The Vanessa Long Dance Company Combines Activism And Performing Arts

The Vanessa Long Dance Company is pleased to announce the premier of it's newest piece "Consume". The Vanessa Long Dance Company combines theatre and dance to create work about social and political issues we face in everyday life. The hope is that through our work we can encourage conversations about the issues we face, challenge the status quo, and change the world.

"Consume" focuses on our growing issue of clothing consumerism and waste. It explores the effect our obsession with fast fashion takes on communities in other countries and the environment as a whole. Throughout the piece we explore our need for consumption, the emotion and chemical response of when we buy, and the effect we are having on other countries via pollution and human life. The dancers continually morph into different representations of the fashion industry, wearing costumes made of pieces of fabric from recycled clothing. We believe this piece is extremely important for our current world as we steadily consume more and more clothing every year causing extreme pollution, and unsafe factory working conditions. My hope is through this piece my audience will fully understand this issue and be more conscious of their buying habits.

About The Company

In 2014, after choreographing several Off-Broadway shows, music videos, and films, choreographer Vanessa Long assembled the Vanessa Long Dance Company. The focus of the company is to combine theatre and dance in order to create pieces about social and political issues. Started in October 2014, the VLDC has created over twenty works showcasing issues ranging from the environment to gender based issues. Long strongly believes in storytelling as a positive way to reach the community. She recognizes, as many ancient cultures did, that storytelling is a relatable and effective way to remember the past and change the future. Because of the times we currently live in the VLDC's work is often short and to the point to maintain the audiences attention. The VLDC is the resident Dance Company at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre, as well as resident artists with Anita's Way and RAW. They have performed an outstanding 23 performances in 2015 all over NYC and the tri-state area. Performing at several dance festivals, and popular venues such as Dixon Place, Kelsey Kirkland ArtsCenter, University Settlement, and the Celebration of Whimsy Theatre.

About The Choreographer

Vanessa Long is an American choreographer and teacher noted for her theatrical style and activism work. She is a graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Theatre and Dance. After graduation she moved to New York City to begin her career in choreography and stage direction. In her first week of living in NYC she booked her first Off-Broadway show as a choreographer and also danced in the show. She went on to choreograph a total of seventeen Off- Broadway shows over the course of two years along with several short films and music videos. For her short film "Dissolve" she worked in close collaboration with Kate Barker-Froyland (Director/Writer of "Song One" with Anne Hathaway) which went on to be shown in several film festivals around the world. In October 2014 she founded the Vanessa Long Dance Company based in NYC. The company performs 3-6 times a month in NYC and the Tri-State area. The VLDC is currently the resident Dance Company at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre and Resident Artists at Anita's Way. They have received glowing reviews on their performances and received several features in magazines such as Dance Teacher Magazine, Dance Magazine, Yoga Magazine, Asana Magazine, New Spirit Journal, New York Talent Magazine, and Kindred Spirit Magazine, Ect.

(Photo Credit: The Vanessa Long Dance Company)