Perelman Performing Arts Center to Present IS IT THURSDAY YET? & More Dance Programming

The Perelman Performing Arts Center will present Is It Thursday Yet?, The March, and Motion/Matter: Street Dance Festival at the new performing arts center at the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. 

 

Is It Thursday Yet?

 

Is It Thursday Yet? is a stunning tapestry of dance, live music and home video footage that invites you into the unique complexities of dancer and choreographer Jenn Freeman’s life following her Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis at age 33. Since then, she has navigated an endless sea of epiphanies, examining childhood memories through this new lens.

 

Is It Thursday Yet? is co-created, co-choreographed and performed by Jenn Freeman, co-created, co-choreographed and directed by Sonya Tayeh, and composed and performed by Holland Andrews.  The production runs from December 8 through December 23 at PAC NYC.

 

The company features Jenn Freeman, Holland Andrews, and Price McGuffey.

Is It Thursday Yet? is a PAC NYC commission. Jenn Freeman is a 2023 NDP Grant Award recipient. Support was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Mellon Foundation in support of Is It Thursday Yet?. Is It Thursday Yet? has been made possible by additional commissioning funds provided by the O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation. Jenn Freeman is a 2023 New York State Council on the Arts grant award recipient.

The March

 

World Premiere | By Big Dance Theater |The March is a co-commission with PAC NYC, American Dance Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and The National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron). 

The March is an evening of contemporary dance in three parts, presented in-the-round. Created by an intergenerational trio of acclaimed choreographers who have joined forces to interrogate our very human compulsion to move together in time. How does it change us, shape us, deepen us, and lift us? How has it been used, weaponized, sexualized, and politicized? What is the power of moving in precise unison? What happens when we dance together? And what happens when we don’t?

Big small feat by Donna Uchizono

Big small feat opens with a warm greeting by the “welcomers,” followed by a short blast of movement hurled towards you. This village of intergenerational dancers eventually comes together, redefining virtuosity as they move in a challenging formation, dancing in unison as a form of solidarity. The sensitivity required to pick up the qualitative shifts and nuances in the minute and detailed movement is an impossible task that the dance artists achieve with perseverance, grit, and kind compassion.

 

NYSea by Tendayi Kuumba

Like water, we absorb frequencies from everything we see, feel, touch, and experience. Like the ocean, we hold those frequencies in each drop of water in our bodies like ink is soaked into paper. Our makeup and memories bring many waves and currents, changing with each moment of life. Sometimes it takes discovery, community, and release, to recognize that we already have everything we need even when we feel like we have nothing at all. We are each a drop in an ocean full of endless stories; all we have to do is take our time.

 

The Oath by Annie-B Parson

Since the beginning of time, in community, clan, congregation, and club, we have created unison systems of movement; since the beginning of the world, we have moved in large group choreographies. The creation of The Oath began as a chronological exploration of humanity's common record of this vernacular and poetic unison movement, movement that is practiced for purpose and for pleasure, both utopian and dystopian. This is The Oath, an assembly of dancers practicing our human impulse to embody a larger physical statement in order to bond, to bind, to intimidate, to gather, to believe, to envision, to promise—to dance. 

 

The March is choreographed by Tendayi Kuumba, Big Dance Theater co-founder Annie-B Parson, and Guggenheim Fellow Donna Uchizono. The production runs from December 10 through December 16 at PAC NYC.

 

The company features Brooke Ashley, Mawu Ama Ma'at Gora, Natalie Greene, Meg Harper, Kashia Kancey, Joanna Kotze, Jen Nugent, Devin Oshiro, Pam Pietro, Kendra Portier, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Stacy Dawson Stearns, Chanel Stone, Hsiao-Jou Tang, Paz Tanjuaquio, Isabel Umali, and devika v. wickremesinghe.

Big Dance Theater is supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New York Theater Program, and by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.  Big Dance Theater is a 2023 NDP Grant Award Recipient. Support was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation in support of The March and to address continued sustainability needs. Big Dance Theater receives major support from the Starry Night Fund, Diane and Adam E. Max, Anonymous, Virginia and Timothy Millhiser, the W Trust, the Herding Cats Foundation, the Goodale Russell Family Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of The U.S. Charitable Gift Trust, the Heimbinder Family Foundation, and the Works Fund at the Chicago Community Foundation.

 

Motion/Matter: Street Dance Festival

 

Motion/Matter is a celebration of the multitude of street dance movements emerging from New York City and from around the world including legendary DJs, epic battles and concert dance premieres. The performances in Motion/Matter will draw on styles emerging from New York City, Asia, Africa and Europe, illustrating the reach of the forms themselves across a spectrum of disciplines and culture. In addition to the dance program, PAC NYC will open with two of NYC’s most beloved DJ’s – DJ Spinna and Rimarkable - to celebrate the dance music that helped to create the conditions for the array of street dance forms. Complementing the series will be an All-Styles Dance Battle. The battle format has been used as a development space for street dancers across the globe. It is both a training ground, a space to build skills, network and hone one’s craft. PAC NYC will bring the battle form to the stage for a special one-night event featuring a grand prize and several guest judges.

