Sleep No More

Maleek Washington: Dance Now Chapter 4
Photo Credits Damian Tierney, Andrea Mohin

*PDD listeners receive a discount on tickets to the Dance Now February chapter with code PDDCH421 – see below for details!

In this  installment of PDD’s spring series covering the Dance Now 25th anniversary season, Paul Hamilton speaks with the extraordinarily talented dancer, choreographer and teacher Maleek Washington.  Maleek is one of four commissioned artists presenting works in February’s chapter (#4), along with Alice Shepard, Subject: Matter, and Kate Landenheim. The lineup also includes archival works from Mark Gindick and Adam Barruch.

In the interview Maleek shares his thoughts about navigating a path in the dance profession. He covers everything from working with brilliant choreographers Camille Brown and Kyle Abrahams, to how the ongoing pandemic has affected his career, to his newly commissioned work for Dance Now. You can find more information about the Dance Now season here or check out the full season and ticketing options at https://dancenow.online/! 

Dance Now is offering Pod de Deux listeners a discount on tickets to Chapter 4 of the DANCE NOW Story! For just $7 (regular price is $10), PDD subscribers will have access to Chapter 4’s new and archival dance pieces until June 30, 2021. You can watch the digital performances at your leisure or join the Watch Party on Thursday February 11 at 6pm EDT. 

The PDD subscription offer is good starting TODAY (Feb. 9th) through Feb 16th!

For more info and to purchase a Chapter 4 ticket, visit: dancenow.online. Use the code: PDDCH421

A native New Yorker from the Bronx, Maleek Washington is a performer, choreographer, and teaching artist. Washington began his dance training at Harlem School of the Arts, Broadway Dance Center, and LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. He attended Boston Conservatory on a full scholarship and began his professional career with Commonwealth Ballet, CityDance Ensemble, and Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M. for four seasons. Following that, Washington performed with Punch Drunk’s “Sleep No More” as the first African American male performer. He is currently in his third season with Camille A. Brown & Dancers.

LLAB Ep 3: Navigating the Professional Field while Black Pt I – w/ Rena Butler and Maleek Washington

In our previous series on the LLAB, we spoke with Black dancers about their experience as dance students in undergraduate and graduate programs and the challenges they faced being minorities in those spaces. This week, we started a new two-episode topic, re-centering the conversation on what it’s like to be a professional dancer while Black. We meet concert dancers Rena Butler and Maleek Washington, and talk about their unique experiences dancing with both predominantly Black and non-Black companies, as well their experience of being overqualified.

Rena is a dancer, director, and choreographer dancing with Gibney Dance Company. Maleek is a dancer, choreographer, and educator dancing with Camille A. Brown and dancers.

This is the 3rd episode in our new fall series, The LLAB with Antuan Byers. LLAB stands for listening, learning, and building. The overall goal of this series is to create a space to share marginalized Black voices, to learn from their experiences, and dream for ways in which we can move forward.

EVERYONE HAS A BODY: Troy Ogilvie

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Early in 2019, Clara sat down with Troy Ogilvie – Choreographer, performer and improv teacher – for a wide-ranging conversation that revealed Troy’s deep-seated “JOD (joy of dance)” and many insights into the process of creating movement from a place of purpose. Troy introduced us to the terms kinesphere and proprioception and described her own fascination with the tension between structure and spirit that we find at the heart of dance. She also told us about performing as Lady Macbeth in the world-famous interactive show Sleep No More! Troy teaches improv at Peridance every Wednesday at 10am. You can follow her @troyanosaurus and learn more at http://troyogilvie.squarespace.com/! (more…)

IT’S NOT GLAMOROUS: Rina Saltzman

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In this episode, Clara sits down with Rina Saltzman, Company Manager on Broadway and former Company Manager for American Ballet Theater. We learn about what a Company Manager does, how the inner workings and funding structures of the ballet world contrast with Broadway, and how we might see more in-depth mixing of the two going forward. It was great to hear that business is booming on Broadway! Rina’s current show, Pretty Woman, will have its New York preview on July 20th and open officially on August 16th!! (more…)