Making bite-sized dance

Ever sit and watch some hyped, hyper-funded, bloated and disappointing production and wonder whatever happened to modest and incisive dance pieces?

Robin Staff, artistic director and producer of the DanceNOW NYC Festival, believes that size matters--small size, that is--and is prepared to put some money behind that notion.

Her festival artists will be challenged to "create a new work or present a repertory work seven minutes or less, that offers a concise, clear, and complete artistic statement."

Hooray!

The fest's announcement continues:

The artist that best meets the DanceNOW Challenge will be awarded a week-long residency at Silo at Kirkland Farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, along with a $1000 residency stipend and a paid teaching opportunity at DeSales University, with whom DanceNOW has partnered since 2006 to bring New York City-based choreographer/educators to Bucks County/Lehigh Valley, to teach and perform. The artist will be selected during the Festival by a panel of administrators, educators, and peers.

Performances are scheduled for September 8-11 at Dance Theater Workshop.
As summer winds down, artists such as Kyle Abraham, Sydney Skybetter, Nicholas Leichter, Maura Nguyen Donohue, Camille Brown, Stefanie Nelson, Gina Gibney, Ellis Wood and Paul Singh will proffer what they hope you'll find to be good things in small packages.

Connect with DanceNOW NYC and its 2010 festival plans here.