Vim Vigor Dance Company Presents New York Premiere Of FUTURE PERFECT, 2/2-11

VIM VIGOR Dance Company presents the New York Premiere of FUTURE PERFECT at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue, NYC 10010 (25th Street between 3rd & Lexington Aves). Performances are just under an hour and run Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm from February 2-11, 2017. Tickets are priced $28, $25, $20 and are available at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/967659, Box office phone: 212-352-3101 or toll free 866-811-4111, M - F 9am - 9pm, Sa/Su: 10 am - 6pm, Walk up hours: Tue - Sat, Noon - 6pm, open 2 hours prior and ½ hour after curtain on all performance days.

Under a star-filled sky, five performers encamped in the wilderness venture into a full-bodied, psychotropic walkabout - where the push and pull of an extreme event propels each of them to confront their place in the universe. Against an original pulsating sound score that grinds synth and bass, FUTURE PERFECT wrestles with our desperation for a spiritual sign and asks: What magic is left? With daredevil physicality, VIM VIGOR communicates the complexity of human relationships through their signature dance-theater aesthetic, bodies will flare, emotions will flood, and the sharp urgency of our deepest fears will rocket through space. FUTURE PERFECT premiered in September 2016 at the historic Lobero Theatre with DANCEworks in Santa Barbara.

"When theatrical wonder like this hits, it's a full-body experience that sends goose bumps down the arms and raises the hairs on the back of the neck." - The Santa Barbara Independent

Concept, Direction, Writing, Set Design: Shannon Gillen

Choreography: Shannon Gillen in collaboration with VIM VIGOR Dance Company

Performance: Jason Cianciulli, Rebecca Diab (apprentice), Martin Durov, Laja Field, Emma Whiteley

Sound Score: Martin Durov

Lighting Design: Barbara Samuels

Costume Design: Joseph Blaha

FUTURE PERFECT was made possible by the generous DANCEWORKS creation residency at the Lobero Theatre in in Santa Barbara.

The further development of FUTURE PERFECT was made possible with the generous support of New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble's AiR® Program, a residency providing artists with an incubator for collaborative exchange.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Shannon Gillen is one of NYC's most sought after dance-makers with an established and passionate audience following and commissions at prestigious national and international venues. Through a prolific body of work that activates the body's potential to express intellectual and emotional concepts, Gillen has pioneered a recognizable artistic language that possesses heroic physicality, electric emotional life, and cinematic imagery that illuminates and heightens the narrative imagination. In a Brooklyn Magazine article that named her as one of city's top twenty artists, Gillen was championed for her "emotionally compelling" work. She is also the the in-house choreographer for contemporary women's fashion line PHELAN and was lauded by VOGUE for her 'mesmerizing' movement installations at fashion week.

In 2013 she was invited to join the Johannes Wieland Company at the Staatstheater Kassel, Germany as a full time company member. While there she danced in 56 international performances and was singled out in the press for being, "in top form, a feat of strength" (HNA, German News). In addition to dancing in Germany, Gillen burst into the choreographic scene receiving 3rd Prize at the International Solo- Tanz Competition in Stuttgart, and continued with a commission at the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg and through Choreografische Werkstatt at the TIF Theater in Kassel. She was also selected as a THINK BIG choreographer in residence with the StaatsOper in Hannover, creating a piece that premiered at the TANZ Theater International Festival. Gillen's was also selected as a recipient of Hubbard Street's International Commissioning Competition, which brought her to Chicago to create a new work that premiered in Switzerland in March 2016.

An insatiable creator, Gillen has choreographed 26 new works since 2010 with notable commissions at Treffpunkt- Rotebuehlplatz, Springboard Danse Festival, Dance Theater Workshop/New York Live Arts, Dance New Amsterdam, Judson Church, PULSE Art Fair as part of Art Basel, with LMCC's Sitelines Series/ NYC's River to River Festival, Bryant Park Presents, HERE Arts Center, Festival Oltre Passo in Italy, and Steps Repertory Company for the The Joyce Theater and Jacob's Pillow.