 

January 5-7

Afrikan Party

Supa Rich Kids by Oulouy

Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Spain

Oulouy and his crew Supa Rich Kids invite you to a celebration of life, highlighting each milestone in an African child’s journey from birth to death through dance, theater, and fashion.

Afrikan Party is a futuristic ode to Africa seen through the eyes of an African child born in the year 2090 and raised in the United States of Afrika. It is a celebration of the countless cultures, traditions, and rituals connecting this child to his past, his present and his future. An Open Window to an infinite field of possibilities for new generations. Join the party and experience the rich, multicolored, polyphony of the African continent through the eyes of a child in this kinetic swirl of street dance, mime, performance, and fashion.

January 11

Motion/Matter: Mmmmm

DJ Spinna and Rimarkable

NYC

 

NYC legends DJ Spinna and Rimarkable are taking over the turntables in PAC NYC’s Vartan and Clare Gregorian Lobby to celebrate all that isMotion/Matter. Get into the groove with the official party of the festival. Mix, mingle, and move to a mesmerizing flow of hip-hop, deep house, jazz, soul, and funk that transcends boundaries and generations. Mmmmm…This is going to be a party!

January 11-12

BreAking | P is For Pop and D is For Dip

 

BreAking

Korea National Contemporary Dance Company

Choreographed by Lee Kyungeun

South Korea

 

“Don’t fit myself into the world. Do it the other way around!” Contemporary dance, street dance and traditional Korean music combine to break the rules.

Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and next-gen choreographer Lee Kyungeun urge you to break away and be the creator of your own rhythm. BreAking brings together a virtuosic team of artists who imagine, play, and deconstruct the world as they break-up, mix-up, and shake-up the status quo. With music by Lee Ilwoo, of the traditional Korean folk, post-rock band Jambinai, and featuring five contemporary dancers and three top street dancers (including the amazing DROP of Go Junyoung/ Uptown Family), BreAking will transport you to a fantastic new reality where rules are made to be broken.

 

P is For Pop and D is For Dip

By Kia LaBeija

Original Score by DonChristian Jones

Creative Direction by Taína Larot

Produced by MusmGftshp

NYC

A PAC NYC Commission

 

Pop, Dip and Spin, referred to as The Old Way, is the original art form known as Voguing.  P is For Pop and D is For Dip, a theatrical work created by Artist Kia LaBeija, honors the legacy of Voguing. Creative direction by Taína Larot and original score by multimedia artist DonChristian Jones. This is a World Premiere work commissioned by PAC NYC for Motion/Matter.

 

January 13

All Styles Dance Battle

 

Get ready to feel the rush of adrenaline as leading dancers invited from the NYC Club Scene and beyond compete for a cash grand prize in the Motion/Matter: All-Styles Dance Battle. Competitors will go toe-to-toe demonstrating a wide range of street dance styles chosen by the Battle DJ including Breaking, Waacking, Locking, Voguing and more. The champion will be determined by a panel of guest judges including Princess Lockerooo, Ken Swift, Omari Wiles, and Lorenzo Harris. Motion/Matter: All-Styles Dance Battle is more than a competition — it’s a celebration of passion, a testament to dedication, and a showcase of the transformative power of street dance.

 

January 13-14

The Barefoot Diva | P is For Pop and D is For Dip

 

The Barefoot Diva

Choreographed by Nicolas Huchard

France

 

Five divas. Five women. Five Black women. Five women united in their fight and their faith in the power of dance.

 

The dawn comes gently; everything seems to be cleansed of what might have happened the day before. It is with this sense of renewal that the divas stand up and take the stage. The essence of each of the five performers is revealed as one by one they assert themselves with increasing urgency. Urgency to be heard. Urgency to be seen. At dawn, consciences must be awakened. It is time for this magical, hopeful morning to bring wisdom, peace and harmony.

 

Embodying the ethos of choreographer Nicolas Huchard’s internationally acclaimed company, The Barefoot Diva is an exploration of boundaries —gentle yet forceful, feminine and masculine, spanning continents and disciplines. It’s a political terrain where dance inscribes activism in bodies. And it is contagious.

 

 

P is For Pop and D is For Dip

By Kia LaBeija

Original Score by DonChristian Jones

Creative Direction by Taína Larot

Produced by MusmGftshp

NYC

A PAC NYC Commission

 

Pop, Dip and Spin, referred to as The Old Way, is the original art form known as Voguing.  P is For Pop and D is For Dip, a theatrical work created by Artist Kia LaBeija, honors the legacy of Voguing. Creative direction by Taína Larot and original score by multimedia artist DonChristian Jones. This is a World Premiere work commissioned by PAC NYC for Motion/Matter.

