modern dance

I DID IT AND I ANALYZED IT LATER: Gabri Christa

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In this second week of COVID quarantine in New York City, Michael and Clara had the privilege of connecting with multi-disciplinary art maker Gabri Christa over Zoom. Gabri is a dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, scholar and all-around artist with a rich history and intriguing body of work. She told us about the cross-roads culture she experienced growing up in the Dutch Caribbean island nation of Curaçao, where she took yoga with adults and absorbed cultural dance forms before encountering modern dance when she attended university in the Netherlands. Hearing Gabri’s story of choreographing and performing at a young age on the island was an inspiring reminder that the urge to create comes not from formal training but from a well of creativity within. Most recently, Gabri has been touring her multi-media project, Magdalena, which took shape in response to her mother’s dementia, and hosting/curating the second Moving Body-Moving Image festival of dance films at Barnard. The festival theme this year is aging. It will take place completely online on April 4th from 12-6pm – we hope you’ll tune in! https://www.movingbodymovingimage.com/festival

You can see the film Gabri made with Kyle Abraham, QUARANTINE, on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/42853661

Multi-disciplinary and wide-ranging in form, Gabri Christa’s art-making spans film, choreography, performance, curation, writing, and more. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Barnard College and a member of Mayor de Blasio’s Cultural Advisory Commission. Gabri has danced and choreographed with companies such as Danza Contemporanea de Cuba, DanzAbierta and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Awards include the Guggenheim for Choreography, and five Jerome Foundation grants. Her choreographies have been presented nationally, internationally and locally at Central Park Summer Stage, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Symphony Space, PS122 and for five seasons at Dance Theater Workshop (now New York Live Arts). 

ALL DANCE HAS A MESSAGE: Sean Dorsey

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Jessica and Michael had a fun, energized and important conversation with Sean Dorsey, the U.S.’ first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer. Sean’s newest work, BOYS IN TROUBLE, unpacks masculinity with unflinching honesty from unapologetically trans and queer perspectives – and Sean likewise spoke openly about how his work incorporates and expresses unique perspectives on gender, as well as social justice. In fact, Sean shared the idea that all dance, as an inherently expressive art, is a form of social messaging for which the choreographer is responsible. He also shared some ways in which his commitment to the queer community and principles of openness impacts all aspects of his work even beyond the stage – for example using his tech rider to ensure that the spaces where his company performs include non-binary restrooms and the option of non-binary dressing rooms. It was particularly refreshing and motivating to hear details about the “terrified beginner’s welcome” workshops Sean hosts for all people of all body types, gender identities and movement levels across the country, as well as how his team’s background in activism allows them to consistently sell out shows to audiences that include many non-dancers. Let’s learn from Sean’s approach to help more people experience dance!

Sean Dorsey is an award-winning San Francisco-based choreographer, dancer and writer. Recognized as the United States’ first acclaimed transgender modern dance choreographer, he has toured his work to 30 US cities. Dorsey has been awarded five Isadora Duncan Dance Awards and the Goldie Award for Performance. He has been named in Dance Magazine’s 25 To Watch and named “San Francisco’s Best Dance Company” (SF Weekly). Most recently, Dorsey was awarded a Dance/USA Artist Fellowship. Dorsey has been awarded major support by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Dance Project, Dance/USA, and many more sources, as well as a variety of commissions from sources including American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, Queer Cultural Center in San Francisco, 7 Stages in Atlanta, and more.

Dorsey’s works are powerful explorations of human experience. They are highly physical, accessible, rooted in story, and danced with precision, guts and deep humanity. His newest work is BOYS IN TROUBLE, is a powerful evening of dances that unpack masculinity with unflinching honesty – from unapologetically trans and queer perspectives.

