DANCE ACROSS BORDERS USA 2007 AT BARD COLLEGE PRESENTS SERIES OF FREE PERFORMANCES AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Internationally Acclaimed Dancers and Choreographers Stage Performances June 7, 8, 9, and 14, 15, 16, at Bard’s Fisher Center

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Dance Across Borders (DAB) USA 2007 at Bard College presents a series of free performances and panel discussions in conjunction with a two-week dance intensive and international symposium, held on campus from, Monday, June 4, through Saturday, June 16. “The theme of this year’s symposium is ‘The Body Politic,’ in which international choreographers and dancers pass on what they’ve learned about how to relate their work to the body, to the community, and to world events,” says Susan Osberg, visiting associate professor of dance at Bard and director of Dance Across Borders 2007. “It is wonderful to offer the public the opportunity to participate in the program through the free panel discussions and performances. These contemporary choreographers are redefining the very nature of dance and performance today.”

The panel discussions, collectively titled “The Body Politic,” are offered on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings (June 4, 5, 6, and 11, 12, 13), from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. in the Weis Cinema of the Bertelsmann Campus Center. Choreographers from around the globe consider the connection of their work to the body, the community, and the world. The free dance performances and site-specific events are offered on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings (June 7, 8, 9, and June 14, 15, 16) at 8:00 p.m. in LUMA Theater of The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. A special site-specific improv dance, performed by DAB artists, begins at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, on the lawn of the Fisher Center. It is suggested that the audience bring picnics to enjoy while watching the performance.

Weekend One: DAB Performances

Opening each of the performances on June 7, 8, and 9, at 8:00 p.m., in the lobby of LUMA Theater of the Fisher Center is a site-specific work performed by dancer and choreographer Amy Swanson (France), who founded Le Regard du Cygne in 1984, as a space for contemporary dance in Paris. The concert performances follow in LUMA Theater of the Fisher Center.

On Thursday, June 7, the program includes a performance of Stations of the Head Wound, by Zack Fuller, whose work has been described by Theodore Bale of the Boston Herald as “cryptic, yes, but characterized by astonishing theatricality”; Sara Gebran (Denmark, Lebanon, Venezuela), who has, according to Denmark’s Weekend Avisen, “a different way of choreographing carried through with femininity and raw-power”; René Nõmmik and Tiina Ollesk (Estonia), who founded Fine 5 Dance Theatre, one of the most influential contemporary dance companies in Estonia; and Olof Persson (Sweden), who is a noted video artist, choreographer, and dancer.

On Friday, June 8, original works are choreographed and performed by Jean Churchill (US), Bard Dance Program chair; Catlin Cobb (US/NYC), artistic director of American Theatrical Motion Art and founding member of the Artists’ Collective for Social Change; Mireille Feyzeau (France), director of a French DAB site-specific event in Bordeaux last fall, and developer of a new form called “Vocal Contact Improvisation” with Julie West (Canada), who was an original member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company; Uttara Coorlawala (NYC/India) whose “two solos . . . were characterized by a New Age-style quality of serene fantasy . . . [and] smoothly blended a modern-dance attack and physicality,” states the New York Times; and Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre (NYC/Czech Republic), which Jennifer Dunning of the New York Times named as one of the top five dance performance groups of 2006.

On Saturday, June 9, performances feature Kaspar Ravnhøj and Jacob Stage, a.k.a. Mute Comp. Physical Theatre (Denmark), “one of modern Danish dance’s most inspiring, creative and talented young companies with a good grasp of the latest forms of dance, mime, juggling, text and theatre,” according to Weekendavisen Bright Lights (DK); Susan Osberg (NYC/Beacon), “an exquisite dancer [whose] every unfolding elongated line, clear shape and tension-filled detail in her hand gestures can hold a viewer’s complete interest” (New York Times); Muna Tseng (NYC), whose “work has the richness of ritual,” according to the New York Times; and Jane Comfort and Company (NYC), “one of the most original choreographers on the downtown scene,” according to the Village Voice.

