Ann Liv Young: And so, it's on!

P.S. 1 Welcomes Ann Liv Young

by Claudia La Rocco, The New York Times, August 31, 2010

Michelle Obama's dance series

Michelle Obama Launches White House Dance Series
by Pia Catton, The Wall Street Journal, August 31, 2010

What are you reading this summer? Part 3

Urban Bush Women: Twenty Years of African American Dance Theater, Community Engagement, and Working It Out by Nadine George-Graves (The University of Wisconsin Press, 2010)

Nadine George-Graves's comprehensive study of the art of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Urban Bush Women is the gift of an embodied approach to research. She has examined this acclaimed troupe from every possible angle--including from within, taking company class. She backs up her insights with copious details from many examples of Zollar choreography and the artists' extensive community engagement.

Although informed by scholarly theories and methods of analysis, George-Graves's 206-page volume is written for a broad audience and largely free of academic jargon. This important work will benefit anyone with an interest in contemporary Black choreography, indeed, anyone thinking or writing about dance of any kind. But I want to give a strong recommendation to activists for its documentation of the powerful confluence of art, spirituality, healing, community and social justice. And I especially want to see this book in the hands of Black women—even if they never bother with concert dance—for its example of honesty and its celebration of personal and communal agency which, as the author writes, “promotes a relishing of the [Black female] body, trying to take the body back” from the centuries of myths that have obscured it and fostered its exploitation.

STREB: how to become an extreme action hero by Elizabeth Streb (The Feminist Press, 2010)

Elizabeth Streb is an artist of turbulence, one who races towards the unknown and danger and potential disaster with scientific curiosity, drawing inspiration, she says, from “slapstick, accidents and labor.” Not content with the standard issue nomenclature of dance, she seeks to forge her own vocabulary of motion based in personal challenge and investigation. Her company holds events--”events of desire and purpose”--not presentations. Her performers engage in PopAction, not dance. They are extreme action specialists, not dancers. And, yes, they are heroic. Heroes don't stop to ask why, she says. They ask how; they take action.

Since evolution has not yet provided a way for humans to fly unassisted, Streb has decided to take the initiative. Appropriately, with this book, Streb gives us a wild ride—part-memoir, part-manifesto, part-Book of Shadows. Just as her method of making motion avoids transitions, her text avoids predictability. At times, following Streb's turns of mind can be as exhilarating--and, frankly, hair-raising--as watching her troupe at work.

Like John Cage—cited as an influence, along with Harry Houdini, Philippe Petit, sound-barrier-breaker Chuck Yeager and Niagara Falls barrel-jumper Margaret E. Wagenfuhrer—Streb is “frightened of the old ideas.” Trained in conventional dance theater forms—from Humphrey-Weidman and Limón technique to classical ballet—she's after experience that eschews decorative artificiality and zooms in on real moves. Real means irreducible; it belongs to itself and stands for nothing else. It belongs to Now. She brings to this quest a working-class daughter's instincts about why concert dance might appeal only to a select, privileged audience—a situation she's committed to busting open in every possible way. See her “new operating system for audience sovereignty” in which you will recognize very little, if anything, of your current experience of going to the theater.

Elsewhere, she writes, “I want the STREB Extreme Action performances to do something to the audience, to cause a physical reaction so strong that they feel that some of the moves have literally happened to them.”

Heaven help us. But not only is she right on about that, she's right on about what forces might be in play when movement, of any kind, works powerfully for the watcher as well as for the doer. In the absence of that visceral, empathic connection, we have distancing and boredom.

I was struck, too, by a passage in which Streb contrasts the way circus space has been purposefully designed for that spectacle's needs with the circumscribed way dance artists traditionally engage space:

“Movement artists...have always settled for already existing places: opera houses, theater stages, or music halls...presentation spaces designed by others, for other disciplines...the majority of the available visual space, the vacant twenty feet above performers' heads is empty, not used, and mostly ignored.” Of the conventional dance studio, she writes, “What could a body do in such a sterile environment? How could you fly there?”

The photos included here provide wonderful documentation of Streb's early performance career as well as offering a taste of the exciting development of her work. My favorite has got to be Tom Caravaglia's photo of the two performers riding the huge wheel from Revolution (2006) which not only shows their strength but captures a sense of their radically-altered orientation in space, their bold claiming of some of that high void above the ground.

