24th Annual "Bessie" Awards at Spiegelworld, September 15

DANCE THEATER WORKSHOP
DANSPACE PROJECT
AND THE JOYCE THEATER
with the 2007-2008 BESSIES COMMITTEE
present The 24th Annual
NEW YORK DANCE AND PERFORMANCE AWARDS

The Bessies ’08: The SpiegelParty
Hosted by
Terry Dean Bartlett and Katie Workum

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2008
at SPIEGELWORLD

Known as The Bessies (in honor of master teacher Bessie Schönberg), the awards honor exceptional artistic achievements in dance and related performance during the 2007-2008 performance season.

The award ceremony will take place on Monday, September 15, 2008 at Spiegelworld (Pier 17, South Street Seaport), beginning at 5:30pm. The presentation of the first group of awards begins at 7:00pm.

The $15 admission to The Bessies includes one free drink.

Tickets can be purchased beginning Tuesday, September 2, 2008 by visiting the Dance Theater Workshop box office Monday-Friday 5:00pm to 9:00pm, Saturday-Sunday 12:00pm to 8:00pm or by calling 212-924-0077.

The Bessie Awards recognize the unique and exemplary creative voices of performing artists while providing the dance and performance community with an occasion to gather together in celebration. This year, along with a new location, the co-producers welcome a more freely-structured event with a festive and exhilarating atmosphere.

The “flamboyant … yet sophisticated” (NYC Dance Journal) Terry Dean Bartlett and Katie Workum will host the award ceremony, which has been called, “…a pitch-perfect marvel of style, order, and infectious wit” (The Village Voice). The presentation of awards honoring exceptional artistic achievements in fields of choreography, visual design, performance, installation and new media, and music composition will be interspersed with several site-specific presentations, including an excerpt of Adrienne Truscott's genesis, no!; a live performance by the alt-bluegrass ensemble The Dang-It Bobbys; and music by DJ Crazy Cuban (aka Alberto Denis).

"The Bessies ceremonies are invariably an eclectic and outspoken celebration of the downtown performing community." Amy Hersh, Backstage

Past award recipients include: choreographers/creators Pina Bausch, Trisha Brown, Ann Carlson, Ping Chong, Chuck Davis, Garth Fagan, Molissa Fenley, William Forsythe, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, David Gordon, Bill Irwin, Bill T. Jones, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Bebe Miller, Meredith Monk, Mark Morris, Steve Paxton, Gus Solomons jr. and Reggie Wilson; performers Rob Besserer, Peter Boal, Carmen de Lavallade, Paul Matteson, Desmond Richardson, Sara Rudner, Valda Setterfield, Kate Valk, Lisa Viola, and Shelly Washington; visual designers Terry Allen, Charles Atlas, Power Boothe, Janie Geiser and Martin Puryear; lighting designers Beverly Emmons, Roma Flowers, Michael Mazzola, Stan Pressner, Philip Sandström, and Jennifer Tipton; and composers David Byrne, Anthony Davis, Peter Gordon, Jeff Halpern, Philip Hamilton, Julius Hemphill, Lenny Pickett and Edwina Lee Tyler.

THE 2007-2008 BESSIES COMMITTEE*

Nolini Barretto, Producer, Sitelines Series, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Barbara Bryan, Executive Director, Movement Research
Lili Chopra, Performing Arts Director, French Institute Alliance Française
Rachel Cooper, Director, Cultural Programs and Performing Arts, Asia Society
Boo Froebel, Associate Producer, Lincoln Center Festival
Vallejo Gantner, Artistic Director, Performance Space 122
Stephen Greco, Executive Director, Dance Theater Workshop (committee chair)
Trajal Harrell, Choreographer and Editor, Movement Research Performance Journal
Judy Hussie-Taylor, Executive Director, Danspace Project (Co-Producer)
Iréne Hultman, Choreographer
Denise Jefferson, Director, The Ailey School
Isabel Lewis, Choreographer
Brad Learmonth, Director of Programming, Harlem Stage
Brian McCormick, Journalist
Nicky Paraiso, Curator for Performance - The Club, La MaMa ETC
David Parker, Artistic Director, The Bang Group
Carla Peterson, Artistic Director, Dance Theater Workshop (Co-Producer)
Martin Wechsler, Director of Programming, The Joyce Theater (Co-Producer)
Eva Yaa Asantewaa, InfiniteBody blog; Producer and Host, Body and Soul podcast

