The 2008 Solar-Powered Dance Series returns to Solar 1 July 24-26 and July 31-August 2 at 6pm. Programs are free and open to the public, kid-friendly!
SARA JOEL & KEVIN GIBBS, Fling, Program A July 24-26
Fling is an acrobatic expression of romance and passion. Cirque du Soleil dancer-acrobats Kevin Gibbs and Sara Joel dance through beautiful poses, spectacular counter-balances, and daredevil lifts with elegance, strength, and agility. The dancers share weight and momentum, resisting and submitting to the force of gravity as they explore the altitude and depth inherent in a “fling”.
Sara Joel returned to NYC in 2006 after performing her choreography in Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity” in Las Vegas for 3 years. Prior to running off with the circus, Sara spent a decade in NYC where her choreography was presented at various venues including Aaron Davis Hall, Symphony Space, Joyce SoHo, John Jay College, Saint Mark’s Church, Joe’s Pub, the Brooklyn Museum and Queens Theater in the Park. Outside NYC, her work was featured at DRA’s Fire Island Dance Festival, Paul Neumann’s Hole in the Wall Gang Benefit Performance, and The Colorado College. Mrs. Joel received a BA in Dance with Honors from The Colorado College. In 2001 Sara was assistant director of Stephan Koplowitz “InFormation” performance for the re-opening of the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library. In 2004 Mrs. Joel was featured in Cirque du Soleil’s Solstrom on Bravo. In 2005 and 2007 Sara performed a duet co-choreographed with her dance partner, Kevin Gibbs, at City Center in the Career Transitions For Dancers Gala. In 2007 Mrs. Joel’s dance film entitled “RAPT” was presented at Lincoln Center in the Dance on Camera Festival. She continues to perform at Special Events for Cirque du Soleil.
Kevin Gibbs received his BFA from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He danced principal and soloist roles in Cirque du Soleil’s “Zumanity”, Momix, Chenango Ballet, Fokine Ballet, Central Dance Theater, Lincoln Midwest Ballet, and The Denver Ballet Arts. Kevin has performed in ballet, jazz, and modern dance, trapeze, aerial silk, and contortion throughout the United States and Europe. He has worked with choreographers such as Moses Pendleton (MOMIX), Ann Reinking, Dwight Rhoden (Complexions), Sean Curran (NYC Opera), Gus Solomons Jr., and Miriam Mahdavianni (NYC Ballet). Mr. Gibbs has made several television appearances and national television commercials, as well as features in Greece, Spain. He has also been featured in magazines including DNR, Dance Spirit, Crunch, What’s On-Vegas, Dancer, Zink, and was voted 2006’s “Sexiest Dancer on the Strip” in Q Vegas.
DANIELA HOFF, Talk To Me, Program A July 24-26
With Preston Burger, Tomomi Imai and Heidi Turzyn
Talk to Me is inspired by the book, the Zahir, by Paulo Cohelo. The book and the choreography talk about the fear of change and growth, of questioning rules, and the resulting inability to truly connect and communicate. The movements in this piece are very energetic and vigorous; the mood ranges from serious and dark to sensual and humorous. The piece is choreographed by Daniela Hoff and performed by Preston Burger, Daniela Hoff, Tomomi Imai and Heidi Turzyn.
Daniela Hoff, born in Germany, studied at the School for the Arts, Department for Modern Theater Dance in Amsterdam/Holland. Her choreography has been presented internationally at different festivals and venues including the Plankgas Festival, the ITS- Festival, the Phillip Morris Dance Theater, the Cathedral Arts Festival, Dancespace, the Cunningham Studio, WAX, Triskelion Arts, SWEAT, the d.u.m.b.o. Dance Festival, the Cool New York Dance Festival, the Flea Theater, RAW Material at DNA, CT meets NY Dance Fest, the Mulberry Street Theater, at Joyce Soho and at DTW. In Europe and the US Daniela studied and worked with various choreographers including members of the Tanztheater Wuppertal/ Pina Bausch, Michele Ann de Mey, Katie Duck, Christina Briggs & Edward Winslow, Mary Seidman, Erica Essner, Peggy Peloquin, and others. She received a Scholarship at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio. Please check www.danielahoff.com for upcoming shows and more info about the company.
