A home for dance of varied mediums, Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) presents an interdisciplinary event featuring a four-night run of contemporary works by Native artists, Bessie Award winner Tom Pearson | Third Rail Projects, and Donna Ahmadi | Mantis Dance Theater. DNA PRESENTS Heritage Series: Contemporary First Nation performances will highlight two world premiere works, Walking in Two and Scalp Lock, as well as a solo work Ceremony, and will take place from November 11-14, 2010. DNA's Heritage Series: Contemporary First Nation could not have been created without the thoughtful guidance of leaders from the National Museum of the American Indian. A corresponding interactive visual art exhibit created by Tom Pearson | Third Rail Projects, Kissing the Gunner's Daughter, is housed in DNA's galleries until November 15, 2010.
Through both visual art and performance, Tom Pearson and
Donna Ahmadi delve into the signifiers of Native culture by presenting their own identity wardrobes which describe personal rituals, phantom fathers, and a restaging (and subsequent unraveling) of a Wild West Show that uses DNA's theater space in unexpected site-specific configurations. The gallery installations chart a course from the early years of Native performers, from roadside performance culture to early film and within the artists' own families, and tracks these ideas through DNA's space, eventually arriving at the artists themselves on the final wall of the exhibit and on stage.
"Physically, it's about creating an immersive environment that begins upon entering DNA, works its way upstairs and funnels into the theater, where audiences are invited to question how they accept and view Native Identity and performance. I want viewers to feel surrounded by these images as they experience the three dimensionality of each space," said Tom Pearson. "DNA is allowing us the freedom to seep into the space and permeate throughout. I feel unbound by it, as an artist entering a "dance space" and being supported in challenging its architectural and historical boundaries."
DNA is committed to providing professional performance and exhibition platforms in New York for the contemporary Native American dance artist. By supplying multiple avenues for expression, DNA aims to push artists to craft a more cohesive statement, offering viewers a larger window into the artists' creative vision. Central to the organization's mission to present education and performance opportunities to all artists, DNA offers open space where wide-ranging mediums of art, performance and dance education can be exchanged. The Gallery@DNA was constructed to provide a gathering place for the community, an informal space to show work and a collaborative space to share art.
"Filling DNA's galleries, performance and studio spaces with our artists' work offers audiences access to their creative process and the complex blending of physical, intellectual, conceptual, spiritual and the fantastic. It generates an environment that supports a more fulfilling cultural experience," says Catherine Peila, Executive Director. "Tom Pearson and
Donna Ahmadi bring their personal and collaborative process to life through their compelling exploration of heritage and identity. As contemporary dance artists who are of Native and Euro American mix, they address their relationship as contemporary artists to the notion of culture, time, and community expectations along with their process of integration. Tom and Donna's impassioned display, combined with live performance, makes a powerful artistic statement, impacting viewers and provoking a larger picture of cultural analysis."
Contemporary choreographer Tom Pearson works in a variety of media that includes site-specific performance, film, visual art, and large-scale installations. Along with
Zach Morris and Jennine Willett, he is Co-Director of Third Rail Projects, a collective of artists based in New York City. He has been commissioned to create original works for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; Danspace Project; Jacob's Pillow Dance; Arts World Financial Center; the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; Dance New Amsterdam; Dance Theater Workshop; and the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation; among others. Tom teaches a choreography class for Florida State University's FSU in NYC program and is on faculty at Dance New Amsterdam. His writings on dance have been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Time Out New York Kids and several online publications.
Donna Ahmadi has performed for Steve Koplowitz, Alison Chase (Pilobolus and Apogee Arts), Andrew Marcus Performance, Brett Howard Company, Tarin Chaplin, Dianne Sichel, Michael Utoff, and Third Rail Projects. During 2003, Donna taught for the Northern Rivers Conservatory in Australia and founded Mantis Dance Theater as a site specific, environmental dance company. Donna's choreography was featured at performances around Northern New South Wales and more recently at B.A.D.D., Newburgh Free Library, and in Chashama's Window Series. Donna teaches dance and choreography in public schools for the New York City Ballet and previously at Lotus Music and Dance. She has been an active Native American fancy shawl dancer since childhood and received her B.F.A in dance from SUNY Purchase.
