Triskelion Arts Presents 277 Dance Project's CARDBOARD STAGE

A modern dance company 277 Dance Project (Nicole Philippidis, Artistic Director) is proud to present their newest multimedia-infused work, Cardboard Stage, at the Triskelion Arts (106 Calyer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222). The piece, conceived and choreographed by Nicole Philippidis in collaboration with the filmmaker Jennifer Klein and musician Johnny Philippidis, will be on view for a limited three-night engagement, opening on Thursday, October 18 at 8pm. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/triskelion-arts-presents-277-dance-project-tickets-48739280500 or at the door ($22.)

Cardboard Stage, a cross-media work featuring dance, video, live music, and spoken word, is a culmination of a two-year collaborative experiment in urban immersion. In 2016, Nicole Philippidis and her performers teamed up with cinematographer Jennifer Klein for a dance film, shot in a working perfume factory in The Bronx. Unexpectedly thrust into a diverse urban landscape - vibrant and gritty in equal measure - the choreographer was compelled to delve into social inequities still plaguing the American metropoles. The resulting work is a story about power and powerlessness, told in six chapters, focusing on different facets of urban life in the shadows of what lies in the glamourous spotlight of the mainstream media.

How does the privilege and lack of accountability perpetuate the status quo? How does the experience of disenfranchisement affect the sense of self-worth, but also the possibility of communicating with and relating to others? In close creative collaboration with a diverse cast of performers, Philippidis - a native New Yorker and a keen observer of Big Apple's intimate moments of communion and loneliness - tackles these questions. The resulting piece works as a mirror, prompting the viewer to examine challenges facing the society based on a trickle-down power structure in a city overrun by gentrification and a country struggling to acknowledge and deal with the racial and economic rifts.

The title of the piece alludes both to a homemade protest sign and to a makeshift performance area one sees in the streets of New York City. "When I think of cardboard, I think of all the people who boldly and bravely use it to build a platform to be heard," explains Nicole Philippidis.

Original music and sound score for Cardboard Stage, created and performed live by Nicole's brother John Philippidis (of the award-winning indie folk band Burlap to Cashmere,) captures the stark industrial mood of the inner city. The soundtrack - which will be played live at every performance - is colored with rhythmical percussion, keyboard, and guitar. Intense physicality of Nicole Philippidis' choreography is sculpted against the immersive video environment created by Jennifer Klein, who has been collaborating with the company on this project since its very inception in 2015.

The six-person cast includes longtime company members Mika Yanagihara as well as dancers Stephen Galberth, Christopher Makens, Elisa Schreiber, Emily Tellier, and Eric Parra.

Choreography: Nicole Philippidis

Visual media / projections: Jennifer Klein

Music and Soundscape: John Philippidis