SARAH COUNCIL DANCE PROJECTS, Holding Pattern, Program A July 24-26
With Jamie L. Dowd, Laura Kalanda and Sarah Pope
Holding Pattern is a collection of dances that focus on the repeating behaviors we find in and around us. In “Hold Fast”, a duet performed to the music of the Warsaw Village Band, two dancers are bound by a constant connection. Woven together by limbs and joints they incessantly wind, unwind, propel and restrict. Sometimes initiating, sometimes yielding, the dancers make compromises to move forward unbroken. This section is followed by “Grasp” a solo that explores the terrain of unrelenting thoughts and charts the unfolding of one woman’s mind as she is tossed back and forth grasping for control. Amid the voices of the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir, tightly constrained movements are contrasted with fluid traveling sequences that develop and expand as she braves her buried memories.
Sarah Council is a choreographer, and teacher living in the NYC area. Sarah‘s choreography has been showcased in NYC at the Riverside Church Theater, Times Square Arts Center, Green Space Studio, Dance New Amsterdam, The Flea theater, Triskelion Arts and Gowanus Arts. She also works in the New York City Public Schools as a teaching artist for Together in Dance and PACT teaching creative movement and modern dance to children of all ages.
Before relocating to New York City three years ago, Sarah resided in Washington DC where her choreography was presented at the Jack Guidone Theatre and Dance Place and funded by a grant from the DC Commission of Arts and Humanities. The Washington Post described her choreography as being “…uncommonly honest and expressive” (2000) and commented that her performance “benefited from crystal clear technique and stage presence” (2003) While in DC she was also able to dance with DC choreographers/ companies Citydance Ensemble, Deborah Riley Dance Projects, Sharon Mansur/Impact, Gesel Mason, Cynthia Word, and Helanius Wilkens, as well as teach in many studios and public schools throughout the region. Sarah holds a BFA in modern dance performance from the University of Oklahoma. While at OU she received several awards for excellence in performance and choreography and worked with teachers and choreographers, Denise Vale, Ko Yukihiro, Derrick Minter, and Earl Mosley performing nationally and internationally.
JAMAL JACKSON DANCE COMPANY, The Assimilation, Program A July 24-26
Jamal Jackson Dance Company presents The Assimilation, a piece that explores a vast number of movement qualities and dance vocabularies. Inspired by the Wizard of Oz, this work takes an in-depth look at the influence of surroundings on the individual while also challenging external and internal physical boundaries.
Jamal Jackson was born in Brooklyn, New York and began his formal studies of movement with the Harlem-based Batoto Yetu Dance Company. His pursuit of dance led him to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he received the Weston Award for his contribution to the Fusion Dance Company and New Works/World Traditions African Dance Company. Jamal studied with Seydou Coulibaly and Fred Benjamin and worked under Mba and Bisar in Mali, West Africa. His choreography for the New York Arts Festival and Inaya Day in 2002 marked the beginning of his African based, modern style of movement. Jamal performed with Ballet International Africans for two seasons as a principal dancer and in 2004 he founded the Jamal Jackson Dance Company. Jamal’s works have been presented at the Battery Downtown Dance Festival, PS21Chatham, Hunter College, Dancenow/NYC Festival at DTW, Brown University, the Cool New York Dance Festival, and the Diversity in Dance Project at The Yard featuring Urban Bush Women and the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company.
ALEXANDANCE, The Story of Everything, Program A July 24-26
For Solar One, alexanDance will create a new solo for a female dancer with music by Vida. The piece will investigate the abuse of our beloved planet. Adorned in articles of trash and recycled items this female dancer will act as a Mother Earth character, moving viscerally from her pelvis, that hub of life and energy. As she engages with the ground she both accumulates and rids herself of the garbage and pollution around her. She is constantly deciding whether or not to embrace it, shun it, or accept it for what it is. In an age when resources seem scarce and hope for the preservation of the planet is nearly non-existent, the piece aims to remain truthful, yet invigorate hopefulness. The structure includes three obscured sections: the first an introduction to the beauty of the earth, the purity of cleanliness, perhaps a glance into the far away past. The second shows our mistakes, our faults as a society, how we have succeeded in destroying what is beautiful and do not care to cease. There are moments in which the dancer simply screams into the faces of audience members. The third: a call to action. The dancer asks us to step up and change the fated course. She does not hesitate to show the intensity of her anger as well as her intention to request change.
