Melanie Greene Brooklyn Studios for Dance May 16 – 17 Greene will premiere the evening-length version of Sapphire, a work that has been brewing for the past three years. Says Greene, “Sapphire continues to grow, deepen, ask new questions, and reveal new discoveries.” Greene’s Sapphire “…is a time traveling golden goddess moving through moments that police and celebrate the essence and experience of Black women in the United States. Told through an Afro-futuristic lens, this non-linear narrative displays humanity canvassed in an evolving constellation of identity,” notes the release. Find out more here La Mama Moves! – Various Artists La Mama April 26 – May 26 The month long series, La Mama Moves! returns with an international lineup that includes Gruppo Nanou, Colleen Thomas, Mia Habib, Yin Mei Dance, Hari Krishnan/inDANCE, Bobbi Jene Smith, Dan Safer, Sin Cha Hong and Jesca Prudencio. Find out more here Simone Forti, Steve Paxton, and Yvonne Rainer Danspace Project May 16 – 17 In fall 2017, almost six decades after meeting, Forti, Paxton, and Rainer came together at Danspace Project for Tea for Three, an evening of improvisation and interaction – their first New York collaboration as a trio. Danspace Project welcome the trio back for two evenings of performative readings. Find out more here Parsons Dance The Joyce Theater May 14 – 26 In their season dedicated to the late Paul Taylor, the company will stage Taylor’s Runes (1975) in which Artistic Director, David Parsons danced as a soloist in the Taylor Company. Also on the program is the premiere of Trey McIntyre’s Eight Women, plus Parsons’ Nascimento and Caught. Find out more here Various Artists West End Theatre May 16 – 19 As part of the “Soaking Wet Series” curated by David Parker, and his company The Bang Group, featured will be Ellis Wood, Erika Batdorf and Kate Digby. Find out more here Various Artists BAAD! May 17 “The Boogie Down Dance Series,” BAAD!’s signature month-long celebration of dance, continues with Michiyaya Dance and Mx Oops (May 17), “Dancin’ In The Bronx” with choreographers Tadashi Kato, John Kovach, Moriah Ella Mason, Cynthia Paniagua, Margia Shriti, and Rourou Ye. (May 18), and the screening of “Bronx Gothic” by writer and performer Okwui Okpokwasili (May 21). Find out more here Gillian Walsh Performance Space New York May 17 – 19 Walsh’s Fame Notions, “…a meditation on the American dancer, is presented as part of the No Series—comprised of works that locate power and creativity in refusal,” according to the release. Find out more here Various Artists Cathy Weis’ “Sundays on Broadway” May 19 Weis’ "Sundays on Broadway," an ongoing series of performances, film screenings, and discussions continues with Andrea Kleine, Bessie McDonough-Thayer, and Leslie Satin in a “Shared evening” curated by Vicky Schick. Find out more here Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Ellis Island May 19 The National Park Service in partnership with Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will present the Ellis Island Asian American Heritage Festival featuring works by Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company plus, Guru Akhilandeshwari .V and Chetan Hebbar, Kindling Sindaw, Hālau Hula O Na Mele 'Āina O Hawaii' in traditional works. Find out more here SoloDuo Dance Festival Dixon Place May 19 – 20 For the 4th annual White Wave SoloDuo Dance Festival, featured will be 29 national and international choreographers including Qijundai Liu, Jo Davila, Jin-Wen Yu Dance, MVment, Tomomi Imai & Dancers, FUSE Dance Company, Corian Ellisor, VTDance/Vincent E. Thomas, Molly Huey and Olivia Nellis, Monica Farnè Dance Company, Park MiNa Dance Company, WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company, and many more. Find out more here Various Artists Mabou Mines May 19 – 20 In Warm Line, created and performed by Hannah Mitchell and directed and choreographed by Lisa Fagan, “…a daughter attempts to rekindle the warmth and exuberance of her mother’s life. [In]…a foggy and laughter-rippled homage to a life lived in service of others and in search of connection…” notes the release. Find out more here Various Artists Movement Research at Judson Church May 20 Don’t miss this free, on-going, Monday night performance series of experimentation and works-in-progress. This week’s featured artists are: La Mujer Maravilla Project, ILIANA OLALDE , Inés Terra , Ximena Garnica and Shige Moriya. Find out more here The Herb Alpert Foundation and California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) announce the five 2019 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts recipients
