines Series, Dance Theater Workshop, Dance New Amsterdam, University Settlement/The New York Fringe Festival, Dixon Place, the Williamsburg Art Nexus, and The Merce Cunningham Studio. He has received the Henry Boettcher Award for Excellence in Directing, the NYC Fringe Fest Award for Excellence in Choreography, and has been granted residencies or commissions from La Mama, LMCC, the Swarthmore Project, The Great Neck House, Epiphany Theatre Company, Dance Theater Workshop’s Outer/Space program at Topaz Arts, and others. Zach is Co-Artistic Director of Third Rail Projects and has also served as the Co-Creator and Co-Director of the Westbeth New Works Program; the National and International Programs Associate at Dance Theater Workshop; the Bartender at a number of questionable establishments; and most recently, as the Dance Coordinator at LEVELS, a teen-center based in Long Island. Zach has a B.F.A. in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University. Click on name above to go to Zach's page. EVENT “Vanishing Point” at Danspace Project, St. Mark’s Church–June 26-28, 8:30pm. A post-show discussion with dance writer Brian McCormick and the choreographers will follow the opening night performance. LINKS Third Rail Projects http://www.thirdrailprojects.com Danspace Project http://www.danspaceproject.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Hilary Easton's creativity combines secure craft, sharp intelligence, hearty expression and fearless exploration. Here's a delightful conversation I had with the choreographer in a studio at New York's Lincoln Center. BIO Hiilary Easton has danced with Kinematic, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, XXY Dance/Music and many others. Ms. Easton has been commissioned to choreograph for many exciting projects, most recently The Talking Band's "Imminence," which premiered at La MaMa in February 2008. Ms. Easton is a consultant for VSA Arts, the New York Philharmonic, and Big Thought/Dallas. She has taught at Connecticut College, Princeton University, and the University of Montana and will be in residency this November at The Hermitage Artist Retreat in Sarasota, Florida. Hilary Easton + Company will perform "Noise + Speed" during Mt. Tremper Arts's inaugural season. The troupe will tour their 2007 work "It's All True" for Lincoln Center Institute and will present their next New York season in March 2009 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater as part of the Harkness Dance Festival. LINK "Noise + Speed" performance at Mt. Tremper Arts Summer Festival--Saturday, August 23 http://mttremperarts.wordpress.com/festival/hilary-easton-company/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Hilary Easton's creativity combines secure craft, sharp intelligence, hearty expression and fearless exploration. Here's a delightful conversation I had with the choreographer in a studio at New York's Lincoln Center. BIO Hiilary Easton has danced with Kinematic, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, XXY Dance/Music and many others. Ms. Easton has been commissioned to choreograph for many exciting projects, most recently The Talking Band's "Imminence," which premiered at La MaMa in February 2008. Ms. Easton is a consultant for VSA Arts, the New York Philharmonic, and Big Thought/Dallas. She has taught at Connecticut College, Princeton University, and the University of Montana and will be in residency this November at The Hermitage Artist Retreat in Sarasota, Florida. Hilary Easton + Company will perform "Noise + Speed" during Mt. Tremper Arts's inaugural season. The troupe will tour their 2007 work "It's All True" for Lincoln Center Institute and will present their next New York season in March 2009 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater as part of the Harkness Dance Festival. LINK "Noise + Speed" performance at Mt. Tremper Arts Summer Festival--Saturday, August 23 http://mttremperarts.wordpress.com/festival/hilary-easton-company/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
If you can see this description text but missed the text for the previous two podcasts--the UF students and Emily Berry interviews--you can find that information on my blog, InfiniteBody. Thanks, once again, for your support! LINK http://infinitebody.blogspot.com Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
If you can see this description text but missed the text for the previous two podcasts--the UF students and Emily Berry interviews--you can find that information on my blog, InfiniteBody. Thanks, once again, for your support! LINK http://infinitebody.blogspot.com Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
“I believe that art has the power to create change,” says Emily Berry, artistic director of B3W and my guest for today’s podcast. Recently, Berry set a new dance on her students at Queensborough Community College, dealing straight on with the issue of race. Given the prominence of this issue–for better or for worse--in this year’s presidential campaign, I thought it appropriate to take a look at how one contemporary dance artist has chosen to address this longstanding societal divide. You can see videos of Berry's work at http://www.b3w.org. BIO Emily Berry is the Artistic Director of B3W, formerly the Emily Berry Dance Company, which has performed in the US, England and Mexico. She has performed with Ann Arbor Dance Works, Boris Willis Moves, Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh & Company, Michele Dunleavy, Lesole’s Dance Project (South African), and Ashe Moyubba Afro-Cuban Folkloric Dance Ensemble. She has performed at such venues as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Dance Place, Teatro de Danza in Mexico City, and a solo show in England, as well as numerous dance festivals. Emily is a Certified Movement Analyst. She also has a MFA in dance from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Dance Arts from the University of Michigan. She has taught at Oakland University, George Mason University, Marymount University, Coppin State University, Montgomery College, and the Community College of Baltimore County. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Queensborough Community College. Emily has presented a paper titled “On Looking: Representations of the female body in art” at Northampton University in England at the Post-Feminists Practices in the Arts Conference. She was also a panelist at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies Conference in New York on Dance and Politics. COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT B3W (Beyond Third Wave), formerly the Emily Berry Dance Company, uses video, text, music, and movement to address the state of humanity. The company has performed in the US, England, and Mexico, presenting works tackling such issues as race, the glass ceiling, domestic violence, women in prison, and war since 1995. The Third Wave is referring to the third wave of the women’s movement. While the work is mostly coming from a feminist perspective, the work is not limited to feminist issues, which adds “Beyond” to the title of the company. The company's fundamental belief is that art has the power to create change. LINK http://www.b3w.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
“I believe that art has the power to create change,” says Emily Berry, artistic director of B3W and my guest for today’s podcast. Recently, Berry set a new dance on her students at Queensborough Community College, dealing straight on with the issue of race. Given the prominence of this issue–for better or for worse--in this year’s presidential campaign, I thought it appropriate to take a look at how one contemporary dance artist has chosen to address this longstanding societal divide. You can see videos of Berry's work at http://www.b3w.org. BIO Emily Berry is the Artistic Director of B3W, formerly the Emily Berry Dance Company, which has performed in the US, England and Mexico. She has performed with Ann Arbor Dance Works, Boris Willis Moves, Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh & Company, Michele Dunleavy, Lesole’s Dance Project (South African), and Ashe Moyubba Afro-Cuban Folkloric Dance Ensemble. She has performed at such venues as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Dance Place, Teatro de Danza in Mexico City, and a solo show in England, as well as numerous dance festivals. Emily is a Certified Movement Analyst. She also has a MFA in dance from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Dance Arts from the University of Michigan. She has taught at Oakland University, George Mason University, Marymount University, Coppin State University, Montgomery College, and the Community College of Baltimore County. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at Queensborough Community College. Emily has presented a paper titled “On Looking: Representations of the female body in art” at Northampton University in England at the Post-Feminists Practices in the Arts Conference. She was also a panelist at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies Conference in New York on Dance and Politics. COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT B3W (Beyond Third Wave), formerly the Emily Berry Dance Company, uses video, text, music, and movement to address the state of humanity. The company has performed in the US, England, and Mexico, presenting works tackling such issues as race, the glass ceiling, domestic violence, women in prison, and war since 1995. The Third Wave is referring to the third wave of the women’s movement. While the work is mostly coming from a feminist perspective, the work is not limited to feminist issues, which adds “Beyond” to the title of the company. The company's fundamental belief is that art has the power to create change. LINK http://www.b3w.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
A few weeks ago, I interviewed choreographer Neta Pulvermacher about her UF/NYC Dance Xchange program for dance majors from University of Florida's College of Fine Arts. The students are now here in New York, and I met them last evening at Judson Memorial Church where we attended a Movement Research performance. After watching dances by Rose Anne Spradlin, Rebecca Lazier, DD Dorvillier and Julian Barnett, we gathered around, and I asked the students to share some of their reactions to the show. LINKS Interview with Neta Pulvermacher http://infinitebody.blogspot.com/2008/04/neta-pulvermacher-body-and-soul-podcast.html Joyce SoHo http://www.joyce.org University of Florida College of Fine Arts, Scool of Theatre and Dance http://arts.ufl.edu/theatreanddance/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
A few weeks ago, I interviewed choreographer Neta Pulvermacher about her UF/NYC Dance Xchange program for dance majors from University of Florida's College of Fine Arts. The students are now here in New York, and I met them last evening at Judson Memorial Church where we attended a Movement Research performance. After watching dances by Rose Anne Spradlin, Rebecca Lazier, DD Dorvillier and Julian Barnett, we gathered around, and I asked the students to share some of their reactions to the show. LINKS Interview with Neta Pulvermacher http://infinitebody.blogspot.com/2008/04/neta-pulvermacher-body-and-soul-podcast.html Joyce SoHo http://www.joyce.org University of Florida College of Fine Arts, Scool of Theatre and Dance http://arts.ufl.edu/theatreanddance/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
In Part 2 of our conversation about the 2008 La MaMa Moves! dance festival, co-curators Nicky Paraiso and Mia B. Yoo discuss a new addition to their festival schedule--a forum for choreographers. GUEST BIOS See Part 1. EVENT La MaMa Moves! -- May 2-June 1 For up-to-the-minute calendar and ticketing details, see the link below or call 212-475-7710. LINK La MaMa e.t.c. http://www.lamama.org/ Click on Dance Festival 2008 Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
The Kitchen, located in Chelsea, and The Studio Museum in Harlem have a couple of exciting things in common. Both centers herald innovation in the arts. And now both have Hoofers' House--an intimate tap jam session celebrating tap dance on the cutting edge. Rashida Bumbray--who co-founded Hoofers' House at SMH and now serves as Assistant Curator at The Kitchen--joins me to talk about this new partnership and The Kitchen's upcoming free event, hosted by master tap dancer/teacher Jason Samuels Smith (May 23). BIO Rashida Bumbray is a dancer and curator living in Harlem. While Bumbray's primary dance form is tap, she has studied with international dance masters of various forms in Brazil, The Gambia, and London. Her personal work combines her passion for dance and visual art in the interest of creating and presenting work that interrogates society and inspires transformation. Bumbray has been Assistant Curator at The Kitchen since Fall 2006. Previously she enjoyed a five and half year tenure at The Studio Museum in Harlem, as Curatorial Assistant and Exhibition Coordinator. She is co-founder and curator of Studio Sound, the Studio Museum's lobby music installation which featured new works by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Marc Cary, and Charlie Dark’s The Black Atlantic Project: a musical chain letter. Recently she co-curated the exhibition Mai-Thu Perret: An Evening of the Book with Debra Singer and has organized several music events at The Kitchen, including new concert works by Pheroan akLaff, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Guillermo E. Brown, Min Xiao-Fen, and Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber. She is also the co-founder of Hoofers’ House, the Studio Museum's quarterly jam session for tap dancers, which is now co-produced by The Kitchen. EVENT Hoofers' House, May 23, 8pm. Free. For details, visit The Kitchen site (link below). LINKS The Kitchen http://thekitchen.org The Studio Museum in Harlem http://www.studiomuseum.org Jason Samuels Smith Divine Rhythm Productions http://www.divinerhythmproductions.macwebsitebuilder.com/ JasonSamuelsSmith.html Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