 

Tickets for all three programs are on sale now at PACNYC.org. 

PAC NYC (251 Fulton Street) is a dynamic new home for the performing arts, serving audiences and the creative sector through flexible venues that embrace wide-ranging artistic programs. The inaugural season features work across theater, dance, music, opera, film and more.

 

About the Company – Is It Thursday Yet?

JENN FREEMAN they/she (Co-Creator/Co-Choreographer/Performer) is an Autistic American choreographer, dance performer, and educator based in New York City. Freeman is an O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation recipient, a 2023 New England Foundation for the Arts Recipient and the New York State Council on the Arts grant award recipient. Most recently Freeman was commissioned to set a solo for American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, Cassandra Trenary, that premiered at Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur in 2022. In 2021, Freeman created new work for the Martha Graham Dance Company. In 2018 Freeman produced, directed and choreographed her evening-length world premiere debut: …it’s time… at the Theater at The 14th St Y in New York City. After a sold-out run the show was presented for a second run in 2019. Freeman's choreography has been commissioned by Marymount Manhattan College, Wayne State University, BYU, and The University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been presented at The Theater at the 14th Street Y, The Kaatsbaan Summer Festival, The Reverb Dance Festival, and The McCallum Theater Choreography Festival. For over a d ecade, Jenn has worked as Sonya Tayeh’s associate and resident choreographer in the development of pieces for: The Gibney Company, American Ballet Theater, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Guggenheim W&P, LA Ballet, The Juilliard School, and Cirque du Soleil. Professionally, Jenn has danced in works by choreographers Sonya Tayeh, Kyle Abraham, Larry Keigwin, Charlotte Boye-Christensen (NOW-ID), and many others. Freeman is a graduate of the dance program at TISCH School of the Arts, NYU.

 

Sonya Tayeh she/her (Co-Creator/Co-Choreographer/Director) is a New York City based TONY® Award winning choreographer and director. Since paving her professional career, her work has been characterized as a blend of powerful versatility and theatrical range.  Selected credits include Moulin Rouge!(Broadway, Australia, UK, Tour—Hirschfeld theatre/Dir Alex Timbers), UP HERE (Hulu musical series), The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (Broadway, James Earl Jones Theatre), Is It Thursday Yet? (La Jolla Playhouse), Sing Street Broadway (Huntington Theatre, Boston/Dir Rebecca Taichman), Martha Graham Dance Company (Joyce Theatre/Tour), American Ballet Theatre/What Becomes of Love Film, Unveiling with Moses and dancers (Fall For Dance/City Center), Rent Live! (Fox Network/Dir Michael Grief and Alex Rudzinski), The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova/Dir. Anne Kauffman), Face the Torrent for Malpaso Dance Co. (commissioned by The Music Center/LA), You'll Still Call Me By Name (commissioned by New York Live Arts and Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival), Martha Graham Dance Company's Lamentation Variation Series (Joyce Theatre), Hundred Days (New York Theatre Workshop/Dir. Anne Kauffman), The Skin Of Our Teeth (Theatre for a New Audience/Dir. Arin Arbus), Andrew Lippas' The Wild Party (City Center Encores!/Dir. Leigh Silverman), Kung Fu (Signature Theatre/Dir. Leigh Silverman). Tayeh has directed and choreographed for world renowned music artists including Miley Cyrus (directed and choreographedThe Gypsy Heart Tour), Florence and the Machine (choreographed performances for The Brit Awards, The Voice, and American Idol), and Kyle Minogue (Aphrodite Tour). She has gleaned many accolades for her versatile work, including a Tony Award, two Emmy nominations, one Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, and two Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Choreography.

 

HOLLAND ANDREWS they/them (Composer) is a vocalist, composer, and performance artist whose work focuses on the abstraction of operatic and extended-technique voice to build soundscapes encompassing both catharsis and dissonance. Andrews develops and performs soundscapes for dance, theater, and film. Notable collaborations include Bill T. Jones, Dorothee Munyaneza, Will Rawls, poet Demian Dinéyazhi, Son Lux, Christina Vantzou, William Brittelle, Methods Body, West Thordson, Peter Broderick, Darian Donovan Thomas, and Nils Frahm.

