“gymnastic feats in the context of accessible theatrical entertainment with charming costuming, lights and sound design…What sets Artichoke apart is its ability to convey character, emotions, and relationships through - not merely despite - all the circus tricks.”
The Village Voice
Recession Dances, and so can you!
6 dancers, 70 minutes, no intermission
Escapism meets reality in Recession Dances, and so can you!, which draws from dance styles of previous U.S. 20th Century recession eras, such as the Lindy Hop (Great Depression) and Hustle (70’s oil crisis), refashioned with humor and irony. An historic and heroic journey ending with an invitation to join in the escapism of the dance.
”It has the power to grab you.” Eye on Dance.
COMPOSER: Leanne Darling
FILM/VIDEO: Janusz Jaworski
Performances can include live music of the original score played by two musicians. Recorded music is also an option. Traditional stage setting.
UR Here
a create-your-own performance adventure
10 dancers, 60-180 minutes, 6 locations
The audience is provided with iPods, or can download 14 original music compositions to their own listening devices, and invited to tour six locations to view distinct dance episodes. The audience may be in an enclosed space with a dancer a few inches away or they may be outside viewing through a picture window. Ranging from intimate and interactive to voyeuristic, U R Here plays with perspective, proximity and choice making, with each audience member deciding what to see, when and for how long, and what music accompanies each dance. For the premiere, sections appeared in a cafe, a dress shop, a bar, a patio, a community garden and a park.
“UR Here is an intriguing and clever concept... Stumbling unknown upon one of the duets is like wandering into someone’s life” Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Premiere: June 2008 in Brooklyn, NY
This work was made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered in Kings County by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc. (BAC)., with additional support from the Independence Community Foundation.
U R Here
PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FOR TOURING
If you see something...
4 dancers, 60 minutes, no intermission
If you see something, say something, is a slogan adopted by the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority in March 2003, reminding transit riders through signs and repeated announcements of their merely relative safety. Years later this tag line still runs strong, but to what avail? This stark work combines raw and brutal physicality with intimate video portraits and intense theatricality. Ideally suited for settings that place the audience in close proximity to the stage.
“a politically charged production saturated with visual allegory and rich. provocative symbolism” ExploreDance.com
Premiere 2008 at Dixon Place, New York, NY
Listen to an interview with Director, Lynn Neuman, by Eva Yaa Asantewaa.
This Dixon Place Mondo Cane! Commission was made possible, in part, with generous support from The Peg Santwoord Foundation, Jerome Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
If you see something...
Recession Dances,
and so can you!
