Middle Eastern dance great Anahid Sofian presents videos at Gibney

So do you guys want to meet one of the great, pioneering master dancer/choreographer/teachers of New York's Middle Eastern dance scene? Well, of course you do! 

So join me this Saturday, December 8, at Gibney Dance Center for GDC's Sorry I Missed Your Show event, and I'll introduce you to Anahid Sofian and show you a few videos of her dancing. It will be my honor! 

The entire SIMYS runs from 3-6pm, and Anahid's portion with me is 4-5pm, but come for it all, if you can! 

You must RSVP by early on Friday to rsvp@gibneydance.org. 

Don't forget: RSVP! Thanks, and see you there!

Saturday, December 8 

Gibney Dance Center
890 Broadway (between 19th and 20th Streets), 5th Floor, Manhattan 
(map/directions)

Hear it straight from the artists

Here are two audience development series that should be on your radar in 2012:

SORRY I MISSED YOUR SHOW

presented by Gibney Dance Center, developed in partnership with Dance/NYC

video screenings of works by both emerging and established choreographers followed by thoughtful discussions and reflections led by some of the great minds of the contemporary dance world

Jill Sigman in her hut at the Oslo Opera House (photo: Elisabeth Færøy Lund)

One recent SIMYS session--part of a marathon afternoon featuring other dance artists--detailed how choreographer/multimedia artist Jill Sigman created and performed in a hut made of trash in the light-filled lobby of Norway's Oslo Opera House. ("I do not find [discarded] skis when I build huts in New York City!") Concerned about the alarming amount of waste produced in the US and developed nations worldwide, Sigman seeks to raise awareness of this environmental issue while also engaging ancient means of forging community around place, work, food and movement. In her Hut Project series, she employs a music system run on renewable energy and elevates her diverse found objects "back into the realm of value."

For information on upcoming Sorry I Missed Your Show events, get on the GDC mailing list. Phone: 212-677-8560 or email here.

location: GDC, 890 Broadway, 5th Floor, Manhattan (map/directions)

Admission: Free (includes "popcorn and drinks")

Video archive coming soon

DANCE TALKS

presented by The Joyce Theater

If a more in-depth examination of issues shaping dance today interests you, join one of our Dance Talks, a series of conversations with artists and audiences illustrated with dance videos and movement demonstrations.

location: Joyce SoHo, 155 Mercer Street, Manhattan (map/directions)

Admission: Free. RSVP at 646-792-8377, although walk-ins are certainly welcome.

If you can't make it to Dance Talks, visit the Joyce's Ustream channel (sample below).

Video streaming by Ustream

November 21 Dance Talks at Joyce SoHo (65:33)

Gideon Lester (Director of Columbia University's Arts Collaboration Lab) chats with choreographer Martha Clarke and playwright Alfred Uhry ("Driving Miss Daisy") about their unusual collaboration on Angel Reapers, opening November 29 at The Joyce Theater.

Sorry you missed Hilary Easton's show?

Sorry I Missed Your Show!

Saturday, January 29 (4:30-6:30pm)

The upcoming SIMYS features Gibney Dance Center Advisory Group Member Hilary Easton and her recent acclaimed production, Light and Shade.  Moderated by Brian Rogers, Artistic Director of The Chocolate Factory, the event will include excerpts and discussion around Light and Shade, as well as a look back at previous works that set the context for Hilary's current work. 

Free admission. To RSVP, click here.


Gibney Dance Center
890 Broadway (between 19th and 20th Streets), Manhattan
(map)

Gibney Dance Center to open September 1

Choreographer Gina Gibney, artistic director of Gina Gibney Dance, today announced plans to greatly expand both her studio space and the range of programs designed to serve the rapidly growing needs of New York's dance and performance community. Her Gibney Dance Center will open on September 1.

Gina Gibney (c)2010, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

For two decades, Gibney has maintained Studio 5-2 at 890 Broadway for company rehearsals and a full roster of professional and specialty classes. Now, with the support of Eliot Feld's Ballet Tech Foundation, Gibney has acquired two more spaces in the building, also known as The Lawrence A. Wien Center for Dance and Theater.

In addition to Studio 5-2 (renamed Studio 3), Gibney Dance Center will be home to two new studios:

Studio 1--a 36' x 36' rehearsal studio and production office designed and equipped for rehearsals and residencies for dance and theater groups

Studio 2--20' x 36' workspace for small group rehearsals, exploratory work and special creative programs; affordable for independent artists and small dance groups

Building on her long track record in community service and innovation, Gibney plans to launch two new programs:

boo-koo--a space grant program that will provide choreographers with rehearsal time and technical assistance in exchange for community give-backs, such as free workshops or performances for audience with limited exposure to the arts

One-Shot--a web-based, solo performance relay curated by Sarah Maxfield. Each participating artist receives six hours of rehearsal time at GDC, during which he or she will create a solo performance specifically for the Internet. Each web-based solo will be premiered online, and remain available in a web-based catalogue for performance viewing at any time.

For Gibney Dance Center rental inquiries, contact Michele Wilson at 212-677-1818 or michele@ginagibneydance.org.