I’m a bit of a theater nerd, so needless to say I was thrilled when I found out we would be presenting a staged reading of John Kelly’s newest work The Escape Artist as part of the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab on Saturday, April 3. I’m mostly familiar with Kelly through his brilliant character work, and specifically as one of his most beloved characters Dagmar Onassis, the fictional love child of Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas.

Kelly is a two time Bessie and Obie award winning performance and visual artist whose work began in New York’s East Village clubs in the early 1980’s; since that time he has created over 30 performance works which have been performed at venues across the country. Originally trained as a dancer with American Ballet Theatre and the Harkness House for Ballet Arts, he embraces all forms of art from theater, dance, visual art, drag, film, and music in his work.

Kelly has been on campus over the last week working on The Escape Artist, which will eventually include a collision of music, video and story. The premise revolves around a singer hired to lay down the tracks for cinematic re-enactments of the paintings of Caravaggio. The singer channels the characters that populate the paintings, encounters unexpected technical difficulties, and reveals a turbulent personal history of his own. The Escape Artist considers the parallels between the unbridled creative spirit of the urban artist of the 17th and 21st centuries.

Before coming to MASS MoCA Kelly spent time in Rome recording video and shoot photographs of the characters he takes on in The Escape Artist.

At MASS MoCA Kelly shot this video promo for The Escape Artist in the bridge leading up to the LeWitt Retrospective. (click on the image to view)

True to Kelly’s style he is compiling all sorts of artistic creations to form a truly multi-media experience for the audiences of The Escape Artist.  Although the showing at MASS MoCA is only a staged reading and will not include all of the final pieces of the show, from one theater nerd to another, this performance is going to be a night at the theater you don’t want to miss!

Cheers,

Brittany

Check out this awesome article by New York Magazine describing  the collarboration between costume maven Cindy Sherman and choreographer Stephen Petronio, who’s weather themed piece I Drink The Air Before Me will be at MASS MoCA April 9 & 10. I’ve copied the first part of the aritcle below…

I’m done with the image of how I used to dance,â€� says choreographer Stephen Petronio. “And I’m not opposed to lapsing into complete caricature at points. After 25 years performing in theaters, I’m kind of tired of that wall.â€� Hence Petronio’s I Drink the Air Before Me, a new evening-length piece for his company (and his first major appearance onstage in five years), with score by Nico Muhly. For his own rather eccentric character, Petronio turned to artist Cindy Sherman, mistress of disguise. “Part of the reason I love using visual art with movement is that what I do disappears,â€� says Petronio, who will set the mood for the piece, acting as a sort of ringleader. Will he dance? “Who knows what’s going to happen,â€� he says mysteriously. Petronio and Sherman did, however, explain the evolution of his unique costume.

Berkshire denizens were lucky to have the opportunity last week to see Black Grace perform at Williams College’s ’62 Center. It was an amazing performance and Meredith, a former dance student who now spends her days working as part of our performing arts department, was struck by the connections between Black Grace’s performance and our upcoming show on April 9 and 10 by Stephen Petronio Dance Company. We asked her to write it down for us and here’s what she told us.

Both Neil Ieremia of Black Grace and Stephen Petronio use dance to explore the mixing of fashion and design with a dazzling sense of physicality that results in relentless complexities of form. Working with weather as a metaphor and source of inspiration, each choreographer utilizes a sort of scientific aesthetic — duets fold into groups, into clusters, into storms of movement that, though depersonalized by abstraction, leave the viewer feeling emotional and united with the dancers despite their epic virtuosity.

Neil Ieremia looked at weather as a metaphor for human migration and the emotional correlations one can imagine from the quote included in his program notes: “I have always believed in the spirit of the Long White Cloud that embraces everyone equally. But after reading these claims and reviewing passages of my personal journey, I realise the Long White Cloud has become dark in places and it feels like a storm is breaking.â€�

This combination of clustered spatial patterns and dynamic energetic and tempo shifts resulted in a humanist resolution of the conflict spurred by racist claims of an economist, Greg Clydesdale, who warns that Polynesians display “significant and enduring under achievement” – a problem he believes immigration is making worse

Petronio approaches weather as a force to be reckoned with. He sees the relentless capacities of weather as a reflection of the storms his company has weathered through its 25-year history, and looks forward to the rolling waves with anticipation and accomplishment. Like a howling sea captain, Petronio shows his true colors and creating a new work rather than a retrospective; this fearless choreographer is certainly not ready to rest on his laurels ( though there are plenty).

Each show offers a tri-fold combination of formal beauty, impressive virtuosity and epic explorations of humanity through dance — what I believe to be the most human form. By exploring weather, a subject that constantly reminds us how much we are at its mercy yet that we influence through our every action, in a form that is so tied to what we can control, our own bodies, both choreographers offer you a restless sense of empathy and connection to the performance.

Just another reason why dance so awesome.

Did you see Black Grace? What did you think?

Just as we were deeply inspired by the life of, we are saddened by the passing of one of our most devoted ushers and fans, Evelyn Gallese. Evelyn passed away last week at age 92.

If you came to events at MASS MoCA you certainly recognize Evelyn. Frequently the usher at the door, she welcomed thousands to MASS MoCA. Her specialty was dance parties, where, after the greeting was done, you were sure to find her busting a move on the dance floor.

She took to the stage in June 2002 as one of the “Sprague ladies” in Martha Bower’s Dream Life of Bricks .  The photo above from that performance captures their show-stopping kick line. No surprise, its easy to pick out Evelyn, she’s the second from the right, kicking the highest.

Here are some remembrances from MASS MoCA staffers:

Of course we’ll miss Evelyn’s graceful and always cheery presence as a volunteer usher.  But what I’ll miss is her dancing.  Evelyn was a superb dancer, energetic, stylish, and such a fun partner.  We’ve hosted something like 40 big dance parties over the years, Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s what Lickety Split will be serving at the Afro-Cuban Hip Hop Dance Party on Saturday night.
Pulled Pork Sandwich

Quiche with Rice and Black Beans

Cuban Plate with Lechon Azado (marinated pulled pork), rice, potaje de frijole (Cuban style black beans) and Y Chimol (a Cuban Pico de Gallo).

Cuban plate also available as vegetarian option.

With only one more day before the performance our dance company in residence ZviDance is hard at work preparing for their Work-In-Progress showing of  Zoom tomorrow at 8 PM.  Sarah LaDuke at WAMC got a chance to talk with choreographer Zvi Gotheiner for a Roundtable interview. You can listen to the full interview here! Also check out our YouTube page for three more videos of ZviDance rehearsals.

I sat in on a school time performance of Zoom the company did for local school children this morning. The students and teachers had a great time interacting with the dancers and effecting the action on the stage. Below are a few photos taken by the company and teachers in the audience.

If you don’t have your tickets for ZviDance yet you can purchase them here. If you already have your tickets don’t forget to bring your cell phone to interact with the company!

Looking for something to do before the performance? Stop by the opening of Gravity is a Force to be Reckoned With in the galleries.

Cheers,

Brittany