10
Jul, 2013
26
Jun, 2013
A Study in Overindulgence: Working Toward Minced Meat
Over the past four months I’ve come together with a group of talented dancers, actors and improvisers to explore America’s rampant consumer culture. The result is this week’s performances of Minced Meat, an absurd dance-theater piece that asks “How far will you go to feel full?” The process began with free association and improvised movement on a theme I’d never explored on the dance floor: meat. It was the perfect starting point to explore consumption and fulfillment. Is meat a
24
Jun, 2013
Where’s the beef? The Thick Rich Ones serve up Minced Meat June 28-29!
photo by Weidong Yang America is built on the concept that consumption keeps our world afloat. We know in order to have a thriving economy we have to put our money where our mouths are and invest, consume and purchase to keep the system running. What happens when the system falters and we end up in a recession? How have we failed the system? How has our culture failed us? And should we question our correlation of consumption
30
May, 2013
Opening “State: not anywhere near to now”
When I started "Moving Still(s)" one year ago at the Djerassi Resident Artist Program, I was very resistant to the idea of producing a concert or even creating a piece from the experience. I worked intentionally to derail my choreographic process in order to arrive at deeper states of being and latent approaches to moving. My research in thwarting myself continued through the fall of 2012. Then I realized the practice of derailment was in deed the structure of the
29
May, 2013
Here Now Dance – making a dance game…THIS IS DEDICATED…
Premiering at CounterPULSE Theater June 21-23: 2013, THIS IS DEDICATED...utilizes the structure of a professional sports games, offering four 20-minute quarters complete with a half-time show and team mascot. Inspired by themes from WWI era dance-marathons and sports culture, the dance game appropriates what is successful and exploits the negative spectacle of the two particular phenomenons. Specifically, the structure of the work revolves around multiple movement games each with their own projection environment and rules of play. These “playing cards”
21
May, 2013
a taxonomy of partisan songs
recently, preparing the ginzburg geography, i have been deep in italian partisan music. i learned a lot of these songs, probably too many... i am all set to do a program for very old men in bologna. anyway, after thinking about this a lot, i concluded that you can divide the songs in a variety of ways. unsurprisingly, there's not songs about people who do the grunt work of starting political parties and then get tortured to death for putting out the
19
May, 2013
ImShift
ImShift explores the shifting identity of "living in the in-between" as Latin American living in the diaspora. Through the ritualistic practice of self-affirmation, one can challenge systemic barriers and create art that transcends borders. The expiration of this piece is my lived reality and the work of performance scholar Diana Taylor. This piece is also about the shifting pressures and negotiations in collaboration. The music, the video and the choreography were developed separate. Its in the later part of the
19
May, 2013
“State: not anywhere near to now” update from the road
I just returned to the Bay Area from packed and generously-attentive houses in Portland. Thanks to Martha Ullman West for her coverage in Oregon's Arts Watch: http://www.orartswatch.org/dancing-to-the-how-and-why-of-it/ And thanks of course to my dear friend and colleague Katherine Longstreth. We met in graduate school some 20 years ago and quickly became comrades in DIY dance production via our performing group ESTRUS WORKS with Julia Wyncoll. Although our dance lives have taken us in different directions, we remain committed to the
5
May, 2013
Introducing Dr. Zebrovksi’s HOUR OF POWER
In November 2012, I staged Dr. Zebrovski's HOUR OF POWER, an hour-long interdisciplinary show that explored commercialism and the occult while building out the world of interpretive dance psychic Dr. Zebrovski. With assistance from an amazing director (Beatrice Thomas) and dynamic performing artists (Baruch Porras-Hernandez and Maryam Rostami), I created a fun and interactive show that sold out two performances at The Garage. Dr. Zebrovski’s HOUR OF POWER (Part II: The Descent). Live performance photo by Robbie Sweeny On July
18
Apr, 2013
Creating. Good. Work.
For me, creating work is often an outward presentation of a very personal journey. In reading Kalidasa’s Meghadhootha, I initially drew inspiration from many different translations, and literary commentaries. In reading the epic poem over and over again, there were certain verses that leapt out from the pages. These lines were coaxed by my own experiences to find comfortable and permanent places in my mind. When I came across these lines, I saw more than the words on the page.
14
Apr, 2013
5
Apr, 2013
MAGO/JEJU Work-in-progress
Song of Goddess, deep ocean island. Grandmother's weathered hand, her lullaby, the ocean beyond the window. Mago's voice whispers, my journey begins. April 12-14, 2013 at CounterPULSE, SF Friday and Saturday 8pm and Sunday 78pm Saturday with special guest Hobak and Jamaesori www.doheelee.com