Weekend Two: DAB Performances

SENS/Noémie Lafrance (Canada/NYC) begins each program on June 14, 15, and 16, at 8:00 p.m. with an exterior site-specific piece at the Fisher Center, choreographed during the DAB residency, and inspired by the architectural design of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, designed by Frank Gehry. The performance features DAB students and members of Lafrance’s Sens/Production company. Lafrance, created the critically acclaimed Descent in a 12-story stairwell, which won two Bessie Awards and was named one of the 10 best dance performances of 2002 by the New York Times and Time Out New York. The concert performances follow in LUMA Theater of the Fisher Center.

On Thursday, June 14, the featured performers include Galina Borissova (Bulgaria), winner of the International Choreographer Concours (Groningen, 1998); Sondra Loring (Hudson/NYC), who received a New York Dance and Performance Award (BESSIE) in 1997; Gun Lund (Sweden), one of the pioneers of Swedish contemporary dance, awarded the Dance Prize of Swedish Theatre Critics in 2005; and Dean Moss (NYC), who “deliver[s] an experience that elevates—or reduces, depending on your point of view—painful realities to the status of art,” according to the Village Voice.

The performers on Friday, June 15, are Fabrice Dugied and Amy Swanson (France), cofounders of contemporary art space Le Regard du Cygne in Paris; Bryan Hayes (NYC), who has “a voice of his own, though a quiet one, and an inquiring sense of theater and of shapes and their relationships,” according to the New York Times; and Susan Osberg (NYC/Beacon), “mix[ing] conventional dance with acrobatic tumbles, the choreography . . . dissolved nicely into stillness” (New York Times). DAB workshop students perform her work, with music by David Arner.

On Saturday, June 16, the audience is invited to arrive at 6:00 p.m. and view site-specific improvisation by DAB artists. (Bring a picnic to enjoy on the lawns of the Fisher Center.) Following this at 8:00 p.m. is SENS/Noémie Lafrance’s site-specific work. The performance in LUMA Theater features Bard alumnus Arthur Aviles ’87 (NYC), director of the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!) and the Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre, a Bessie Award–winning dancer “with a vivid imagination, determined focus and sense of professionalism gained from years performing with the Bill T. Jones company,” according to Jennifer Dunning of the New York Times; Adi Salant (Denmark/Israel), whose work Shakuf presented “equal distribution of the material between female and male bodies offer[ing] a challenge to the gender politics of choreographed seduction,” according to ballet.co.uk.; and Molissa Fenley (NYC), who has won acclaim for “making abstract movement with clear, exquisite shapes, notably flexed hands and hard-angled arms invoking certain Asian dance conventions,” according to the Village Voice.

Week 1: Panel Discussions

The first panel discussion, “The Body,” on Monday, June 4, is moderated by Susan Osberg, with panelists Jean Churchill, Uttara Coorlawala, Mireille Feyzeau, and Julie West. On Tuesday, June 5, the discussion, “The Body, The Community, and The World,” is moderated by Susan Osberg, with panelists Catlin Cobb, Jane Comfort, Muna Tseng, Dušan Týnek, and guest Zack Fuller, who discusses Japan’s Dance Hakushu Festival. On Wednesday, June 6, the panel “The Body and The Community,” is moderated by Amy Swanson, with panelists Gun Lund and Lars Persson, discussing “Space and Time: How to Find the Ultimate Space for Your Choreography”; DAB director Marika Blossfeldt, speaks about how to make an art center, discussing the building of her Polli Tallu Art Center in Estonia; and Noémie Lafrance.

Week 2: Panel Discussions

“The Body and The Media” is the topic of discussion on Monday, June 11, moderated by Julie West, with panelists Molissa Fenley and Sondra Loring, and video presentations by Bryan Hayes, Dean Moss, and Olof Persson. On Tuesday, June 12, Susan Osberg moderates, “The Body, The Community, and The World,” with panelists Sara Gebran, Mute Comp. Physical Theatre, René Nommik and Tiina Ollesk, Adi Salant, Julie West, and Galina Borissova. The final panel discussion, “The Body and The Community,” on Wednesday, June 13, is moderated by Susan Osberg, with panelists Arthur Aviles, Fabrice Dugied, Mireille Feyzeau, Amy Swanson, who speak about how artists create communities, and guest speakers and Bard alumnae, Sonya Robbins ’96 and Layla Childs ’95, discuss and show videos of site-specific work for their New York City-based company, Robbinschilds.