Anna Deavere Smith's foreword is, as you might imagine, a joy to read. These two brilliant, unique artists have become fast friends. Unfortunately, there's the puzzling matter of the transcript with which Streb concludes, and potentially undermines, her book—a half-hour, largely inarticulate Q&A session in which the actor-playwright keeps circling around and trying to press Streb to directly address the issue of her fierce attraction to danger. Just remember, Streb's not big on asking—or answering—why.

Falling into fall with DJP

OMG! 

It's almost Labor Day, and the new fall dance/performance season is coming! Get organized!

Sign up for Doug Post's informative DJP Artist Services Newsletter--your weekly email connection to what's happening in New York City and beyond.

Here's what's available:

:: Performances this week
:: Dancers needed and occasionally actors
:: Grants, Space Grants, Fellowships & Residencies
:: Upcoming Performances
:: Miscellaneous items
:: Artist Housing Needed
:: Videographers and Photographers
:: Musical, Theatrical and other arts events
:: Performance Opportunities
:: If your travel plans include ...
:: Housing available
:: Los Angeles Area Performances
:: Upcoming Benefits, Galas, Open Houses and Awards Shows
:: Performance venues for rent
:: Positions wanted
:: Rehearsal Spaces - In NYC - Subsidized or not
:: Rehearsal Spaces - Outside NYC
:: Classified
:: Interesting links, blogs, etc.
:: Office Space Available

Free. 

Just drop a note to Doug Post here.

Israeli theater artists protest settlements

Actors' Protest and Rabbi's Sermon Stoke Tensions in Israel Ahead of Peace Talks
by Isabel Kershner, The New York Times, August 29, 2010

Chinese youth take to opera traditions

Beijing Opera, a Historical Treasure in Fragile Condition
by Richard Bernstein, The New York Times, August 29, 2010

The mother and child communion

Mother & Baby Duet: Instrumental in Social Development
by Deborah Feller, News and Views, DeborahFeller.com, August 27, 2010

In the spirit of Abbey Lincoln

Abbey Lincoln’s Style Influences New Set of Recordings
by Nate Chinen, The New York Times, August 27, 2010

Her dreams deferred

Third World Newsreel and NewFilmmakers present

Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project

This documentary tells the little known story of Sakia Gunn, a 15 year old student who was fatally stabbed in a gay hate crime in Newark, New Jersey. This film depicts the homophobia that caused this murder and questions the lack of media coverage of a Black Gay teenager.

Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project (2008, 58 min.)
(Director: Charles B. Brack)

Wednesday, September 29th, 6PM

Anthology Film Archives (Deren Theater)
32 Second Avenue, at 2nd Street, Manhattan
Admission: $9

UPDATE: Read my review of the film here.

Need a fringier Fringe?

A Fringe Festival That’s Too Tame? Too Bad
by Jason Zinoman, The New York Times, August 23, 2010

Watching the birdies

St. George Ferry terminal bus stop
(c)2010, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

View down from Alice Austen House, Staten Island
(c)2010, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Juggling for a cause

Jacob Weiss, Ted Joblin, Michael Karas and Ben Detrick--the four juggling gents of Playing By Air--open their Fringe Festival show with colorful lightworks in the darkened performance space at Dixon Place. It's a low-grade version of the kind of razzledazzle Alwin Nikolais dancers might have whipped across a stage on a much larger scale back in the day, and not the most sophisticated or promising of openings. But then, Playing By Air--both the Nashville-based troupe and its show--is clearly a throwback to an era of direct, good-natured simplicity in entertainment. What ends up being winning about this show is how sincerely, intimately human it is.

And fun. These guys are talented jugglers. Moreover, they actually do have some jaw-droppingly slick tricks up their sleeves--like Karas's ability to balance a music stand, sheet music and all, on his upper lip. And those sleeves can be very nice indeed because, as it turns out, these guys place high value on dressing to impress. Juggling may be something circus clowns do but Weiss and his crew, though amusing physical comedians, say they prefer the kind of respect stage magicians get.

Karas--based in New York, originally relocated here for an acting career--seems the most polished of the four. Even before he launched into some brief dance moves, his juggling tricks showed dancerly, choreographic chops with subtle, precise timing and a taste for the unexpected. He's the most delightful reason for dance fans to catch Playing By Air.

Besides juggling, Detrick serves as the troupe's violinist/fiddler. His playing paralleled the dexterity of the other jugglers' moves, and I began to look at his colleagues and "hear" the intricate music of their juggling.

