RainWORKs
New work from Seattle dance artists
March 3, 2019 - 7 pm
YAW Theater - Seattle, WA
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Alana O'Farrell Rogers/
Alana O. Rogers Dance Company
Christin Call
Jo Blake/joBdance.
Kimberly Holloway
Rainbow Fletcher/HYPERNOVA
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Technical Director: Stella Kutz
Poster & Postcard Photography:
Bret Doss Photography
Event Photography/Videography:
Danny Boulet, WittyPixel Photography
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Herz to Herz
​Choreographer: Rainbow Fletcher
Company: HYPERNOVA
Music: Karen O & Danger Mouse
Dancers: Lynn Tofil, Maia Veague
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Herz to Herz is a live diptych that stylizes the process of heart beats. Beautifully fragile and machine-like, we are powered by a built-in timekeeper. Two women travel a pathway inspired by our own internal electrical system. Soft geometric movements illustrate the balance of letting go and holding on.
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Thanks to our awesome support system of donors, friends, and family. Stay tuned for HYPERNOVA’s 5 Year Anniversary Show! Details coming soon! hypernovadance.com
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​Shameless (excerpt)
​Choreographer: Kimberly Holloway
Music: Niklas Paschburg, Rafiq Bhatia, KAYTRANADA
Costume: Amy Weaver, Kimberly Holloway
Dancer: Kimberly Holloway
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Shameless is a portion of a longer solo set to premier late 2019 which explores themes of sexuality, spirituality, and the shame that is often woven between the two.
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Special thanks to KT Niehoff, 10 degrees, and Bainbridge Dance Center for providing residency space for the creation of this work.
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Special note: Shameless explores my personal experience of how shame can be used as a tool to shut down sexuality and limit freedom. Shame can hide, cover, and manifest as powerlessness. In this piece, I work to remove these layers of shame, leaving myself exposed and open, free from confines but no longer safely hidden.
In a recent performance of this piece, I chose to use Kendrick Lamar’s song Humble. The chorus, “Be humble. Sit down,” felt similar to the messages I received as a young person to be quiet and perfect. I did not consider the lyrics in rest of the song which included the N-word. I did not consider how this song is situated and contextualized by the African American experience and how it is deeply offensive to include the N-word in my work as a white artist. With this choice, I conveyed a vastly different message than I had intended and harmed people in the audience. I apologize.
Once this was brought to my attention, I felt a deep sense of shame for my actions and their results; shame of my ignorance, privilege, and failure to communicate what I intended. I offer this piece today not as a neat little package of answers but as my honest experience of this moment in time. I am questioning how to navigate the layers this experience without hiding or feeling immobilized. I am learning on a daily basis how to mobilize this experience for a greater good, to be more aware, and to participate actively in this conversation with my community. I am learning to find deeper humility and generosity as I move through this messy journey of loving myself and those around me.
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The Sea (excerpt)
​Choreographer: Alana O'Farrell Rogers, in collaboration with the dancers
Company: Alana O. Rogers Dance Company
Music: Rabih Abou-Khalil
Dancers: Sylvain Boulet, Philippa Myler, Marissa Quimby
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The Sea explores the journey of three individuals risking everything to embark on a dangerous journey as refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Alana's research for the work draws heavily on the worldwide refugee crisis, particularly following the events of the Arab Spring of 2010-2012 and the ongoing Syrian Civil War, which has yielded over 13 million Syrian refugees. The piece is the second in Alana's refugee series, currently in-progress.
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INTERMISSION
15 MINUTES
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(dis)connect.
Choreographer: Jo Blake
Company: joBdance.
Music: A Winged Victory for the Sullen
Dancer: Alicia Pugh
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(dis)connect. explores the raw physical and emotional interactions of sentient beings. The work was inspired by spontaneous encounters of love, travel, and conversation during a year of world travel. "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." - Maya Angelou.