 

About the Company – The March

Tendayi Kuumba (Choreographer). One of Dance Magazine's "25 to watch 2023" and Chita Rivera's Outstanding Female Dancer on Broadway 2022 as Lady in Brown in the Tony Nominated Broadway Revival of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow is Enuf. International dancer, choreographer, singer, songwriter, and Spelman College graduate. Tendayi formerly performed as a background vocalist/dancer and original cast member of Special Tony Award Winning David Byrne's America Utopia on Broadway, on its world tour in 2018, and on the HBO adaptation directed by Spike Lee. Choreographer, vocalist, actress, and previously a touring company member of Urban Bush Women, Tendayi is a longtime collaborator with partner Greg Purnell under the alias ÜFLYMOTHERSHIP. A collective of sonic/choreographic projects including The Mixtape, Incog-negro, and other works that have been featured at AfroPunk, Gibney Dance, Stephen Petronio Residency Center, New York Live Arts, Movement Researches’ Spring Festival, Czech Republic of NY, Prague Effects, Dancespace Collective Terrains platform, Spelman Colleges' Toni Cade Bambara Scholar Activism Conference, Harlem Stage, Hi-ARTS, BRICLab, Dance Mission Theaters' D.I.R.T Festival 2021, Park Armorys' 100 Women/100 Years, and Lincoln Center's Restart Stages. She's also worked with choreographers T. Lang, Marjani Forte'-Saunders (7NMS), ASÉ Dance Theater Collective, Nathan Trice, and Philadelphia Operas’ We Shall Not be Moveddirected by Bill T. Jones. She continues to build her pedagogy as a teaching artist and B.O.L.D Facilitator for Urban Bush Women. She gives thanks and blessings for life, love, breath, and the pursuit of happiness through creativity.

 

Annie-B Parson (Choreographer) is the artistic director of OBIE and BESSIE award-winning Big Dance Theater, which she co-founded in 1991. Outside of her company, some of the artists she has worked with include David Byrne, David Bowie, Lorde, St. Vincent, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Wendy Whelan, Anne Carson, Esperanza Spalding, Suzan-Lori Parks, Laurie Anderson, Salt n Pepa, and Jonathan Demme. Parson created two large scale works for the Martha Graham Dance Company. Parson choreographed and did musical staging for David Byrne’s American Utopia, a world tour that ran on Broadway and won a Tony, and was made into a film by Spike Lee. She choreographed Byrne’s musical Here Lies Love, currently on Broadway, as well as his tours with Brian Eno and with St. Vincent. Parson recently choreographed two operas: Candide at the Lyon Opera and The Hours at The Met. Parson’s writing has been published in The Atlantic and The Paris Review; her book The Choreography of Everyday Life is published by Verso Press. Her awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, Bessie Awards, The Jacobs Pillow Dance Award, a USA Artist Award, The Doris Duke Award, The Foundation for Contemporary Art, two Lucille Lortel nominations, and an Olivier nomination. She has been honored by Danspace and by PS122. With Thomas F. DeFrantz, she is co-editing a book entitled: Dance History(s): Imagination as a Form of Study.

 

DONNA UCHIZONO (Choreographer). Artistic Director of Donna Uchizono Company, Donna has performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America, Australia, and Asia and has been commissioned to create works for Mikhail Baryshnikov, Paula Vogel, Oskar Eustis, David Hammons, and Oliver Sacks.

A Guggenheim and United States Artist Fellow, Uchizono has been recognized by many awards/grants including: Alpert Award, Bessie Award, National Endowment for the Arts,  Rockefeller, National Dance Project, Creative Capital,  National Performance Network, MAP,  Jerome, New Music USA, Dance Magazine, New York State Council on the Arts, Joyce Mertz-Gilmore, Arts International, Foundation for Contemporary Performance, among many others. Uchizono has been recently distinguished by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts as the first and only American-born choreographer of Asian ancestry in the history of Modern Dance to have received the recognition of both cumulative esteemed national awards and significant national and international touring of an eponymous dance company.

 

BROOKE ASHLEY (Dance Captain) is a Brooklyn-based dancer with a BFA in dance from Florida State University. She has danced for choreographers Camille A. Brown, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, Charles Anderson, and Louis Gaspard. Accomplishments include Gallim Moving Artist Residency, SMUSH Gallery Curatorial Fellowship in Dance, and Black Dance Stories Young Professional Experience featured artist. She has served on Dance/NYC’s Junior Committee and currently works for Urban Bush Women as their Development Associate.

 

MAWU AMA MA'AT GORA (Dancer), MFA, is a Brooklyn, NY native currently residing in Philadelphia. As a black, queer, Caribbean, and multi hyphenate artist they have choreographed and conducted research globally. Their movement practice is rooted in West African dances deriving from Guinea and Senegal. The praxis they are currently building pulls away from monolithic thoughts of contemporary art. Conversely, it leans on multimodal methodologies to move through narrative linguistics rooted in rhythm, community and invitation.

 

NATALIE GREENE (Dance Captain) has danced for Donna Uchizono, RoseAnne Spradlin, Anna Sperber, Tere O'Connor, Juliette Mapp, Heather Kravas, and Levi Gonzalez among others. Natalie is a 2023 Movement Research Parent Artist-in-Residence and has presented her own choreography at Dance Theater Workshop, The Chocolate Factory Theater, BAX, and Danspace Project's Food for Thought series. Endless thanks to this incredible group of artists and to Rob Adkins and Trudell Green for their generosity, love, and time.