I MAKE AN EFFORT TO GUIDE AN EXPERIENCE: Andrea Miller

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In this interview with Andrea Miller, recorded at the Brooklyn home of GALLIM Dance, we dig deep into Andrea’s unique choreographic process and discuss her current residency at the Met Breuer. Andrea describes the way in which she and her dancers develop a distinct movement language for each new piece, and she shares a fascinating example of a piece for which they drew inspiration from prehistoric, non-human movement. We also touch on the historical-cultural significance of Andrea’s 2017-18 residency at the Met as a sign of dance being recognized as an art form in its own right. Finally, Andrea speaks to the experience and personal importance of building a family without interrupting her dance career. Andrea will premiere a new durational work at the Met Breuer this month, May 22–27, 2018. If you’re in New York, don’t miss it! (more…)

REACH FARTHER: Fran Kirmser

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In this episode, we interview Fran Kirmser, co-author of the new book, A Life in Dance: A Practical Guide. Fran revealed how a class assignment turned into a quest with Rebecca Stenn to create a resource book for dancers. Fran read from the book and shared some stories from contributing artists.  Throughout our conversation, we talked about the various strengths and skills dancers possess that they can rely on to make their own life in dance and beyond.  Look for the book on Amazon and www.alifeindance.com.  (more…)

STRUGGLE MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL: Miki Orihara

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Jessica and Clara finally reunited in the studio for this interview with Miki Orihara, Choreographer and former Graham dancer. We speculated on the differences between modern dance and ballet, and Miki shared her thoughts on how Graham’s technique sticks with the dancer as well as her own efforts to both honor and diverge from that technique. She also shared fascinating stories about entering the dance world after coming to America from Japan and her initial attraction to the theater. We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did. (more…)

NOW IT’S A COLLABORATION: Prince Credell

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We were lucky to catch Prince Credell of Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) at City Center during a busy day of rehearsal for the compay’s appearance at Fall for Dance. (NDT will be back for a full engagement in November! Get tickets!) Prince talked to us about his experience working with the exciting range of contemporary choreographers who come through NDT, learning to dance as a character, and some of his proudest moments as a teacher of dance. Speaking with Prince was an absolute pleasure, and we can’t recommend more highly seeing him perform with one of the most impressive and innovative dance companies of today at City Center Nov 16th-19th. (more…)

INTO SUNLIGHT: Ron Honsa, Nan Penman & Robin Becker

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We had an engaging conversation about a recent dance film collaboration between filmmaker Ron Honsa, choreographer Robin Becker, and producer Nan Penman.  Watch the trailer here. We learned how Robin and eventually Ron became inspired by the historical events and subject matter based on the book They Marched Into Sunlight, written by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, David Maraniss. (more…)

WELCOME TO THIS SITUATION: Interviews from ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival

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(Ori Flomin, right, watches his dancers perform in his workshop.)

We spent a fantastic day at the ImPulsTanz Dance Festival in Vienna, Austria on July 22nd, during the first week of the festival, and we’re absolutely thrilled to share our interviews from the day! In between taking movement workshops in the morning, observing a workshop dedicated to the work of Tino Sehgal in the afternoon and seeing Simon Mayer’s “Sons of Sissy” performance at night, we spent time speaking to participants and artists on site. Below is a run-down of our interviews (just click “more”), including approximate start times in the recording. Remember they take place on site at the festival, so you’ll hear lively background noise (and even some beautiful opera during Ray Chung’s)! (more…)

YOU DON’T NEED MUCH TO DANCE: Greg Miller

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In this episode we speak with Greg Miller, founder of Dance Parade New York. We were fascinated to learn that Dance Parade was started in response to New York City’s Cabaret Laws, restrictive laws that require business owners to obtain an expensive Cabaret License in order to allow dancing in their establishments. Upholding the Cabaret Laws, the courts went so far as to say that “dance is not expressive.” We couldn’t disagree more, as you’ll hear in our further discussions with Greg about the 5Rhythms technique and the expressive community of Burning Man. Be sure to attend this year’s Dance Parade on Saturday, May 21st, where you’ll see 81 forms of dance! Learn more at http://danceparade.org/ and at https://www.facebook.com/DanceParadeNY.

DOCF: SHORT FILMS PROGRAM I


Indigo-Grey-Esteban-Robles_3We talked to a few audience members about highlights from a strong roster of creative short films presented in the Shorts Program I at Dance On Camera Festival. We heard a lot about Indigo Grey and enthusiastic commentary about the rest of the roster as well. It was a great way to end our day at Dance on Camera Festival!

The following short films were presented:

A Portrait of Marc Brew, A Tap Dance in a Circle, Abismo, Approaching the Puddle, Honeymoon, Indigo Grey: The Passage, SajakThor, Still Light, Targeted Advertising, Tebe Tasi,

DOCF: SHORTS PROGRAM I – HONEYMOON

HoneyMoonWe spoke to Marta Renzi, choreographer and director of Honeymoon, a hot short film with a surprising twist featuring dancers Carlos Gonzalez and Tina Vasquez. She gave us a sneak peek into her inspiration and process behind the film before we saw it on the big screen. 