“DAB is a cooperative structure for international exchange, based on mutual respect for the integrity of different artistic points of view. How many borders can we cross? As many as have been set—by different cultures, traditions, national interests, and prejudices. Dance Across Borders is our movement to open minds.” (Excerpt from DAB Manifesto, 1995.)

DAB USA 2007 Committee Susan Osberg, cofounder and director of DAB in U.S. at Bard College; Joan Duddy, cofounder and administrator of DAB in the U.S., in alliance with Pat Cremins, cofounder and director of DAB in U.S.; Gun Lund and Lars Persson, cofounders and directors in Sweden; Marika Blossfeldt, director in Estonia; Mireille Feyzeau, Amy Swanson, and Fabrice Dugied, directors in France.

For further information about the program and reservations for the performances, call 845-758-7900 or visit www.fishercenter.bard.edu.

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Dance Across Borders (DAB) USA 2007 at Bard College “The Body Politic” June 4–16, 2007

All events are free and open to the public. Reservations are suggested for the performances, call 845-758-7900.

Schedule

Monday, June 4, 8:00 p.m.                      Panel Discussion: “The Body”

Moderator: Susan Osberg

Panelists: Jean Churchill, Uttara Coorlawala, Mireille Feyzeau, and Julie West Location: Weis Cinema, Bertelsmann Campus Center

Tuesday, June 5, 8:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: “The Body, The Community, and The World” Moderator: Susan Osberg Panelists: Catlin Cobb, Jane Comfort, Muna Tseng, Dušan Týnek, and Zack Fuller Location: Weis Cinema, Bertelsmann Campus Center

Wednesday, June 6, 8:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: “The Body and The Community” Moderator: Amy Swanson Panelists: Gun Lund and Lars Persson, Marika Blossfeldt, and Noémie Lafrance Location: Weis Cinema, Bertelsmann Campus Center

Thursday, June 7, 8:00 p.m. DAB Performance, LUMA Theater, Fisher Center Site-specific work Amy Swanson, Zack Fuller, Sara Gebran, René Nommik/Tiina Ollesk, Olof Persson

Friday, June 8, 8:00 p.m. DAB Performance, LUMA Theater, Fisher Center Site-specific work Amy Swanson, Jean Churchill, Catlin Cobb, Uttara Coorlawala, Dušan Týnek, Mireille Feyzeau & Julie West

Saturday, June 9, 8:00 p.m. DAB Performance, LUMA Theater, Fisher Center Site-specific work Amy Swanson, Jane Comfort, Mute Comp. Physical Theatre, Susan Osberg, Muna Tseng

Monday, June 11, 8:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: “The Body and The Media” Moderator: Julie West Panelists: Molissa Fenley, Sondra Loring, Dean Moss, Olof Persson, and Bryan Hayes Location: Weis Cinema, Bertelsmann Campus Center

Tuesday, June 12, 8:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: “The Body, The Community, and The World” Moderator: Susan Osberg Panelists: Sara Gebran, Mute Comp. Physical Theatre, René Nommik and Tiina Ollesk, Adi Salant, Julie West, and Galina Borissova Location: Weis Cinema, Bertelsmann Campus Center

Wednesday, June 13, 8:00 p.m. Panel Discussion: “The Body and The Community” Moderator: Susan Osberg

Panelists: Arthur Aviles, Fabrice Dugied, Mireille Feyzeau, Amy Swanson, and Sonya Robbins & Layla Childs Location: Weis Cinema, Bertelsmann Campus Center

Thursday, June 14, 8:00 p.m. DAB Performance, LUMA Theater, Fisher Center Noémie Lafrance’s site-specific work on Gehry architecture, Galina Borissova, Sondra Loring, Gun Lund, Dean Moss

Friday, June 15, 8:00 p.m. DAB Performance, LUMA Theater, Fisher Center Noémie Lafrance’s site-specific work on Gehry architecture, Fabrice Dugied and Amy Swanson, Bryan Hayes, Susan Osberg/DAB students

Saturday, June 16, 6:00 p.m. Outdoor Site-Specific Improvisation Performance, Fisher Center Lawn DAB artists (Bring picnic to enjoy while watching performance.)

Saturday, June 16, 8:00 p.m. DAB Performance, LUMA Theater, Fisher Center Noémie Lafrance’s site-specific work on Gehry architecture, Arthur Aviles, Molissa Fenley, Adi Salant

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(05.15.2007)