Five $75,000 prizes given annually for the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts in Dance, Film/Video, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts “I’ve always loved the artists that travel the road less traveled…those are the artists that touch me.” - Herb Alpert The Dance panel has selected choreographer Pam Tanowitz for her unwavering commitment to her uncompromising artistic vision, rigorous sense of craft and composition, and for beginning again with each new work. They value her musicality, wit and poetry, her investigation – and disruption – of traditional forms, and her generous, humane and fully collaborative practice. Dance Panelists: Lili Chopra, Executive Director, Artistic Programs, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Brooklyn, New York Joanna Haigood, choreographer, Herb Alpert Award Artist, Bolinas, CA Stanford Makishi, Vice-President for Programming, New York City Center, New York Other recipients are: Film/Video - Beatriz Santiago Muñoz Music - Meshell Ndegeocello Playwright - Lloyd Suh Artist, poet and activist - Cecilia Vicuña Read more about The Herb Alpert Awards here To showcase artists and bring together community
music, dance, theater, visual art, and healing arts If you're interested in sharing your art, or helping out as a volunteer please reach out to us at volunteer@artsonsite.org Check us out on Instagram (@artsonsite) and Facebook (Arts On Site) for more updates! Arts On Site Performance Party Saturday, May 18th 12 St Marks Place 8pm Doors Open 9pm Performances Start $10 Suggested Donation BYOB + Donation Bar Much love! On Sunday, May 5th, Lindy Hop legend Norma Miller, known as the “Queen of Swing,” made her transition, at 99 years old. She passed away in her home in Fort Myers, Florida, this morning, surrounded by loved ones, including longtime friends from the United Kingdom and members of the Italian Swing Dance Society, a group with which she toured in Italy. Ms. Miller had been the last living member of the African-American troupe that introduced swing dance to Europe in the 1930s. She had worked tirelessly during her final years to preserve the dance and its history, traveling around the world and sharing her expertise with professionals and newcomers. She was known for her versatility in the entertainment industry, her sharp sense of humor, and her gutsy outlook on life. See the memorable "Hellzapoppin' clip here See the video clip from TODAY show here Read press release below and more here Information for Norma Miller’s Homecoming Date: May 24, 2019T Time: 10:30am – 1:00pm Place: Benta’s Funeral Home 630 St. Nicholas Ave. New York, NY 10030 212-281-8851 Burial: 2:00pm Place: Woodlawn Cemetery 517 East 233rd St. Bronx, NY 10470 718-920-0500 There will be Two panels and dancing to live music that night in Harlem Place: Sugar Hill Children’s Museum 898 St. Nicholas Ave. New York, NY10032 Time: 6:00 – doors open 7:00 panel #1 7:50 panel #2 9:00 – 12:00am Dancing to Live music and DJ Price: $20.00 The Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture (MLWC) is hiring an Assistant Director to assist in the administrative management, training, assessment and programming for the MLWC in order to promote the Center’s educational and cultural enrichment objectives as they pertain to Black life, culture andhistory. The job description is attached. Knowledge of the African diaspora especially the Caribbean and/or continental African cultures, histories and contemporary conditions as well as travel experience and foreign language acumen are highly desired. Additional desirable expertise include: Arts – Photography or Curating.