Founded and directed by Weiss--who tells me he earned his PhD, at Vanderbilt University, in something called Biomedical Informatics--the Playing By Air organization devotes its talents to cancer awareness and the support of survivors, families and caregivers. You can learn more about this creative mission at Playing By Air Cares. Check out the show, which has a typically eccentric Fringe schedule with remaining shows running on Sunday, August 22 (8:45pm), Monday, August 23 (9:30pm), Wednesday, August 25 (2:15pm) and Saturday, August 28 (7pm).

Playing By Air

The New York International Fringe Festival

Dixon Place

161A Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Delancey Streets)

Tickets

LIC's Chocolate Factory seeks box office rep

JOB POSTING

The Chocolate Factory Theater
a not-for-profit corporation
Box Office Representative (employee, part-time)

The Chocolate Factory Theater, one of New York City’s premiere incubators of contemporary experimental performance, seeks a Box Office Representative for anywhere from 1 to 3 shifts per week. An integral part of The Chocolate Factory team, the Box Office Representative is responsible for the smooth execution of box office operations, interfacing with the theater’s staff, artists and audience. 

Shifts are approximately four hours, usually Wednesday through Saturday nights from 6:30-10:30pm, with about 22 weeks of performances from September to June each year. Shift pay is $50-$60.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• B.A. or degree completion expected within one year, preferably with a focus in the performing arts or arts administration; or equivalent experience.

• Experience working or interning for a non-profit performing arts organization.

• Interest in the performing arts, especially in contemporary, multi-disciplinary performance.

• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel.

• Proficiency with Mac computers.

• Ability to maintain a friendly and professional demeanor around all types of personalities.

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Excellent problem solving and “quick thinking” abilities.

If you are interested and meet the above qualifications, please email a letter of interest, your resume and 3 references who can be contacted currently, one of whom is a past or current employer to Alex Rosenberg at alex@chocolatefacorytheater.org. No phone calls, please. You will only be contacted if selected for an interview. Position must start immediately.

Application deadline: Thursday, August 26, 2010

Tillman's true story documented

'The Tillman Story' - Pat Tillman, Hero and Victim, by Amir Bar-Lev

by Stephen Holden, The New York Times, August 19, 2010

More hours at Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn Museum to Extend Hours
by Kate Taylor, The New York Times, August 19, 2010

Imagining Seneca Village

Announced by iLAND (Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Art, Nature and Dance)

From the iLAND community:

Imagining Seneca Village

September 25, 6-7:30pm 

Choreographer and 2007 iLAB Resident Lise Brenner has partnered with Tenement Museum Education and tour guide Emily Gallagher and composer/performer Imani Uzuri to create a tour of an imagined Seneca Village, a New York City semi-rural, woodland settlement that flourished in the early-mid 19th century. Populated by predominantly African-American and Irish landholders, Seneca Village was located on the West side of the Park, from approximately 83rd-88th Streets, and was torn down in 1858, when Central Park was created.

Location: Summit Rock, Central Park. 

All ages welcomed! Free, Rain or Shine! Hold the date!

Herman Leonard, photographer of jazz, 87

Herman Leonard, Photographer, Dies at 87
by Margalit Fox, The New York Times, August 17, 2010

Olbermann tells it like it is

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MSNBC's Keith Olbermann cuts through all the manipulative political nonsense about Cordoba House, the Islamic cultural center planned for the area near New York's Ground Zero.

Music critic Bernheimer defends colleague

When a writer faces the music

by Martin Bernheimer, FT.com, August 13, 2010

Governors Island: democratic playground or underachiever?

Times Critics Discuss Direction of Arts at Governors Island
The New York Times, August 16, 2010

National Jazz Museum acquires recorded treasures

National Jazz Museum Acquires Savory Collection
by Larry Rohter, The New York Times, August 15, 2010

"Sorry" don't cut the oil

"Sorry Ain't Enough No More"

posted by Barbara Ann Levy, WPB/NYC and Anything Else

Annie Lanzillotto seeks backing for debut album

Annie Lanzillotto Band Debut Album--Back this project on Kickstarter!

Do this because you love performance artist Annie Lanzillotto and because you want to drive around New York with her--music blasting--or hear her chant your name in ottavia rima!

Well, okay, then how about the right to break one of the band's guitars?

Abbey Lincoln, 80

Abbey Lincoln, Jazz Singer and Writer, Dies at 80
by Nate Chinen, The New York Times, August 14, 2010

Kidjo: Daughter of Independence

Daughter of Independence
by Angélique Kidjo, On The Ground, New York Times, August 13, 2010

The Batonga Foundation

Don't mess with ballet dancers!