*Positions held by Bessie Committee Member through the 2007-2008 season

Terry Dean Bartlett came to New York from Montana in 1996. Upon arrival, Bartlett joined STREB and worked for eleven years with the company as Associate Artistic Director, Rehearsal Director, Costume Designer, Sound Designer, Master Instructor, Technical Liaison, Rigger, Choreographer, and Performer. In 1999, along with fellow STREB dancer Lisa LeAnn Dalton, Bartlett started the “Lisa LeAnn & Terry Dean put on DANCESHOW!” series in the back room of Galapagos Artspace. In 2003, Katie Workum replaced Dalton as co-producer and she and Bartlett created DANCEOFF!. The series was first presented at Joe's Pub; it moved to Symphony Space, and subsequently, on to a regular spot at P.S. 122. Additional presentations include special DANCEOFF! productions for Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, The FI:AF Crossing the Line Festival, and sold-out houses at the the Tanz Im August Festival in 2007 in Berlin. Bartlett has been a featured aerialist in Cirque du Soleil's Midnight Sun, the GQ Men of the Year Awards, and Broadway Bares. Beyond DANCEOFF!, Workum and Bartlett have appeared together in a commercial for Levi's, at DRA's Fire Island Dance Festival, and as part of Absinthe.

Katie Workum works as a dancer and choreographer in New York City. Her choreography has been shown throughout the city at venues, including Dance Theater Workshop, The Joyce Theater, Joyce SoHo, P.S. 122, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Joe’s Pub, The Kitchen, and Symphony Space. In October 2008, Workum will present Carlisle, a commission from Dance New Amsterdam with funding from the New York State Council of the Arts. She and Terry Dean Bartlett curate DANCEOFF!, a dance variety show presented at P.S. 122 and other venues. Most recently, the pair presented DANCEOFF! at the TanzImAugust Festival in Berlin. As a dancer, Workum has worked with David Neumann, Stacy Dawson, Ken Nintzel, Sharon Fogarty, Sarah East Johnson, Elizabeth Streb, Jenny Seastone Stern, and Julia Jonas. She currently dances for Ivy Baldwin Dance.

Franceoff! Danceoff!

Only a smidgen of my memory of Franceoff!Danceoff!--presented last night at PS 122 in conjunction with Crossing the Line: FIAF Fall Festival--survived a good night's sleep. I'm a fan of curators Terry Dean Bartlett and Katie Workum, but this was not their finest hour-and-a-half.

I did enjoy filmmaker John Bush's opener--Zephyr--with its altered-state clarity of color and depth and its breathless, innocent whimsy. Choreography by French-born Nadine Helstroffer--danced by Helstroffer, Patti Bradshaw and Celeste Hastings--featured a trio of sleepy, wind-ruffled blossoms in the green soul of the city.

Franceoff!Danceoff then veered off into the hyper, the slight and the murky--except for Laura Peterson's Security, a piece I almost dismissed on first sight as a trifle. Katie Harris, Christopher Hutchins, Kate Martel and Peterson--all clad in black-and-pink striped costumes, pale panties with rows of ruffles across the butt, and serious kneepads--entered the space on all fours and began to crisply pad to and fro across the floor to the sound of an Eartha Kitt tune, moving their limbs and heads as if they were little mechanical dogs. I was prepared to file this under Cutesy, and it was cute but not without actual humor--a big distinction these days. In a little doggy interaction--sometimes flirtatious, sometimes standoffish--between Peterson's and Christopher Hutchings's mercurial facial expressions have genuine sly humor. Guess that title refers to the most recent airport security concerns, huh? Timely!

A sad dispute in our community

One account and one opinion on disturbing developments in STREB, a dance company that I've greatly enjoyed over the years.

Extreme Action, Extreme Dispute
by Daniel J. Wakin, New York Times (July 23, 2007)

How Elizabeth Streb says Thanks
by Paul Ben-Itzak, The Dance Insider (July 5, 2007)

Daniel J. Wakin's original Times piece about deeAnn Nelson's accident:

A Troupe Known for Daredevil Choreography Copes With a Casualty (June 2, 2007)

Dances for DeeAnn: A Benefit for A Broken Back

Announcement from Terry Dean Bartlett, Curator/Producer: DANCEOFF Productions


On May 20th, 2007, Tisch MFA Graduate in Dance deeAnn Nelson suffered a tragic fall in a performance and fractured her spine. She has since come through surgery with flying colors, and a full recovery is expected, though the rehabilitation is going to be long and arduous.

While all of her medical expenses are covered, she will need resources for rent, bills, living etc. until she is “back on her feet.” She will be in pins, rods, screws and a brace for the next 6 months then will face an intense program of rehab. As a fierce and talented dancer deeAnn gave her all for her art, now, she will need all of the support from her community that she can get.

And the dance community has turned out in droves asking: “How can I help?”

What better way than through a dance concert to bring us together? An evening of Established and Emerging Artists coming out to help raise funds for an amazing performer.

Dances for deeAnn: A Benefit for a Broken Back

Monday July 2nd, 7:30pm

DTW:DANCE THEATER WORKSHOP
219 West 19th Street

Tickets: $40 All Proceeds go to deeAnn Nelson towards her recovery.