The Kitchen, located in Chelsea, and The Studio Museum in Harlem have a couple of exciting things in common. Both centers herald innovation in the arts. And now both have Hoofers' House--an intimate tap jam session celebrating tap dance on the cutting edge. Rashida Bumbray--who co-founded Hoofers' House at SMH and now serves as Assistant Curator at The Kitchen--joins me to talk about this new partnership and The Kitchen's upcoming free event, hosted by master tap dancer/teacher Jason Samuels Smith (May 23). BIO Rashida Bumbray is a dancer and curator living in Harlem. While Bumbray's primary dance form is tap, she has studied with international dance masters of various forms in Brazil, The Gambia, and London. Her personal work combines her passion for dance and visual art in the interest of creating and presenting work that interrogates society and inspires transformation. Bumbray has been Assistant Curator at The Kitchen since Fall 2006. Previously she enjoyed a five and half year tenure at The Studio Museum in Harlem, as Curatorial Assistant and Exhibition Coordinator. She is co-founder and curator of Studio Sound, the Studio Museum's lobby music installation which featured new works by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Marc Cary, and Charlie Dark’s The Black Atlantic Project: a musical chain letter. Recently she co-curated the exhibition Mai-Thu Perret: An Evening of the Book with Debra Singer and has organized several music events at The Kitchen, including new concert works by Pheroan akLaff, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Guillermo E. Brown, Min Xiao-Fen, and Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber. She is also the co-founder of Hoofers’ House, the Studio Museum's quarterly jam session for tap dancers, which is now co-produced by The Kitchen. EVENT Hoofers' House, May 23, 8pm. Free. For details, visit The Kitchen site (link below). LINKS The Kitchen http://thekitchen.org The Studio Museum in Harlem http://www.studiomuseum.org Jason Samuels Smith Divine Rhythm Productions http://www.divinerhythmproductions.macwebsitebuilder.com/ JasonSamuelsSmith.html Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
La MaMa Moves! again! Ellen Stewart's legendary East Village theater presents its big annual dance festival, starting this weekend with a presentation of Ivy Baldwin Dance. I spoke with co-curators Nicky Paraiso and Mia B. Yoo about all of their sensational events, including the "Dancing for Micki" benefit in honor of Micki Wesson, the great supporter and champion of New York dance. In Part 2 of our conversation--a separate podcast--Nicky and Mia discuss a new addition to their festival schedule--a forum for choreographers. Nicky Paraiso is currently Performance Curator at The Club at La MaMa Experimental Theatre, and co-curates (with Mia B. Yoo) La MaMa Moves!, La MaMa’s annual spring dance festival. He has been a prolific actor at La MaMa, and the New York downtown theater and performance scene, since 1979. Paraiso has been a member of Meredith Monk/The House and Vocal Ensemble (1981-1990), touring extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. He has worked as an actor and musical director with playwright/actor/director Jeff Weiss and his partner Carlos Ricardo Martinez since 1979, and has performed with Yoshiko Chuma and the School of Hard Knocks since 1988. Nicky is also a critically-acclaimed solo performance artist, whose one-man shows Asian Boys, Houses and Jewels and House/Boy have been presented at La MaMa ETC, Dixon Place, PS122, Dance Theater Workshop and on tour. House/Boy, originally presented by La MaMa ETC in association with Ma-Yi Theater Company, written & performed by Paraiso and directed by Ralph B. Pena, has been presented as part of the KO Performance Festival’s 15th Anniversary season at Amherst College, at Pillsbury House Theater’s Late-Night Series in Minneapolis (November 2005) and also at the 4th Festival Internacional de Cabaret in Mexico City (June 2006), among other venues. House/Boy was recently presented as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival in October 2007 and also in November at the Initiation International Festival 2007 in Singapore. Paraiso's awards include a 1987 BESSIE Award for Performance, a 2004 Spencer Cherashore Fund grant for mid-career actors and a 2005 NY Innovative Theater Award. He was a finalist for the prestigious Cal Arts/Alpert Award in 1998. Nicky is a graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory, and holds an M.F.A. from New York University's Graduate Acting Program. Mia B. Yoo is an actress and director who earned her BA in Theatre at Brown University and her MFA in Acting at Columbia University. She has appeared with the Great Jones Repertory Company, the American Repertory Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She is an Artistic Associate at La MaMa e.t.c. and co-curates La MaMa Moves! with Nicky Paraiso. EVENTS La MaMa Moves! -- May 2-June 1 Ivy Baldwin Dance at The Club at La MaMa e.t.c., May 2-11, Friday-Saturday, 10pm; Sunday, 5:30pm For up-to-the-minute calendar and ticketing details, see the link below or call 212-475-7710. LINKS La MaMa e.t.c. http://www.lamama.org/ Click on Dance Festival 2008 Ivy Baldwin Dance http://www.ivybaldwindance.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
In Part 2 of our conversation about the 2008 La MaMa Moves! dance festival, co-curators Nicky Paraiso and Mia B. Yoo discuss a new addition to their festival schedule--a forum for choreographers. GUEST BIOS See Part 1. EVENT La MaMa Moves! -- May 2-June 1 For up-to-the-minute calendar and ticketing details, see the link below or call 212-475-7710. LINK La MaMa e.t.c. http://www.lamama.org/ Click on Dance Festival 2008 Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Acclaimed dancer-choreographer Nora Chipaumire--recipient of a 2007 New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award--joins me to discuss her vision and mission as a Zimbabwe-born contemporary dance artist of Shona heritage. She previews her April 30-May 1 solo season at Dance Theater Workshop. BIO Nora Chipaumire was born in Mutare, Zimbabwe during the Chimurenga Chechipiri, or second war of liberation. A self-exiled artist now based in New York, she investigates the collaborative process within cultural, political, economic, and technological identities of African contemporary life. Her work is transnational, unafraid, and eager to burn cultural, creative, and geographic boundaries. She creates provocative and politically relevant multimedia dance work, illuminating the struggles of human identity in an increasingly borderless world. Her work is inspired by art from her native country such as shona sculpture and chimurenga music--art that results from the often violent convergence of rural, urban, African, non-African, cultural, economic, colonial, and technological ideas. A visionary African contemporary dance artist, her work speaks to the human condition with power, authority, and urgency. Nora Chipaumire is a recipient of a 2007 New York Dance and Performance (aka "Bessie") Award. She is also a Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC) 2007-08 Choreographic Fellow. She is a recipient of National Dance Project (NDP) Tour Support in 2007-08. She also received a Jerome Travel and Study Grant to participate in the JANT-BI Diaspora Project in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal in May and August 2007. Nora was honored with the Mariam McGlone Emerging Choreographer Award from Wesleyan University Center for the Arts on March 10, 2007. She is featured in the documentary "Movement (R)evolution" and is the subject of the documentary-in-progress, "Nora Chipaumire: A Physical Biography," directed by Alla Kovgan and David Hinton, supported by a 2007 EMPAC DANCE MOViES Commission. A graduate of the law school of the University of Zimbabwe, Chipaumire received her MA in Dance and MFA in Choreography and Performance from Mills College in Oakland, CA. She has shown her work widely and danced with a variety companies in the US and abroad. Most notably, she is a member of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's world-renowned Urban Bush Women. UPCOMING EVENTS "Chimurenga" at Dance Theater Workshop, April 30-May 3 (7:30pm). Coffee and Pre-Show Talk, April 30 at 6:30, with Charmaine WaTalk, April 30, with Brian McCormick Student Matinee, May 2, at Noon LINK Dance Theater Workshop http://www.dancetheaterworkshop.org Urban Bush Women http://www.urbanbushwomen.org/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Acclaimed dancer-choreographer Nora Chipaumire--recipient of a 2007 New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award--joins me to discuss her vision and mission as a Zimbabwe-born contemporary dance artist of Shona heritage. She previews her April 30-May 1 solo season at Dance Theater Workshop. BIO Nora Chipaumire was born in Mutare, Zimbabwe during the Chimurenga Chechipiri, or second war of liberation. A self-exiled artist now based in New York, she investigates the collaborative process within cultural, political, economic, and technological identities of African contemporary life. Her work is transnational, unafraid, and eager to burn cultural, creative, and geographic boundaries. She creates provocative and politically relevant multimedia dance work, illuminating the struggles of human identity in an increasingly borderless world. Her work is inspired by art from her native country such as shona sculpture and chimurenga music--art that results from the often violent convergence of rural, urban, African, non-African, cultural, economic, colonial, and technological ideas. A visionary African contemporary dance artist, her work speaks to the human condition with power, authority, and urgency. Nora Chipaumire is a recipient of a 2007 New York Dance and Performance (aka "Bessie") Award. She is also a Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC) 2007-08 Choreographic Fellow. She is a recipient of National Dance Project (NDP) Tour Support in 2007-08. She also received a Jerome Travel and Study Grant to participate in the JANT-BI Diaspora Project in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal in May and August 2007. Nora was honored with the Mariam McGlone Emerging Choreographer Award from Wesleyan University Center for the Arts on March 10, 2007. She is featured in the documentary "Movement (R)evolution" and is the subject of the documentary-in-progress, "Nora Chipaumire: A Physical Biography," directed by Alla Kovgan and David Hinton, supported by a 2007 EMPAC DANCE MOViES Commission. A graduate of the law school of the University of Zimbabwe, Chipaumire received her MA in Dance and MFA in Choreography and Performance from Mills College in Oakland, CA. She has shown her work widely and danced with a variety companies in the US and abroad. Most notably, she is a member of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's world-renowned Urban Bush Women. UPCOMING EVENTS "Chimurenga" at Dance Theater Workshop, April 30-May 3 (7:30pm). Coffee and Pre-Show Talk, April 30 at 6:30, with Charmaine WaTalk, April 30, with Brian McCormick Student Matinee, May 2, at Noon LINK Dance Theater Workshop http://www.dancetheaterworkshop.org Urban Bush Women http://www.urbanbushwomen.org/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