San Francisco Ballet Dancer Beats Down Mugger in BART Brawl
by Lauren Smiley, SF Weekly, August 5, 2010

Pioneering Westbeth

Westbeth Pioneers -- an exhibition of the first artists to occupy Westbeth in 1970

August 14-September 5 (Reception today: 5-7pm)

This historic exhibit, a celebration of Westbeth's 40th Anniversary, includes the work of Robert De Niro Sr, Mary Frank, Benny Andrews, Anne Tabachnick, Philip Weischberger, Jonathan Borofsky, Irving Kreisberg, Harry Shunk, Jay Milder, Thomas Maile, Bill Anthony, Peter Ruta, Kathleen Zimmerman, Ralph Lee, John Dobbs, Lucia Salemme, Beate Wheeler, Spencer Holst, Jon D Órazio, and many other former and current residents.

Westbeth Gallery

55 Bethune Street (at Washington Street), Manhattan

Regular hours: Thursday-Sunday, 1-6pm

The Fringe: in search of benefits

The annual New York International Fringe Festival--"New York's Best Staycation" for the long, hot summer--has had a spotty record with dance. Yesterday, I spent part of my staycation at two Fringe shows--one including dance elements, the other focused on dance. Unfortunately, the spotty reputation holds.

Theatre of Eternal Values: Eternity in an Hour  (1hr 10min)

at The New School for Drama Theater

151 Bank Street (between West and Washington Streets)

A brief but otherwise conventional musical fantasia dedicated to William Blake, this piece is too pretty and tepid in both music and movement to convey anything compelling about the visionary poet and artist and his wild, revolutionary spirit. Instead of burning bright, it seems a beast more tamed than fiery. But Tim Bruce--the piece's playwright and star--carries the hour-and-change with charismatic charm and focused embodiment of Blake's fluid emotions. He even sparks a few moments of chemistry with his Catherine Blake, Monia Giovannangeli, one of the show's two choreographers. I just wish I didn't keep looking at Bruce and expecting-- hoping--he'd suddenly bust out with "Brown Eyed Girl" or "Into the Mystic."

Remaining shows: Tonight, 7pm; Sunday, 8/15; 7:15pm; Friday, 8/20, 4pm; Sunday, 8/22, 2pm

Deliquescent Designs: Perspectives (1hr 30min)

(choreography and performances by Stephanie Dixon, Mary Beth Leigh, Tamora Petitt and Karen Voyles)

at Dixon Place

161A Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Delancey Streets)

I slipped out of Perspectives after the dance with the feathers and the cranberry-red Isadora Duncan-style gowns. So, it might not be fair to say a whole lot about Deliquescent Designs. But I will note that this company's film projection--an unintentionally hilarious guide to bowling from, it appears, the 1950s--is far more arresting than any of the choreography I saw. I'm looking forward to the Macaulay review.

Remaining shows: Tonight, 10:15pm; Wednesday, 8/18, 5pm; Friday, 8/20, 4pm; Saturday, 8/21, 2pm.

Devotion to motion

A few points about Elizabeth Streb, who read from her new memoir/guide--STREB: How to Become an Extreme Action Hero--last night at NoLiTa's McNally Jackson Books:

1) The woman is funny.

2) She's definitely one of a kind, decidedly her own person.

3) She knows a lot of science--and scientists!

4) She's got guts galore.

In summation, she's the coolest thing next to Rachel Maddow. I'm looking forward to this book and to finding out all that went into creating a daring, intellectually curious and pioneering artist who investigates everything from the conventional language of dance to the nature of time.

My adventure in life began with action, 

and I know it will end with action. 

-- Elizabeth Streb

STREB: How to Become an Extreme Action Hero (The Feminist Press, 2010)

ISBN 978-1-55861-656-1

paperback, 144 pp.

