Isaac Mizrahi, John Heginbotham, and Les Ballet Afrik With Omari Wiles Illuminate Their Creative Process This Winter

The Church, Guild Hall and Works & Process at the Guggenheim announce LaunchPAD "Process as Destination" pilot, collaborating to nurture region-wide support for creative process and encourage artists and audiences to embrace the artistic process as destination.

This winter, two projects set to premiere at Works & Process at the Guggenheim in 2022 will receive fully funded residencies at The Church, Sag Harbor, including artist fees, devoted rehearsal space, living accommodations, transportation, and healthcare insurance coverage. The Church will host the artists for these two residencies and provide space in its historic building for rehearsals and all programs.

In partnership The Church and Guild Hall are co-organizing community events for younger local artists to interact with these extraordinary groups. In anticipation of their theater renovation, Guild Hall is partnering organizations to produce off-site programs.

To foster greater understanding for the artistic process, the public is invited to observe open rehearsals, attend community events co-organized by The Church and Guild Hall, and attend in-process presentations and discussions designed to promote appreciation for the complexities of the artistic process. All programs take place at The Church, 48 Madison Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, (631) 919-5342.a??

Tickets and more information for the show and tell public performances on December 5 and January 13 are available at thechurchsagharbor.org. Proof of vaccination and masks required for all performances.

Third Bird

Libretto by Isaac Mizrahi, music by Nico Muhly, and choreography by John Heginbotham

Since 2007, Works & Process has produced sold-out performances of Sergei Prokofiev's charming children's classic Peter & The Wolf directed and narrated by Isaac Mizrahi. After 100+ performances, Mizrahi was inspired to create an homage to the iconic work, and during the pandemic Works & Process commissioned Third Bird, with a libretto by Mizrahi, music by composer Nico Muhly, and choreography by John Heginbotham. With a cast of 8, Third Bird tells the story of a flying bluebird, a swimming duck, and a running ostrich, aims to celebrate each individual's unique strength.

Commissioned by Works & Process Third Bird was developed in a Works & Process bubble residency at Catskill Mountain Foundation in Spring 2021, made possible through the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The Music for Third Bird is made possible, in part by the Ellis L. Phillips Foundation. Third Bird will receive a Works & Process LaunchPAD residency at The Church, Sag Harbor in December 2021, with public show and tell at The Church on December 5 at 6:30pm.

Les Ballet Afrik

New York Is Burning

by Omari Wiles

Since its release in 1990, the documentary Paris Is Burning has received critical acclaim for its depiction of the New York drag ball scene and of voguing as a powerful expression of personal pride in the face of racism, homophobia, and the stigma of the AIDS crisis. To honor the film's thirtieth anniversary and prior to the pandemic, Works & Process commissioned Omari Wiles, founding father of the House of Oricci and a legend within the ballroom community, to produce New York Is Burning. With its premiere at the Guggenheim postponed due to the pandemic, the project received a summer 2020 Works & Process bubble residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and spring 2021 Works & Process bubble residency at Catskill Mountain Foundation for Wiles to develop the commission for his company, Les Ballet Afrik. Throughout this time, in some of New York States first permitted performances during the pandemic, Works & Process co-produced Les Ballet Afrik outdoor performances at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, filmed performances at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and preview performances inside the Guggenheim Rotunda. These performances served as an affirmation of love, acceptance, joy, and resilience.

Just as Paris Is Burning did for New York in the 1980s, New York Is Burning reflects the aspirations, desires, and yearnings of a diverse group of dancers in a city beset by health, race, and financial crises. Wiles's new work centers on the artists for whom the dance company serves as a surrogate family including Kya Azeen, Eva Bust A' Move, Algin Ford-Sterling, Alora Martinez, Shireen Rahimi, Milerka Rodriguez, Kameron N. Saunders, Karma Stylz, Yuki Sukezane, and Yuhee Yang. In preparation for its official premiere, New York Is Burning will be supported with a Works & Process LaunchPAD "Process as Destination" residency at The Church in Sag Harbor, NY, in partnership with Guild Hall in January of 2022, with opportunities for public engagement and in process showings for the local community. The long awaited world premiere will bring ballroom to the Guggenheim in a work featuring Wiles's AfrikFusion, a style that combines traditional African dances and Afrobeat with house dance and vogue.

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