Soaking WET Dance Series Returning to West End Theater, 2/4-7

The Soaking WET dance series, curated by David Parker and Jeff Kazin, returns to the West End Theater with two performances daily, February 4-7, showing all world premieres by choreographers Garnet Henderson and Kai Kleinbard (early shows), and the Barkin/Selissen Project (later performances). The charming and friendly West End Theater is located on the 2nd floor of the Church at 263 West 86th Street (corner of 86th & West End).

*** Please note: The performance of February 4 at 7 PM will be shared by Garnet Henderson, The Bang Group, and Leslie Parker. All other early performances will be shared by Garnet Henderson and Kai Kleinbard.

Performances of February 4, 5 & 6 at 7 PM; February 7 at 2 PM

Dancer/choreographer GARNET HENDERSON, lauded for her past appearances on Soaking WET, returns with her new workThe bird has more friends than me, a dance of social posturing. Performed by Rebecca Hadley, Linden Hill, and Henderson, the work asks: "what assumptions do we make when we see three women together? What expectations do we have of their interactions? The trio evokes a long history of pop girl groups, along with the whispers of conflict that have always trailed those groups of successful women.

Garnet Henderson, a native of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, graduated cum laude in from Columbia U, where she danced in works by David Parker, Faye Driscoll, Kyle Abraham, and others. Since her 2013 graduation, she has worked with Mark Dendy and Julie Cunningham, and her own dances have been shown in Paris and NYC venues.

KAI KLEINBARD's new dance has been inspired by his work with children. Set to a collage of music that includes Aphex Twin and Autechre, Kleinbard will create a character that tunes itself to the sights, sounds, smells and experience of being in a room of onlookers.

Kai Kleinbard is a certified Alexander Technique Teacher and director of bodyLITERATE, a center that engages youngsters through embodied learning. He draws inspiration from his practice of tai chi, aikido and urban dance styles and, as an improviser, invokes the fantastical, including cartoons, robots, machines and monsters. Kleinbard's work has been presented at Movement Research, Roulette, Dixon Place, and other popular venues, and last year he was a finalist for the Jadin Wong award, recognizing emerging Asian American artists.

Performances of Feb. 4, 5, 6 at 8:30 PM and February 7 at 4 PM

BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT will premiere two works: Hot Knife in Cold Butter/Flo(w) Through Me, and Emic Flux. Kyla Barkin's Hot Knife is a crisp, yet tender dissection of movement and relativity, relayed through a series of interconnected duets, solos and ensemble pieces. Aaron Selissen's trio Emic Flux looks at roles played by individuals and groups, offering a shift in perspective from insider to outsider, and featuring an original score composed and performed live by Zac Selissen.

Kyla Barkin, a native of Arizona, was trained in Spain and at UCLA. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Jean Irwin Award, and has been described as having an "exciting, physically expansive attack" by The New York Times. Her work has been shown at many venues in NYC and in Germany, Edinburgh, Indonesia, and more. Barkin has worked with Janis Brenner & Dancers since 1998 and has also appeared with the companies of Doug Elkins and Carolyn Dorfman.

Aaron Selissen, from Green Bay, WI, has danced with Janis Brenner and Dancers since 2007, and has been a member of the Limon Dance Company since 2010. As a performer, he has also worked with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, and others. His teaching has taken him around the U.S. and to Poland and Indonesia, and in NY at the Limon Institute. Aaron's choreography has been shown at the Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out Series, Houston State U, Stony Brook U, and popular NY venues.