Slammin' Streb at McNally Jackson Books (posted August 12)

Walk it like Petit

Learning to Walk in the Slippers of a High-Wire Artist
by Emily B. Hager, The New York Times, August 12, 2010

Arts and fun on Governors Island

Governors Island as Playground for the Arts
by Edward Rothstein, The New York Times, August 12, 2010

Slammin' Streb at McNally Jackson Books

From the Twittersphere:

STREBSLAM "STREB: How to Become an Extreme Action Hero" Elizabeth Streb @ McNally Jackson Books 52 Prince St NYC 8/12 7:30 (TODAY!!) :D

Elizabeth Streb Author of STREB: How to Become an Extreme Action Hero (The Feminist Press, $18.95) Elizabeth Streb has been testing the potential of the human body since childhood. Can she fly? Can she run up walls? Can she break through glass? How fast can she go? Combining memoir and theory, Streb conveys how she became an extreme action choreographer, developing a form of movement that’s more NASCAR than modern dance, more boxing than ballet. This book is for those who try or are willing to do just about anything to become a hero in their own way. Streb believes that true movement invention (the rubric of her investigations) happens accidentally with the milling together of strangers and out of the diverse movement voices that accidentally cross paths. Her dance and choreography organization SLAM is the Petrie dish that feeds the possibility for these new forms to emerge.

Eva Karczag workshop for Movement Research

Workshop with EVA KARCZAG

September 13, 15 and 17

Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9am-12pm

Eden's Expressway

537 Broadway between Prince and Spring Streets

Tuition: $90

Space is limited, so we encourage you to register today.

Click here to register, or mail a check, payable to Movement Research, to:

Movement Research
P.O. Box 49
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY  10113

Observation, directed touch and imagery are tactics we can bring into play in order to create an environment of internal body spaciousness. Qigong is a form through which we can practice how to sustain the sensation of internal openness and energy flow while moving. When we then make a shift into improvisation, the internal space we carry with us gives rise to dancing that is easeful and generated by energetic intention. These three classes will begin with body awareness that will slide into an extended Qigong practice. We will then integrate new-found physical insights within improvisation.

Eva Karczag is an independent dance artist and educator. For the past three decades she has practiced, taught, and advocated explorative methods of dance making. She performs solo and collaborative work internationally, many of her collaborations involving links across the arts. Her performance work and her teaching are informed by dance improvisation and mindful body practices, including Qigong, the Alexander Technique (certified teacher), and Ideokinesis. She has been a member of leading groups in the field of experimental dance, including the Trisha Brown Dance Company. She has taught throughout the USA, Australia and Europe and has an MFA degree (Dance Research Fellow) from Bennington College.

Movement Research
info@movementresearch.org
212-598-0551 x261

Charles Burchfield at the Whitney

Heat Waves in a Swamp on a Steamy NYC Day

by Deborah Feller, DeborahFeller.com, August 11, 2010

P.S. 1 vs Ann Liv Young: Part 2

Ann Liv Young Plans a Return - P.S. 1 Says No

by Claudia La Rocco, The New York Times, August 11, 2010

New Bessie Awards process, structure and event announced

An announcement just received from Lucy Sexton

The New York Dance and Performance Awards, aka The Bessies, will take place Monday October 18, 2010 at 8 pm at Symphony Space in New York City. All lovers and supporters of dance are invited! Please come to celebrate dance work being honored and to find out what is happening with New York’s dance awards.

After a hiatus last year, this year’s ceremony will honor the work of the past two years, and launch the format for the new Bessie Awards, which are now under the umbrella of DanceNYC.

Six full productions from 08-09 and six from 09-10 will receive Bessies.

The full creative teams behind each of the shows will be included in the award (choreographers, composers, designers, and performers). In addition, six outstanding performers from the past two years will be honored with Bessie Awards.

There will be speeches and announcements throughout the ceremony by esteemed members of New York’s dance community. They will talk about the historic value of the Bessies, and detail the changes that will be made going forward. Revisions to the Bessies include both new award categories and a new structure for nomination and voting.

The aim is to continue the invaluable mission of the Bessie Awards: to gather the community, to honor outstanding work in the field of dance, and to advocate on a national and international level for the extraordinary range of dance being performed in New York.

Bessies’ new producers

For many years Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, and The Joyce have produced the Bessie Awards. Starting this year, the Bessie Awards will be under the umbrella of DanceNYC. As a wide-ranging dance service organization, DanceNYC is uniquely positioned to be a neutral, transparent, and inclusive home to the historic awards.

Lucy Sexton is the new independent producer of the Bessie Awards. She is working with DanceNYC and the outgoing producing organizations---Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, and The Joyce---during this exciting and invigorating transition period. Please contact her with any questions about The Bessie Awards: thebessies@gmail.com.

