Tiffany Mills premieres "Not then, not yet" at The Flea

Top: Kenneth Olguin
Bottom: left, Mei Yamanaka; right, Jordan Morley
in Tiffany Mills' Not then, not yet at The Flea Theater
(photos: Robert Altman)

Not then, not yet
Tiffany Mills Company
The Flea
November 13-16

Making themselves at home in one's subconscious are all manner of energies and drives eluding conscious control. This is the disquieting atmosphere of Not then, not yet, a work by dance artist Tiffany Mills with Puerto Rican composer Angélica Negrón and French vocalist/composer Muriel Louveau, now in world premiere at The Flea Theater in Tribeca.

The first sight of a few toppled metal chairs--with toppled dancers crumpled beside them--hints that this chair dance, led off by Jordan Morley, will surely go in a dark direction. Indeed, a kind of "musical chairs" game breaks out. But...no game, folks. The dancers--each dressed in Pei-Chi Su's costumes that bind together clothing details assigned along binary gender lines--don't play. Not at all. Their wary, tense actions around the chairs are cutthroat, life or death, driving towards a passage in which Morley obsessively arranges four chairs in a row that, nevertheless, ends up off-kilter. Negrón's music, including vocals by Louveau, invokes the relentlessness pace of time, pressure and complexity.

Inspired by novelist Mary Shelley's writing, the piece locates humanity in a place of precarious transition, the possibility that our inherent potential for monstrosity might consume us all. Is there a way out? Surely, the condition of life in these times raises this unsettling question every single day.

Strongly directed, the performers display physical vibrancy and vivid expressiveness--traits I've come to expect from Mills ensembles. Besides Morley and Mills herself, they are Kenneth Olguin, Nicholas Owens, Emily Pope and Mei Yamanaka, and Mills is fortunate to have every one of them.

Dramaturgy: Kay Cummings
Lighting design: Chris Hudacs

The Flea
20 Thomas Street (near Broadway), Manhattan
(map/directions)

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DISCLAIMER: In addition to my work on InfiniteBody, I serve as Senior Curatorial Director of Gibney. The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views, strategies or opinions of Gibney.

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World premiere of Geraldine Inoa's "Scraps" at The Flea

Roland Lane (left), Alana Raquel Bowers (bottom center),
Michael Oloyede (top center) and Tanyamaria (right).
the main cast members of Scraps at The Flea
(photo: Hunter Canning)

What we always hear: “Black Male Shot by White Police Officer.” What we never see: how loved ones struggle to cope amidst their anger and grief.

-- from program notes for Scraps

In its new Tribeca home and its fresh new season devoted to "Color Brave" programming, The Flea Theater comes out swinging with Scraps, a psychological drama by LA-based playwright and television writer Geraldine Inoa, directed by Niegel Smith. With a strategy similar to Jackie Sibblies Drury's recent Fairview (Soho Rep), another theater piece examining race in America, Inoa carefully grounds her audience in the familiar before hauling us into bizarre territory. Hard to tell, though, which one hauls with the rougher hand: Fairview's second and third acts seem more cleverly conceptual while Scraps goes full-out surreal nightmare with a menacing Greek tragedy-style chorus.

The 85-minute piece takes place in The Flea's tiny Siggy Theater on a shallow stage not even a leg-stretch away from the audience's first row, a set-up that will only become more engulfing and threatening as this tale of Black urban life and racist police violence proceeds. Inoa introduces us to four main characters--connected by race, culture, neighborhood and personal history--whose interactions become complicated by grief, resentment and fear.

All roles are played by members of the Flea's resident acting troupe, The Bats. We first meet unemployed Jean-Baptiste (Roland Lane) who deftly raps up a bleak, nearly Shakespearean take on the prospects for a Black man under white supremacy. Like his namesake, he's a voice of one crying in the wilderness, and a stern warning.

Inoa quickly--maybe too much so, too stereotypically--gives him a nemesis in the form of Calvin (Michael Oloyede), a London-based college student now home in Bed-Stuy for only a brief visit. Calvin, looking casually-sharp in a way that immediately ticks off Jean-Baptiste, has been able to avoid dealing with the police killing of an unarmed Black man they both knew. Calvin longs to get back in the good graces of Aisha (Alana Raquel Bowers), single mother and young widow of the slain man. Though none too pleased with Calvin either, the alternately sunny, bone-tired and volatile Aisha is susceptible. But her sister Adriana (Tanyamaria) carries the heaviest burden of all, a trauma she tries to conceal with good humor and toughness. Tries and repeatedly fails.

