Bryn Cohn + Artists to Present THE ART OF LOSS at the 14th Street Y

Bryn Cohn + Artists presents their first evening of repertory, The Art of Loss, a collection of notable works from 2012-2017 that expose the rebellion, hope and despair that root in otherness.

Renowned for their ferocious physicality, theatrical worlds and intimate performances, BC + A navigates an unforgettable cultural, emotional and kinetic adventure.

The evening will include the World Premiere of a brand new politically-inspired work, A Perfect Union, which addresses the current sociopolitical climate in our world through the lenses of race, gender, sexuality, terrorism, activism, hierarchical structures and humanitarian effort. In her first-ever musical composition, Cohn has designed a mash-up score sourced from inaugural and political speeches by Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.

"A Perfect Union is both a personal response to the effects of political agenda as well as a larger communal commentary on the apocalyptic conditions that plague our country," said artistic director Bryn Cohn. "Through integration of a text-based score, America takes on a humanized presence within the work with whom the performer maintains a direct and intimate relationship. The score provides a rhythmic platform for movement generation and reinforces the conversational engine that is intrinsic to the thematic objectives. Layering of dialogue serves to reinforce the perpetual bombardment of information and negativity that saturate American existence. Theatrical undercurrents are illuminated through militant and sacrificial imagery in the body as well as symbolic motifs that parallel and counterpoint the spoken word."

The program also includes four audience favorites: HOME, Skin, 4AM and If You Sink.

HOME

(2016) is a dance - theater work inspired by familial dynamics and the pursuit of physical, emotional and spiritual manifestations of connection. The work embodies a non-linear narrative that provides a lens into the varied encounters that occur within a group of individuals inhabiting, fighting for and existing in harmony within designated spaces.

Music: Original Composition by Kevin Keller

The newest piece in the company's repertory, 4AM (2017) illuminates the uncertainty, spirituality and sensuality that emanate from relinquishing inhibition and surrendering to sensation. Contextualized through examinations of rave and trance culture, kinetic and explosive choreography promotes ways of kinesthetically and psychologically losing oneself within environments, others and movement vocabularies.

Music by Loscil, The Sight Below & Chaos, Move D, Positive Centre, Planetary Assault Systems, Julianna Barwick

Skin

(2015) explores how we physically and metaphorically "build" a person in a continuous cycle of creation and destruction in response to social castes, gender, race, sexuality and political systems. The cast enters dualistic states of being - God and man, sculptor and subject, dictator and citizen - exploring how each person or entity might be formed, and the freedom, rebellion and heroism that accompany this process.

Music: Original Composition by Kevin Keller

If You Sink

(2012) examines archetypical models of hetero normative relationships and corresponding social constructions of power that exist. Movement languages encompassing rhythmic nuance punctuated by highly articulated gesture and classical idioms are seamlessly woven into the subtleties of Chopin's score.

Music by Chopin

Dancers: Chelsea Ainsworth, Nico Gonzales, Jessica Malat, Yuliya Romanskaya, Will Tomaskovic

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Founded in 2011, Bryn Cohn + Artists is a New York-based contemporary dance company comprised of unique collaborative artists from diverse backgrounds. BC + A has been met with critical acclaim amongst artists, press and audiences throughout New York, Boston, Seattle and Los Angeles.

Described as "groundbreaking, primal, surreal and supernatural," (Brooklyn Buzz) the company has been presented in premiere venues throughout the country including Danspace Project in St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, Bryant Park, Gibney Dance, Rutgers University, 14th Street Y, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Judson Memorial Church, 92nd Street Y, The Martha Graham Theater, The Center for Performance Research, The Theatre at Meydenbauer, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Abrons Arts Center, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Manhattan Movement and Arts, Triskelion Arts, Salvatore Capezio Theater and John Ryan Theater among others.

BC + A has gained notable recognition for their educational and charitable initiatives within communities and organizations across the country. The company has brought their teaching programs to institutions including California Institute of the Arts, Cornish College of the Arts, Velocity Dance Center, Nazareth College, Rutgers University and Chop Shop Dance Festival. BC + A holds biannual master workshops at Peridance Capezio Center. The company annually collaborates on site - specific immersive experiences with art galleries and fashion organizations including Artists & Fleas, Tribeca Art Night, Foley Gallery, Castle Fitzjohns and Bene Rialto as a means of making dance more accessible within the public sphere.

The company has received awards and funding including from Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, The Alfred Z Soloman Charitable Trust, SILO Residency through DanceNOW and The Emerging Artists Residency through The Field. BC + A was named Inception to Exhibition's Fan Favorite and won a fully produced performance in March 2016. The company was represented in The Gallery Roster at Pentacle Danceworks Inc. The company has been invited to perform in ReverbDance (both in New York and in the Boston Echoes Tour), Chop Shop (Seattle), Wassaic, WestFest, DanceNOW, Split Bill Series, Stuffed, Pentacle's Fall Farther, Upstart, Underexposed, Dumbo, Cool and Young Choreographers dance festivals among others.

Bryn Cohn founded and assumed the position of artistic director of Bryn Cohn + Artists in 2011. She has been commissioned to create original works for Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Billy Bell's Lunge Dance Collective (formerly of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet), The Big Muddy Dance Company, University of Buffalo, Grand Valley State University, California State University, Fullerton, The Pushing Progress Contemporary Training Program, Stockton University, the fashion designer Betsey Johnson on a site-specific installation and Youth America Grand Prix.

As a sought after educator and lecturer, Cohn has participated in educational engagements at Gibney Dance, Peridance, California Institute of the Arts, Loyola Marymount University, Temple University, Axis Connect, Shenandoah University, California State University, Fullerton, Broadway Dance Center, Stockton University, California State University, Los Angeles and 10 Hairy Legs.

She received a full feature profile in Dance Teacher Magazine in July 2016. Cohn was on permanent faculty at Peridance Capezio Center and for the Pushing Progress Contemporary Training Program where she taught composition, improvisation and contemporary techniques. She formerly directed the modern department at Greenwich Ballet Academy. Cohn was one of twenty International Artists invited to participate in The New Aesthetics Performance Intensive in a dance theatre collaboration conducted by Crystal Pite in Vancouver, B.C. She was selected to serve on The Massachusetts Cultural Council Choreography Fellowship Panel. Cohn has received scholarships to Bridge: Choreographic Dialogues at the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, the Bessie Schoenberg Choreographic Lab at New York Live Arts and Systems for Understanding Movement and Choreography, led by Susan Marshall. She has performed in works by Ohad Naharin, Alex Ketley, Colin Connor and Barak Marshall, and in self choreographed solos Leak and Au Revoir Love. Cohn graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts in dance performance and composition. She is pursuing low residency Master of Fine Arts candidacy at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

The Theater at the 14th Street Y focuses on social awareness and change through big picture narrative. Inspired by works that welcome artists of all backgrounds, we place artists at the heart of our community and seek to create an inclusive and open cultural experience for all. Art is incubated here.

The 14th Street Y's philosophy is grounded in the belief that contemporary Jewish sensibilities can be a source of inspiration, connection and learning. No matter what your background, we aim to inspire you to live your best life. We're committed to the development of the whole person, to strengthening family connections and to building inclusive and sustainable communities. The 14th Street Y serves more than 20,000 people annually with a variety of community programs and is proud to be a part of Educational Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a 128-year history of serving New Yorkers downtown.