MICHIYAYA Dance To Debut New Work At Gibney Center, April 14-16

From April 14-16, Gibney Center will present the world premiere of you have to look through this to see me, a new work by MICHIYAYA Dance.

Created by Artistic Directors Anya & Mitsuko Clarke-Verdery in collaboration with and featuring six dance artists-Alex Bittner, Bree Breeden, Joy Carlos, Alex Schmidt, Gabriella Sibeko, and Alexandra Wood-you have to look through this to see me is a re-imagination of intimacy and a reclamation of femme and nonbinary sensuality. The work features an original score created by Grammy-nominated Hip-hop recording artist and composer Billy Dean Thomas, and costume design by Bones, newly featured artist of hit series Project Runway.

A queer-led dance company that pushes boundaries and centers the divine feminine by creating space for multidisciplinary performances and programming, MICHIYAYA Dance's newest work processes the complexities of how we crave, sustain, and heal in relationship with one another as sensual beings. Without stigma from heteronormative sources, MICHIYAYA takes control of their dialogues in raw yet fanciful ways.

The 60-minute work features illustrative contemporary choreography by Anya Clarke-Verdery and vibrant visual/contextual design by Mitsuko Clarke-Verdery. Through malleable costuming and an interactive set, MICHIYAYA is rewriting how we belong together. you have to look through this to see me is part of Gibney Center's ongoing Spotlight series, which highlights the work of early-career artists with generous support from the Jerome Foundation and offers a rich blend of dance and performance in fully produced, evening-length commissions.

you have to look through this to see me is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by LMCC.

Listings Details
MICHIYAYA Dance
you have to look through this to see me
April 14-16, 8:00pm

Gibney: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center
280 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
Ticket prices: $15 - $20
Tickets available for purchase on Gibney website.

Upon arrival to Gibney Center for a performance, audience members will need to show proof of full vaccination (including booster dose, if eligible), a photo ID, and their tickets. Children under 17 will not need a photo ID, as long as they're accompanied by an adult. Children under five will not be admitted.

Face masks are required.

Co-founded in 2015 by Anya & Mitsuko Clarke-Verdery, MICHIYAYA Dance is a queer-led dance company that pushes boundaries and centers the divine feminine by creating space for multidisciplinary performances and programming. Artistic Directors Anya and Mitsuko created MICHIYAYA as a way to combine their voices as artists-Anya, a Black queer choreographer/dance artist from Brooklyn, and Mitsuko, a white & Japanese queer visual/performance artist from Manhattan. Now in their fifth year, MICHIYAYA is an evolving company of five core dance artists.

Their performance work has spread nationally at venues and institutions such as Yale University, Brooklyn Museum, Andy Warhol Museum, Gelsey Kirkland Theater, La MaMa Galleria, Dixon Place, among others. Described as "revolutionary and physically virtuosic," the powerful group of femme voices has been featured in Art Forum, Thinx, Vice i-D, Medium, and more. MICHIYAYA's educational and community initiatives have reached the American College Dance Association, University of Santa Barbara, Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program, Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, and more. Anya & Mitsuko's vision has been supported by Microsoft, CVS Health, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Opportunity Fund, and Dance/NYC.

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