Anabella Lenzu premieres "Sangre & Arena"

In Sangre & Arena (Blood & Sand), Argentine-born choreographer Anabella Lenzu proudly works from an aesthetic associated more with the "classical" modern dance of Humphrey, Limón and Graham than with the intents and strategies of New York's contemporary dance makers. And Lenzu's 40-minute trio, given its world premiere last evening at Duo Multicultural Arts Center, looks backward even farther than those pioneering antecedents. Inspired by Roman Mithraic myth and ritual, the work evokes ancient, cathartic rites employing masks of fearsome animal gods; arresting movement gestures; heightened sounds of swirling wind, hypnotic chimes and terrifying gongs; nature-emulating cycles of repetition; and a profusion of blood--or what frightened initiates might easily take for real blood--used to effect lasting transformation.

Fellow dancers Lauren Ohmer and Julia Lindpaintner join Lenzu--disclaimer: she is currently one of my writing students at New York Live Arts--on Duo's little stage in the intimate theater. Ohmer and Lindpaintner's bodies get wildly smeared with paint as their behavior becomes more abandoned. Lighting (by Stephen Petrilli) and the dancers' thrashing in vivid tempera create three-dimensional art come to life. Lindpaintner's robust sturdiness is impressive, but Ohmer's precise, electric shapes make her the most watchable of the three.

Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama continues at Duo tonight at 8pm and with a 2pm matinee tomorrow. For information and tickets, click here.

Duo Multicultural Arts Center
62 East 4th Street (between Bowery and Second Avenue), Manhattan
(map/directions)

DMAC offers choreography residency

DMAC (Duo Multicultural Arts Center)--at 62 East 4th Street, between 2nd Avenue and Bowery in the East Village--is offering residencies to choreographers beginning September, 2011 through August, 2012. The residencies are for choreographers to create new works. Each residency will last approximately 8 weeks. At the conclusion of the residency the choreography will be given the opportunity to showcase the work in progress before an audience.

To download the application please click here.

DMAC announces 2009 commission opportunity

DMAC- Duo Multicultural Arts Center is seeking to commission and premiere five new dance works to be premiered December 7-11, 2009, in our beautiful turn-of-the-century playhouse. Each piece must be between 8-10 minutes in length. Choreographers will receive a commission fee of $500.00 and adequate rehearsal time in one of our studios. The program is being curated by Lisa Rinehart and Michelangelo Alasa’.

Since 2008, DMAC has presented 16 new dance premieres by Aszure Barton, Keely Garfield, Julian Barnett, Maria Hassabi, Alex Escalante, Anna Sperber, Deganit Shemy, Ariane Anthony, Claire Porter, Yin Yue, Kelley Donovan, Art Bridgeman, Myrna Packer, Nicole Wolcott, Catherine Galasso, Lauri Stallings, Carlos Velazquez as well as guest performances by Doug Elkin, David Parker and the Bang Group, Carlos Velazquez and the Rod Rodgers Dance Company.

Click to download application.

DMAC
duo multicultural arts center
theatre dance film music art
62 East 4th Street, East Village,
212-598-4320

Dance@DMAC wants you!

Dance@DMAC, directed by Michelangelo Alasa, announces its second new works commission series. Last fall's series featured choreography by Keely Garfield, Julian Barnett, Maria Hassabi, Anna Sperber and Alex Escalante.

Alasa writes: As we expand our dance programming, DMAC is seeking to commission 10 new dance works. The new works will be premiered during the first two weeks of June 2009 at our beautiful turn-of-the-century playhouse. Each program will consist of 3-4 new works no longer than 10 minutes in length and will be presented on three separate evenings. Choreographers will receive a commission fee of $500.00 and adequate rehearsal time in one of our studios. If you would like to apply, please complete the form below.

Name__________________________________________________________________

Company_______________________________________________________________

Email___________________________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________________________

Phone__________________________________________________________________

Web Site________________________________________________________________

Print out this form and send completed along with:

* brief bio (one page)

* DVD with an example of your work (preferably one full-length piece)

* a one-paragraph description of proposed work and number of dancers

* The work should not have been previously presented in any form nor should it be a work in progress or part of a larger piece. We seek to commission new works created specifically for our space.

*press clippings

*technical requirements (Our stage dimensions are 23'width x 37'depth. We recommend that pieces have a maximum of 6 dancers.)

Mail to:

DMAC

PO Box 1200

Cooper Station

New York, NY 10276

Please do not Fedex us this package; use regular mail.

Deadline: February 1, 2009

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Submitted materials will not be returned unless you enclose a SASE.

Dance Video Works We are also seeking dance video works to be screened at DMAC on three consecutive Monday evenings in June, 2009. Please submit these to the same address.

Michelangelo Alasa

Artistic Director

DMAC

First steps in Dance@DMAC

Michelangelo Alasa brings big dance to small places--well, to his Duo Multicultural Arts Center on East 4th Street--with this incandescent lineup of "downtown" dancer-choreographers in what he hopes will be an regular presentation at DMAC. Check it out on Wednesday or Thursday, October 8-9 (8pm).

Ticketing at SmartTix.com

Information at DMAC