R E C E N T H A P P E N I N G S
The CROTON FREE LIBRARY
April 13, 2024
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, The Three-Body Problem at Croton Free Library. Dancers L to R: Janet Charleston, Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Timothy Ward. Photo by Silvina López Medin, 2024.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, The Three-Body Problem at Croton Free Library. Dancers: Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin. Photo by Silvina López Medin, 2024.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, The Three-Body Problem at Croton Free Library. Dancers L to R: Christopher Williams, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Alexandra Berger, Timothy Ward, Janet Charleston. Photo by Silvina López Medin, 2024.
At the instigation of former DD+D dancer Gabriella Hiatt, DD+D presents THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM at The Croton Free Library in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Douglas Dunn, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams; Music: Jerome Begin. Reader: Grazia Della-Terza. Grazia reads poem by Torquato Tasso; the dancers show THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM and Orchard Variations; Q&A afterwards with Jerome Begin & DD moderated by Gabriella Hiatt.
The AMERICAN DANCE GUILD FESTIVAL
February 24, 2024
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, The Three-Body Problem at ADG. Dancers L to R: Christopher Williams, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward. Photo by Julie Lemberger, 2024
Douglas Dunn + Dancers show The Three-Body Problem as part of American Dance Guild Festival at Ailey Citigroup Theater, NYC; Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams. Music by Jerome Begin.
The Poetry Project
January 1, 2024
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers. Dancers L to R: Paul Singh, Douglas Dunn, Jules Bakshi. Photo by Grazia Della-Terza, 2024
At the Poetry Project’s New Year’s Day Marathon at St. Mark’s Church, Douglas dances with Jules Bakshi & Paul Singh. Live music by Steven Taylor.
NYU Distinguished Faculty concert
November 17 & 18, 2023
Image: The Three-Body Problem, 2023 NYU Distinguished Faculty Dance Concert. NYU Student Dancers L to R: Lejing Liu, Abby Zeng, Anne Marie Robson Smock, Corinne Lohner, Jingxi Li, Yiwen Deng. Photo credit: @nyudanceed and @becca.vision, 2023.
On a mixed program with works by other faculty members, Douglas Dunn premieres a short piece titled The Three-Body Problem, made with NYU dance education students at the Frederick Loewe Theater in NYC. Dancers: Corinne Lohner, Yiwen Deng, Lejing Liu, Jingxi Li, Abby Zeng, Anne Marie Robson Smock. Music: Jerome Begin. Rehearsal Director: Janet Charleston.
Salon Hannes Schüpbach
November 8, 2023
Image: Hannes Schüpbach, Essais, 2020. Dancer: Kira Blazek Ziaii © the artist
Image: Hannes Schüpbach, Essais, 2020. Dancer: Kira Blazek Ziaii © the artist
Image: Douglas Dunn and Hannes Schüpbach in conversation.
Photo by Carl Friedrich, 2023.
Douglas Dunn invites artist Hannes Schüpbach to screen his film Essais (2020, 43’), with choreographed shots of dancer Kira Blazek Ziaii – a DD+D member 2008 to 2014 – in an exchange of gestures with artists Stephen Watts, Éléonore Bernard, Heba-Raphaëlle Meffre, Flurin Cuonz, Marco Baschera and Jiajia Zhang. Followed by a conversation between Douglas and Hannes, a video of Kira Blazek performing Mertseger at the DD Salon in 2014, and a newly published book, Essais, Verlag für moderne Kunst, Vienna, 2023.
Salon Catherine Tharin DANCE
November 3 & 4, 2023
Image: An Armful of Blossoms, Choreography Catherine Tharin. Dancers: Hannah Kearney and Amelia Atteberry. Photograph by Julie Lemberger, 2023.
Douglas Dunn invites Catherine Tharin Dance to present recent dances and two films. Dancers: Amelia Attleberry, Dylan Baker, Hannah Kearney, David Parker. Composers: Sam Crawford, Eleanor Hovda. Music and Sound Design: Jon Kinzel. Costumers: Colleen Howland, Sue Julien. Filmmakers: Lora Robertson, Liz Schneider-Cohen. Special guest: Esmé Julien Boyce. Douglas Dunn moderated a Q & A with the artists after the performance on November 3rd.
BODY / SHADOW
October 27 & 28, 2023
Image: BODY / SHADOW at Judson Memorial Church. Photo by Steve Gibson, 2023.
Composer Paul J. Botelho, Visual Artist Brice Brown, Choreographer Douglas Dunn, and Media Designer Steve Gibson present the premiere of BODY / SHADOW, a new experimental opera featuring 17 dancers at Judson Memorial Church, NYC.
BODY / SHADOW is an experimental opera with music by Paul J. Botelho, images, set design, and text by Brice Brown, choreography by Douglas Dunn, and visual media design by Steve Gibson. Presented in the round, the work features 17 dancers who perform a series of nonlinear, one-minute acts. Dunn conducts the dancers in real time, improvising the sequencing of each act. As the dancers move throughout the space, they activate a five-channel video that is projected onto dancer-handled screens. Simultaneously, Botelho circulates among the dancers, performing vocal improvisations to an electro-acoustic score. This layered multimedia-based opera calls into question the coherence of the human body, highlighting its vulnerability and doubleness.
