Works & Process: Ephrat Asherie Dance and Music From The Sole as part of the Underground Uptown Dance Festival
Company:
Works & Process
Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents the Underground Uptown Dance Festival, a festival of commissioned street and social dances taking place in the subterranean Frank Lloyd Wright-designed theater at the Guggenheim from January 12-17, 2023. Rare in the field of dance, let alone in the creators' traditions, beyond presenting fee, all projects will have received longitudinal support. With some spanning four years, across multiple residencies Works & Process will have provided living wage fees, 24/7 devoted studio access, adjacent housing, access to health care insurance enrollment, performance fees, and iterative performance opportunities. Inspired by the circular architecture of the Guggenheim, the cyphers prevalent in street dance, and social environments where these performing art traditions were germinated, the works being presented weave audiences and artists together. These commissions endeavor to amplify the innate qualities of dance to physically connect and facilitate the embodiment of joy and community. General ticketing starts December 13 at worksandprocess.org.
TAP, PERCUSSIVE DANCE, SAMBA, HOUSE, AND NYC CLUB CULTURE
Ephrat Asherie Dance and NYC Club Legends: Highlights from UNDERSCORED
Music From The Sole: Highlights from I Didn't Come to Stay
Thursday, January 12, 7:30 pm
See two APAP ArtsForward and National Dance Project Grantees.
A living archive of five generations of New York City club dancers, UNDERSCORED is a multi-faceted project rooted in the intergenerational stories and memories of NYC underground club heads. Commissioned by Works & Process and created by the dancers of Ephrat Asherie Dance and NYC club legends ranging in age from 27 to 79, UNDERSCOREDis a collaboration that celebrates and explores the ever-changing physical and musical landscape of New York's underground dance community. Building on the intergenerational transference of knowledge and culturally reflective movement that happens night after night on dance floors across the city, UNDERSCORED shares lived experiences, stories, and vibes from seminal parties, including David Mancuso's the Loft, Larry Levan's Paradise Garage and Timmy Regisford's Shelter and the experiences of legends Archie Burnett, Michele Saunders, and Brahms "Bravo" LaFortune.
Tap, percussive dance, samba, house, and live music come together in I Didn't Come to Stay, commissioned by Works & Process and described by the New York Times as "An unforced crowd-pleaser, original and true to itself." Brazilian tap dancer and choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and bassist and composer Gregory Richardson lead eight dancers and a five-piece band in a performance that explores tap's lineage and connections to other Afrodiasporic forms. Together the pair embrace shared roots across the diaspora and reflect on racial and cultural identity, while also celebrating the joy, strength, depth, and virtuosity of Black dance and music.
UNDERSCORED was commissioned by Works & Process and was developed in Works & Process LaunchPAD residencies at Catskill Mountain Foundation (2022), Bridge Street Theatre (2021), Kaatsbaan Cultural Park (2020), and the Guggenheim Museum. Additional residency support provided by CUNY Dance Initiative, LUMBERYARD, and The Yard. Past performances have taken place at Harlem Stage, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Guggenheim Museum, The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts, and The Yard.
I Didn't Come to Stay was commissioned by Works & Process and was developed in Works & Process LaunchPAD residencies at Catskill Mountain Foundation (2022) and Kaatsbaan Cultural Park (2020), additional residency support provided by American Tap Dance Foundation, Chelsea Factory, Pillow Lab residency, and The Yard. Past performances have taken place at Jacob's Pillow, the Guggenheim Museum, Guild Hall, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and New York City Center.
ABOUT WORKS & PROCESS
Championing the creative process from studio-to-stage, Works & Process, is an independent performing arts organization that supports artists from both the world's largest organizations and from underrecognized performing arts cultures by providing rare, sequenced and fully-funded creative residency, commissioning, and iterative presenting support. Blending artist discussions and performance highlights, each program provides unprecedented behind the scenes access to support our goal of broadening representation and fostering greater understanding and appreciation of the performing arts. Works & Process celebrates New York artists and street and social dance with programs at the Guggenheim Museum, Lincoln Center, and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, with the Jerome Robbins Dance Division. LaunchPAD "Process as Destination" partnerships with 12 residency centers across New York State amplify our support for artistic process. In the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed theater at the Guggenheim, see Works & Process street and social dance commissions supported with multi-year longitudinal residencies and iterative presentations.
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