Candidates must submit an application online at the Duke Human Resources Web Site (http://www.hr.duke.edu/jobs/main.html) referencing requisition number 401591097 (Assistant Director). AND Send letter of interest, résumé, and the names and contact information of three references via: Email: marylou@duke.edu No calls, please. Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) Ailey Citigroup Theater May 2 – 3 For its sixth season, and for their series entitled “Spirit of Now,” DBDT showcases three New York premieres plus iconic works of Elisa Monte & David Brown and Christopher L. Huggins. The premieres are: Juel D. Lane’s Ghost mix of modern, African, hip hop, and jazz styles “…tackles the haunting effects of holding onto something that no longer exists;” Tommie-Waheed Evans’ Bodies as Site of Faith and Protest draws on “…physical language through dance set to iconic speech excerpts by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and Claude Alexander III, and Alexander’s Face what’s facing you! promises a “…soul-stirring exploration of how challenges to one’s spirit can make one victorious,” according to the release. Huggins’ dedicated Essence to the spirit of DBTS’s Founder Ann Williams and other women in his life who have “inspired me with their strength, passion, humor, commitment, and unconditional love.” Absolute Rule, Monte and Brown closes the program. Find out more here La Mama Moves! – Various Artists La Mama April 26 – May 26 The month long series, La Mama Moves! returns with an international lineup that includes Gruppo Nanou, Colleen Thomas, Mia Habib, Yin Mei Dance, Hari Krishnan/inDANCE, Bobbi Jene Smith, Dan Safer, Sin Cha Hong and Jesca Prudencio. Find out more here Mark DeGarmo Dance – Salon Performance Series – Various Artists May 2 Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center For this 9th season of DeGarmo’s Salon Performance Series, where works-in-progress and original songs-in-progress are presented. The Series continues with Gina Bonati and Ara Fitzgeral. Find out more here Jasmine Hearn and Tatyana Tenenbaum Danspace Project May 2 - 4 Choreographers Hearn and Tenenbaum, with Danspace Project Associate Curator Lydia Bell organized “collective terrain/s,” a collective research process on the relationship between voice and the body. Hearn premieres "you think you fancy a performance project using sound and movement from family, community, and elders, and Tenenbaum Tidal a collision of our future bodies with song," according to the release. Find out more here Jonathan González Abrons Arts Center May 2 – 4 González premieres Lucifer Landing II which “draws intersections between black life and current geopolitical movements to imagine lateralized intimacy on a damaged planet,” notes the release, at Abrons Arts Center. Find out more here Gibney Dance Company Gibney May 2 – 4 The Company’s upcoming EMERGE program features new works by Chanel DaSilva, Bobbi Jene Smith and Micaela Taylor. Find out more here Various Artists Harlem Stage May 2 – 4 & 9 – 11 The long-running series E-Moves which celebrates twenty years of dance, will feature works by FLUXX and Omari Mizrahi/Les Ballet Afrik, It’s Showtime NYC, Joseph Webb and Barédu Ahmed aka Long Arms (L.A.), plus pop-up performers Sun Kim, Cein Lockefeller, Soraya Lundy and Tweet Boogie. Find out more here Raphael Xavier New York Live Arts May 3 In a studio showing, as part of New York Live Arts’ Live Feed creative residency and commissioning program, Xavier will present the new evening-length, Sassafrazz. Find out more here Various Artists – “In Conversation with Merce” NYU Skirball May 3 – 4 This celebration of Cunningham’s legacy curated by Rashaun Mitchell, a former Merce Cunningham Dance Company dancer and a Trustee of the Merce Cunningham Trust, brings choreographers Moriah Evans, Mina Nishimura and Netta Yerushalmy together. The choreographers will offer “…experiments that draw connections of lineage to the celebrated choreographer,” notes the release. Additionally, select pieces by Cunningham will be performed by Shayla Vie Jenkins and Keith Sabado. Find out more here Various Artists BAAD! May 4 “The Boogie Down Dance Series,” BAAD!’s signature month-long celebration of dance returns with an evening of club, house and street dance, followed by a dance party curated by Rokafella of Full Circle (May 4). The series continues with Michiyaya Dance and Mx Oops (May 17), “Dancin’ In The Bronx” with choreographers Tadashi Kato, John Kovach, Moriah Ella Mason, Cynthia Paniagua, Margia Shriti, and Rourou Ye. (May 18), and the screening of “Bronx Gothic” by writer and performer Okwui Okpokwasili (May 21). Find out more here Various Artists Roulette May 6 – 8 In “Three Shared Evenings of Work: Hillary Clark/Oren Barnoy/Leslie Cuyjet,” choreographers Molly Lieber and Eleanor Smith curate evenings of movement-based performance featuring work by performers/choreographers Clark, Barnoy