alexanDance is a collaborative duo founded in September of 2006 comprised of Alexandra (Xan) Burley and Alexander (Alex) Springer. Their first production, Tied, premiered in Ann Arbor, MI and from there the two have co-created numerous duets, solos, group pieces and video works. Their solo Loading was selected for Dynamic Dancing in Ypsilanti, MI and their duet Manu Tenere premiered at Bates Dance Festival in August of 2006. The two presented a portion of Tied at Arts Collage ’07 in Glendale, MI in July of 2007. Both have also presented their work at the American College Dance Festival. The two graduated from the University of Michigan in 2007, Xan with degrees in Dance and English, Alex with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Movement Science. While there, they both had the pleasure of working with choreographers Alexandra Beller, Peter Sparling, Leyya Tawil, and Doug Varone. Their New York debut performance was with ChavasseDance&Performance, choreographer Amy Chavasse in December of 2007. The two have also toured nationally and internationally with the Leopold Group of Chicago, IL and Umbigada Dance. Currently, Alex dances with Doug Varone and Dancers and Xan works with Meg Hebert and on upcoming projects with DOORKNOB Company and Shannon Hummel and acts as Associate Producer of WAXworks. They are set to perform a new duet in WAXworks in May of 2008 and are presently working on a new video work.
THE TATTOOED BALLERINAS, Trio, Program A July 24-26
Hattie Mae Williams is the artistic director of the Tattooed Ballerinas, a modern dance company that has been in existence since 2003 and has performed in a wide range of venues such as Harlem Stage E-Moves, Mulberry Street Theater, The Tank, Galapagos Art Space, Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey Studios and is currently completing their residency program at Joyce Soho. Hattie Mae graduated from the Fordham University/Alvin Ailey B.F.A program in 2003 and was also awarded the National Alliance for Excellence in Choreography and the National Endowment for the Arts award in Modern dance. Among the choreographers she has performed with are The Kevin Wynn Collection, Francesca Harper, Avila/Weeks, Joanna Mendel-Shaw “Dancing with Horses,” and MTV Viacom “The Backyardigans.” For more info go to www.thetattooedballerinas.net and view more upcoming performances.
JULIE TROOST, Assimilated, Program A July 24-26
With Scott Troost
Piles of black trash bags litter a park and the piercing sounds of garbage trucks going about their day fill the air. A garbage man silently struggles to find the motivation to finish his daily work. Meanwhile, a slow-moving dancer blossoms in the park. These two disparate worlds collide when the garbage man, unaware of what he is really doing, dumps the contents of the garbage bags onto the dancer. Plastic bags rain down in what first appears to be a beautiful cascade of color, but, soon, the bags begin to bury her until she is smothered beneath them. Assimilated questions the unconscious consequences of our wasteful existence. It portrays a familiar world where beauty, hope, nature, and art struggle to survive amidst consumerism and practicality. The site-specific performance encourages reflection on man’s capability to unintentionally destroy the things that matter most.
Julie Troost has choreographed for film and theater, directed radio plays and one-person shows. Her movement-theater work addressing political and social issues, is often site-specific, process-oriented, and created through collaboration with the performers. Her performance installation series, “H U G,” was performed at Lincoln Center as well as eleven public sites in Manhattan as part of the Conflux Festival 2007. Her film of “H U G” premiered at Heaven Gallery in Chicago and has been screened in the Chashama Film Festival. Julie’s work has been seen at 3rd Ward in Brooklyn, fashion designer Shelley Steffee’s store, an East Village garden, and in Edy Ferguson’s film, “I’m Still in my Underwear” for the group art show, “Song Poems.” This September, her dance theater piece, “Congregation,” will be performed in the Dumbo Dance Festival. In 2005, Julie was chosen by her peers to showcase “Congregation” in the GoTour RoadShow at P.S. 122. As a singer, Julie recently starred in Dara Friedman’s film, “Musical,” and sings with the band 52 Boyfriends. Other film credits include Tirtza Even and Brian Karl’s “Definition”. Julie creates original physical theater, dance, and performance work as the artistic director of Anima Productions. In May, she directed and starred in a new physical play she co-wrote with her brother entitled, “The Interim.”Studies include theater and dance at Northwestern University and Viewpoints, Suzuki, and Composition with SITI Company. Julie is an Artistic Associate of Monarch Theater Company and was a resident artist at the Harold Arts Residency, Workspace for Choreographers through Artward Bound, and at Outpost in the Cuts and Burns program. In addition, Julie has performed as an actress and modern dancer for artists such as Noemie Lafrance, Daniel Kramer, Billy Siegenfeld, Ann and Alexx Make Dances, Jill Sigman, and Fiona Templeton.