New York-based choreographer Neta Pulvermacher, who teaches at the University of Florida, joined me to talk about her plans for this year's big student field trip to New York--the Second Annual UF/NYC Dance Xchange (May 3-10, 2008)--and also share a preview of other exciting upcoming projects. BIO Neta Pulvermacher is the founder and project director of the UF/NYC Dance Xchange. She was born and raised in Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan, Israel. She graduated from Juilliard in 1985 and holds an MFA from the ADF/Hollins University. She founded The Neta Dance Company in 1987 and since then has choreographed over 65 works for her company and for numerous ballet and modern companies. Her company tours throughout the US as well as in Europe and Israel. Neta is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Florida. She has choreographed for director, Mira Nair’s feature film, The Namesake, which was released in March of 2007. Most recently she was invited to the MANCC at FSU to work with the Limón Dance Company. She is the founder and producer of the A.W.A.R.D. Show! which now takes place in New York, Florida and Utah. Recent commissions include: Matte Asher Dance Company in Israel, Frank Sinatra High School for the Arts, Klor Music and Dance Center in Israel, Roger Williams University, and others. She is the proud mother of Alon. Upcoming projects: "Lady Justice Rides the Wagon" (a site Specific Work with real NY women judges) at City Hall Park and a New York season which will include the premiere of the full length "Air" in fall 2008. LINKS The Neta Dance Company and The 2008 A.W.A.R.D. Show http://www.netacompany.org Joyce SoHo http://www.joyce.org University of Florida College of Fine Arts, Scool of Theatre and Dance http://arts.ufl.edu/theatreanddance/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
New York-based choreographer Neta Pulvermacher, who teaches at the University of Florida, joined me to talk about her plans for this year's big student field trip to New York--the Second Annual UF/NYC Dance Xchange (May 3-10, 2008)--and also share a preview of other exciting upcoming projects. BIO Neta Pulvermacher is the founder and project director of the UF/NYC Dance Xchange. She was born and raised in Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan, Israel. She graduated from Juilliard in 1985 and holds an MFA from the ADF/Hollins University. She founded The Neta Dance Company in 1987 and since then has choreographed over 65 works for her company and for numerous ballet and modern companies. Her company tours throughout the US as well as in Europe and Israel. Neta is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Florida. She has choreographed for director, Mira Nair’s feature film, The Namesake, which was released in March of 2007. Most recently she was invited to the MANCC at FSU to work with the Limón Dance Company. She is the founder and producer of the A.W.A.R.D. Show! which now takes place in New York, Florida and Utah. Recent commissions include: Matte Asher Dance Company in Israel, Frank Sinatra High School for the Arts, Klor Music and Dance Center in Israel, Roger Williams University, and others. She is the proud mother of Alon. Upcoming projects: "Lady Justice Rides the Wagon" (a site Specific Work with real NY women judges) at City Hall Park and a New York season which will include the premiere of the full length "Air" in fall 2008. LINKS The Neta Dance Company and The 2008 A.W.A.R.D. Show http://www.netacompany.org Joyce SoHo http://www.joyce.org University of Florida College of Fine Arts, Scool of Theatre and Dance http://arts.ufl.edu/theatreanddance/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Brazil-born/New York-based Regina Nejman will bring "Reveal" to the Merce Cunningham Studio, May 1-4. This new dance-theater piece explores the meaning of privacy in today's technology-driven world, delving into the relationship between privacy and technology, and the impact of this relationship on everyday life. BIO Regina Nejman has been creating her own choreography since 1993. She formed Regina Nejman and Company in 1997. Recipient of the Outstanding Choreography Award at the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival for the premiere of "The Velocity of Things," Regina and her company have been steadily touring Brazil for the past two years, where the company has been received with standing ovations. Regina is a 2007/08 Artist in Residence at Joyce SoHo and has been awarded a Dance Theater Workshop Outer/Space residency for next summer. She has received commissions from Princeton University, The Yard and The New Jersey City University, and her work has been presented at Jacob's Pilow Dance Festival, Symphony Space, Joyce SoHo, The New York Film Academy, The New York International Fringe Festival, Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project and Merce Cunningham Studio. EVENTS Visit an open rehearsal of "Reveal" with Regina Nejman and Dancers on Friday Apr 18 (12–2pm) at Joyce SoHo. Regina invites audience feedback and will dialogue with the audience on the issue of privacy. Free admission with reservation at 646-792-8377. See "Reveal" at Merce Cunningham Studio, 55 Bethune Street (11th Floor), Manhattan, May 1-2 (9pm), May 3-4 (8pm). Information and reservations at 212-714-9116. Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Alex Escalante's new evening-length work--"Clandestino"--pays tribute to his Mexican heritage, his immigrant parents, and the courage of undocumented workers, living in the United States, who, in the spring of 2006, turned out for massive rallies for their human rights. At a time when illegal immigration has become an exploited political flashpoint, Escalante asks audiences to confront their own feelings and opinions on this issue. The personal is the political, and vice-versa, in this vibrant presentation featuring live and recorded music, film, and a movement vocabulary inspired by contemporary Mexican social dances. Visit "Clandestino" on MySpace (see link below). BIO Alex Escalante, originally from Los Angeles, graduated from SUNY Purchase. He has worked in New York with Donna Uchizono, Jennifer Monson/Birdbrain, Doug Elkins, Doug Varone, David Neumann, Gerald Casel, the Metropolitan Opera, and has been fortunate to tour as Merce Cunningham's personal assistant. He was featured in the musical film Romance and Cigarettes, directed by John Turturro. His own work, as well as choreography for theatre with Division 13 Productions, has been presented at Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, La MaMa E.T.C., Dixon Place, Movement Research at Judson Church, Joe's Pub, and Here Arts Center. In February 2007, his most recent work, Swallow Sand, was presented by Dance Theater Workshop as part of a Studio Series residency. Escalante is currently a 2007-2008 Movement Research Artist-in-Residence. He also works as a freelance photographer and is an avid surfer. EVENT Premiere of "Clandestino" at Danspace Project, St. Mark's Church, Thursday-Saturday, April 10-12 (8:30pm) Reservations: 212-674-8194 or at Danspace Project's Web site (see link below). LINKS Alex Escalante's "Clandestino" http://www.myspace.com/_clandestino Danspace Project http://www.danspaceproject.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Alex Escalante's new evening-length work--"Clandestino"--pays tribute to his Mexican heritage, his immigrant parents, and the courage of undocumented workers, living in the United States, who, in the spring of 2006, turned out for massive rallies for their human rights. At a time when illegal immigration has become an exploited political flashpoint, Escalante asks audiences to confront their own feelings and opinions on this issue. The personal is the political, and vice-versa, in this vibrant presentation featuring live and recorded music, film, and a movement vocabulary inspired by contemporary Mexican social dances. Visit "Clandestino" on MySpace (see link below). BIO Alex Escalante, originally from Los Angeles, graduated from SUNY Purchase. He has worked in New York with Donna Uchizono, Jennifer Monson/Birdbrain, Doug Elkins, Doug Varone, David Neumann, Gerald Casel, the Metropolitan Opera, and has been fortunate to tour as Merce Cunningham's personal assistant. He was featured in the musical film Romance and Cigarettes, directed by John Turturro. His own work, as well as choreography for theatre with Division 13 Productions, has been presented at Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, La MaMa E.T.C., Dixon Place, Movement Research at Judson Church, Joe's Pub, and Here Arts Center. In February 2007, his most recent work, Swallow Sand, was presented by Dance Theater Workshop as part of a Studio Series residency. Escalante is currently a 2007-2008 Movement Research Artist-in-Residence. He also works as a freelance photographer and is an avid surfer. EVENT Premiere of "Clandestino" at Danspace Project, St. Mark's Church, Thursday-Saturday, April 10-12 (8:30pm) Reservations: 212-674-8194 or at Danspace Project's Web site (see link below). LINKS Alex Escalante's "Clandestino" http://www.myspace.com/_clandestino Danspace Project http://www.danspaceproject.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Lynn Neuman, the talented artistic director of Artichoke Dance Company, is currently showing her new work, “If You See Something...,” at Dixon Place. This evening-length piece is wrenching, both visually and aurally, which owes a lot to the physical and emotional courage of its performers–Toby Billowitz, Cary McWilliams, Melissa Riker and Neuman–as well as the intimacy of the space and an uncommon relationship to the audience. BIO Lynn Neuman is Artistic Director and co-founder of Artichoke Dance Company. Her movement style is the outgrowth of a background in gymnastics combined with eclectic dance training, including studies in Balinese dance, tango and contact improvisation. She enjoys meddling in other artistic mediums and treasures her dancers. Lynn has been commissioned by Peculiar Works Projects to create several multimedia works combining video and live performance, by Nexus Arts to choreograph numerous operas and by educational organizations to create works for students and pre-professional dancers. This summer, Lynn will serve as a guest mentor for the Dance Omi International Dance Collective. Ms. Neuman believes in the power of the arts to effect positive change in people’s lives and within communities. To this end, she works with youths and adults to promote cultural literacy and engage people in dance experiences. She has a BFA degree from the University of Michigan and MFA from Temple University. EVENTS “If You See Something...” continues at Dixon Place tonight and tomorrow (March 21-22) and next Thursday through Saturday (March 27-29) at 8pm. For reservations, call 212-219-0736 or email contact@dixonplace.org. May 23-24: Artichoke presents selections from “Vic and Dee: Through the Years” at BRIC Studio as part of the Danspace Project Out of Space Series. June 14-15: Artichoke premieres “UR Here,” a multi-site performance tour along 5th Avenue in Brooklyn. LINKS Artichoke Dance Company http://www.artichokedance.org Dixon Place http://www.dixonplace.org Danspace Project http://www.danspaceproject.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Lynn Neuman, the talented artistic director of Artichoke Dance Company, is currently showing her new work, “If You See Something...,” at Dixon Place. This evening-length piece is wrenching, both visually and aurally, which owes a lot to the physical and emotional courage of its performers–Toby Billowitz, Cary McWilliams, Melissa Riker and Neuman–as well as the intimacy of the space and an uncommon relationship to the audience. BIO Lynn Neuman is Artistic Director and co-founder of Artichoke Dance Company. Her movement style is the outgrowth of a background in gymnastics combined with eclectic dance training, including studies in Balinese dance, tango and contact improvisation. She enjoys meddling in other artistic mediums and treasures her dancers. Lynn has been commissioned by Peculiar Works Projects to create several multimedia works combining video and live performance, by Nexus Arts to choreograph numerous operas and by educational organizations to create works for students and pre-professional dancers. This summer, Lynn will serve as a guest mentor for the Dance Omi International Dance Collective. Ms. Neuman believes in the power of the arts to effect positive change in people’s lives and within communities. To this end, she works with youths and adults to promote cultural literacy and engage people in dance experiences. She has a BFA degree from the University of Michigan and MFA from Temple University. EVENTS “If You See Something...” continues at Dixon Place tonight and tomorrow (March 21-22) and next Thursday through Saturday (March 27-29) at 8pm. For reservations, call 212-219-0736 or email contact@dixonplace.org. May 23-24: Artichoke presents selections from “Vic and Dee: Through the Years” at BRIC Studio as part of the Danspace Project Out of Space Series. June 14-15: Artichoke premieres “UR Here,” a multi-site performance tour along 5th Avenue in Brooklyn. LINKS Artichoke Dance Company http://www.artichokedance.org Dixon Place http://www.dixonplace.org Danspace Project http://www.danspaceproject.