Box Office: 212.924.0077
ww.dtw.org

FEATURING BRILLIANT WORK BY:

Gus Solomons
Heidi Latsky
Niles Ford: Urban Dance Collective
Jody Oberfelder
Laura Peterson Choreography
Ellis Wood
Hartel Dance Group (Oklahoma)
The Wonder Twins
A Dance Video from Jonah Bokaer/Michael Cole/Christian Marclay
Nathan Phillips
Jo-anne Lee
Gabriel Forestieri: projectLIMB
Lobby Video by Nadine Helstroffer

More!

Raffle Prizes!

www.deeAnnNelson.com for further info and updates.

DTW graciously donated the Theater for the performance.

Terry Dean Bartlett
Curator/Producer: DANCEOFF Productions
www.danceoff.net

Update on deeAnn Nelson

(Editor's Note: I just received the following note from Terry Dean Bartlett.)

Eva
Thanks so much for you help and support.
Dee is out of surgery and I am told all went according to plan.
She is in
NICU 10 w 59 at Bellevue Hospital
If anyone wants to send cards or the like
She shall probably be there until Sunday before moving home.

Warm regards
Terry dean

Benefit Planned for Injured STREB Dancer deeAnn Nelson

(Editor's Note: I was saddened to receive the following message this morning from Terry Dean Bartlett of STREB. Please take note, help if you can, and forward this appeal as widely as possible. Thanks!)

Hello my friends.

I am in the process of securing a venue, help in organizing, etc. for an evening, afternoon, all day? Of dance performances to help out my dear friend, an amazing performer, deeAnn Nelson, of STREB, who broke her back this past weekend, in a fall during a performance. She fractured her L1, and destabilized her spine above that, is going into surgery on Thursday, and will be in pins, rods, screws, and a brace for the next 6 months. Her medical bills will be covered by workman’s comp, but rent, bills etc are going to mount up and I want to help her out in any way I can, and ask if anyone is willing/able to help out a fellow dancer/performer/artist?

I hope to secure a venue within the week, for the Monday or Tuesday the 18th or 19th of June. If anyone can contribute a piece, it would be greatly appreciated, and it will help to raise funds for one of the fiercest performers I’ve ever known.

Do you wanna’ show new work? Great! Wanna’ show a classic/old favorite? Great. Got PR connections? A huge email list? A fabulous theater? Tons of Money, and love dancers? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Drop me a line and let me know if you might be able to contribute to a show that Monday/Tues, (a potential “dark day” at most theaters that we might be able to slide into?) and I will get back to you about the official “When and Where.”

Thank you for all your help. Send your thoughts/prayers/energy/love to deeAnn at Bellevue ICU:

I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards
Terry Dean Bartlett

DANCEOFF!

by Eva Yaa Asantewaa

DANCEOFF!--the cheeky omnibus series curated by Terry Dean Bartlett and Katie Workum--concluded another season last week at P.S. 122 with work by choreographers Heather McCardle, Nicole Wolcott, Andrew Dinwiddie, Dana Michel and Brian Brooks as well as comic interludes by Nathan Phillips. For the first time, Workum said, neither she nor Bartlett would perform in the show. Why not? Well, besides Bartlett's engagement with his home company--fantabulous STREB, kicking it in SLAMSHOW 9 over in beautiful Williamsburg--the two dancers were simply "too old," Workum joked, for DANCEOFF!

A statement like that is enough to spur the New York Times to publish a piece about ageism in dance (and kudos to the Times for recently taking a couple of whacks at racism and size-ism in dance). DANCEOFF! indeed has a youthful slant towards informality, high energy, sexiness and humor. I don't think you have to be a young hipster to have goofy fun at DANCEOFF! or find something that will continue to intrigue you beyond its moment, but it does help to not take yourself or postmodern dance all that seriously.

DANCEOFF! always introduces me to someone or something of interest, and this time those someones are Dana Michel, a black dancer-choreographer from Montreal with a background in track and touch football, and New York's Andrew Dinwiddie (co-curator of the highly-regarded Catch series, a spinoff of DANCEOFF!, at Galapagos).

Michel, who performed an excerpt from the greater the weight, is a killer soloist who tackles the warped, frenetic and fierce rhythms of her piece with precision and fiery authority. Check her out next time.

Dinwiddie's understated movement in Get Radical! seemed to provide a soft background for the bravura performance of a radio talk show financial advisor holding forth in its accompanying recording. Seems like it should be the other way around, right? Dance backed up or at least embraced by its sound? But even Dinwiddie's choice of this guy's concocted spiel--as theatrical as a preacher's--made me curious to find out whatever else Dinwiddie might have up his sleeve. I like him more for his sensibilities than for his choreography--at least what I can tell from Get Radical!--but I'll be happy to see more.

(c) 2007 Eva Yaa Asantewaa