This quartet of skilled actors has energy to burn, particularly Bowers and Tanyamaria who, when they get going with their lines, leave us in the dust, hyperventilating, unable to catch up. Of all, even Jean-Baptiste, Inoa gives the women the best language. But all actors turn on extraordinary ferocity in the final, disturbing developments of the story, which I will not reveal here.

Where Sibblies Drury concluded Fairview with a panoramic view of white privilege, boldly implicating her audience, Inoa maintains focus on the tragedy of unhealed racial trauma passed from generation to generation.

Other cast members: Andrew Baldwin, Bryn Carter

Sets: Ao Li
Costumes: Andy Jean
Lighting: Kate McGee
Sound: Megan Deets Culley
Violence choreography: Michael G. Chin

Scraps continues at The Flea through September 24. For information and tickets, click here.

The Flea Theater
20 Thomas Street, Manhattan
(map/directions)

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A family affair: Jackie Sibblies Drury's "Fairview" at Soho Rep

Jackie Sibblies Drury's Fairview--now in a mostly sold-out run through July 22 at Soho Rep--is a high-speed autowalk masquerading as a clever ensemble play about an affluent Black family. It rolls out over a solid two hours. You embark within what appears to be safe, familiar sitcom-land--generically appealing, mainstream characters working through daily banalities and minor disputes while preparing a dinner party--and wind up whizzing through unsettling soap opera territory. I won't spoil any of Sibblies Drury's brilliant strategies and surprises. You absolutely should not go knowing what you're getting yourself into. Please, if you haven't already, don't read anything else that has been written about this play!

I will just say that, ultimately, Sibblies Drury has crafted this play with two distinct audiences in mind. I belong to one of them, and I felt duly amused and nourished.

The actors are vivacious, with standout turns by MaYaa Boateng (teenager Keisha, eventually calling b.s. on everything) and Roslyn Ruff (glamorous, meddlesome aunt Jasmine). The actors' deft timing and overall charisma benefit not only from Sarah Benson's direction but also Raja Feather Kelly's playful choreography which infuses and gives life to the entire proceedings. This work would not be the same without the way it claims and defines space and mobilizes bodies.

Performers: MaYaa Boateng, Charles Browning, Hannah Cabell, Natalia Payne, Jed Resnick, Luke Robertson, Roslyn Ruff and Heather Alicia Simms

Set Design: Mimi Lien
Costume Design: Montana Levi Blanco
Lighting Design: Amith Chandrashaker
Sound Design: Mikaal Sulaiman

Fairview continues through July 22. With the exception of July 8th's 7:30pm show ("99-cent Sunday"), where tickets must be purchased at the door, performances are sold out. For information, click here.

Soho Rep
46 Walker Street (between Broadway and Church), Manhattan

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New Sokoloff Arts venue for Tribeca: Town Stages

Town Stages (first-floor event space shown above) is proudly woman-led.
(photo: Austin Donohue)
Left to right: Chie Morita (Deputy Director),
Robin Sokoloff (Founder/Executive Director)
and Staci Jacobs (VP, Development)
Not pictured: Joanna Carpenter (Bar Director)

Robin Sokoloff (Sokoloff Arts) has long chased one dream: "To create an inspired home for my artistic family, and build a platform for the next generation." 

Enterprising Robin Sokoloff last brought Manhattan Loft227, a snazzy, hi-tech venue in Chelsea for art incubation. Now, in collaboration with Chie Morita, Staci Jacobs and Joanna Carpenter, the versatile dancer/activist/carpenter/counselor/entrepreneur has set up shop in Tribeca, taking over what was once Churrascaria, a popular Brazillian steakhouse, and then White Street Restaurant and Bar. At 221 West Broadway--now called Town Stages--Sokoloff serves up 9,000 square feet over two floors of multi-use event and performance space with resources for creatives with a vision and a hankering for community. Town Stages offers flexible spaces suitable for almost any size performance as well as rehearsals, auditions, weddings, film shoots, corporate events and you name it. And White Street's curvacious bar--with its speakeasy appeal--is still there.