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Here’s my conversation with Sandra Catena, popular belly dance instructor and performer, personal trainer and author of “The African Belly Dance”–the first murder mystery to feature a belly dancer as its protagonist. BOOK FACTS “The African Belly Dance” is a murder mystery featuring Santina Cole, a first generation Italian-American from Newark, New Jersey. Santina was raised in a blue-collar family with deep Catholic roots and much to the chagrin of her family, becomes a belly dancer. Santina is a feisty, funny, red hot woman from the hood who finds herself in the middle of trouble. While performing in West Africa at a Lebanese nightclub, a murder occurs. Santina is in the thick of it and helps find the killer. Get on this magic carpet ride that takes the reader from Newark, New Jersey to Manhattan to West Africa! BIO Sandra Catena has performed in Europe, West Africa, Canada and the United States. She has also performed on national television shows such as MTV, The Joy Brown Show and WB11 News. Since 1980, Sandra has performed in New York's Oriental nightclubs, theaters and colleges. Sandra starred in a 14-week run of "A Belly Dancer's Story" (10/96-2/97) in New York City. "A Belly Dancer's Story" was written, choreographed and performed by Sandra. She also produced and choreographed the following shows in theaters in New York: "A Night of Middle Eastern Dance" (6/01&02/00); "A Belly Dance Extravaganza" (11/18/00); "Belly Dance Nights" (01/07&14&21/01); "Arabian Nights" (06/03&04/01); "Holiday Exotica" (12/18/01); "Belly Dance Fever" (5/25/02); "Holiday Hafla" (12/15/02); "Oriental Dreams" (7/03/03); "A Belly Dancer’s Story" (3/14/04 and 6/15/04); and belly dance recitals at Lafayette Grill (6/12/05, 10/23/05, 3/23/06); “Modern Egyptian Rhythms” (12/3/06). Sandra Catena is a master teacher of Oriental dance. She teaches private and group classes regularly in New York City. Sandra also teaches at Shakti Yoga, The 14th Street Y and has taught at New York University, City University of New York, Sarah Lawrence College, The New Age Health Spa, The Hospital for Joint Diseases, The Seminar Center, The Discovery Center, Asphalt Green, Carmine Street Recreation Bureau, Broome Corner Studios, Rod Rodgers Dance Studios, Dance Theater Workshop, Joyous Life Energy Center, Five Points Fitness and Djoniba's Drum and Dance Center, all in New York. EVENT Wednesday, March 26 (6:30-8:30pm): Book signing party (with performance, reading and cash bar) at Boucarou, 64 East 1st Street, East Village, Manhattan LINKS Sandra Catena http://www.bigapplebellydance.org Boucarou Lounge http://www.boucaroulounge.com Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Here’s my conversation with Sandra Catena, popular belly dance instructor and performer, personal trainer and author of “The African Belly Dance”–the first murder mystery to feature a belly dancer as its protagonist. BOOK FACTS “The African Belly Dance” is a murder mystery featuring Santina Cole, a first generation Italian-American from Newark, New Jersey. Santina was raised in a blue-collar family with deep Catholic roots and much to the chagrin of her family, becomes a belly dancer. Santina is a feisty, funny, red hot woman from the hood who finds herself in the middle of trouble. While performing in West Africa at a Lebanese nightclub, a murder occurs. Santina is in the thick of it and helps find the killer. Get on this magic carpet ride that takes the reader from Newark, New Jersey to Manhattan to West Africa! BIO Sandra Catena has performed in Europe, West Africa, Canada and the United States. She has also performed on national television shows such as MTV, The Joy Brown Show and WB11 News. Since 1980, Sandra has performed in New York's Oriental nightclubs, theaters and colleges. Sandra starred in a 14-week run of "A Belly Dancer's Story" (10/96-2/97) in New York City. "A Belly Dancer's Story" was written, choreographed and performed by Sandra. She also produced and choreographed the following shows in theaters in New York: "A Night of Middle Eastern Dance" (6/01&02/00); "A Belly Dance Extravaganza" (11/18/00); "Belly Dance Nights" (01/07&14&21/01); "Arabian Nights" (06/03&04/01); "Holiday Exotica" (12/18/01); "Belly Dance Fever" (5/25/02); "Holiday Hafla" (12/15/02); "Oriental Dreams" (7/03/03); "A Belly Dancer’s Story" (3/14/04 and 6/15/04); and belly dance recitals at Lafayette Grill (6/12/05, 10/23/05, 3/23/06); “Modern Egyptian Rhythms” (12/3/06). Sandra Catena is a master teacher of Oriental dance. She teaches private and group classes regularly in New York City. Sandra also teaches at Shakti Yoga, The 14th Street Y and has taught at New York University, City University of New York, Sarah Lawrence College, The New Age Health Spa, The Hospital for Joint Diseases, The Seminar Center, The Discovery Center, Asphalt Green, Carmine Street Recreation Bureau, Broome Corner Studios, Rod Rodgers Dance Studios, Dance Theater Workshop, Joyous Life Energy Center, Five Points Fitness and Djoniba's Drum and Dance Center, all in New York. EVENT Wednesday, March 26 (6:30-8:30pm): Book signing party (with performance, reading and cash bar) at Boucarou, 64 East 1st Street, East Village, Manhattan LINKS Sandra Catena http://www.bigapplebellydance.org Boucarou Lounge http://www.boucaroulounge.com Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Dancer and Sufi teacher Dunya Dianne McPherson’s new memoir–Skin of Glass: Finding Spirit in the Flesh–tells of her exploration of the multisensory intelligence and wisdom of her body. In our interview, she retraces the path that led her to her embodied spiritual practice and reads from her extraordinary book. BIO Dunya Dianne McPherson is an acclaimed dancer and choreographer, writer, filmmaker, and Master Teacher. As founder and Principal Teacher of the healing movement practice, Dancemeditation, she specializes in techniques that open the wonderment of deep, subtle, peaceful self-perception. She received her BFA in dance from Juilliard and her MA in Writing from Lesley University. She was an Artist Scholar at Columbia University. With the completion of 1,001 days of Sufi training, she was given teaching permission by Sufi Master, Adnan Sarhan (Sufi Foundation of America). Her numerous teaching credits include: Barnard College, Montclair State College, Mark Morris Dance Center, Hunter College, Oberlin College, Swarthmore College, New York Open Center and Kripalu Center. Awards include: National Endowment for the Arts Choreography Fellowship, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Choreography Commission, TX & MA Arts Council grants. She is featured in the film ‘Dances of Ecstasy.’ Dunya lives in New York City. UPCOMING EVENT Sunday, April 6 (3pm): “Skin of Glass” book launch, featuring performance by Alembic, saxophonist Premik Tubbs and Ensemble, film and photographs, reading, tea and book signing. Location: Metropolitan Building, 11-04 44th Avenue, Long Island City, Queens. RSVP: info@dancemeditationbooks.com LINK Dunya’s Dancemeditation blog http://blog.dancemeditation.org/ Dervish Society of America http://dancemeditation.org/ "Skin of Glass" http://www.dancemeditationbooks.com/skinofglass/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Dancer and Sufi teacher Dunya Dianne McPherson’s new memoir–Skin of Glass: Finding Spirit in the Flesh–tells of her exploration of the multisensory intelligence and wisdom of her body. In our interview, she retraces the path that led her to her embodied spiritual practice and reads from her extraordinary book. BIO Dunya Dianne McPherson is an acclaimed dancer and choreographer, writer, filmmaker, and Master Teacher. As founder and Principal Teacher of the healing movement practice, Dancemeditation, she specializes in techniques that open the wonderment of deep, subtle, peaceful self-perception. She received her BFA in dance from Juilliard and her MA in Writing from Lesley University. She was an Artist Scholar at Columbia University. With the completion of 1,001 days of Sufi training, she was given teaching permission by Sufi Master, Adnan Sarhan (Sufi Foundation of America). Her numerous teaching credits include: Barnard College, Montclair State College, Mark Morris Dance Center, Hunter College, Oberlin College, Swarthmore College, New York Open Center and Kripalu Center. Awards include: National Endowment for the Arts Choreography Fellowship, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Choreography Commission, TX & MA Arts Council grants. She is featured in the film ‘Dances of Ecstasy.’ Dunya lives in New York City. UPCOMING EVENT Sunday, April 6 (3pm): “Skin of Glass” book launch, featuring performance by Alembic, saxophonist Premik Tubbs and Ensemble, film and photographs, reading, tea and book signing. Location: Metropolitan Building, 11-04 44th Avenue, Long Island City, Queens. RSVP: info@dancemeditationbooks.com LINK Dunya’s Dancemeditation blog http://blog.dancemeditation.org/ Dervish Society of America http://dancemeditation.org/ "Skin of Glass" http://www.dancemeditationbooks.com/skinofglass/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Jeff Larson co-curates the enormously popular Catch performance series with Andrew Dinwiddie. He’s also co-curator of Movement Research’s Spring Festival 2008. Jeff called in today to talk about Artists’ Map, his new project for Movement Research. You can submit your address to Artists' Map by emailing Jeff at jeff.larson@mac.com. BIO Jeff Larson is Associate Technical Director for Theatrical Production and Adjunct Faculty for the Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Together with Andrew Dinwiddie, he curates the Catch performance series. Jeff is also the co-founder of PHILIFOR & PHILIMOR productions. Current activities include: performing in HUGO with choreographer Chris Yon (DTW, Spring 2008); scenic design for Beth Gill's “Eleanor & Eleanor” (DTW, Fall 2008); “The Principle of Trim,” the second short video of two with longtime collaborator Zach Steel (Spring 2008); co-curating the Movement Research Spring Festival (Spring 08); and a project centered around the life of militant abolitionist John Brown (Fall 2009). LINKS CATCH htpp://www.catchseries.org MOVEMENT RESEARCH FESTIVAL http://www.movementresearch.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
My guest, Carrie Ahern, is a dancer and an independent choreographer whose work shows a powerful sense of visual order and psychological depth. We met in the dressing room at St. Mark's Church, home of Danspace Project, to talk about "Red," which premiered there in 2006, and her new piece--"The Unity of Skin"--which will premiere on April 3 and run through April 5. To listen to original music composed for "The Unity of Skin" by cellist Greg Heffernan, visit http://www.carrieahern.com/calendar/calendar.html. BIO Carrie Ahern, a Wisconsin native, is an independent dance and performance artist who has been based in New York City since 1995. She worked primarily as a freelance performer/choreographer for over a dozen dance and theater companies until forming Carrie Ahern Dance in 2005. Her current evening length project, "The Unity of Skin" is commissioned by Danspace Project for performances April 3-5, 2008 and is being presented at Baltimore Theatre Project March 6-9, 2008. Investigations into "The Unity of Skin" were shown at Dance Conversations at the Flea, Danceworks in Milwaukee, Movement Research at Judson Church and at Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) as part of their 2007 Space Grant Residency. Her studies of Ancient Greek Philosophy for this piece were funded, in part, by Fractured Atlas' Creative Development Grant. Carrie's first evening length work "Red" (2006) was commissioned both by Danspace Project at St. Mark's Church and the Guggenheim Works-and Process Series. Her shorter works have been seen at over a dozen venues in New York City such as Danspace Project, P.S.122, Dixon Place, the Angel Orensanz Foundation, Dance Space Center (now DNA), Chashama, The Flea and Soundance among others. Nationally and internationally, her work has been presented at Baltimore Theatre Project, Danceworks and Walker's Point Arts Center in Milwaukee, Le Regard du Cygne in Paris and at the Festival D'OFF in Avignon, France. She self-produced two seasons in conjunction with her frequent collaborator, Jennifer A. Cooper: "Alteregomania" at Cunningham in 1999 and "Exploding Plastic Acorns" at the Williamsburg Art Nexus (WAX) in 2003. In 2002, Bessie award winning dancer Carolyn Hall commissioned a solo, with an original score by Grammy award winner Matt Darriau and Ivan Goff. As a performer Carrie has had the pleasure of working with many artists here in New York City including, Pat Cremins/Wyoming, Heather Kravas, Heidi Latsky, Allyson Green, Nina Winthrop, Jeffrey Frace, Ridge Theater, Donna Bouthillier and Jennifer A. Cooper. Upcoming choreographic experiments include a collaborative effort with The Nietzsche Circle -the exciting and daunting task of using Nietzsche's "Thus Spake Zaranthustra" as a jumping off point for a dance. She is exploring remounting 2006's "Red" for the crumbling and infamous Eastern State Penitentiary. Ahern is a sought-after teacher of pilates and yoga throughout NYC. She has taught improvisation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and dance technique in the New York City Public Schools. LINKS Carrie Ahern http://www.carrieahern.com Greg Heffernan (composer) http://www.gregheffernan.com Agata Oleksiak (visual designer) http://www.agataolek.com Danspace Project http://www.danspaceproject.org/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Jeff Larson co-curates the enormously popular Catch performance series with Andrew Dinwiddie. He’s also co-curator of Movement Research’s Spring Festival 2008. Jeff called in today to talk about Artists’ Map, his new project for Movement Research. You can submit your address to Artists' Map by emailing Jeff at jeff.larson@mac.com. BIO Jeff Larson is Associate Technical Director for Theatrical Production and Adjunct Faculty for the Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Together with Andrew Dinwiddie, he curates the Catch performance series. Jeff is also the co-founder of PHILIFOR & PHILIMOR productions. Current activities include: performing in HUGO with choreographer Chris Yon (DTW, Spring 2008); scenic design for Beth Gill's “Eleanor & Eleanor” (DTW, Fall 2008); “The Principle of Trim,” the second short video of two with longtime collaborator Zach Steel (Spring 2008); co-curating the Movement Research Spring Festival (Spring 08); and a project centered around the life of militant abolitionist John Brown (Fall 2009). LINKS CATCH htpp://www.catchseries.org MOVEMENT RESEARCH FESTIVAL http://www.movementresearch.