The Bessie Committee

The committee responsible for choosing award recipients for the 08-09 and 09-10 seasons is: Nolini Barretto, Barbara Bryan, Rashida Bumbray, Lili Chopra, Nancy Dalva, Joan Finkelstein, Boo Froebel, Stephen Greco, Virginia Johnson, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Brad Learmonth, Stanford Makishi, Brian McCormick, Nicky Paraiso, Brian Rogers, Philip Sandstrom, Yoko Shioya, Sydney Skybetter, Ivan Sygoda, Charmaine Warren, and Susan Yung.

The Bessie Steering Committee

The Steering committee responsible for setting policy and shepherding the awards through this transition period is: Michelle Burkhart, Judy Hussie-Taylor, Carla Peterson, Mikki Shepard, Andrea Sholler, Elizabeth Streb, Martin Wechsler, and Reggie Wilson.

Museums prevail against NYS bill

Women in charge at The Joyce

Leslie Kraus and Douglas Gillespie

Kate Weare Company in Bright Land (Photo: Christopher Duggan)

Old-time music band The Crooked Jades 

in live performance for Bright Land (Photo: Christopher Duggan)

I can't give you a review. That's promised for Dance Magazine, and I'll certainly let you know when you can find it there. But I do want you to know that four female choreographers have been royally ripping it up in two different, shared programs at The Joyce Theater this week:

Gallim Dance (choreography by Andrea Miller)

Camille A. Brown

Kate Weare Company

Monica Bill Barnes

They've brought some of the most vibrant dancemaking and dancing I've ever  seen at the Joyce, and you really ought to get there if you can get a ticket.

Remaining shows:

Tonight at 7:30, Friday at 8pm: Camille A. Brown and Andrea Miller

Thursday at 8pm; Saturday at 8pm: Kate Weare and Monica Bill Barnes

Family-friendly program on Saturday at 2pm

More information here and tickets at Joyce Charge: 212-242-0800

Plum housing perks

Plum Benefit to Plum Cultural Post - Free, Tax-Free Housing
by Kevin Flynn and Stephanie Strom, The New York Times, August 9, 2010

The Drawing Center chooses SoHo

The Drawing Center to Stay in SoHo
by Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times, August 9, 2010

Eckhart: From image to manifestation

The soul throws an image before her
by Robert Moss, The Robert Moss BLOG, August 9, 2010

Memory Ensemble explores improv

Trying Improv as Therapy for Those With Memory Loss by Jessica Reaves, Chicago News Cooperative for The New York Times, August 7, 2010

American Folk Art Museum struggles

American Folk Art Museum Struggling to Pay Bonds

by Kate Taylor, The New York Times, August 8, 2010

Patricia Neal, 84

Patricia Neal, an Oscar Winner Who Endured Tragedy, Dies at 84
by Aljean Harmetz, The New York Times, August 9, 2010

Farewell to the Ohio

Robert Lyons’s ‘Nostradamus’ at Ohio Theater
by Alexis Soloski, The New York Times, August 4, 2010

Valley as gallery

An Italian Valley Where Nature Meets Art

by Roderick Conway Morris, The International Herald Tribune, August 6, 2010

The Holmes Brothers: Tiny Desk Concert

The Holmes Brothers: Tiny Desk Concert : NPR
August 2, 2010

Novelist Colson Whitehead at Hammer Museum

Colson Whitehead
Hammer Readings, Hammer Museum, UCLA, June 17, 2010

Leilah Broukhim's journey

Leilah - Casa Sefarad Israel

Leilah Broukhim | MySpace Music Videos

Persian-American/Jewish dancer Leilah Broukhim presents her work-in-progress, A Sephardic Flamenco Journey, at the 92nd Street Y on Thursday, November 4 (8:15pm).

Set to Sephardic and Persian music, this piece tells the story of Broukhim's ancestral journey from expulsion through the Middle East, and her personal journey from New York back to Spain.

For details and ticket information, click here.