Last November, Sokoloff received the keys to what--with imagination, ingenuity, daring and sweat equity--she and her all-woman team would transform into Town Stages. Among its unexpected charms: a tiny, glass-enclosed wine storage area that now might serve as a box office, or a quirky performance space, or a site for the sound installation that Morita has in mind. Another tucked-away treasure: a cozy, window-lit room lit filled with quaint antiques from the now-defunct Pearl Theatre that could offer a place for singers to warm up or might be turned into a pop-up bookstore.

This handsome, state-of-the art, ADA-accessible facility--with its new, "small but mighty" elevator--was the culmination of an exhaustive, eye-opening search around the city.

"There were 298 landlords saying NO to artists and women and people of color," Sokoloff tells me. "All those storefronts we checked out are still empty. This one said YES.

"We think the city is liberal-minded and diverse and accepting to all. What I learned as an artist traveling through multiple spaces and with multiple kinds of people–especially those who don’t look like me–is that not everyone’s welcome. In fact, most artists are not welcome. 

"Town Stages is different because we recognize that if you don’t have the space to have a platform and represent yourself in whatever form you come in, you don’t have a voice. We are specifically interested in the advancement of women and people of color, LGBT, the underrepresented having space to do their work here."

But how affordable is Town Stages?

"There's no specific price sheet," says Sokoloff who's ready to sit down with any and all to chat about their ideas and needs first. Events and projects coming in with big budgets subsidize smaller productions--Sokoloff calls it her "Robin Hood model." This model also allows Town Stages to offer residency fellowships to creatives with a wide range of fresh ideas.

Deputy Director Morita--former Managing Director for the New York Neo-Futurists troupe--oversees the fellowship program. She says her eye is less on the type or quality of the proposed project than who the applicant is as a human being, how they might interact with and support others in shared space.

“If you are making something–dance, music, theater, an experience for people to walk into, an empowerment event, an app, a piece of clothing, a cocktail, a sandwich–there’s something collaborative about that experience," Morita says. "Bringing those people into a room and offering them the opportunity to collaborate and ask for help in an environment that is easy and comfortable is what we’re looking to build.

"That comes with amenities. Bring your lunch, and put it in our fridge. Bring your yoga mat from this morning, and stick it here and leave it overnight. Have a private room for auditioning. Meet your other fellows here, and talk about projects.

"In the first year, we didn’t advertise the fellowship or put it on social media. It was all word of mouth. From that alone, we got 65 applications. I can only imagine what will happen when we ask for applications from the general public!"

Dance is, of course, especially dear to the hearts of the team. Bessie Award-winning choreographer Ephrat Asherie developed her latest ensemble piece, Odeon, at Town Stages in preparation for its world premiere at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival this June. The all-women’s house dance crew Mawu, which affirms sisterhood and celebration over hypermasculine competition, offered creative dance workshops at Town Stages.

Sokoloff remains mindful of dancers' struggles, what she experienced and witnessed as a performer, choreographer and teacher in the field.

“Law of averages, very few dancers have a voice. They are bodies moving on stage. They’re in the background. I had a lot I wanted to say, a lot I wanted to change, a lot I wanted to do. I knew if I just kept dancing, there’d be no way to elevate all of this.

"I’m creating space for myself and my fellow dancers, but my vision and goals and activism are so much bigger than that. I’ve got to be louder than my body enables me to be and be on a bigger platform and a bigger stage.

“I’m still in shows, but going from dancing in studios eighteen hours a day to being on the front lines of real estate and construction is a shift. But it’s a necessary shift if this is all going to move in a better direction. I'm always asking, How can I change the paradigm?"

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To connect with the Town Stages team, set up a tour or get details on upcoming events, call 212-634-7690, or click here for their website. They are on Instagram (with daily check-ins) and Facebook as follows:

Instagram: Town Stages and Sokoloff Arts
Facebook: Town Stages and Sokoloff Arts

Town Stages
221 West Broadway, Tribeca, Manhattan
(between White and Franklin Streets)
A, C, E, N, Q, R, W to Canal Street; 1 to Franklin Street; or 2, 3 to Chambers Street

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Girl Be Heard on eating disorders and the diet industry

Members of Girl Be Heard
perform Embodi(ED).
(photo: Ashley Marinacccio)

They will inform, delight, alarm and help you to reawaken
that authentic voice that still lives within you. – Gloria Steinem

Girl Be Heard--the award-winning troupe that empowers girls to tell their real-world stories with guidance from theater professionals and activists--announces Embodi(ED), a dance and theater piece about eating disorders and "the American distorted perception of body images."