PARADIZO DANCE, Lush Vitality, Program B July 31-August 2
Borrowing the thrill of circus and the poetic lyricism of dance, Paradizo Dance presents Lush Vitality, an intimate acrobatic duet balancing both grace and drive. Performed by David Paris & Zoe Klein, the work combines partner balancing with fluid flips, dives, spins and explosive circus stunts in order to inspire an audience’s sense of endless possibility!
David Paris teaches and performs a unique blend of aerial acrobatics, New York style salsa dancing and Afro-Cuban folkloric dance with his dance partner Zoe Klein. He is the producer of two instructional video series entitled “Salsa Lift and Aerials” and ” Salsa For Gringos.” He studied 7 years under the two most internationally acclaimed salsa-dancing schools: Eddie Torres and Razzmtazz. Dave leads popular workshops for all levels of Salsa, lifts and tricks, Latin Hustle, and partner acrobatics. Dave and Zoe joined forces in 2005. Now Dave is often found fantasizing how to throw Zoe higher and most impressively into the air. By day, Dave teaches 7th grade English and runs an acrobatic-salsa kids team at M.S. 88 in Brooklyn; by night, Dave travels to all the major salsa congresses around the world including Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland, China, Korea, Puerto Rico, and Canada. He dreams of implementing a middle school acrobatic dance curriculum that integrates a rigorous academic program.
Zoe Klein has been dancing, designing lights and performing acrobatics in NYC since graduating Hampshire College 2001 with a BA in Dance and Cultural Studies. Zoe has studied modern dance and improvisation all her life and has shown work at WAX, Dixon Place, WOW Cafe, Brooklyn Arts Exchange and Danspace Project. Zoe trained as an apprentice with the Obey award -winning women’s circus theater LAVA. She was a co-founding member of the circus/theater company KIRKOS with Kate Magram where she has performed for Lollapalooza, Wachovia Bank, Rasa Music Label, Club Exit, Team Marketing, Verbal Eyze Entertainment, and Bindlestiff Family Circus. Since meeting Dave, the two have collaborated with circus companies such as Cirque Boom, and at theaters such as White Wave DUMBO Dance Festival. Zoe was formally a Technical Director at Brooklyn Arts Exchange and Danspace Project Inc. yet continues light designing, production and stage management for dance in NYC.
KIRSTIN KAPUSTIK, Within the Masses, Program B July 31-August 2
Pictured: Alyson Dolan
The current work, titled Within the Masses to music by the alternative group Modest Mouse, came from a sense of searching for acceptance amongst chaos.
Kirstin Kapustik is currently a Masters of Fine Arts candidate at Florida State University. She is an emerging choreographer who is excited about producing work. Her work has been shown in various parts of New York including Galapagos in Brooklyn, as well as Florida State University and Pennsylvania State University. Recently, she attended American Dance Festival and has plans to further her choreographic experiences with workshops and festivals. She has worked with such noted people as Dan Wagoner, Wallie Wolfgruber, Lynda Davis, Dianne McIntyre, Lisa Race, Gerri Houlihan, Mark Haim and Tim Glenn.
RETTOCAMME, Peripeteia, Program B July 31-August 2
With Kimberly Lantz
The original version of Peripeteia was made possible in part by chashama as a site-specific work for their storefront venue on 42nd Street in 2004. The ceaseless movement and obsessive repetition reflected the corporate world filing past the window at rush hour. Peripeteia can be defined as a reversal of circumstances: in this case referring to the people who paused in the monotonous traffic to watch a dance performance for a few moments, therefore changing their pace and perspective. The piece has since been adapted for the stage and is now accompanied by composer Brian McWhorter’s Counting.
Emma Cotter founded her dance/art/design group RETTOCAMME in 2003. In NYC, RETTOCAMME has presented dance works at the Bowery Poetry Club, chashama, the Construction Company, 92nd Street Y, Merce Cunningham, Solar One, the 2007 Central Park Storytelling Festival and the 2007 Fashion District Arts Festival, among other venues. They frequently perform site-specific installations at the Jonathan Shorr Gallery in Soho. Emma Cotter has been a guest artist at Greenwich Academy in CT and her alma mater, the University of Michigan. For future events, please visit www.rettocamme.com.