and Cuyjet as part of Roulette’s ongoing “[DANCEROULETTE] New Movement Series, focused showcasing experimental work in dance and choreography. This three-day series features two performances per night, each with a unique approach to artistry, composition, and movement,” notes the release. Find out more here Various Artists Cathy Weis’ “Sundays on Broadway” May 5 Weis’ "Sundays on Broadway," an ongoing series of performances, film screenings, and discussions continues with Allegra Fuller Snyder and Laurel Atwell in a “Shared evening” curated by Jon Kinzel. Find out more here Various Artists Movement Research at Judson Church May 6 Don’t miss this free, on-going, Monday night performance series of experimentation and works-in-progress. This week’s featured artists are: David Appel , MarinaLaRivera , Pele Bauch and Nora Sharp. Find out more here The Francesca Harper Project Rubin museum May 8 The Francesca Harper Project is featured this week as part of the Rubin Museum of Art's partnership with Pentacle, the site-specific series with works that reflect the theme of “Power – Within and Between Us”, which the Rubin will explore through exhibitions and programs all year long. Find out more here For the fifth and final iteration of the “Bloodlines” series (April 11 - 13) at NYU Skirball, Stephen Petronio Company again honored the legacy of modern dance icon Merce Cunningham. Also celebrated on this momentous evening was the lesser-known Rudy Perez a student of Cunningham who “…until recently [was] largely excluded from the dominant postmodern canon,” according to the release. On the program was Cunningham’s Tread, Perez’s Coverage, both made in 1970, and Petronio’s premiere, American Landscapes. Up to now, chronologically, the Company has presented Cunningham’s Rain Forest (1968), Trisha Brown’s Glacial Decoy (1979), Yvonne Rainer’s Trio A with Flags (1966/1970), Chair-Pillow (1969) and Diagonal (1963), an excerpt from Steve Paxton’s Goldberg Variations (1986), Anna Halprin’s The Courtesan and the Crone (1999), and last year, Cunningham’s Signals (1970).
Each of the five evenings gave rise to remembering the icons and further cemented Pertronio’s commitment, but they also showed the ease in the dancer’s delivery of the Cunningham movement canon. Each was satisfying, but this fifth one is bitter sweet. From the voyeuristic view in Tread through large standing fans that lined the front of the stage guarding and directing our view, to the quirky and fun configurations of bodies stacking and unstacking, and the playful stories each configuration brought, Trend was a good reminder of the different faces of Cunningham. Ernesto Breton in Perez’s Coverage followed and it was magical. The formula was a roll of masking tape to identify the movement space, a jumpsuit, a hardhat, minimalist movement topped off with a playlist of music and commentary as relevant in the 70s as it is now. The program closed with Petronio’s American Landscapes. In oversized jumpsuits, Petronio makes an appearance in a playful duet (reading, waltzing, and kissing) with Martha Eddy who forecasts a bit of what’s to come at the end of their duet when she walks forward, slowly opens her arms wide, then exits. Then it was time for all 10 dancers, and with a backdrop of poignant visuals, and Petronio’s emotion-driven movement stories, they take a deep-dive into a world of compassion. They lift each other, hold on tight to each other, make room for each other while Robert Longo’s images show a world of war—forced to “take a knee,” gather to march for women’s rights, and a gaggle of other profound messages. Towards the end, the dancers hold hands and form a line across the front, walk forward, and slowly opens their arms. The dancers are: Bria Bacon, Taylor Boyland, Ernesto Breton, Jaqlin Medlock, Tess Montoya, Ryan Pliss, Nicholas Sciscione, Mac Twining and Megan Wright. Brandon Collwes was a guest artist in Tread. Music was performed live by members of Composers Inside Electronics (Seth Cluett, John Driscoll, Phil Edelstein,Cecilia Lopez, Michael J. Schumacher) on specific nights. Staging for Tread was by Jennifer Goggans, and Sarah Swenson for Coverage. Lighting design for Tread is by Richard Nelson, Joe Doran for Converge, and by Ken Tabachnick for American Landscapes. |
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AuthorI am a performer, historian, consultant and dance writer. I am a Empire State College's online program Center for Distance Learning. I am also a former faculty member at The Ailey School and the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University dance major program, Hunter College, Sarah Lawrence College (Guest), Kean University and The Joffrey Ballet School's Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program. I write on dance for The Amsterdam News, Dance Magazine and various publications. Click below to read more about me at my home page - "About Me." |