Contemporary dance company dre.dance (Andrew Palermo and Taye Diggs) and composer Rob Reddy embark on a world premiere, evening-length work. Beginning October 9 at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, "the people" combines Reddy's unique and stirring sound with dre.dance's propulsive and emotional choreography.
"the people" is an interpretive narrative dance-theater work that weaves together important historical text, choreography, and live compositions to illuminate socio-political issues. This hour long piece uses the loose setting of a party to mirror events and interactions within our nation. Various political factions are represented, from evangelical right to radical left. "the people" challenges our notions of the fundamental principles that were meant to unite us.
"the people" is performed by Janelle Abbott, Christina Black, Vince DeGeorge, Kathryn Fraggos, Jaqlyn Medlock, Kyle Mullins, Antuan Raimone, and
Tommy Scrivens. In addition to music by Rob Reddy performed a live band, the production features text design by John Stroud, and lighting by Collin Costa.
Andrew Palermo and
Taye Diggs founded dre.dance in 2004. Emotion and power drive the company's aesthetic, while simultaneously maintaining the directors' most important quality, authenticity. Childhood friends from Rochester, New York, Palermo and Diggs have worked together for over eighteen years. They have presented three full-length New York seasons (two at Ailey Citigroup Theatre, one at Joyce Soho), as well as performances at the New York City Festival of Dance, Dance New Amsterdam's 'In the Company of Men Festival', TriPAC's Work and Show Festival, John Jay College, and a solo for
Desmond Richardson, originally presented as part of Complexions Contemporary Ballet's 2007 Joyce season.
Outside of dre.dance,
Andrew Palermo's stage choreography credits include Great Joy at New Amsterdam Theatre,
Kristin Chenoweth at
Carnegie Hall, X'posed/Jai Rodriquez at Hudson Theatre, Journey to the West at 37 Arts, New York City Festival of Dance 2005 featuring
Idina Menzel, Bright Lights Big City at Prince Music Theatre in Philadelphia, Aida at Music Theatre of Wichita, Man of La Mancha at Sacramento Music Circus, as well as Hair (director/choreographer) and The Wild Party at Wichita State University. He has also choreographed for Comedy Central's 'Stella', the film Holey Habits, as well as commercials for G-Shock and the Showtime Network/Apple Computers.
Taye Diggs currently appears on ABC-TV's 'Private Practice'. His television credits also include 'Kevin Hill' (UPN), 'Ally McBeal' (Fox), and 'Daybreak' (ABC). His feature film credits include How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Brown Sugar, Chicago, Rent, and others. Diggs and Palermo's Broadway credits include Rent,
Wicked, Chicago, Annie Get Your Gun, How to Succeed..., and Carousel.
Saxophonist and composer Rob Reddy is "an impressive and open-minded tunesmith," raves AllAboutJazz.com. "Since the early 1990s, Rob Reddy has been forging a way uniquely his own as a jazz composer, saxophone player and bandleader in New York," says Downtown Express. His recording include Post-War Euphoria (Songlines Recordings, 1996), Songs That You Can Trust (Koch Jazz, 1999), However Humble (Koch Jazz, 2000) and Seeing By The Light Of My Own Candle (Knitting Factory Records, 2001) and A Hundred Jumping Devils (Reddy Music, 2006). He has collaborated with artists including bassist Dom Richards, drummer Guillermo E. Brown, violinist
Charles Burnham, cellist Rufus Cappadocia, and trumpeter John Carlson.
"the people" runs October 9 -11, Thursday - Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $25, $15 students/seniors. Tribeca Performing Arts Center is located at the Borough of Manhattan Community College at 199 Chambers Street (between Greenwich and the West Side highway, accessible from the 1, 2, 3, A, C, E , N, R , 4, 5, 6, J, M trains New Jersey Path train and the M20 & M22 buses). For tickets or more information call 212-220-1460 or visit
www.TribecaPAC.org.
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