 

MEG HARPER she/they (Dancer) danced with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (1968–1977) and the Lucinda Childs Dance Company (1979–1990). She began working with theater director Robert Wilson in 1994 and has performed in many of his works, most recently as Tiresias in Oedipus Rex. Harper has worked extensively with Andrew Ondrejcak, Marianna Kavallieratos, and Vicky Shick. They have an alter ego, Demu, who performs on the street and in art galleries.

 

KASHIA KANCEY (Dancer) is a Miami-born performer and choreographer, who earned her BFA in dance from New World School of the Arts. Kashia has worked with Rosie Herrera, Adele Myers, and Abby Zbikowski. Kashia is an apprentice with Urban Bush Women and is a company member with David Dorfman Dance. She is also a 2023 Gallim Moving Artist-in-Residence. Kashia is based in Brooklyn and continues to pursue her career as a performer and choreographer.

 

Joanna Kotze (Dance Captain) is a Brooklyn-based, Bessie Award-winning dancer, choreographer, and educator. Outside of The March project, she currently dances with Kimberly Bartosik and Stacy Spence. Joanna has worked with Wally Cardona, Kota Yamazaki, Netta Yerushalmy, Sam Kim, Sarah Skaggs, Christopher Williams, the Metropolitan Opera ballet, Daniel Charon, Nina Winthrop, and others. Joanna’s choreography has been supported in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. by many grants, residencies, commissions, touring, and teaching opportunities. She is originally from South Africa and has a BA in architecture. www.joannakotze.com

 

Jennifer Nugent (Dancer). Jen’s dancing is profoundly inspired by Daniel Lepkoff, Wendell Beavers, Bambi Anderson, Dale Andree, Patty Townsend, Janet Wong, Barbara Sloan, Linda Rogers Albritton, Ann Cummings, Patricia Cummings, and Beatrice LaVerne. Jennifer has been performing in NYC since 1998 with many artists and companies including Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Paul Matteson, David Dorfman Dance, and Martha Clarke. Jennifer is currently dancing with Faye Driscoll and teaches at Movement Research and Sarah Lawrence College.

 

DEVIN OSHIRO (Dancer) earned a BA in dance from California State University, Fullerton. She has enjoyed moving with Edisa Weeks, Joanna Kotze, Sumi Clements, Mike Esperanza, Reggie Wilson, Maija Garcia, Patrick Corbin, Keely Garfield, and more. Devin danced with Gibney Dance Company and now works with Gibney Community, which utilizes the arts for social action, specifically gender-based violence. She teaches movement workshops that promote self-care and engages young people in conversations around healthy relationships. @devinoshiro

 

PAMELA PIETRO (Dancer). Independent artist and educator has received a BFA in dance from Florida State University and her MFA in dance with a minor in biomedical ethics from University of Washington. Pamela is chair and full arts professor at NYU Tisch Department of Dance where she received the prestigious David Payne-Carter Award for Teaching Excellence. As a dancer and performer, she has international exposure for both her teaching and solo performance work. Her research lies in the intersection of female embodiment and trauma.

 

KENDRA PORTIER (Dance Captain) is a dance artist—a choreographer, educator, and performer. Born at home in Ohio, she has taught and performed across the world, cultivating a distinctive teaching practice and collaborating in projects with artists such as David Dorfman Dance, Jasmine Hearn, and BANDportier, among others. She is on faculty at the University of Maryland, where she was awarded the Maya Brin Professorship in Dance.

 

JIN JU SONG-BEGIN (Dancer) is a choreographer, dancer, and dance teacher from Korea, whose work has been presented internationally in Korea, Japan, Singapore, and the U.S. Along with creating works for her company Da-On Dance, she has worked for many choreographers in NYC, including Tere O’Connor, Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Seán Curran Company, Cornfield Dance, and Netta Yerushalmy. She’s thrilled to be working with Big Dance Theater and these amazing artists.

 

Stacy Dawson STEARNS (Dance Captain) she/they is a Bessie Award winning artist known for their work with Big Dance Theater, David Neumann, Hal Hartley, Blacklips Performance Cult, and PsychOutDaDaGoGoFamily. Stacy has performed for audiences in 10 countries over the course of their 30-year career in festivals and stand-alone engagements. Stacy is currently developing new media with Channel B4, building a piece about being dead, and writing a handbook for artists. www.stacydawsonstearns.com

 

CHANEL STONE (Dancer) is a performer, choreographer, creator, and skater based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, she graduated in 2019 from LIU Brooklyn with a BFA in dance. In April of 2021, she became a resident artist with Triskelion Arts where her first solo show, (inner)bloompremiered in September of 2021. Chanel partnered with them in presenting Beyond the Black Box, an arts and culture organization she founded in spring 2022.

