The Steps Beyond Foundation Presents Eleven Emerging And Established Choreographers In December Performance Lab

By: A.A. Cristi Nov. 21, 2019

The Steps Beyond Foundation, Steps on Broadway's non-profit organization that connects artists and community through dialogue, performance, and artistic collaboration, announces New Voices, New Works, New Stories, December 8 at 7:00 p.m, a performance lab to bolster and support the choreographic voice. This curated program includes 11 emerging and established artists selected by an esteemed committee to present works in theater, jazz, modern, tap, contemporary and ballet. Each choreographer selected for the lab is granted discounted rehearsal space, free marketing, and the technical tools to cultivate the evening presentation.

The Performance Lab series has grown over the past two years. In 2018, with the support of a grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the foundation was able to award small stipends to help artists offset creative costs. In 2020, three choreographers from the December 2019 and Spring 2020 labs will be selected to present their piece in Bryant Park's Summer Dance Festival.

"During 2019 the Steps Foundation offered two performance labs and other events that foster the development of our artistic community," notes Artistic Director Diane Grumet. "This December offers a diverse sampling of dance genres and a great look ahead to what the next decade will bring from emerging choreographers. We're thankful the foundation is able to create a home for choreographers to conceptualize and actualize work, while feeling supported by a network of talented artists and enthusiastic audiences."

A diverse panel of industry professionals selected choreographers Steven Atwater & Thomas Ford, Kate Harpootlian, Briana Marsiello, Jon Ole Olstad, Davis Robertson, Louis Reyes Chavez, Jenn Rose, Ai Toyoshima, Shany Dagan, and Nicholas Palmquist for the December performance lab.

New Voices, New Works, New Stories Performance Lab will be held on December 8, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. in the Steps Studio Theater, Fl. 3. Steps on Broadway is located at 2121 Broadway at 74th Street and is accessible by the 1,2, and 3 trains.

General admission tickets are $20, student tickets, $15 and are on sale at http://bit.ly/2O02xKJ

PERFORMANCE LAB REPERTORY DETAILS

Malfunction

Choreographer: Steven Atwater & Thomas Ford

Description: Malfunctions happen.

Genre: Contemporary

Is That All There Is?

Choreographer: Kate Harpootlian

Description: An excerpt from a longer body of work entitled Better Late Than Never. This section, Is that All There Is? was created on the ideas of "Compare" and "Despair".

Genre: Theater Dance, Contemporary

Cherish

Choreographer: Briana Marsiello

Description: Cherish explores the effort of caring for the things in our lives that we cherish.

Genre: Contemporary, Modern

Finally It's Everything

Choreographer: Jon Ole Olstad

Description: This solo explores the realization of self-denigrating habits and the loss of long held self-expectations.

Genre: Contemporary

Sunrise

Choreographer: Davis Robertson

Description: This group work is a blend of dance styles which the choreographer grew up dancing from break dancing to ballet; set to Haydn's Sting Quartet in B- flat Op.76.

Genre: Contemporary Ballet

Psycho

Choreographer: Louis Reyes Chavez

Description: Inspired by the 2000 cult classic film, Psycho Beach Party, this dance theater piece in development will be a darkly, camp flashback into American culture during the 1960s. Set in Malibu, Ca., we follow three teenage surfers celebrating the start of summer until weird events lead to their mysterious deaths.

Genre: Dance Theater

Enneagram #3, #6, #9

Choreographer: Jenn Rose

Description: This work is the beginning of development for a new piece that is inspired by the teachings of the Enneagram, a written symbol that represents nine personality archetypes. This selection of material explores Type 3 - The Achiever, Type 6 - The Doubter, Type 9 - The Peacemaker.

Genre: Contemporary, Modern

Memory

Choreographer: Ai Toyoshima (Steps Conservatory Graduate 2019)

Description: A poignant jazz duet about a girl who falls back into her memory and dances with memory itself.

Genre: Jazz

MoonDance Lullaby $6

Choreographer: Shany Dagan

Description: A mixture of different relationships telling their own story.

Genre: Contemporary, Theater Dance

Forgiveness

Choreographer: Nicholas Palmquist

Description: Forgiveness is an invaluable gift and must be given without condition. The struggle to move forward with forgiveness after painful experiences is a hard journey to go alone, but all the more rewarding for what is learned.