DOCF: THE OTHER SIDE OF STILLNESS

alexx_dev_sun2Each year, the Dance on Camera Festival at Lincoln Center screens one Work-in-Progress. through the Dance Film Association‘s Production Grant, Alexandra Shilling’s latest video project The Other Side of Stillness | Installation was selected and screened as a special event on February 13.  Alex talked to Pod de Deux about the process of making the project and what it was like working with DFA to present her work.

 

THEY WERE ROAD WARRIORS: Ron Honsa

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In this episode with Ron Honsa, Filmmaker and Executive Director of Moving Pictures, we continue coverage of the Dance on Camera Festival (DOCF), leading up to PDD’s “takeover” on Saturday, February 13th! Ron Honsa’s documentary about Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers, The Men Who Danced, will be honored this year at DOCF, 30 years after its initial release. Jessica sat down with Ron and learned more about his historical and contextual approach to documentary filmmaking, as well as the importance of Jacob’s Pillow, Ted Shawn, Ruth St. Denis, and the Denishawn Dance Company to the development of American modern dance.  Ron also revealed how he learned to film dance through a chance encounter with Alwin Nikolais and shared advice for dance filmmakers. The Men Who Danced will screen on Sunday, 2/14 followed by a moderated discussion with Norton Owen and Ron Honsa. The festival runs February 12th – 16th; tickets are still available here!

THIS IS ART: Heidi Latsky & Jerron Herman

Heidi 2Heidi Latsky joined us for Episode 13 and brought along a special guest in the form of her dancer, assistant and all-around “muse,” Jerron Herman! We were fascinated to learn about Heidi’s company, HLD, and her work with dancers who have disabilities and non-traditional dance bodies. We discussed how both Heidi and Jerron discovered dance as adults, the creation of Heidi’s “GIMP Project” and the unique artistic virtuosity that Heidi seeks in all of her performers. Be sure to see HLD perform on November 15th at 7pm at NYU’s Skirball Center, and attend the pre-show exhibit as well as the post-show Q&A. You can purchase tickets at http://nyuskirball.org/calendar/axislatsky and learn more about the company at http://heidilatskydance.com/!

Episode 9: Brock Labrenz

Brock LabrenzBrock Labrenz of An Films is a New York-based director who harnesses his extensive background in performance to create deliberate and sensual audio-visual experiences.  His creative endeavors find him somewhere between the exactitude of modern cinema and the ephemeral transition of the body through space.

In this episode, Brock shared his experiences training as a dancer at Juilliard and dancing for William Forsythe–in particular, Forsythe’s creative process.  We learned what it was like investigating Forsythe’s concept of choreographic objects in Nowhere and Everywhere at the Same Time and how audiences engaged with this work.  Brock also revealed how his interests in dance and film developed over time and how both mediums support his current work.

We had an intriguing discussion about the role of the choreographer in developing audience values and the importance in creating a conversation with the audience around a concept or process.  We also discussed how work conditions in the US and Europe have varying effects on the creative process and performance experience.

Episode 3: Ben Richards
Photo Credit Monica Cohen

Photo Credit Monica Cohen

We speak to Ben Richards in our third episode of Pod de Deux Podcast. Ben is a freelance video artist, dancer and choreographer who lives in New York City and spent three years in Montreal. We initially met Ben at Jacob’s Pillow dance festival, where he has worked on the video team for the last five summers. In addition to freelance video work in NYC–now Ben’s primary focus–he is the videographer and live stream manager for the New York Public Library’s Live from the NYPL initiative.

We sat down with Ben early in the new year to discuss how he got into various dance-related endeavors, life at Jacob’s Pillow, and how the camera can bring life to dance.

Episode 2: Naomi Luppescu

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In our second episode of Pod de Deux podcast, we talk to Naomi Luppescu–a dance costume designer and founder of NaLu Designs.  She talks about her career in NYC, her approach to meeting the functional and aesthetic needs of the choreography, where she draws inspiration, and current trends. Her costumes can be seen in Ailey II’s New York Season at the Joyce Theater (from March 17th through the 22nd) in two pieces by choreographers Kate Skarpetowska and Manuel Vignoulle. Read more about Naomi on our Guests page.