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Choreographer Makeda Thomas (of Roots and Wings Movement!) called from Trinidad to speak with me about the tragic killing of her colleague, Augusto Cuvilas, one of Mozambique's most celebrated dance artists. Although the sound quality of this phone interview is not ideal, the information she presents is very important, and time is of the essence. Makeda has been invited to join with South African choreographer Boyzie Cekwana to complete a project that the three were working on at the time of Cuvilas's death. For more information on how you can help, visit Makeda's site at www.makedathomas.org. Makeda Thomas is from Trinidad & Tobago and has presented work at HARLEM Stage/Aaron Davis Hall, Dance Theater Workshop, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Chicago Women's Performance Arts Festival, Maputo's Teatro Africa, Caribbean Contemporary Arts (CCA7), and as a Cultural Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. Her choreography has been commissioned by 651 ARTS Black Dance: Tradition & Transformation (2007) and received awards from the United States Embassy (2006 & 2005), Puffin Foundation (2005), New York State Council on the Arts (2005), Bossak-Heilbron Charitable Foundation (2005), Arts International (2003), Yellowfox Foundation (2006), and the National AIDS Council of Moçambique (2005). In 2004, during its 25th Anniversary season, she was named Resident Choreographer of Companhia Nacional De Canto e Dança. Graça Machel (Former First Lady of South Africa and Moçambique) serves as the Honorary Patron of her internationally acclaimed work, "A Sense of Place" (2005), on which she presented at the 1st Conference on New Perspectives in African Performing & Visual Arts. In 2007, she became a featured choreographer in ‘This Woman’s Work: Choreographic Development Project Representing Women of Color’ - joining Camille A. Brown, Bridget Moore, Shani Collins, Princess Mhoon Cooper, Francine Ott, & Ursula Payne. As a dancer, Makeda Thomas has toured internationally in the companies of Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, URBAN BUSH WOMEN, and Rennie Harris/ Puremovement, and independently with Robin Becker Dance, Lula Washington Dance Theater, and Stephen Koplowitz. She began her study in Brooklyn, New York with Michael Goring, continuing on scholarship at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, The Paul Taylor School and Hofstra University where she earned a B.A. in Dance and English. Ms. Thomas has conducted research projects in South Africa and The Netherlands, artistic residencies in Hawaii and Florida; and arts in education projects with The Dalton School, Arts in Ed. Institute of Western NY, and NYC Dept. of Education. She continues to create dance works and perform internationally, while living in New York City & Port of Spain. Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Choreographer Makeda Thomas (of Roots and Wings Movement!) called from Trinidad to speak with me about the tragic killing of her colleague, Augusto Cuvilas, one of Mozambique's most celebrated dance artists. Although the sound quality of this phone interview is not ideal, the information she presents is very important, and time is of the essence. Makeda has been invited to join with South African choreographer Boyzie Cekwana to complete a project that the three were working on at the time of Cuvilas's death. For more information on how you can help, visit Makeda's site at www.makedathomas.org. Makeda Thomas is from Trinidad & Tobago and has presented work at HARLEM Stage/Aaron Davis Hall, Dance Theater Workshop, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Chicago Women's Performance Arts Festival, Maputo's Teatro Africa, Caribbean Contemporary Arts (CCA7), and as a Cultural Envoy for the U.S. Department of State. Her choreography has been commissioned by 651 ARTS Black Dance: Tradition & Transformation (2007) and received awards from the United States Embassy (2006 & 2005), Puffin Foundation (2005), New York State Council on the Arts (2005), Bossak-Heilbron Charitable Foundation (2005), Arts International (2003), Yellowfox Foundation (2006), and the National AIDS Council of Moçambique (2005). In 2004, during its 25th Anniversary season, she was named Resident Choreographer of Companhia Nacional De Canto e Dança. Graça Machel (Former First Lady of South Africa and Moçambique) serves as the Honorary Patron of her internationally acclaimed work, "A Sense of Place" (2005), on which she presented at the 1st Conference on New Perspectives in African Performing & Visual Arts. In 2007, she became a featured choreographer in ‘This Woman’s Work: Choreographic Development Project Representing Women of Color’ - joining Camille A. Brown, Bridget Moore, Shani Collins, Princess Mhoon Cooper, Francine Ott, & Ursula Payne. As a dancer, Makeda Thomas has toured internationally in the companies of Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, URBAN BUSH WOMEN, and Rennie Harris/ Puremovement, and independently with Robin Becker Dance, Lula Washington Dance Theater, and Stephen Koplowitz. She began her study in Brooklyn, New York with Michael Goring, continuing on scholarship at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, The Paul Taylor School and Hofstra University where she earned a B.A. in Dance and English. Ms. Thomas has conducted research projects in South Africa and The Netherlands, artistic residencies in Hawaii and Florida; and arts in education projects with The Dalton School, Arts in Ed. Institute of Western NY, and NYC Dept. of Education. She continues to create dance works and perform internationally, while living in New York City & Port of Spain. Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
The talented Trajal Harrell is one of dance's versatile, committed workers. He has learned to balance various roles including performer, choreographer, curator, journal editor and instructor. His innovative art, in concept and execution, investigates the links between postmodern and popular aesthetics. Dance Theater Workshop will host the premiere of Harrell's "Quartet for the End of Time," October 15-18, 2008. This full-evening work for four dancers takes the story of Olivier Messiaen's famous music of the same name (composed and first performed by Jewish and Christian musicians in a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp) as a foundation for investigating the antagonism between sincerity and irony in our contemporary time. BIO Trajal Harrell was born in Douglas, Georgia. He graduated from Yale University, majoring in American Studies with a concentration in creative processes--researching theater, literary theory and art history. He has also studied dance and choreography at Brown University, The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, The San Francisco Institute of Choreography, City College of San Francisco, Movement Research and the Trisha Brown School. His work has been performed in various venues in the US and Europe. In 1998, he was selected as an artist-in-residence at Movement Research and has been active in the development of research projects and curation, including curating an initiative to diversify Movement Research's programming through selection of artists of color for performance opportunities. He has served in editorial capacities for the Movement Research Performance Journal and was appointed editor-in-chief in 2006. LINKS Movement Research: http://www.movementresearch.org/ Dance Theater Workshop: http://www.dtw.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
What happens when dance artists project their inner/alter selves into the vast reaches of cyberspace? I sat down with freelance dance critic and media scholar Brian McCormick to talk about what's happening with dance in Second Life. Brian McCormick is a dance writer and member of the NY Dance & Performance Awards (Bessies) Committee, and part-time faculty in the New School University Media Studies MA program. He has written for Dance Magazine, The New York Times, and The Advocate, and is a long-time contributing editor at Gay City News. Since 2003, he has been the teaching dance-writing to New York City area high school students through a program created by Dance Theater Workshop and High 5 Tickets to the Arts, called Dance TRaC (Teen Reviewers and Critics). LINK Second Life http://www.secondlife.com/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
Estelle Woodward Arnal (Director of Artist Services, Dance Theater Workshop) and Levi Gonzalez (dancer-choreographer) join me today to talk about DTW's Outer/Space Creative Residency Program. Levi Gonzalez is an independent choreographer living and working in New York City who has created a body of solo and group choreographic projects. He is interested in presenting work in a variety of venues and contexts, from small and intimate spaces to more traditional stages. Often the placement of the work in a certain environment shapes the content. Gonzalez is interested in furthering a dialogue of ideas about the body in society-at-large and about how we experience physical presence. He has gradually distanced himself from dance that concerns itself with the abstract designing of movement as an end in itself and towards work that addresses performance and the power and meaning of embodiment in daily life. His work and his choreographic collaborations with Luciana Achugar have been presented by Movement Research at Judson Church, Dance Theater Workshop, The Kitchen, Danspace Project, PS122, Dixon Place, and PS1 Contemporary Art Center. He has performed extensively with Donna Uchizono Company and John Jasperse Company, as well as ChameckiLerner, Jeremy Nelson and Dennis O’Connor. Additionally, he has worked for Michael Laub’s Remote Control Productions in Europe. Levi teaches technique and composition at Movement Research and with Dean Moss at The Kitchen. He was a Movement Research Artist in Residence from 2003-2004 and a 2006 NYFA Fellow in Choreography. He is an editor of Critical Correspondence, an online publication, and facilitates artist dialogues through Dance Theater Workshop’s Fresh Tracks Residency. LINKS: Dance Theater Workshop http://www.dancetheaterworkshop.org Movement Research (for Levi Gonzalez' upcoming workshop, "The Practice of Presence") http://www.movementresearch.org Critical Correspondence http://www.movementresearch.org/publishing/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa This material may not be reproduced in any way, either in part or in its entirety, without the expressed written permission of Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