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Thank you to the dancers, Alicia and Sean, for joining me on this journey! The full (dis)connect. will premier in Spring 2019 - upcoming announcements to come! joblakedance.com
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Sonnet of deus aughts
Director: Christin Call
Director of Photography: Cainan Martens
Writing and Editing: Christin Call
Narration: Christin Call
Music: Jóhann Jóhannsson
Performers: Elby Brosch, Kaitlin McCarthy, Mariko Nagashima, Alana O’Farrell Rogers, Hannah Simmons, Alexander Pham, Lara Seefeldt, Cait Wiley
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Sonnet of deus aughts is part of the assemblage series What is Home an Obscure Kingdom an Opera Buffa It's You Always You that includes film, installation, interactive social engagement, poetry, photography, and a full-evening length dance theater work. The film is based loosely on a double sonnet, in which two structural halves--present and past--turn to navigate each other across the barrier of the stanza. What is the turn or "volta" we experience when we reflect on our past selves and what would our past selves be charged by in their viewing of us?
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Pulled Under, Floating and Drowning
​Choreographer: Alana O'Farrell Rogers, in collaboration with the dancers
Company: Alana O. Rogers Dance Company
Music: Poppy Ackroyd
Dancers: Kimberly Holloway, Thomas Phelan
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Pulled Under, Floating, and Drowning investigates the feeling of being caught in an undertow and how that mirrors the experience of a refugee: always moving, tossed and tumbled through a never-ending cycle of ambiguity and danger. It is the first work in Alana's refugee series. It premiered at the Seattle International Dance Festival in June 2018.
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Special thanks to Tara Academy of Irish Dance for their generous gift of studio space, which enabled the creation of this work.
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CHOREOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHIES
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Alana O'Farrell Rogers's choreography is inspired by the human condition, culture, science, and the natural world. Her movement style is lush, full-bodied, and highlighted with fearless athleticism, crisp technique, and a poignant and quirky emotional sensibility. She has received grants from Artist Trust and the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and has been commissioned by most of Seattle’s major festivals and venues including the Seattle International Dance Festival, Velocity Dance Center, On the Boards, and ChopShop, among others. Full bio at: alanaorogers.org
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Christin Call is an assemblage artist living in Seattle, WA and making work primarily at the cross-sections of dance, film, installation, and poetry. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, published in literary journals, performed on stage and in alternative spaces, and screened in film houses. She has been Co-Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Coriolis Dance for 11 years. Full bio at: christincall.com and coriolisdance.com.
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Jo Blake has had the pleasure of working with internationally-recognized choreographers, artists, and educators over a span of 15+ years. Driven by the interaction of human connection and movement as a physical language, Jo continues to experiment with the explorative dialogue of self-reflection, technological development, and societal disruptions to inspire his choreographic work. The premiere of joBdance. will present (dis)connect. in May 2019. Full bio at: joblakedance.com
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Kimberly Holloway is a Seattle dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist. She currently performs with Michele Miller/Catapult Dance, Alana O. Rogers, and Kinesis Project (NYC). She is a recipient of grants and residencies from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Artist Life Guild, Cornish Arts Incubator, and 10degrees. She is a board member of Dance Educators Association of Washington, co-founder of Class Exchange, and currently teaches at Velocity Dance Center, Dance Fremont, and Bainbridge Dance Center. Full bio at: kimberlyholloway.co
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Rainbow Fletcher creates dance based art which is dynamic, emotionally driven, and elegantly athletic. Her creations have earned a reputation for making smart work "disguised" as entertainment. Full bio at: hypernovadance.com and rainbowfletcher.com.
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SPECIAL THANKS to Stella Kutz & YAW Theater, Danny Boulet, Bret Doss, our volunteers, and all of the artists that gave their time to make RainWORKS a reality. Many, many hours are given in-kind. Please consider a donation to Alana O. Rogers Dance Company and to each of the other choreographers/companies presenting work tonight. We are forever grateful.
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Visit: Alana O. Rogers Dance Company HOME
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