92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue (between 91st and 92nd Streets)
New York, NY 10128
212-415-5500

Photojournalist Lee Lockwood, 78

Lee Lockwood Dies at 78 - Captured Life Under Communism
by Margalit Fox, The New York Times, August 7, 2010

Advice for the Brooklyn Museum

Pondering Brooklyn Museum’s Mission and Future
by Robin Pogrebin, The New York Times, August 5, 2010

Lorene Yarnell, of Shields and Yarnell, 66

Lorene Yarnell, Half of a Dance Duo, Dies at 66
by Margalit Fox, The New York Times, August 7, 2010

Alternatives to that vast wasteland

When the Screen Goes Blank
by Farhad Manjoo, The New York Times, August 6, 2010

Joanna T. Steichen, 77

Joanna T. Steichen, Managed Work by Edward Steichen, Dies at 77

by William Grimes, The New York Times, August 7, 2010

A lot of Shakespeare

'Julius Caesar' - Shakespeare in the Parking Lot Looks at a Dictator

by Anita Gates, The New York Times, August 5, 2010

Cleveland critic Rosenberg loses lawsuit

Critic Loses Case Against The Plain Dealer and Cleveland Orchestra

by Daniel J. Wakin, The New York Times, August 6, 2010

Kim Katzberg's "Penetrating the Space"

Under Construction at Dixon Place: Kim Katzberg's "Penetrating the Space"

by Deborah Feller, News and Views, DeborahFeller.com, August 6, 2010

Williams and a touch of Eire

Detail of Irish Hunger Memorial, Battery Park City 
(c)2010, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Everyone knows that when you follow a faerie or other ethereal denizen of the Nether World into its otherworldly space, you risk never coming back. Everyone knows that, right? You've all read the old tales, heard the legends? So why follow one of these creatures into the decidely un-Manhattan terrain of the Irish Hunger Memorial at Battery Park City--and under a blazing hot sun to boot? Yet batches of people have been willing to do precisely that for choreographer Christopher Williams all this week and will do so again today at 12:30pm.

The Voyage of Garbhglas

(excerpt)

by Christopher Williams

all photos (c)2010, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

And now I will risk shocking you all by saying that, in this instance, I strongly agree with Times man Alastair Macaulay, who wrote: "You want Mr. Williams's work to be wonderful because it's so wacky."

Maybe something more than that, Alastair. I'd like Williams's work to be more effective because I like the course of his searching and talented mind, and I'm tickled by his idiosyncratic, determinedly retro trend in all things theatrical. He's a different kind of fellow. But I'll agree that the results, in terms of choreography and storytelling, can leave me unsatisfied.

Sydney Skybetter in The Voyage of Garbhglas

Sopranos Amanda Gregory and Amanda Kelly

all photos (c)2010, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Detail from Irish Hunger Memorial inner wall

There's also the issue of the memorial's inner wall... 

Walking through that tunnel is not exactly an experience of wackiness. The memorial is a wondrous site--a collaboration by artist Brian Tolle, landscape architect Gail Wittwer-Laird and 1110 Architect--and is genuinely made up of stone, soil and vegetation from The Old Sod. Williams's production utilizes this for visual effect but feels not just flimsy as art but also disconnected from the larger meaning of the memorial itself.

The Voyage of Garbhlas (excerpt)

Today at 12:30pm -- free
Irish Hunger Memorial

Vesey Street and North End Avenue, Battery Park City, Manhattan

Info at River to River Festival

DUMBO fest wants your site-specific dance

  Young Soon Kim

2010 DUMBO DANCE FESTIVAL - CALL FOR ARTISTS

Call for site-specific works

Application Deadline: Postmarked August 15, 2010

In celebration of our 10th anniversary WHITE WAVE is proposing a series of site-specific dance works to be performed in seven outdoor spaces throughout DUMBO during the 2010 DUMBO DANCE FESTIVAL. The seven sites are situated within two designated areas: the Brooklyn Bridge Park (near the entrance at Washington and Plymouth Streets), and along the Pier 1 waterfront (entrance at Old Fulton and Water Streets) in DUMBO Brooklyn.

There is no application fee to apply.

Ideally we would like these pieces to be collaborations between dancers, movement artists and multimedia artists of all kinds: musicians, composers, fashion/costume designers, video artists, photographers etc. You may apply as collaborators or as individual artists who we will match together. We are primarily a dance festival but are open to creative applications from artists in different media who can make a strong case for the way their work would fit in a dance context.

Be imaginative. Your proposals will be reviewed, selected and curated by a committee headed by Young Soon Kim, Artistic Director of WHITE WAVE. The sites are presented raw—i.e. no built stages, sound systems, lights, electricity: All production value for the site specific pieces will be self-generated. Successful applications will propose flexible performances that are adaptable to shifting circumstances and enthusiastic about the creative potential of collaboration with other artists. Applicants are encouraged to present new work.

Before you submit your application, we strongly suggest that you visit the site – specific designated areas in person.

We are excited to offer this opportunity and to see your submissions!