 

HSIAO-JOU TANG (Dancer) was born and raised in Taiwan. She was a company member of Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion (2010–2012) and Doug Varone and Dancers (2012–2019). As a freelance dancer, Hsiao-Jou has had the pleasure of working with Trisha Brown Dance Company, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, John Jasperse, Netta Yerushalmy, Joanna Kotze, Nancy Bannon, Xan Burley+Alex Springer, and Luke Murphy-Attic Projects, among others. Hsiao-Jou is currently working with Monica Bill Barnes&Co., Stacy Spence, and 2nd Best Dance Company.

 

PAZ TANJUAQUIO (Dancer) has been active in New York City since 1990 as a choreographer, performer, educator, and artist. In 2000, she co-founded TOPAZ ARTS, Inc. with Todd B. Richmond—a creative development space for contemporary performance and visual arts. She teaches movement at The New School and at NYU Tisch School of the Arts/Experimental Theater Wing. As a dancer, she has performed for Molissa Fenley, Marlies Yearby, and in works by Nicky Paraiso, Dean Moss, Carl Hancock Rux, among others. She is a member of NYS DanceForce and was formerly chair of the Bessie Awards Steering Committee. Her work has been presented in NYC, nationally, and internationally, and she will be presenting a new evening-length dance Silwetta(Jan 19-20, 2024) as part of Pioneers Go East Out-Front! Festival at Abrons Art Center. topazarts.org

 

Isabel Umali (Dancer) has worked with LeeSaar the Company, the Francesca Harper Project, Gallim Dance, Liss Fain Dance creating work, originating roles, and touring nationally and internationally. Isabel performed for Punch Drunk’s Sleep No More and has appeared in various TV/print commercials and music videos. Isabel was a residency grantee of DSDT/Studio 2021–2022, bringing her back to the Bay Area as a bi-coastal artist. As a craniosacral and massage therapist, she enmeshes her rich dance training with principles of somatic healing practices.

 

DEVIKA V. WICKREMESINGHE she/they (Dance Captain) is an artist, performer, and teacher originally from Staten Island, NY. Now based in Los Angeles, devika has worked with many wonderful artists coast to coast and has danced with Big Dance Theater since 2019. They are honored to share this stage with such luminous individuals, and privileged to share this moment with you.

www.devikawickremesinghe.com/about

 

About the Company – Motion/Matter: Street Dance Festival

OULOUY. Born on the Ivory Coast and based in Barcelona, Oulouy is one of the key choreographers of African descent in the global street dance landscape. His artistic career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher and artistic director has taken him to work on all continents of the globe. As a performer he has received a double nomination as best male dancer of the year (2022) by the Catalan Performing Arts Critique Awards and the Dansacat Awards. His awarded novel work Black (2020, Africa Moment) has become an impactful, iconic piece presented on numerous stages including Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, Dampfzentrale in Switzerland, Festival GREC de Barcelona. Black was selected as a recommended show by the Spanish National Network of Public Theatres, Auditoriums, Circuits and Festivals, making Oulouy the first black African choreographer to receive such recognition. In 2022, Africa Moment produced and premiered Afrikan Party, a futuristic ode to Africa, with his international crew Supa Rich Kids. To date, Afrikan Party has been seen in Spain, the Netherlands, Tunisia and  Germany. Oulouy combines his choreographic work with mentoring and community projects worldwide. He is the founder and curator of the international festival OYOFE, which is dedicated to street culture, and the co-founder and co-director of the media project I love this dance, dedicated to street dance. 

 

DJ SPINNA is something of an anomaly in music, a humbling example of what it takes to truly succeed within the framework of multiple fields. DJ Spinna is a world-renowned DJ, producer, remixer, label head, curator, and influencer. With a steadfast work ethic, an obsessively extensive vinyl library, and the willingness to pursue the full extent of his roots (Funk, Soul, R&B, and Jazz), foundation (Hip-Hop), and future (Electronic/Dance music), without any restraints. Spinna’s sonics and productions have infiltrated numerous music genres. An exceptional example of DJ Spinna’s most memorable remix productions in Electronic/House/Dance music cemented his talents on the monumental version of Shaun Escoffery’s “Days Like This”, which transformed into a worldwide dance floor anthem. Whether spinning the classics or releasing new music, DJ Spinna’s passion, professionalism, and prowess, are guaranteed to convey an experience filled with a memorable musical story that is felt with every note. 

 

RIMARKABLE. Detroit native, Rimarkable, is a DJ, vocalist, songwriter, and producer. She has she’s lit up the stage with world stars such as George Clinton, Madonna, and Erykah Badu, as well as legendary DJ colleagues Louie Vega, Danny Teneglia, Honey Dijon, Pete Tong, and Roger Sanchez. Her unique sound becomes ceremony with a witches’ brew of House and Techno, in a Soul, Funk and Disco cauldron. Alongside her multi-hyphenate musicianship, Rimarkable is also an Adjunct Professor at NYU-Tisch in the Clive Davis Institute were she teaches the younger minds about ’The Alchemy Of DJing’. Quite literally a party starter, she’s produced several successful, long-running events in New York, Detroit and the Bay Area over the past 20+ years. In early 2021, Rimarkable signed to UK house music institution Defected, including the Defected Music publishing arm, and stepped up as a presenter for the weekly Defected Radio show. 2023 is Rimarkable’s year for new releases but 2022 did not go a miss, as she hoped in the Studio with Honey Dijon to write for Honey's latest album Black Girl Magic. Rimarkable collaborated on Track Drama alongside Luke Solomon, Chris Penny, Dope Earth Alien and of course Miss Dijon. 