Gillen graduated from The Juilliard School with her BFA (2003) and from Tisch School of the Arts/NYU (2013), where she was awarded a full fellowship to obtain her MFA. Dedicated to the advancement of movement based education, Gillen is a leading contemporary dance teacher with a large following of dancers in both the professional and higher education arenas. She holds faculty teaching positions at SUNY Purchase College, Mark Morris Dance Center, Peridance Capezio Center and Gibney Dance, and is a regular guest teaching artist at The Juilliard School, The Hartt School, and New York University/ Tisch School of the Arts. VIM VIGOR established a contemporary dance education platform in NYC this past year, which includes contemporary class, workshops, week-long intensives and the company's immersive summer program. Gillen also teaches internationally at the b12 workshops in Berlin.

Jason Cianciulli is a founding member of VIM VIGOR Dance Company in NYC. He began his dance training in Harleysville, Pennsylvania at the Conservatory of Music and Dance and also attendEd Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. He recently graduated from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory Of Dance, where he had the opportunity to perform work by Aszure Barton, Loni Landon, Greg Dolbashian and Norbert De La Cruz III. Having attended Springboard Danse Montreal once as a student, he returned in 2015 and 2016 to assist Shannon Gillen in the creation of Long White Line and NECIVILIZOVANY. Jason currently teaches with VIM VIGOR in venues and colleges across New York including master classes at Ailey Fordham and SUNY Purchase, in addition to his regular teaching schedule in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He also traveled to Berlin this year to assist Shannon Gillen at the B12 workshops.

Martin Durov, teacher, performer was born in the small town Velky Kritis, Slovakia. A push from his grandmother started him into ballroom dance at the age of six. Several years later he met a friend that encouraged him to venture into a Slovak Folklore group where he eventually became a soloist. This then led him to study dance at the Conservatory J.L Bella Banska Bystricia (Slovakia) for six years. In school he was a member of the Dance Company directed by Tomas Nepsinsky that toured pieces to festivals in Slovakia, Belgium and Spain. As a student he also collaborated with Studio Tanca, the professional Dance Company in Banska Bystricia. In the nal year of school Martin took over the role of director for the school's company and choreographed his own graduation concert. In 2013, Martin graduated with a DiS. art. (certi ed artist) and went on join Johannes Wieland's company in Staatstheater Kassel for two years. In that time he had the experience of collaborating with many dancers, teachers, and creating pieces by Helge Letonja and re-staging Hofesh Shechter's DOG with the help of rehearsal director Sita OstheimeR. Martin is a founding member of VIM VIGOR Dance Company as well as an emerging commissioned sound producer creating under pen name, S.O.M production.

Laja Field, a Salt Lake City, UT native, graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Dance from the University of Utah in 2012. She performed pieces by Eric Handman, Satu Hummasti, Abby Fiat, Juan Carlos Claudio, guest artist Johannes Wieland and Kendra Portier, among others. In those years she also had the pleasure of performing in two productions with the company RawMoves. Upon graduation, Laja relocated to Germany to work with Johannes Wieland at the Staatstheater Kassel, where she also had the opportunity to work with guest artist Chris Haring in the piece Lego Love which was performed again that summer at ImpulsTanz in Vienna. In 2013, Laja became a full-time company member with Johannes Wieland and relished in the making and performing of pieces such as Ich Bin Du, 100,000 Superstars and Science!Fiction!Now!. Highlights of those years also include working with guest choreographer Stella Zannou and re-staging Hofesh Schechter's DOG under the direction of Sita Ostheimer. Laja is currently living in New York City and is a founding member of VIM VIGOR.

Emma Whiteley, a native of Pennsylvania, graduated with a BFA in Dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. While in school, she performed works by Shannon Gillen, Alex Ketley, Michael Clark and Mark Morris among many more. Additional training includes the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Intensives, and Springboard Danse Montreal. Since graduation, she has had the pleasure of working with Chihiro Shimizu and Artists, Chuck Wilt's UNA Projects, and Chris Masters Dance, among others. Beyond dance, Emma is also a commissioned visual artist as well as the lead creative and graphic designer at the New York City based technology company, Talos.io. She is a founding member of VIM VIGOR.