Directed by Ashley Marinaccio, and produced by theater-maker and activist Jessica Greer Morris, the production will run at HERE for eight performances, Thursdays through Sundays, February 11-21.

All performances will be followed by a 15-minute talkbacks, featuring health professionals, women’s rights activists and the creative team.

For Embodi(ED) tickets, 

click here or call 212-352-3101.

Learn more about Girl Be Heard 

here and on YouTube.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/girlbeheard

Twitter: @girlbeheard

HERE

145  Sixth Avenue (entrance: Dominick Street, one block south of Spring Street), Manhattan

(map/directions)

Gibney Dance Center welcomes community to its new downtown branch

Gina Gibney
(photo: Christopher Duggan © Gina Gibney Dance, Inc.) 

This is our space. It’s a safe space. And here is our opportunity to share our stories and look forward to what may be.

With those words, Lane Harwell (Executive Director, Dance/NYC) welcomed members of New York’s dance community and its supporters to an open discussion about Gibney Dance’s successful campaign to rescue 280 Broadway--former home of Dance New Amsterdam–and preserve it for the field of dance.  The SRO crowd, gathered in the 130-seat theater space, erupted in applause as Gibney Dance Artistic Director and CEO Gina Gibney announced the organization’s 20-year lease for 280 Broadway and its receipt of a $3 million grant from the Agnes Varis Trust.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and State Senator Daniel Squadron offered congratulatory remarks. GDC staff members were introduced, and panelists Adair Smith (Gibney Dance Executive Director), Gus Solomons, Jr. (Gibney advisor), and Kathleen Hughes (Assistant Commissioner for Program Services, Department of Cultural Affairs) spoke of their hopes and visions for the project.

Harwell opened the floor for questions and ideas from the audience. Four main questions or themes emerged from this segment of the evening:

● How can Gibney Dance Center 280 interact with its Tribeca neighborhood as a responsive, useful, creative participant in the downtown ecosystem? How can GDC 280's presence matter, not only in Tribeca, but in this diverse city as a whole?

● How can GDC 280 provide support and resources for the process of developing individual creative voices and original aesthetics in dance?

● How can GDC 280 provide consistent access to space for tech sessions, enhancing the quality of the presentation of work?

● How can GDC 280 provide physical space and opportunities for artists to interact more--especially in informal, social ways--fostering an atmosphere of creative cross-pollination and potential collaboration?

Gibney Dance welcomes you to share your thoughts, bring new ideas or offer your assistance at a series of small group discussions at GDC 890 Broadway, Fifth Floor, Studio 6:

Monday, February 3

4-5pm: Open Discussion/ Welcome Session Follow-up (Eva Yaa Asantewaa)

5-6pm: Rehearsal Space Needs (Adair Smith)

6-7pm: Class, Training and Education Needs (Hilary Easton)

Click to RSVP for February 3 at Eventbrite 

Tuesday, February 18

4-5pm: Performance Space Needs (Sara Juli)

5-6pm: Community Action and Advocacy (Amy Miller, Yasemin Ozumerzifon)

6-7pm: Open Discussion and Thoughts on Next Steps (Sydney Skybetter)

Click to RSVP for February 18 at Eventbrite

All are welcome to come to any and all sessions!

For further information on the expansion, click here.

Gina Gibney acquires former Dance New Amsterdam space

Lease Is Fresh Step for New York's Dance World
Gibney Dance to Take Space Formerly Held by Dance New Amsterdam in Lower Manhattan
by Pia Catton, The Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2014

Wetlands' Larry Bloch, 59

Larry Bloch, Built the Wetlands Club, Dies at 59
by James C. McKinley Jr., The New York Times, November 3, 2012

Rally around Dance New Amsterdam

Click here to support Dance New Amsterdam:

DONATE NOW

DANCE NEW AMSTERDAM ANNOUNCES
FIVE YEAR RECOVERY PLAN

Current Situation Still Challenging
Immediate Needs Totaling Nearly $150,000

NEW YORK, September 12, 2012 – On the heels of winning a 3-year battle to renegotiate new lease terms which substantially reduce its monthly rent obligations, Dance New Amsterdam (DNA), NYC’s foremost progressive dance education and performance center, releases the outline of its 5-year Recovery Plan. The announcement coincides with the opening of its 2012-2013 DNA PRESENTS Season and the introduction of strengthened educational offerings. Initiated by Executive and Artistic Director Catherine A. Peila, the plan is already actively being implemented and outlines key initiatives the organization is taking to achieve financial stability within three years and create income surplus within five years. Shaped by community concerns for public access and stability for artists’ careers, the plan incorporates cultural entrepreneurism and the economics of culture connected to the revitalization of Lower Manhattan/Tribeca. By serving more than 35,000 individuals yearly and providing over 650 arts-related jobs, DNA bolsters local businesses and greatly adds to the dynamic downtown cultural scene.

Since 2011, Michael M. Kaiser of the Kennedy Center’s DeVos Institute/Bloomberg Philanthropies has been working with the DNA team to offer greater insight into a successful turn around. Development of the plan included ongoing input from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, a broad spectrum of key business representatives and cultural advocate Paul Nagle. State Senator Daniel Squadron, aligned with state and local elected officials and strategic cross-sector advisors, was also included in the conversation.

"DNA has been an integral part of Lower Manhattan's recovery, and critical to our neighborhood's emergence as one of New York's burgeoning cultural centers. In June, we reached an agreement to ensure that DNA remains in its home in ourLower Manhattan community. And now, DNA deserves another round of applause for continuing to work to forge a strong, viable, and dynamic path forward withtoday's strategic plan," said Senator Daniel Squadron. "I'm proud to stand with DNA, and the many community-based cultural organizations that make New York so great. Thank you to DNA for your invaluable work, and to all of our partners who helped make this strategic plan a reality."

The plan identifies four major strategic objectives:

1. Lower monthly lease costs and negotiate a settlement on arrears (achieved)
Peila announced on June 1, 2012 that new lease terms lowered DNA’s rent by an average of $30,000 per month through 2020. Additionally, the renegotiation resulted in the forgiveness of rent arrears debt.

2. Practice effective business operations

Under Peila’s direction, DNA has responsibly reduced general operating and programming expenses from $3.6 million to $2.3 million annually. The organization has implemented programmatic and curatorial changes and strengthened educational offerings. These restructured production and education programs expand artist services and include fitness, teen and children’s programming. DNA has also implemented energy efficiency measures and initiated restructuring plans to bring on new upper management hires with diverse cross-sector skill sets. The plan also puts keen emphasis on increasing thenumber of board embers by two to three times.

3. Build capacity through key partnerships to increase earned revenue and contributed income

Since 2008 DNA has built various strategic partnerships to generate additional streams of revenue and provide artists with increased access to services. Beyond these partnerships (Lower Manhattan Arts League, Tribeca Performing Arts Center/BMCC, the New Museum, and the National Museum the American Indian), DNA is working with elected officials, Community Board 1, community members, peer organizations, local businesses and artists from all five boroughs to establish additional opportunities for growth and community engagement. These local, national and international partnerships will provide an actively nurturing platform for dance, from DNA’s signature Simonson Technique© to ballet, contemporary and experimental dance. DNA artists and students are seen in performance spaces such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Joyce Theater, La MaMa, MoMA and Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. Increased revenues will be used to further incubate existing and future generations of live performance artists.

4. Restructure the existing debt burden to create manageable payment schedules

DNA’s success in lowering the monthly facility lease payments means it is now in a position to move forward on restructuring its debt through a mixed model of refinancing, forgiveness of contributed investments and increased revenues. Under Peila’s leadership the organization has already cut deficits by $1.2 million and increased individual and philanthropic giving by 45% and earned income by 25%.

CALL TO ACTION:

The plan’s four objectives are focused on stabilizing DNA’s finances and operations. DNA projects $2.1 million for 2013 programming and facilities operations. The loss of a large rental client has recently created an unexpected income gap for the organization. An immediate call to the community to meet DNA’s first target goal of $150,000 by September 15, with the larger goal set at $450,000by the end of the current fiscal year (June 2013) is necessary to keep programs running and meet strategic milestones. A multi-year target of an additional one million for the next three years and a benchmark constant income goal of $3.5 million during years four and five are also part of the plan to create a surplus.