 

LEE KYUNGEUN, a choreographer who is strutting the world stage with unique dance ideas and tremendous stage manners. In 1996, Lee won the Rookie of the Year Award with her debut work Wavering Heart, promptly rising to the stardom as ‘a new rebel in the Korean dance circle.’ Subsequently, Lee was also selected as the ‘most promising next-generation choregrapher’ at the age of 29 in a ‘survey on the masters in the dance category’ published by the Dong-A Ilbo in 2003. For 20 years since 2002, Lee has remained attentive to her daily life as an art director and presented a new perspective. Lee is an outstanding choreographer who has raked in a number of prestigious dance awards at home and abroad since 1996 to this date in recognition of her choreographic skills demonstrated through more than 60 masterpieces.  

 

KIA MICHELLE BENBOW, known professionally as Kia LaBeija, is an image maker and storyteller  born and raised in the heart of New York City, Hell’s Kitchen. She composes theatrical autobiographical works ranging from photography, live performance, text based mediums, and film. She’s presented work at The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Tate Modern, The Brooklyn Museum, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Museum of The City of New York, The Bronx Museum of the Arts,  Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The International Center for Photography The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, and the Performa ’19 Biennial. Heavily involved in New York’s Iconic House and Ballroom scene for over a decade, Kia was a member of the Royal House of LaBeija from 2012 to 2019, serving as the Overall Mother from 2017 to 2019. She received a BA from the New School University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Fine Arts. She is a 2019 Creative Capital Awardee alongside her partner Taína Larot.  

 

PRINCESS LOCKEROOO is a visionary in the dance industry, with a reputation for excellence in producing, public speaking, event curation, directing, and choreography. She is a Bessie award-winning Breakout Choreographer and a nominee for Sustained Achievement as a fellow of the RSA. Princess is also the founder of The Fabulous Waack Dancers, a dance company, and the Waack dancer training program, showcasing her commitment to preserving the legacy of Waacking. Princess's impact on the dance world extends beyond her exceptional work in the industry. She is a philanthropist and activist for LGBTQ rights, producing a night of entertainment for Global Ambassadors at the United Nations event F4D and working with organizations such as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, The Omomuki Foundation, The Center, GMHC, and NYC Pride. Princess's productions have been showcased at world-renowned venues such as Lincoln Center, The Guggenheim Museum, NYBG, Summerstage, Women's Entrepreneurship Day, HATCH, Original Thinkers, ASAP NextGen, and the United Nations.  Princess Lockerooo's impact on the dance world has earned her recognition from prestigious press outlets such as the New York Times, which featured her on the cover of the Sunday Times Metro section for her pioneering work in the resurgence of Waacking. She has also been featured in Brut, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher, The Medium, Document Journal, and Get Out Magazine. In addition to her work in the dance industry and her philanthropic endeavors, Princess Lockerooo is also a writer and director of a new musical, Paradise Ballroom, supported by the Musical Theater Factory. She is a co-director of an untitled feature film with an Academy Award-winning team and an Artist in Residence with Guggenheim Works & Process. Princess will also be producing events with The New York Public Library for The Performing Arts and Lincoln Center in the summer of 2023. Princess Lockerooo's passion and expertise have brought the art of Waacking to communities around the world, promoting self-love, building communities, and inspiring confidence. She is a highly regarded artist and leader in the dance world, and her dedication to preserving the history of Waacking is an inspiration to all who know her. 

 

KEN SWIFT is one of the greatest influences the dance of Breaking has known and is credited with establishing movements critical to the dances’ foundation with his personal style and techniques. He is recognized worldwide for his continued contributions throughout the last 44 years of promoting, educating and preserving the art form of Breaking and Hip Hop culture. Ken is an original 2nd generation B.Boy from NYC and Former Vice President of the world renowned Rock Steady Crew (RSC) who were featured in the first Hip-Hop documentary film “Style Wars”, the first Hip-Hop motion picture “Wild Style” (1983), and major motion pictures “Flashdance” (1983) and “Beat Street” (1984), including the first International Hip Hop Tour, “New York City Rap” (1982).  Due to Ken’s contributions as a pioneer he has received many accolades including four Lifetime Achievement Awards from various organizations, received an American Masterpieces in Dance Award from the NEA, has taught dance courses in Breaking and Hip Hop Culture History at UCLA and UC Riverside, as well as voted the 2nd Most Influential Dancer of the 20th Century by CNN’s Icon Series. He has been featured and interviewed as an expert in over seventy documentary film projects as well as hundreds of newspapers, magazines and books over the course of his career. Currently he travels the world judging Breaking competitions and teaching workshops at universities and dance schools around the US and the globe.  