Rebecca Diab, born in Toronto, ON, received her BA in dance from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles, CA. While at LMU, she had the opportunity to perform work by Barak Marshall, Sidra Bell, Lauren Adams, and Mike Esperanza. During her nal year, Rebecca worked closely with Lillian Barbeito, performing a comedic solo piece for Axiom Dance Theatre's Bene t Concert at The Sweat Spot. After graduation, she relocated to the east coast where she was part of the TOES for Dance 2015 tour, performing at The Ailey Studios in NYC and many Toronto theaters including The National Ballet School's Betty Oliphant Theatre. Most recently, Rebecca attended Springboard Danse Montreal, rehearsing with and performing the work of Victor Quijada's RUBBERBANDance Group and Chuck Wilt's UNA Projects. She is thrilled to be an apprentice with VIM VIGOR.

Barbara Samuels (Lighting Designer): is a New York based lighting designer and producer. With Vim Vigor: Future Perfect (DANCEWorks, world premiere) and Separati (GKA, world premiere). Also with Shannon Gillen: Deep Sequencing (NYU, world premiere). Recent new play designs include Christopher Chen's Caught (Play Company), Casey Llewellyn's O, Earth (The Foundry Theatre), Kate Benson's OBIE Award-winning A Beautiful Day in November on the Greatest of the Great Lakes (New Georges/ Women's Project), Julia Jarcho's OBIE Award-winning Grimly Handsome. Ongoing collaborations with Lee Sunday Evans, Jordan Fein, Melissa Kievman, Portia Krieger, Brian Mertes, Katie Pearl, Dustin Wills, and many more dance and theater artists around the country. Upcoming projects include The Rape of Lucretia (The Curtis Institute), Orange Julius (P73/Rattlestick), and a new work by Daniel Fish. Barbara served as Associate Lighting Supervisor at Williamstown Theater Festival in 2012 and 2013, and was the General Manager of OBIE Award-winning 13P. Barbara is currently the Producing Director of the satirical multimedia company Morgan Gould & Friends. She is also a 2016 Fellow in the Target Margin Institute for Collaborative Theater Making. In September 2016 The Interval named Barbara a Woman to Watch. Barbara holds a B.A. from Fordham University and an M.F.A in Lighting Design from NYU. Proud member of USA Local 829.

Joseph Blaha (Costume Designer): Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, migrated to New York City in 2010. Past design credits include SONS+DAUGHTERS (NYU Tisch 2nd Ave Dance Compnay), Blood on the Tracks (Bailout Theatre), A Free Man of Color, Girl on Girl (NYU Tisch), Cloven Tongues (The Wild Project) Swing State and A Letter To Harvey Milk (New York Musical Theatre Festival), Un Plugged In (Theatre Row), Heathens (Theatre for a New City), Platonov, The Hothouse (Columbia University). Regional credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Altar Boyz, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Papermill Theatre), The Cradle Will Rock, I Love You Because, and The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines (Missouri Stare University). B.F.A. Missouri State University, M.F.A. NYU-Tisch School of the Arts.

ABOUT VIM VIGOR Dance Company

VIM VIGOR is one of New York City's most exciting, highly physical dance-theater companies. Following a successful run in Germany as both a choreographer and dancer, Shannon Gillen returned to New York City to form VIM VIGOR. Interested in founding a collaborative think tank, where the most innovative and profoundly gifted artists could come together to create cutting edge dance theater, VIM VIGOR represents a paradigm shift in the creative process, with all original music, writing, set, media and movement created collaboratively by the company. Through its signature combination of bombastic contemporary movement with cinematic dreamscapes, VIM VIGOR aims to engage and galvanize audiences from all walks of life. www.vimvigordance.com.