My interview with dancer-choreographer Ashleigh Leite, conducted in the fall of 2007, is a reminder of how critically important it is for emerging creative artists here in New York to have the support of organizations like Joyce SoHo. As an artist-in-residence at Joyce SoHo's Mercer Street studios, Ashleigh was provided with ample time, rehearsal space, guidance and helpful feedback as she developed Crawl Space, her evening-length, multi-media ensemble which received its premiere at Danspace Project in November 2007--a major step forward in her career. I hope you'll enjoy my talk with this interesting, thoughtful artist and look for the next opportunity to see her work. GUEST BIO Ashleigh Leite, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, graduated (cum laude) from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance Performance in 1997. Upon graduation, Ashleigh joined Stephen Petronio Company, where she served as Assistant Director/Rehearsal Director and a dancer for over eight years (1997-2005). While maintaining a full schedule with Stephen Petronio Company, Ashleigh began to pursue her own work as a freelance choreographer. In March 2006, at Joyce SoHo in New York City, she premiered Autopsy for which she received a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space Award. During the fall of 2006, Ashleigh was an Artist-in-Residence at Dance New Amsterdam and premiered flawed in December; this year, she has been an Artist-in-Residence at Joyce SoHo. She is a current member of Pavel Zustiak's Palissimo and has performed in works by Jamie Bishton, David Allen Harris and Jeremy Nelson. She has taught technique and repertory at conservatories all over the world and guest teaches regularly at Dance New Amsterdam in New York City. Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Presenting site-specific dance in the bustling financial, commercial and historic environment of downtown Manhattan is not without risk but can yield considerable excitement and rewards. Producer-curator Nolini Barretto and the artists she selects for her annual Sitelines series bring imagination and vision to this challenge and opportunity. In summer 2007, I spoke with Nolini about past productions and current highlights of this well-regarded festival, a project of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (http://www.lmcc.net/). GUEST BIO Nolini Barretto has long been part of the New York arts community. She worked for the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance for thirteen years, the last few years as Administrative Director of the school. She was a founding Director of the Emergency Fund for Student Dancers and continues to serve on its Board and the advisory Board of Buglisi Dance Company. She was the Director of Marketing for Dance Theater Workshop in Chelsea, helping it transition into its new building, managing its rebranding efforts and launching its Inaugural season. At DTW she received the National Arts Marketing Project's Advanced Audience Development Training. Nolini was originally a classical dancer in India and received a Masters degree in Arts Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. In 2005 CEC Artslink sent her to lecture on Public Art in St. Petersburg, Russia and Novosibirsk, Siberia. Nolini began working at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in 2003, where she founded the site-specific performance series, Sitelines, which she continues to curate and produce. She is in her first year as a member of the Bessies (New York Dance and Performance) Awards committee. LINK http://www.lmcc.net/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Presenting site-specific dance in the bustling financial, commercial and historic environment of downtown Manhattan is not without risk but can yield considerable excitement and rewards. Producer-curator Nolini Barretto and the artists she selects for her annual Sitelines series bring imagination and vision to this challenge and opportunity. In summer 2007, I spoke with Nolini about past productions and current highlights of this well-regarded festival, a project of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (http://www.lmcc.net/). GUEST BIO Nolini Barretto has long been part of the New York arts community. She worked for the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance for thirteen years, the last few years as Administrative Director of the school. She was a founding Director of the Emergency Fund for Student Dancers and continues to serve on its Board and the advisory Board of Buglisi Dance Company. She was the Director of Marketing for Dance Theater Workshop in Chelsea, helping it transition into its new building, managing its rebranding efforts and launching its Inaugural season. At DTW she received the National Arts Marketing Project's Advanced Audience Development Training. Nolini was originally a classical dancer in India and received a Masters degree in Arts Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. In 2005 CEC Artslink sent her to lecture on Public Art in St. Petersburg, Russia and Novosibirsk, Siberia. Nolini began working at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in 2003, where she founded the site-specific performance series, Sitelines, which she continues to curate and produce. She is in her first year as a member of the Bessies (New York Dance and Performance) Awards committee. LINK http://www.lmcc.net/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
When you need to look at the arts from a lot of different angles, it's helpful to have someone like the versatile Fran Kirmser in your corner. Here’s an interview I conducted with Fran in the fall of 2007 as she was preparing to facilitate a series of workshops for performing artists, sponsored by The Field. We chatted about the many roles she has played in her distinguished career as a performer, choreographer, theater producer, master fundraiser, a consultant to dance and theater companies, and a founder of Manhattan Theatre Source. This radiant, seemingly tireless advocate of dance and theater has a grand vision and the practical tools to back it up. Guest Bio Fran Kirmser has worked for over twelve years, producing, promoting and fundraising for dance and theater. Collectively she has raised millions of dollars in institutional funding and corporate sponsorships for hundreds of companies. She has held positions in Development, Public Relations, Management, or Booking and Representation with the following organizations: Lincoln Center Avery Fisher Hall, Doug Varone and Dancers, Sandra Cameron Dance Center, Pentacle. She is a founder of Manhattan Theatre Source where she served as Producing Artistic Director. Fran produced August Wilson's Radio Golf on Broadway, nominated for four Tony Awards. Recently she founded Made to Move, Inc.--a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of public knowledge of the art of dance and theater and co-created and produced the commercial musical SIDD based on the novel "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. Additionally Fran has worked on the development of new theatrical works with Circle in the Square Repertory Theater and Musical Theatre Works among others. Fran is a graduate of Skidmore College with continuing education at NYU Tisch Dance Residency Program, Laban Institute of Movement, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the New School University and Columbia University Graduate School of Psychology. She has served on the New York Foundation for the Arts (www.nyfa.org) funding panel and teaches numerous development and promotional workshops with The Field (www.thefield.org) and throughout the city. Trained in dance and choreography, favorite past projects include choreography for Only Heaven composer Ricki Ian Gordon, and performing the repertory of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Co., American Dance Machine, Susan Marshall, Ralph Lemon, Isadora Duncan, Doris Humphrey, and Jack Cole. LINK: http://www.frankirmser.com/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Dalia Carella is one of those bold, glamorous, old-school entertainers clearly born to rule the stage. And she's a serious creative artist whose painstaking approach to the dances of diverse cultures has been shaped by mentors of notable integrity. I interviewed her in October 2007. She was then a new member of the faculty of Dance New Amsterdam (DNA), and we spoke about her career and her pioneering involvement in DNA's Performance Project where she introduced students to the rich music and dance traditions of the Near and Middle East and the Maghreb. GUEST BIO Dalia Carella is a world-renowned Near/Middle Eastern contemporary dancer, choreographer, instructress and global fusion artist. Audiences from around the world have applauded her mystical and innovative dances and choreographies that are taken from the tradition of the countries she is representing. Carella has delved deeply in the studies of dances from the Near and Middle East including Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, as well as North Africa including Morocco and Algeria. Her dances are both traditional and contemporary with a spiritual essence behind each and every movement that she creates. Some of Carella's new works represent both traditional and contemporary movement and range from sacred rituals to ethnic contemporary theater pieces and cabaret macabre inspired by the 1920s and '30s. Her dance background also includes studies in Flamenco, Indian/Bollywood/Bhangra, African, Samba, Salsa, Bomba and Plena from Puerto Rico as well as jazz and ballet. Carella also created her signature dance form in 1985, "Dunyavi Gypsy (Roma) Dance," for which she is known throughout the world. The core of Dalia's Dunyavi work is extensive research of the Romany trail, focusing primarily on the Roma dances of Spain, India, Turkey and most recently, movements from North Africa. Dalia has also been performing and teaching a second style of Gypsy Rom dance, "El Mundo," that is evolving from her continuing studies of Middle Eastern, Andalusia and Latin dance influences. For more information, visit http://www.daliacarella.com/bio.html. LINK http://www.daliacarella.com Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Nadine Helstroffer is one of dance's treasures--a poetic, luminous performer whose choreography reflects her insight into life, nature and spirituality. She has been a good friend for many years, and I'm pleased to present an interview we recorded in the summer of 2007 in the home she shares with filmmaker John Bush. Among other things, Nadine and I talked about their experiences filming in Tibet, and I urge you to follow the links for more information about all of John and Nadine's projects. GUEST BIO Nadine Helstroffer, French-born, has been presenting her choreography in the U.S., Canada and France since 1981. Her work includes “Clock Lock,” “Threshold” and “Earthbound.” She has taught dance and directed workshops in France, Korea and the U.S. Since 1998 she has been leading the BodyResonance Workshop which explores the link between meditation and movement. She has been presenting her workshop at the Zen Center of NYC, the New School University, New York Insight Meditation Society and Bowling Green State University. Ms. Helstroffer obtained a doctorate in philosophy under the direction of Daniel Charles of the Sorbonne (Subject: An Innovative Approach to Dance) at Nanterre University/Paris-X, France, in 1980. Her academic interests in Eastern philosophies and her exposure to the East through her dance career have guided her toward an integration of Eastern philosophies and Western movements. She collaborated with composers Yas Jaz from Sankai Juku Company, Philip Fraser (devotee of Shri Shri Ravi Shankar) and David Hykes, founder of the Harmonic Choir. In New York, the Rubin Museum of Art commissioned her 30-minute solo piece, “Absence Presence,” performed in the gallery of the exhibition "Handprints and Footprints of Buddhist Art" in 2005 and filmed by John Bush. She was also invited by the museum to dance her choreography as part of a performance by Hykes's Harmonic Choir. She has worked in collaboration with filmmaker John Bush on a 40-minute dance film-- “Shimmer”--shot entirely outdoors in New York City. An excerpt--"Portal"--has been screened at Galapagos Art Space, curated by the experimental film group Ocularis, and has had a special screening at the 2006 High Falls Film Festival. “Vajra Realm,” a dance pilgrimage with Nadine Helstroffer filmed in Central Tibet, was released in January 2007 as a special feature on the DVD “Vajra Sky Over Tibet,” the third film of the “Yatra Trilogy” by John Bush. It is distributed by WGBH Boston. For additional information on “Vajra Realm” and all of Ms. Helstroffer's work, visit Direct Pictures at http://www.directpictures.com/. LINK: http://www.directpictures.com/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Nadine Helstroffer is one of dance's treasures--a poetic, luminous performer whose choreography reflects her insight into life, nature and spirituality. She has been a good friend for many years, and I'm pleased to present an interview we recorded in the summer of 2007 in the home she shares with filmmaker John Bush. Among other things, Nadine and I talked about their experiences filming in Tibet, and I urge you to follow the links for more information about all of John and Nadine's projects. GUEST BIO Nadine Helstroffer, French-born, has been presenting her choreography in the U.S., Canada and France since 1981. Her work includes “Clock Lock,” “Threshold” and “Earthbound.” She has taught dance and directed workshops in France, Korea and the U.S. Since 1998 she has been leading the BodyResonance Workshop which explores the link between meditation and movement. She has been presenting her workshop at the Zen Center of NYC, the New School University, New York Insight Meditation Society and Bowling Green State University. Ms. Helstroffer obtained a doctorate in philosophy under the direction of Daniel Charles of the Sorbonne (Subject: An Innovative Approach to Dance) at Nanterre University/Paris-X, France, in 1980. Her academic interests in Eastern philosophies and her exposure to the East through her dance career have guided her toward an integration of Eastern philosophies and Western movements. She collaborated with composers Yas Jaz from Sankai Juku Company, Philip Fraser (devotee of Shri Shri Ravi Shankar) and David Hykes, founder of the Harmonic Choir. In New York, the Rubin Museum of Art commissioned her 30-minute solo piece, “Absence Presence,” performed in the gallery of the exhibition "Handprints and Footprints of Buddhist Art" in 2005 and filmed by John Bush. She was also invited by the museum to dance her choreography as part of a performance by Hykes's Harmonic Choir. She has worked in collaboration with filmmaker John Bush on a 40-minute dance film-- “Shimmer”--shot entirely outdoors in New York City. An excerpt--"Portal"--has been screened at Galapagos Art Space, curated by the experimental film group Ocularis, and has had a special screening at the 2006 High Falls Film Festival. “Vajra Realm,” a dance pilgrimage with Nadine Helstroffer filmed in Central Tibet, was released in January 2007 as a special feature on the DVD “Vajra Sky Over Tibet,” the third film of the “Yatra Trilogy” by John Bush. It is distributed by WGBH Boston. For additional information on “Vajra Realm” and all of Ms. Helstroffer's work, visit Direct Pictures at http://www.directpictures.com/. LINK: http://www.directpictures.com/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