 

OMARI WILES. Ousmane “Omari” Wiles is an African American West African and Vogue dancer. Wiles is best known as, legendary Omari NiNa Oricci, founder of The House of Nina Oricci [est. OCT. 2019] and Creative Director of LES BALLET AFRIK dance company. Wiles was born in West Africa Senegal. He began his training in West African dance at the age of 6 years old, under the tutelage of his mother and father, who owned a dance company. Wiles joined his mother (Marie Basse Wiles) and father (BaBa Olukose Anthony Wiles) and became the assistant director of the family company, The Maimouna Ketia School of African Dance. Working with master African dancers, Ousmane evolved the skills needed to teach the art of traditional African dance. Venturing further into the world of dance, Wiles found himself learning, training and falling in love with other styles such as Hip-Hop, House, Modern, Jazz, and Vogue. Through his involvement with the ballroom scene, his love and passion for Vogue (dance) grew. As his notoriety in the ballroom scene grew, it began to grow outside of the ballroom scene as well. Wiles has had the opportunity to work with many artists, featuring his range of dance. His choreography has been featured with Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, John Legend, Jidenna, and Rashaad Newsome and he has worked as a featured dancer, showcasing Afrobeats (with Goldlink, Jidenna, Maleek Berry, and Wunmi), West African dance [with Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, and Forces], and Vogue (with Rashaad Newsome, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Jennifer Hudson). Wiles has been published in Dance Magazine "Top 25 to Watch", Korean Vogue, British Vogue in a spread featuring Naomi Campbell, The Observer, Dance Mogul Magazine, and The New York Times. Wiles also appeared with his house (the house of Nina Oricci) as a contestant on Legendary Season 2 on HBOMax. Wiles is now evolving his own style of dance with his company LES BALLET AFRIK, blending African, Vogue, Modern, and House as one. He and his company have performed at The Joyce Theater, the Guggenheim, and the New York Metropolitan Museum.  

 

NICOLAS HUCHARD has been dancing his whole life. He was only six when he choreographed his first dance. Since then, he’s danced for the world’s greats: Jean Paul Gaultier, Marion Motin, Madonna, Maurice Béjart. He became one of the queens of Christine and the Queens fame, and he’s worked with musicians Angèle, Suzane and Aya Nakamura. Each collaboration is an exploration of boundaries – between softness and strength, between feminine and masculine, between continents and disciplines. Nicolas Huchard likes rough edges – which create uniqueness. The launch of his company in 2018 embodies this exploration, its values and its struggles. It’s a political terrain where dance inscribes activism in bodies: in “social dance”.   

 

 

About PAC NYC

 

The inaugural season showcases the unparalleled flexibility of three performing arts venues inside PAC NYC: the John E. Zuccotti Theater (seating up to 450 people), the Mike Nichols Theater (seating up to 250) and the Doris Duke Foundation Theater (seating up to 99). These venues can recombine in over 60 configurations with capacities ranging from 50 to 1080 seats.  Mechanical systems allow the floors to be raked or flat; staging options include proscenium and thrust; and seating, lighting grids and acoustical systems can accommodate each layout for artistic innovation that can engage and delight audiences in new ways at every visit.

 

Named for businessman, philanthropist and benefactor Ronald O. Perelman, the Perelman Performing Arts Center is 129,000 square feet, rising 138 feet from street level.  Its cube-shaped exterior is wrapped in glass-covered Portuguese marble tiles, arranged in a book-matched pattern that radiates from the center of each façade.  The tiles, less than half an inch thick, allow light to radiate in during the day, and glow out during the evening.  Designed by the architecture firm REX, led by founding principal Joshua Ramus, the building was created in collaboration with executive architect Davis Brody Bond, theater consultant Charcoalblue and acoustician Threshold Acoustics.  David Rockwell and his architecture and design firm Rockwell Group designed the interior of the lobby and restaurant with a dynamic ceiling visible from the street to create an inviting entry experience. The lobby's restaurant by chef Marcus Samuelsson, along with the bar and outdoor terrace, will offer a new gathering space for the Lower Manhattan community.

 

Tickets & PAC NYC Individual Memberships

PAC NYC Memberships starting at $10 for the inaugural season are available. Members are provided early access to purchase tickets and other perks. For more information or to learn how to support PAC NYC, visit PACNYC.org.

Tickets start at $39 and are available online at PACNYC.org or by calling 212.266.3000.  All performances are at 251 Fulton Street.

The public can sign up for important updates from PAC NYC at PACNYC.org/sign-up.

Citi is the official card and a proud sponsor of PAC NYC.

PAC NYC is grateful for the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies

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