Zuštiak at the extremes

There seems to be a wickedly smart psychology of soundscaping in today's dance, with the latest example of this coming in Pavel Zuštiak/Palissimo's Blind Spot--running now through Sunday at Performance Space 122. The music alternately lulls and whips the listener, opening up regions of disturbing awareness. The set, arranged by director-choreographer Zuštiak, suggests rapid slippage between heavy haze and piercing light, between distinct layers of consciousness, perhaps between life and afterlife, by way of an Alice-in-Wonderland mirror. The obsessive activity of the amazing performers--Gina Bashour, Yo-el Cassell, Ashleigh Leite and Anthony Whitehurst--gives us a sense of minds and bodies at the extremes, stripped of any civilizing connection to sense and consensus reality. Blind Spot is, at once, melancholy and manic, and if you have been sufficiently shaken, a sudden visual revelation at the very end might leave you close to tears.

Performance Space 122: June 11-15 at 8pm with an additional late show on Saturday at 1opm

Ashleigh Leite: Body and Soul podcast

My interview with dancer-choreographer Ashleigh Leite, conducted in the fall of 2007, is a reminder of how critically important it is for emerging creative artists here in New York to have the support of organizations like Joyce SoHo. As an artist-in-residence at Joyce SoHo's Mercer Street studios, Ashleigh was provided with ample time, rehearsal space, guidance and helpful feedback as she developed Crawl Space, her evening-length, multi-media ensemble which received its premiere at Danspace Project in November 2007--a major step forward in her career. I hope you'll enjoy my talk with this interesting, thoughtful artist and look for the next opportunity to see her work.

GUEST BIO

Ashleigh Leite, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, graduated (cum laude) from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance Performance in 1997. Upon graduation, Ashleigh joined Stephen Petronio Company, where she served as Assistant Director/Rehearsal Director and a dancer for over eight years (1997-2005). While maintaining a full schedule with Stephen Petronio Company, Ashleigh began to pursue her own work as a freelance choreographer. In March 2006, at Joyce SoHo in New York City, she premiered Autopsy for which she received a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space Award. During the fall of 2006, Ashleigh was an Artist-in-Residence at Dance New Amsterdam and premiered flawed in December; this year, she has been an Artist-in-Residence at Joyce SoHo. She is a current member of Pavel Zustiak's Palissimo and has performed in works by Jamie Bishton, David Allen Harris and Jeremy Nelson. She has taught technique and repertory at conservatories all over the world and guest teaches regularly at Dance New Amsterdam in New York City.

Body and Soul is the official podcast of InfiniteBody dance blog at
http://infinitebody.blogspot.com. Subscribe through iTunes or at
http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml.

(c)2008, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

MP3 File