“I’m incredibly proud of the progress DNA has made over the past four years; especially when the future looked dismal. Already, DNA has achieved more than expected without sacrificing our mission,” said Executive and Artistic Director Peila.  “Our success thus far is due to the stability of our creative and educational programming and the energy and commitment of DNA’s staff, students, artists, funders, audiences and partnering organizations. However, even after all this hard work the recent unexpected income gap could result in Lower Manhattan losing one of its few ‘public access’ cultural centers and incubator art spaces. We moved to Lower Manhattan to be a part of its revitalization. We call upon the philanthropic community and government representatives to join the community and ensure DNA meets our immediate goal - and to further support the long-term solutions in this strategic plan, propelling DNA to a place of sound fiscal health thus creating a stable environment for artist works and the birth of new ideas. ”

DNA’s Strategic Plan FY2013-2018, represents the organization’s commitment to offering the highest caliber of dance programming, continuing DNA’s 28-year tradition of supporting the life, career and longevity of dance artists. Upon accepting the leadership position in 2008, Peila began turnaround initiatives advised by Arts ActionResearch and supported by funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In 2010, as part of a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant, DNA attended the DeVos Institute of Arts Management Capacity Building Arts Advancement Initiate conferences. In 2011 Ms. Peila initiated further development of the 5-year plan working closely with Kaiser, local elected officials, DNA partners, while reaching out to funders and the community. The organization is not only developing a strong strategy to become financially stable but anchoring a downtown cultural campus that encouragesentrepreneurial spirit, provides a space for arts incubation and fosters collaboration.

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About Dance New Amsterdam

Founded in 1984, DNA provides a community hub for the highest quality dance training, choreographic exploration and innovative performance, developing new audiences and bridging communities. It provides valuable opportunities for the aspiring, emerging and established artist, including daily classes, certification courses, commissions and artistic residencies, along with studio and administrative office subsidies. DNA encourages professionalism, entrepreneurial cross-disciplinary initiatives, community engagement and diverse artistic expression. It was the first nonprofit arts organization to move to Lower Manhattan after 9/11, serving as a renewing force in NYC's cultural landscape. To learn more about DNA and supporting its programs through charitable donations, visit www.dnadance.org

DNA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and its 2012-2013 programming is made possible through the generosity of its supporters. As of July 2012, public funding provided by: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Private funding provided by: Bloomberg Philanthropies, with support from the Kennedy Center/DeVos Institute; The MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; Jerome Robbins Foundation; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; and FJC, a Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. In-kind support from: Arts & Business Council, Fox Rothschild LLP, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and Materials for the Arts. Additional support provided by our Advisors, Programming Partners, Neighborhood Partners, International Partners, and DNA’s community of individual donors. Dance New Amsterdam is part of The Lower Manhattan Arts League and its downtown festivals, made possible by generous support from The New York Community Trust – LuEsther T. Mertz Advised Fund. For a full list of DNA’s partnerships, visit www.dnadance.org.

Get "Drenched"

Seeking romance? Get Drenched with Luke Murphy and Carlye Eckert.

Ireland-born Murphy--most recently seen here in Sleep No More and Pavel Zuštiak's Painted Bird III: Strange Cargo--presents a preview of his own choreography--a duet with Eckert, at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, June 6-7. The two head to Dublin in September for the work's world premiere and are planning its New York premiere for the La MaMa Moves Festival next spring.

Drenched, Murphy says, "investigates the gulf between the representations and realities of romance in contemporary society...Drenched examines a world of contradictions, parodies, uncertainties and the fundamental search for companionship."

Video artist David Fishel contributes a multi-channel projection installation.

Visit lukemurphy.org.

Tribeca Performing Arts Center
199 Chambers Street (between Greenwich and West Streets), Manhattan
(directions)

Right on! Be free...and dance!

Never forgo a dance class because of its price. Whether dance is your passion or something you always wanted to try, a space exists where any person on any level can bust out some polished moves, learn for the first time, or improve in whatever style someone will teach. Come dance with us and donate what you can. Just bring an open heart. It's all you need.

For more information, check out Liberated Movement™ | Donation-Based Dance Classes in New York City.

at Battery Dance Studios
380 Broadway, 5th Floor, Manhattan
NE corner of Broadway and White Street, Tribeca (map)

Look for the door to the left of the Blues clothing store on street level. Ring buzzer #5.