See more details and RSVP on DNA World.

Photography by Dennis Hopper at MoCA LA

Daily Dose Pick: Dennis Hopper

by Tanja M. Laden, Flavorwire Daily Dose, August 4, 2010

"What to Read if You're Poor" benefits writing collective

The Wooster Group will host "What to Read if You're Poor"--a panel discussion on literacy and poverty to benefit the Brooklyn-based writing collective Still Waters in a Storm.

Saturday, September 11, 7pm

The Performance Garage

33 Wooster Street (between Grand and Broome Streets), Manhattan

Panelists include world-renowned authors Peter Carey (Parrot and Olivier in America), Peter Hedges (The Heights), Richard Price (Lush Life), Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (Random Family) and Russell Banks (The Reserve), and a young writer from the Brooklyn collective.

Moderator: Kate Valk of The Wooster Group

The panel will be followed by drinks and conversation.

Suggested donation: $20, but any amount will be gratefully accepted. All proceeds will benefit Still Waters in a Storm.

For more information, or to make reservations, call 646-579-5025, or email stephenhaff@gmail.com. Donations by cash or check will be accepted at the door.

Still Waters in a Storm is a grassroots, storefront reading and writing collective in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Still Waters brings together Bushwick neighborhood residents of all ages (presently ages 5 to 56) to read, write, and listen to each other in what Richard Price calls an atmosphere of "agendaless empathy².

The celebrated writers in "What to Read if You're Poor" have each traveled to Bushwick and participated in the main activities of Still Waters: taking turns composing, reading aloud, and responding to what they hear in specific but non-judgmental ways. Through this process, they have been able to guide and inspire the Bushwick writers, person by person. In advance of each visit, the group read at least one of the guest author's books, which are expert models for their own writing and opportunities to imagine other people's inner lives, an important exercise in the practice of compassion.

Still Waters also offers individual, remedial literacy instruction for all levels and ages. All activities and services are free. Still Waters now includes upwards of 50 people and has been growing weekly since moving into a new, permanent home in May, a sanctuary for thought and peaceful self-expression, right there on the street in Bushwick.

Holly is Hot!

It's so great to be in the presence of Holly Hughes again that the simple awareness that she has stepped into Dixon Place's darkened space gets some wolf whistles going even before we actually see those lemon-yellow, open-toed spike heels she's rocking. When the lights finally go up, there's our free speech hero, our culture warrior, sporting a multi-colored, feathery haircut that only underscores how much of a voluble, little tropical bird she is. A wound-up, high-pitched, smart-as-hell and very funny tropical bird and one who works her butt off over the hour-long course of her demanding monologue, The Dog and Pony Show (Bring Your Own Pony), directed by Dan Hurlin.

My best guess is that, just as last night's Hot! Festival performance took some moments to heat up and make sense, the entire multifaceted monologue took a while in development to shape into some semblance of direction and coherence. I've seen different blurbs forecasting the piece, and none of them exactly square with the others or seem to have much to do with what turned up at Dixon Place. But what turned up--a meditation, by way of barely-controlled chaos, on the close relationship between humans and dogs--is both entertaining and, in the end, touching. Go and see it, even if you're a cat dyke or if you're allergic or irritable or you think you don't give a damn one way or the other.

If you can still get a ticket, visit with Holly tonight, 7:30pm, at Dixon Place.

Hot! Festival at Dixon Place
161A Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Delancey Streets), Manhattan
212-219-0736

Robert F. Boyle, Hitchcock film designer, 100

Robert F. Boyle, Film Designer for Hitchcock, Dies

by William Grimes, The New York Times, August 3, 2010

"The Dance Insider" seeks investor

Received today from Paul Ben-Itzak of The Dance Insider:

Own the turnkey publication in dance--for free. The Dance Insider Online, the most influential magazine in dance, is available for free to an investor ready to pay a salary to its editor and per story compensation to its writers for a set period of time, in exchange for a majority interest in the magazine.

The DI's assets include the most recognizeable brand of online dance journalism in the business; 12+ years of archived reviews, news, commentary, photography and art from around the world produced by the top journalists in dance; and an e-mail list of dance studio owners, company directors, college dance department directors, theater directors, media, dancers, teachers, students, and more. The DI had more than 3 million hits in 2009 from 160 countries.

Interested parties contact publisher Paul Ben-Itzak at paul@danceinsider.com.

Paul Ben-Itzak 

Editor & Publisher
The Dance Insider