August 30, 2007

Nolini Barretto Interview

Presenting site-specific dance in the bustling financial, commercial and historic environment of downtown Manhattan is not without risk but can yield considerable excitement and rewards. Producer-curator Nolini Barretto and the artists she selects for her annual Sitelines series bring imagination and vision to this challenge and opportunity. We spoke about past productions and current highlights of this well-regarded summer festival, a project of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council running now through September 21.

Listen to audio interview with Nolini Barretto (MP3 - 28 minutes)

Nolini Barretto Bio

Nolini Barretto has long been part of the New York arts community. She worked for the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance for thirteen years, the last few years as Administrative Director of the school. She was a founding Director of the Emergency Fund for Student Dancers and continues to serve on its Board and the advisory Board of Buglisi Dance Company. She was the Director of Marketing for Dance Theater Workshop in Chelsea, helping it transition into its new building, managing its rebranding efforts and launching its Inaugural season. At DTW she received the National Arts Marketing Project's Advanced Audience Development Training. Nolini was originally a classical dancer in India and received a Masters degree in Arts Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. In 2005 CEC Artslink sent her to lecture on Public Art in St. Petersburg, Russia and Novosibirsk, Siberia. Nolini began working at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in 2003, where she founded the site-specific performance series, Sitelines, which she continues to curate and produce.

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August 28, 2007

Ashleigh Leite Interview

My interview with dancer-choreographer Ashleigh Leite is a reminder of how critically important it is for emerging creative artists to have the support of organizations like Joyce SoHo. As an artist-in-residence at Joyce SoHo's Mercer Street studios, Ashleigh was provided with ample time, rehearsal space, guidance and helpful feedback as she developed Crawl Space, her new evening-length, multi-media ensemble premiering at Danspace Project in November--a major step forward in her career. I hope you'll enjoy my talk with this interesting and thoughtful artist.

Listen to interview with Ashleigh Leite (MP3 - 25 Minutes)

Ashleigh Leite
(Click image for larger picture)

Ashleigh Leite Bio

Ashleigh Leite, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, graduated (cum laude) from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance Performance in 1997. Upon graduation, Ashleigh joined Stephen Petronio Company, where she served as Assistant Director/Rehearsal Director and a dancer for over eight years (1997-2005). While maintaining a full schedule with Stephen Petronio Company, Ashleigh began to pursue her own work as a freelance choreographer. In March 2006, at Joyce SoHo in New York City, she premiered Autopsy for which she received a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space Award. During the fall of 2006, Ashleigh was an Artist-in-Residence at Dance New Amsterdam and premiered flawed in December; this year, she has been an Artist-in-Residence at Joyce SoHo. She is a current member of Pavel Zustiak's Palissimo and has performed in works by Jamie Bishton, David Allen Harris and Jeremy Nelson. She has taught technique and repertory at conservatories all over the world and guest teaches regularly at Dance New Amsterdam in New York City.

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August 21, 2007

Interview with Tap City's Tony Waag

I'm convinced that Tony Waag is one of those people put on earth to help me find my smile when I most need it, and I'm not alone in this feeling. Everyone who has ever seen Tap City loves Tony, its producer, director and often goofily-charming MC.

As artistic and executive director of the American Tap Dance Foundation, Tony has a broad perspective on all facets of this art--from its rich history to its modern revival, dynamic present and future possibilities. Recently, I ran into Tony at a Lincoln Center Out of Doors show where we watched Roxane Butterfly and her tap company, Worldbeats. We agreed to meet again and talk tap.

Listen to audio interview with Tony Waag (MP3 - 32 minutes)

Tony Waag

Photo Credit: Lois Greenfield

Tony Waag Bio

Tony Waag is currently the Artistic/Executive Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation and the Producer and Director of Tap City, the New York City Tap Festival which features an extensive training program for adults, numerous premiere performances, city wide events, tap jams and student showcases, panel discussions, film screenings, annual tap dance awards, and innovative children and teen programs. [Continue reading...]

History of Tap

Tap dance was born in a multicultural, volatile corner of downtown Manhattan called the Five Points. To learn more about its colorful history, see Tyler Anbinder's Five Points: The 19th Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum.

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August 16, 2007

Interview with Gina Gibney

Gina Gibney's choreography--which I've been watching for quite a while--always reminds me of what's most important to me about art: serious attention to craft and an equally serious concern about human connection and communication. Gina is a thoughtful spokesperson for the art of dance. I've always enjoyed our encounters and usually go away feeling a little more focused and motivated as a result. I hope you'll be similarly inspired by our discussion today about her work, including her development of a new piece--The Distance Between Us--which will premiere at the Ailey Citicorp Theater in November. (Visit Gina Gibney Dance and their MySpace page).

Listen to interview with Gina Gibney (MP3 format - 26 minutes)

Gina Gibney’s Bio:

Gina Gibney’s choreography has been widely presented and commissioned in the United States and abroad at such venues as Danspace Project, White Bird Dance, Yale Repertory Theater, The Duke on 42nd Street Theater, WORKS & PROCESS at the Guggenheim Museum and elsewhere. In response to her growing concern about the status of women in the professional dance world, she reorganized her company as an all-female ensemble in 1997. Since that time, she has created six evening length works exploring the humanity and physicality of women. In 2000 she launched the Domestic Violence Project, a groundbreaking project that offers dance and creative expression to women who are survivors of domestic abuse. She is the founder of Studio 5-2, an officer of Danspace Project's Board of Directors, and a trustee of Dance/USA. Gibney graduated with honors and received an MFA in Dance from Case Western Reserve University.

Multimedia Highlights

Here are photographs from the work in progress The Distance Between Us. Click on thumbnails below for larger images:

Photos © Anja Hitzenberger

Video excerpts from The Distance Between Us:

Click To Play

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