When you need to look at the arts from a lot of different angles, it's helpful to have someone like the versatile Fran Kirmser in your corner. Here’s an interview I conducted with Fran in the fall of 2007 as she was preparing to facilitate a series of workshops for performing artists, sponsored by The Field. We chatted about the many roles she has played in her distinguished career as a performer, choreographer, theater producer, master fundraiser, a consultant to dance and theater companies, and a founder of Manhattan Theatre Source. This radiant, seemingly tireless advocate of dance and theater has a grand vision and the practical tools to back it up. Guest Bio Fran Kirmser has worked for over twelve years, producing, promoting and fundraising for dance and theater. Collectively she has raised millions of dollars in institutional funding and corporate sponsorships for hundreds of companies. She has held positions in Development, Public Relations, Management, or Booking and Representation with the following organizations: Lincoln Center Avery Fisher Hall, Doug Varone and Dancers, Sandra Cameron Dance Center, Pentacle. She is a founder of Manhattan Theatre Source where she served as Producing Artistic Director. Fran produced August Wilson's Radio Golf on Broadway, nominated for four Tony Awards. Recently she founded Made to Move, Inc.--a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of public knowledge of the art of dance and theater and co-created and produced the commercial musical SIDD based on the novel "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. Additionally Fran has worked on the development of new theatrical works with Circle in the Square Repertory Theater and Musical Theatre Works among others. Fran is a graduate of Skidmore College with continuing education at NYU Tisch Dance Residency Program, Laban Institute of Movement, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the New School University and Columbia University Graduate School of Psychology. She has served on the New York Foundation for the Arts (www.nyfa.org) funding panel and teaches numerous development and promotional workshops with The Field (www.thefield.org) and throughout the city. Trained in dance and choreography, favorite past projects include choreography for Only Heaven composer Ricki Ian Gordon, and performing the repertory of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Co., American Dance Machine, Susan Marshall, Ralph Lemon, Isadora Duncan, Doris Humphrey, and Jack Cole. LINK: http://www.frankirmser.com/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
I admire Yanira Castro's darkly poetic and mysterious artistry. Her sense-laden works have the capacity to take watchers deep into experience and to change our habits of seeing, listening and thinking. I hope you will enjoy my interview with Yanira and find yourself similarly immersed in her newest work, "Center of Sleep." GUEST BIO Yanira Castro+Company is a New York City-based ensemble of dancers and designers that fuses experiments in movement with original music and visual elements such as video and installations to create vivid, contemporary scenarios for their audiences that transform and engage their experience of the work. Award-winning choreographer Yanira Castro was born in Puerto Rico and received her B.A. in Theater & Dance and Literature at Amherst College. She has been making work with a core group of performers and designers since 1997, presenting this work widely, including at Dance Theater Workshop, The Chocolate Factory, Danspace Project and numerous other venues. Most recently, she has been working on site-based installations. UPCOMING EVENTS Yanira Castro+Dancers will present the world premiere of "Center of Sleep" at Dance Theater Workshop (February 27-March 1, 2008) with two shows per night at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. On opening night, DTW will host a free pre-show talk at 6:30 and post-show talk after the 7:30 show only. For further information and tickets, visit DTW at www.dancetheaterworkshop.org or call 212-924-0077. LINK: www.yaniracastrocompany.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
I admire Yanira Castro's darkly poetic and mysterious artistry. Her sense-laden works have the capacity to take watchers deep into experience and to change our habits of seeing, listening and thinking. I hope you will enjoy my interview with Yanira and find yourself similarly immersed in her newest work, "Center of Sleep." GUEST BIO Yanira Castro+Company is a New York City-based ensemble of dancers and designers that fuses experiments in movement with original music and visual elements such as video and installations to create vivid, contemporary scenarios for their audiences that transform and engage their experience of the work. Award-winning choreographer Yanira Castro was born in Puerto Rico and received her B.A. in Theater & Dance and Literature at Amherst College. She has been making work with a core group of performers and designers since 1997, presenting this work widely, including at Dance Theater Workshop, The Chocolate Factory, Danspace Project and numerous other venues. Most recently, she has been working on site-based installations. UPCOMING EVENTS Yanira Castro+Dancers will present the world premiere of "Center of Sleep" at Dance Theater Workshop (February 27-March 1, 2008) with two shows per night at 7:30pm and 9:30pm. On opening night, DTW will host a free pre-show talk at 6:30 and post-show talk after the 7:30 show only. For further information and tickets, visit DTW at www.dancetheaterworkshop.org or call 212-924-0077. LINK: www.yaniracastrocompany.org Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Gina Gibney's choreography always reminds me of what's most important to me about art: serious attention to craft and an equally serious concern about human connection and communication. Gina is a thoughtful spokesperson for the art of dance. I've always enjoyed our encounters and usually go away feeling a little more focused and motivated as a result. I hope you'll be similarly inspired by our discussion about her work, including her development of The Distance Between Us, which premiered at the Ailey Citicorp Theater in November 2007. This year, Gina’s company celebrates its 10th Anniversary as an all-female troupe. See below for updated information on Gibney’s projects. GUEST BIO Gina Gibney’s choreography has been widely presented and commissioned in the United States and abroad at such venues as Danspace Project, White Bird Dance, Yale Repertory Theater, The Duke on 42nd Street Theater, WORKS & PROCESS at the Guggenheim Museum and elsewhere. In response to her growing concern about the status of women in the professional dance world, she reorganized her company as an all-female ensemble in 1997. Since that time, she has created six evening-length works exploring the humanity and physicality of women. In 2000, she launched the Domestic Violence Project, a groundbreaking project that offers dance and creative expression to women who are survivors of domestic abuse. She is the founder of Studio 5-2, an officer of Danspace Project's Board of Directors, and a trustee of Dance/USA. Gibney graduated with honors and received an MFA in Dance from Case Western Reserve University. UPCOMING EVENTS Catch a sample of Gina Gibney’s work at the dancemOpolitan group show at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, March 14-15, 9:30 pm. For reservations, call 212-967-7555 or visit www.joespub.com. Celebrating its 10th anniversary as an all-female troupe, Gina Gibney Dance holds its annual Women at Work gala on June 2 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. The gala will feature a mini-retrospective performance, including excerpts from Coming from Quiet (1998), Time Remaining (2002) and unbounded (2005), and a new work developed in collaboration with survivors of domestic violence. This program will be repeated for the public on June 5 (7:30pm) as part of the Tisch Summer Dance Residency Festival. LINK Gina Gibney Dance at http://www.ginagibneydance.org/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Gina Gibney's choreography always reminds me of what's most important to me about art: serious attention to craft and an equally serious concern about human connection and communication. Gina is a thoughtful spokesperson for the art of dance. I've always enjoyed our encounters and usually go away feeling a little more focused and motivated as a result. I hope you'll be similarly inspired by our discussion about her work, including her development of The Distance Between Us, which premiered at the Ailey Citicorp Theater in November 2007. This year, Gina’s company celebrates its 10th Anniversary as an all-female troupe. See below for updated information on Gibney’s projects. GUEST BIO Gina Gibney’s choreography has been widely presented and commissioned in the United States and abroad at such venues as Danspace Project, White Bird Dance, Yale Repertory Theater, The Duke on 42nd Street Theater, WORKS & PROCESS at the Guggenheim Museum and elsewhere. In response to her growing concern about the status of women in the professional dance world, she reorganized her company as an all-female ensemble in 1997. Since that time, she has created six evening-length works exploring the humanity and physicality of women. In 2000, she launched the Domestic Violence Project, a groundbreaking project that offers dance and creative expression to women who are survivors of domestic abuse. She is the founder of Studio 5-2, an officer of Danspace Project's Board of Directors, and a trustee of Dance/USA. Gibney graduated with honors and received an MFA in Dance from Case Western Reserve University. UPCOMING EVENTS Catch a sample of Gina Gibney’s work at the dancemOpolitan group show at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, March 14-15, 9:30 pm. For reservations, call 212-967-7555 or visit www.joespub.com. Celebrating its 10th anniversary as an all-female troupe, Gina Gibney Dance holds its annual Women at Work gala on June 2 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. The gala will feature a mini-retrospective performance, including excerpts from Coming from Quiet (1998), Time Remaining (2002) and unbounded (2005), and a new work developed in collaboration with survivors of domestic violence. This program will be repeated for the public on June 5 (7:30pm) as part of the Tisch Summer Dance Residency Festival. LINK Gina Gibney Dance at http://www.ginagibneydance.org/ Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
Today, we’ll hear from Mary Cochran (Chair of the Dance Department, Barnard College of Columbia University) and Luciana Achugar (2007 Bessie Award-winning choreographer) about Sugar Salon, a program dedicated to mentoring, commissioning and presenting women at the forefront of contemporary choreography. GUEST BIOS: Luciana Achugar Luciana Achugar is a Brooklyn-based Uruguayan choreographer. After moving to New York upon graduation from Cal Arts in 1995, Achugar danced with several choreographers, including Chameckilerner and John Jasperse. From 1999 to 2003, she worked in a close collaborative relationship with choreographer Levi Gonzalez. Their work was presented in New York by Dixon Place, Movement Research at Judson Church, PS1 Contemporary Art Center, Dance-in-Progress at The Kitchen, and at Dance Theater. Achugar has also worked collaboratively with visual artists Marcos Rosales and Michael Mahalchick. Mary Cochran Department of Dance Chair and Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Barnard College of Columbia University, Mary Cochran has performed and taught on every continent except Antarctica. A renowned soloist with Paul Taylor Dance Company from 1984-1996, Cochran continues her association with Taylor to this day having completed 19 restagings of his masterworks and as Director of the Paul Taylor School’s Summer and Winter Intensives. Cochran has taught at numerous colleges and conservatories including Mills College, the Juilliard School, University of Michigan, Harvard University, and the North Carolina School of the Arts. She received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee in May of 2005. UPCOMING EVENT: See Sugar Salon's performances at Abrons Arts Center (February 15-16), featuring works by the 2007-08 residents: Luciana Achugar ("Franny and Zooey"), Renée Archibald ("Curtain Wall") and Heather McArdle/BLUEPRINTVIOLATION (excerpt from "Ballad of Arrivals & Departures"). Choreographer mentor Donna Uchizono will moderate a post-performance discussion with the artists on Friday, February 15. For full schedule and ticketing details, call 212-352-3101 or visit http://www.theatermania.com. INFORMATION LINKS: Department of Dance, Barnard College: http://www.barnard.edu/dance Williamsburg Art NeXus (WAX): http://www.wax205.com Abrons Arts Center: http://www.henrystreet.org/arts Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