REDWALL DANCE THEATRE, Graceless, Program B July 31-August 2
RedWall Dance Theatre’s style combines quirky, gesture-rich movement with precise articulations of the body to illustrate the humor of everyday life, particularly from a female perspective. The tone of the work marries lightheartedness with cynicism, inviting audiences to explore a dynamic range of emotions and contextual twists. Since forming in August 2002, RedWall Dance Theatre has shown work at Joe’s Pub, PS 122, DanceNow at Joyce SoHo, The Ohio Theater, Dance New Amsterdam: Raw Materials, Dixon Place, WAX, BRIC and full evenings of work at the Field’s Far Space, Spoke the Hub, BRIC and Chashama.
Mary Ann Wall trained in Florida at the Harrison Performing Arts High School and later graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with a BFA in Dance Performance and BBA in Finance. I danced in California with the relocated San Francisco-based modern dance company Nesting Dolls, there I also performed my solo work at the Electric Lodge and Highways in Santa Monica. After living in California for a year and a half, I relocated to Brooklyn in August 2001 to further pursue choreography and work in arts administration. I am currently working in the dance department at Long Island University in Brooklyn and choreographing for RedWall Dance Theatre.
ALEXANDRA JOYE HOUSTON, Venus, Program B July 31-August 2
With Chevon Stewart
Venus examines the exploitation of women and ponders why women of African descent continually chose to use their femininity for ill-gotten gain, in the aftermath of American slavery. This work is inspired by the story of Sarah Baartman and the work of visual artist Kara Walker. Venus was created originally for INSPIRIT as part of the Company Choreographic Commissioning Project in 2008 and premiered at the Tribeca Perfoming Arts Center.
Alexandra Joye Houston is a native of the Washington, D.C. Metro area. She began her intense training as a dance major at Suitland High School for Visual and Performing Arts. She received her BA degree in Drama with a concentration in Dance/Pre-Medicine from Spelman College in 2003 and in 2006 received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Upon graduation from UNCG Alexandra relocated to Brooklyn, NY and was offered an apprenticeship with Urban Bush Women. She has since found a home with Christal Brown’s INSPIRIT dance company. Alexandra has been fortunate to work with Bill T. Jones on the Fela Kuti Project and as a teaching artist with the Brooklyn Arts Council. Alexandra is also an emerging dance filmmaker her first film short shown in the Urban Literature Film Festival in 2006 and at the University of Chicago’s Eyes on Mosaic conference in 2007. Alexandra is also a freelance writer of dance and urban culture with articles published in Greensboro’s Go Triad and Urban Literature Magazine. In the summer of 2007, Alexandra participated in the Africa and the Diaspora dance intensive workshop in Senegal at the company home of Jant-Bi, under the leadership of Germaine Acogny and other guest artists. This is Alexandra’s second season with INSPIRIT and she is grateful to be working with such amazing women.
JAMIE CHANDLER, The Space Between, Program B July 31-August 2
With Vincent Hernandez, George Hirsch, Kristy Lewis, Sarah Melot and Laura Rekue
The Space Between looks at the fine balance between control and freedom within confines. The dancers are placed on, in, jump on and off, and dance around boxes. The boxes change the movement arena as the dancer works alone and later in close contact with others. They are forced to find the space between one another.
Jamie Chandler began her dance training at the Contemporary Dance Theater in Cincinnati, OH. She is a graduate of the Hunter College Dance program. While studying at Hunter under the direction of Jana Feinman, she had the pleasure of performing works by Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott, Twyla Tharp, Susan Marshall, Blondell Cummings and Mark Morris. She has performed at the Joyce Theatre, DAnce Theater Workshop, 92nd Street Y, Dance New Amsterdam, St. Louis MUNY and the Sylvia & Danny Kaye Playhouse. Jamie has choreographed for musical theater and modern dance. Her work has been seen at Dance Theater Workshop, the Sylvia & Danny Kaye Playhouse, Brooklyn Family Theater, and on tour in Trinidad and Tobago. As a choreographer, her goal is to craete work that is thought-provoking to both the audience and the dancer.
