Berkshire Native Returns To Present Dance Work At Turnpark

Berkshire native and dancer Gina Bashour, praised by the New York Times as a "powerhouse," returns home to the Berkshires this summer as choreographer to premiere a site-specific dance performance entitled Unraveled, presented by TurnPark Art Space in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. With a strong ensemble of performers, the work weaves together themes and imagery from the fable of Rumpelstiltskin with a current look at the relationships of men and women and the community around them. The performance, suitable for all ages, is being presented on August 25 and 26, 2018, at noon and 3:00 p.m. and is included with admission to TurnPark ($15/adult; $12 for students and seniors; free for TurnPark members and children under 12).

Unraveled guides audiences through an interactive dance performance as dancers and musicians lead them with graceful and athletic contemporary choreography through the stunning architecture of TurnPark's sculpture garden. Unraveled allows visitors to experience TurnPark through a new lens, with visions of dancers navigating the confinement of what ultimately ties us together - the bonds of our community. Audiences will enjoy a memorable experience in close contact with the natural elements (approximate length of the piece is 35 minutes). Attendees are invited to a reception on Saturday, August 25 immediately following the second performance for drinks and refreshments and the opportunity to meet the choreographer, dancers and musicians and share thoughts on the experience.

About Gina Bashour

Gina Bashour, praised by the New York Times as a "powerhouse," is a choreographer and performance artist with over 20 years of experience as a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher, and coach. Native to the Berkshires and based in New York, Gina was a founding member and performed both nationally and internationally with Palissimo Dance Theatre, Ashleigh Leite, and Kinesis Project. She also performed and collaborated with Jody Oberfelder & Company, Alethea Adsitt & Company, Alberto Denis, and others. Gina performed with the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, was featured as a principal dancer in the Off-Broadway production of Thin Line directed by Derek Mitchell, and has been commissioned nationally as a guest choreographer. Gina studied at Jacob's Pillow and American Dance Festival and holds a BFA in dance from Adelphi University. She has trained and worked with such dance legends as Carmen DeLavallade, Gelsey Kirkland, James Truitte, Rebecca Wright, David Parsons, Sean Curran, and Marlies Yearby.

About the dancers

Erika Boudreau-Barbee performs with Third Rail Projects, appearing in the Bessie winning production of Then She Fell and their large immersive theatre production The Grand Paradise. She holds a BFA in dance from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Current projects include The Cube, TOLERANCE, and The Pain Project. Artist in Residency programs include ChaNorth Chashama Residency (2018- Hudson Valley), RURART (2018- Quebec), Takt Kunsprojektraum (2013, 2015 Grant Awardee- Berlin) and La Fragua (2014- Spain). Exhibition shows include: Ferme La Généreuse (Quebec), Tapir Lab Gallery (Berlin), Takt Kunsprojektraum Gallery (Berlin), Tapenwerk Festival (Leipzig), El Convento De Santa Clara 'Root' (Belalcazar). She has exhibited dance, multimedia, film and paintings, crafted site-specific work, and created TOLERANCE, an ongoing performance series with social and political context currently being performed at various venues in NYC. erikabb.com

Morgaine De Leonardis, of Jersey City, New Jersey graduated with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Temple University in May 2017. She is thrilled to be dancing with Gina Bashour, choreographing and producing multi-media projects, creating a new piece for the stage, and is currently working in production as the Performance and Residency Programs Assistant at Gibney. Morgaine co-produced the Raritan Valley Community College Dance Alumni Concert this past March and is featured in Ava Luna's music video Childish premiering in August 2018. She is incredibly grateful for her collaborative environments and to be pursuing a multi-faceted career of dance production, film, performance, and creation in New York City.

Laurie Déziel was born in Shawinigan, Canada. She trained at L'École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and was a scholarship graduate of The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance where she worked alongside Graham II. She performed at The Martha Graham Company's 90th Anniversary Season at the New York City Center. Laurie was a choreographer and soloist for the Balasole Dance Company's season MIXTUS presented at the Ailey CitiGroup Theatre. She works as a freelance dancer, actor and model and is a currently a proud company member of Smashworks Dance Collective and SHIFT Dance. Arts. & Media.

Fumihiro Kikuchi is a cross-disciplinary dance performance artist from Japan. His research involves human thoughts and cross-cultural understanding in the process of cognitive perspectives. Fumihiro thrives in collaborative partnerships with artists in other disciplines, as his own artistic practice is interdisciplinary in nature. He has collaboratively worked with sound, ceramic, multimedia, audiovisual, and interactive installation artists, among others. His recent works have been shown at The New Work Project, Center for Performance Research, Flux Factory in New York City, John Wright Theatre in California, and Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona. Fumihiro has been a resident artist at [nueBOX] in Arizona and a guest artist choreographer at California State University, Fresno in 2016. He holds his MFA in Dance from Arizona State University.

Julie Seal is a freelance dance artist based in Brooklyn, NY. She began her training at the American Ballet Studio under the artistic direction of Kathleen Kairns-Scholz. Julie attended Hofstra University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in dance and a minor in psychology. Since relocating to NYC, Julie has performed works by Mark Dendy, Suzanne Beahrs, Megan Bascom, Robin Becker and Elizabeth Dishman. She currently performs the roles of the Red Queen and the White Queen in Third Rail Projects' Bessie award-winning production, Then She Fell.

Jessy Smith is a New York City based performance artist. Her choreography has been presented by Steelstacks @ Musikfest, The Spring Street Social Society, The Box NYC, in Blue Rodeo's music video "Dust to Gold," and for over 10 years at the DanceNOW Festival. She is currently a member of the immersive theater company Third Rail Projects and has been featured in numerous company works including Then She Fell, Ghost Light, Behind the City and The Grand Paradise, where she also served as Rehearsal Director. Other projects include: HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," PBS' "Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek LIVE!" and The Broadway Dance Lab. This is Smith's debut with Gina Bashour. She holds a BFA in dance from NYU. jessy-smith.tumblr.com

About TurnPark Art Space

TurnPark Art Space (TurnPark) is a 14-acre park in the Berkshire region that brings together works of contem­porary architecture and sculpture in a beautiful natural environment. TurnPark's mission is to promote creativity, discovery and imagination by fostering a thoughtful, ongoing dialogue between visitors, nature and art. Several locations within the park offer interactive art objects, which change throughout the season, for all ages to explore. In addition to a roster of performing and fine art events, the park also features a gallery and gift shop and a café is planned.

Situated on the site of a former quarry in the town of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, TurnPark offers a diverse landscape with Unique Features - hills, meadows, a lake and a 65-foot vertical drop offering breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. Visitors engage with a variety of artworks, environments and cultural programming in a stunning natural setting. TurnPark is open daily May 14, 2018 through November 1, 2018, Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesdays) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; during winter months, the gallery and gift shop are closed but the grounds are open for exploration. Suggested admission during summer is $15 for adults; $12 for students and seniors; and free for TurnPark members and children under 12; winter is by donation. For more information, please visit TurnPark.com.

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