One of the interviews I’m most proud of was conducted in late 2007 with dancer-choreographer Jen Abrams. I’m delighted to bring this episode out of the archives and present it in Body and Soul’s new home. When our "half-hour" interview concluded, we were amused to see that it had actually lasted a full hour! But that's what it takes to tell even part of the story of her work with the WOW Cafe Theater collective, an historic and essential part of the still-hearty cultural abundance of Manhattan's rapidly-changing East Village. Listening to Jen talk about her background in contact improvisation, I discovered a fascinating connection between contact improvisation and the "open source," grassroots nature of WOW. Her intensity and strength as an artist working in dance, theater and poetry are more than matched by the tenacity of this theater collective and space that she so clearly loves. And here’s her bio: Jen Abrams’ work has been presented at BAX, HERE, Dixon Place, the Nuyorican Poets Café, and the Bowery Poetry Club, as well as at WOW Café Theater, where she has been an active member for seven years. She has produced three full-length concerts of her own work at WOW: Itch (2000), Saturn Return (2001), and Surfacing (2002), as well as two shared bill evenings: As I Was Saying (2004, with Risa Jaroslow and Eva Lawrence) and Asunder (2006 with Clarinda Mac Low and Tara O’Con.). She was a 2005 BAX space grantee, and is co-curator and co-producer with Sally Silvers of TalkTalk WalkWalk, an annual poetry and dance festival. Her choreographic work has also been seen at WOW in the stage plays The Skriker by Caryl Churchill, All Eyes, All Sides – Beckett One Acts, Naomi Wallace’s Slaughter City, and Moira Cutler’s MetaMeshugenaMorphosis and Sonofabitch Stew, all with Dogsbody Theater. The Village Voice has called her work “quintessentially New York,” and her performances “convincing no matter what [she chooses] to do.” Jen has studied the form of Contact Improvisation for twelve years, beginning at Oberlin College, the birthplace of the form. She relocated to New York City from Chicago, where she presented and performed in five full-length concerts with the contact improv-based company she co-founded, Limbic Fix. She is classically trained as an actor, and performed in plays throughout Chicago before moving to New York City to focus on movement-based performance. She is also a writer, and has given readings of her work at St. Mark’s Poetry Project, Halcyon, and Bar 13. By day, Jen works as a fundraiser for a small poetry press, and serves as Managing Director for Risa Jaroslow & Dancers. She also teaches Contact Improv through Movement Research. Her roots in theater and immersion in literature inform her dances. Visit Jen Abram's Web site at http://www.jenabrams.org. Visit Eva Yaa Asantewaa's dance blog--InfiniteBody--at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com.
One of the interviews I’m most proud of was conducted in late 2007 with dancer-choreographer Jen Abrams. I’m delighted to bring this episode out of the archives and present it in Body and Soul’s new home. When our "half-hour" interview concluded, we were amused to see that it had actually lasted a full hour! But that's what it takes to tell even part of the story of her work with the WOW Cafe Theater collective, an historic and essential part of the still-hearty cultural abundance of Manhattan's rapidly-changing East Village. Listening to Jen talk about her background in contact improvisation, I discovered a fascinating connection between contact improvisation and the "open source," grassroots nature of WOW. Her intensity and strength as an artist working in dance, theater and poetry are more than matched by the tenacity of this theater collective and space that she so clearly loves. And here’s her bio: Jen Abrams’ work has been presented at BAX, HERE, Dixon Place, the Nuyorican Poets Café, and the Bowery Poetry Club, as well as at WOW Café Theater, where she has been an active member for seven years. She has produced three full-length concerts of her own work at WOW: Itch (2000), Saturn Return (2001), and Surfacing (2002), as well as two shared bill evenings: As I Was Saying (2004, with Risa Jaroslow and Eva Lawrence) and Asunder (2006 with Clarinda Mac Low and Tara O’Con.). She was a 2005 BAX space grantee, and is co-curator and co-producer with Sally Silvers of TalkTalk WalkWalk, an annual poetry and dance festival. Her choreographic work has also been seen at WOW in the stage plays The Skriker by Caryl Churchill, All Eyes, All Sides – Beckett One Acts, Naomi Wallace’s Slaughter City, and Moira Cutler’s MetaMeshugenaMorphosis and Sonofabitch Stew, all with Dogsbody Theater. The Village Voice has called her work “quintessentially New York,” and her performances “convincing no matter what [she chooses] to do.” Jen has studied the form of Contact Improvisation for twelve years, beginning at Oberlin College, the birthplace of the form. She relocated to New York City from Chicago, where she presented and performed in five full-length concerts with the contact improv-based company she co-founded, Limbic Fix. She is classically trained as an actor, and performed in plays throughout Chicago before moving to New York City to focus on movement-based performance. She is also a writer, and has given readings of her work at St. Mark’s Poetry Project, Halcyon, and Bar 13. By day, Jen works as a fundraiser for a small poetry press, and serves as Managing Director for Risa Jaroslow & Dancers. She also teaches Contact Improv through Movement Research. Her roots in theater and immersion in literature inform her dances. Visit Jen Abram's Web site at http://www.jenabrams.org. Visit Eva Yaa Asantewaa's dance blog--InfiniteBody--at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com.
I asked my friend, Tom Pearson, to help me introduce my interviewee, Louis Mofsie, who will once again MC the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers' annual concert and pow-wow at Theater for the New City, February 8-17. Tom responded with this lovely reflection. "Louis Mofsie is a community builder, in the truest sense. A respected elder and member of the Hopi and Winnebago tribes, and a Brooklyn native, Louis draws together urban Indians of all ages by teaching traditional dances and music, collaborating with contemporary artists, and creating opportunities for people of myriad backgrounds to gather and express cultural heritage. The dance troupe he directs, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, has been holding monthly socials for years at the American Indian Community House (where he serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors) and more recently at the Museum of the American Indian, as well as annual summer powwows at the Queens County Farm for 28 years. And for 33 years, in the thick of winter, his dancers have been bringing their passionate fires to Theater for the New City. "Events like these anchor many urban Indians to their heritage and help them redefine for themselves notions of identity, cultural inheritance, and a sense of belonging to a thriving and diverse urban American Indian community. Most native people in NYC can trace a connection to Louis in one way or another, myself included. And aside from being a brilliant musician (he has recorded several albums), an accomplished artist (he has illustrated several books), and a consummate choreographer and director--his humor, flair for the dramatic, and stage presence also make him an engaging speaker. What the camera was to Greta Garbo, the microphone is to Louis Mofsie! Always an educator, he imparts his wisdom and cultural knowledge every time he MCs a powwow or introduces a performance at a school showing or in the theater by explaning a dance's origin or a song's meaning. And, all of the proceeds from Thunderbird events support native scholarships. It is his generous spirit, sense of community, and educational agenda that allows audiences and participants to glean a deeper understanding when they experience native culture and to walk away fortified by the power of indigenous music and dance. "Louis loaned me an outfit and taught me my first steps for the Grass Dance a few years back, setting me on the powwow trail, and he has been my collaborator on several contemporary dance projects, at The Museum of the American Indian and Lincoln Center. This year, I am thrilled to be performing the Grass Dance with Louis and the Thunderbird Dancers at TNC." --Tom Pearson, Co-Artistic Director, Third Rail Projects BACKGROUND Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, officially incorporated in 1963, traces its roots further back, to a group of teenagers called the Little Eagles. From the beginning, keenly aware of the great diversity of tribal groups living in and around the metropolitan area--each with a very distinct cultural background--its members were determined to learn and preserve the songs and dances of their own tribes, then to branch out and include other tribes. Their teachers were their fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Since its formation, Louis Mofsie and the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers have visited and performed in almost all fifty states, where they have learned from a wide variety of Indian peoples. Louis Mofsie (Hopi/Winnebago) received his M.A. from Hofstra University and taught art for 35 years at the Meadowbrook School in East Meadow, New York. Mofsie has curated exhibits at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and other venues. He has been a guest artist at the Walker Art Center and has shown his own work at the Philbrook Art Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the Woodards Museum and the Gallup Ceremonials, both in Gallup, New Mexico. Mofsie has illustrated the books "The Hopi Way," "Coyote Tales," and "Teepee Tales" and choreographed productions for the Lincoln Center Repertory Company, the Mercer Arts Center, and Theater for the New City. He has made several recordings, including Songs and Dances of the American Indian, and Authentic USA 1, and has lectured at the Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Columbia University, Wesleyan University, and New York University, among others. For further information and tickets for the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers' 33rd Annual Dance Concert and Pow-wow, visit http://www.theaterforthenewcity.net. Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml.
Tamango's revolutionary approach to tap transforms his dance into music with a sharpened sense of style and awe-inspiring fluidity. Born in Cayenne, French Guiana, Tamango moved to Paris at age eight and began a formal education in art. He started tap dancing in his early 20's at the American Center in Paris and the Beaux Arts de Paris, which he left to join the university of the streets before moving to New York City. Bringing together a global mix of dancers, musicians and artists, Tamango's Urban Tap crosses and blends the cultures and rhythms of jazz, tap, hip hop, capoeira, stilt, world, free-style and more. Tamango has been hailed worldwide for the electrifying skill and elegant beauty of his dancing. The New York Times declared, "One is tempted to call him the best dancer of any kind around." He is also a painter, drummer, didjeridoo player and spoken word artist. Currently, he is acting, singing and dancing in "In Search of Josephine," a French production that draws together stories of the sensational Josephine Baker and modern-day, flood-ravaged New Orleans. Urban Tap performs on March 7, 2008 at New York City's Town Hall. In April, Tamango's collaborative project with jazz funk guitarist Charlie Hunter will be presented as a work-in-progress at Harlem Stage. For more information about Tamango's Urban Tap, visit www.urbantap.net/. For ticket information for the March 7 performance at Town Hall, visit http://www.the-townhall-nyc.org/pages/calendar/march.html. Visit Eva Yaa Asantewaa's dance blog--InfiniteBody--at http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe to Body and Soul, the podcast of InfiniteBody, at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml and through iTunes. (c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa
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