Von Howard Project to Present '10', 11/1-2

The VON HOWARD PROJECT presents 10 as part of its exciting 10th Anniversary New York City Performance Season on November 1-2, 2013 at 7:30pm. These two evenings of dance feature the work of Christian von Howard, Artistic Director of the VON HOWARD PROJECT.

The program presents four New York City premieres, which includes Tiny Sisters, an ensemble work powered by the dynamic music of Kevin Keller, Jerome Begin and Chris Lancaster. Von Howard will also present a new solo, SMOKE, which features company guest artist Daniel Gwirtzman, along with the New York debut of a witty duet called OKCupid and his latest company work, Surfacing.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/476309. For more information or to make reservations call 800.765.7198.

10 represents the coming of age journey of East Coast choreographer Christian von Howard. This 10th Anniversary Performance Season showcases the physical and visual evolution of von Howard's powerfully diverse movement language. The concert features the VON HOWARD PROJECT's dynamic cast of New York City dance artists with special guest Daniel Gwirtzman. Mr. Gwirtzman, a New York City choreographer, Director of the Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company and longtime dance colleague of Mr. von Howard, graces the stage alongside the company in a new solo by von Howard called SMOKE, a dense work that illustrates a dark struggle between the visual and physical confinements created by the psyche.

Tiny Sisters explores the relationship of five women bound together by similar situations. Together with the music of Kevin Keller, Jerome Begin and Chris Lancaster, Tiny Sisters reveals a complex struggle between faith, self-love, and the choice between freedom and self-imprisonment for many young women. De Materie, one of the company's early repertory works, is a contemporary ballet that reflects a science project of sorts: a systematic organization and deconstruction of bodies moving in and around each other in space. Surfacing is inspired by the music of composer Michael Wall. This work delves into the ideas and situations wrapped around community and the often unspoken need for isolation. Surfacing, is von Howard's latest work which premiered in Bulgaria in April 2013 as part of the Dance It! 2013 Festival sponsored by the Iliev Dance Art Foundation.

Von Howard, a former New Jersey Arts Council Fellow, has spent the last decade refining a complex body of work that is often guided by the human experience; an intricate cycle of physically exhaustive moments that examine spirituality, love, interpersonal relationships and reactions to cultural stereotypes.

VON HOWARD PROJECT presents 10 November 1-2, 2013 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25.00 General Admission and $15 for Students and Seniors. Tickets can be purchased online by going to www.brownpapertickets.com/event/476309. To make reservations or for more information please call 1.800.765.7198. To purchase tickets in person, the box office will open 1 hour before each performance. Performances take place at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, which is located at 405 West 55th Street and 9th Avenue.

Artistic Director: Christian von Howard

Lighting Designer: Michael Jarett

Performers: Beth Brandt, Linda D'Amico, Jasmine Domfort, Shuaib Dee Elhassan, Daniel Gwritzman (Guest), Ryan Houston, Whitney Hubbard, Christina Carlotti Kolb, Jennifer Uzzi Landa, Major Nesby, Autumn I. Proctor, Courtney Sauls, Ellenore Scott, De'Anthony Vaughan, Christian von Howard, Rohnie D. Williams, Sharrod Williams

The VON HOWARD PROJECT (VHP), which was founded in 2003, is a Mid-Atlantic contemporary dance company based out of New York City and Richmond, Virginia. The mission of the VHP is to present an evolving viewpoint of dance as art with the goal of enriching and empowering enthusiastic audiences. This burgeoning company, diverse with its collective ensemble of talented dance artists and on-the-edge choreography, is dedicated to the pursuit of artistic excellence and making the performing arts accessible to everyone.

10 - CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:

Christian von Howard (Artistic Director) is the founder and director of the VON HOWARD PROJECT, a Mid-Atlantic contemporary dance company. As an international artist, he has worked with many dance artists such as Doug Varone, Fernando Bujones, Douglas Becker, Germaul Barnes and various others. Christian is a NJ State Council of the Arts Choreographic Fellow (2006) and his choreography has been produced in various venues across the globe including Germany, Japan, Bulgaria, Colombia, Chile, South Korea and in the states at Dance Theater Workshop (now New York Live Arts), Joyce SoHo, Dixon Place, the Ailey Citigroup Theater amongst others. He is a teaching artist for Dance New Amsterdam (2013), the American Dance Festival (Winter Intensive), Korean Dance Festival (2012) and the Dance It! Festival (Bulgaria). Christian is a 2013/2014 recipient of the Distinguished Achievement in Teaching Award from Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts where he is an Associate Professor. He concurrently teaches at the Ailey School in NYC. He holds a BFA from Texas Christian University and a MFA from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.

Kevin Keller (Composer) a graduate of CSU Sacramento, Keller studied with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Perle. His work, "Three Bagatelles", was premiered by the Kronos Quartet at the 1986 Festival of New American Music. During the 1990's, Keller worked as Principal Composer for San Francisco's Morrison Planetarium. In 2002 Keller composed music for choreographers Mariana Bekerman, Kathleen Dyer, and Suzanne Kenney which helped bring Keller's music to a new audience. He created "Unharvested" (2006), for choreographer Amy Marshall, followed by commissions from Elisa Monte, Dwight Rhoden, Joshua Beamish, Nicolo Fonte, and Amy Seiwert. His works have been recorded by cellists David Darling, Jeff Ziegler (Kronos Quartet), and Meena Cho, as well as the Kevin Keller Ensemble and the JACK Quartet. Keller's recently received the "Best Neo-Classical Album of 2012" by ZMR, an organization of radio programmers throughout the U.S. Keller has also recently completed "Abstractia in Etherics", a new work commissioned by the UNO Percussion Quartet, set to premier in November 2013.

Jerome Begin (Composer) has composed many scores for dance and theatre, concert works, installation and film. Begin's works have been performed internationally, including a performance of his score for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors. Commissions include works for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Juilliard School, Keigwin + Company, Gallim Dance and many other dance companies. In 2011 his music was featured on the PBS American Masters series in the documentary A Good Man, about the making of a Bill T. Jones work. Jerome serves as Music Director of The Juilliard School Dance Division.

Chris Lancaster (Composer) is a composer and performing artist living in New York. His compositions have been performed at U.C. Irvine; UCLA; U.C. Berkeley; the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; the Biennale De La Danse, in Lyon; Bellevue Teatret; Kanon Hallen in Copenhagen; the Kaleidoscope Festival and Sergio Porto in Rio de Janeiro; Dance Theater Workshop; Symphony Space; the 42nd Street Duke; the New Victory Theater; Tisch School of the Arts at NYU; the Joyce and Joyce Soho, in New York; and the American Dance Festival at Duke University. Lancaster has received commissions from artists such as Staccato Movimento, Palindrome Inter.media, Colleen Thomas and Sean Curran to name a few.

Mike Wall (Composer) began collaborating with dance and other art forms at an early age and continues to work with artists, internationally. He has made work for the Jose Limon Company, Mark Haim, Lisa Race, John Evans, David Dorfman, David Grenke, Rudy Perez, Pam Pietro, Randy James, Martha Tornay/East Village Dance Project, Jenn Nugent, Wally Wolfgruber, Incidents Physical Theater, Merge Dance and many others. Michael and designer, Jamie Karczewski, have formed the company A SIMPLESOUND, LLC that produces music and resources for dance, film and other media.