BODY / SHADOW is performed by Jules Bakshi, Cemiyon Barber, Jay Beardsley, Alexandra Berger, Dwayne Brown, Janet Charleston, Savannah Jade Dobbs, Steph Jacco, Eve Jacobs, Vanessa Knouse, Corinne Lohner, Cassidy Martin, Emily Pope, Deniz Erkan Sancak, Jin Ju Song- Begin, Mac Twining, Timothy Ward, and Arthur “Trace” Yeames. Costume design and construction: Mimi Gross and Sue Julien. Zebra costume: Andrew Jordan. Lighting coordinator: Carol Mullins. Prop fabricator: Jennifer Lippert.
Click HERE for PDF of the playbill
More Information on the BODY / SHADOW website: https://www.bodyshadowopera.com/
Video: BODY / SHADOW video clip by Steve Gibson, 2023.
ROSES
October 6 & 7, 2023
Image: Roses, NYTB Dancers: Charles Rosaria, Keiran McBride. Photo by Ricahrd Termine, 2023.
Douglas Dunn’s duet, Roses (1990),was performed by New York Theatre Ballet at Florence Gould Hall on the occasion of its 45th Anniversary season, “Legends & Visionaries”. DD+D dancers Emily Pope and Timothy Ward staged the duet for a double cast of NYTB dancers: Kieran McBride, Jonathan Leonard, Mónica Lima, and Charles Rosario. Along with Roses, NYTB presented works by Merce Cunningham, David Gordon, and Amanda Treiber,and a world premiere by NYTB Artistic Director, Steven Melendez.
Garden Party revisited
September 6-10, 2023
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers with Mimi Gross, Lauren Parrish and Jacob Burckhardt. Photo courtesy of Jacob Burckhardt, 2023.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers revisites Garden Party for six consecutive performances; a collaborative work by choreographer Douglas Dunn, visual artist/designer Mimi Gross, and lighting designer Lauren Parrish at Douglas Dunn Studio.
Garden Party is a series of vignettes, each with its own elegant and playful interaction of movement, visual art, music, and language. Dunn partners with longtime collaborator Mimi Gross to transform his loft space into a verdant haven. Ten members of Douglas Dunn + Dancers, including Dunn himself, frolick within this lush garden landscape while lighting and projections by Lauren Parrish illuminate each scene and its interruptions. In the hour-long work, Dunn’s steps are interwoven with poetry (John Keats, Anne Waldman, and others) and music (Robert de Visée and John Lennon, to name a few).
Choreography by Douglas Dunn, set and costume design by Mimi Gross, lighting and projection design by Lauren Parrish, sound engineering by Jacob Burckhardt. Pre-show live music by Tosh Sheridan. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Grazia Della-Terza, Douglas Dunn, Eve Jacobs, Vanessa Knouse, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward, and Christopher Williams.
GREEN-WOOD
June 22, 2023
Images: Top: Douglas Dunn in Zebra costume. Middle: Dancers Tim Ward, Vanessa Knouse. Bottom: Dancer Paul Singh. Photos by G.P. Selvaggio, 2023.
At the invitation of Cleek Schrey, DD+D dances alongside Schrey's The Daxophone Consort in back to back shows as part of Concert in the Catacombs at The Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Douglas Dunn, Vanessa Knouse, Cassidy Martin, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Tim Ward, Christopher Williams.
MAB book launch
June 20, 2023
To celebrate the release of three MAB Books, including BODY / SHADOW, the book launch event featured a short dance performance by Alexandra Berger, Douglas Dunn, Emily Pope, Paul Singh and Christopher Williams and a vocal performance by Paul J. Botelho. Brice Brown, Don Joint, Deborah Rosenthal and Jed Perl in attendance.
Salon Jacob Burckhardt
May 10, 2023
Image: Front Cover of The Loft Generation: From the de Koonings to Twombly: portraits and sketches, 1942-2011.
Salon Jacob Burckhardt celebrates the paperback release of The Loft Generation: From the de Koonings to Twombly: portraits and sketches,1942-2011 (Farrar Strauss Giroux, 2021) by Edith Schloss (Burckhardt’s Mother) in the form of a slide lecture at 541 Broadway, NYC.
GArden Party
April 24 - 30, 2023
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers with Mimi Gross, Lauren Parrish and Jacob Burckhardt. Photo courtesy of Jin Ju Song-Begin, 2023.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers performed Garden Party for nine consecutive performances; a collaborative work by choreographer Douglas Dunn, visual artist/designer Mimi Gross, and lighting designer Lauren Parrish at Douglas Dunn Studio.
Garden Party, is a series of vignettes, each with its own elegant and playful interaction of movement, visual art, music, and language. Dunn partnered with longtime collaborator Mimi Gross to transform his loft space into a verdant haven. Ten members of Douglas Dunn + Dancers, including Dunn himself, frolicked within this lush garden landscape while lighting and projections by Lauren Parrish illuminated each scene and its interruptions. In the hour-long work, Dunn’s steps were interwoven with poetry (John Keats, Anne Waldman, and others) and music (Robert de Visée and John Lennon, to name a few).
Choreography by Douglas Dunn, set and costume design by Mimi Gross, lighting and projection design by Lauren Parrish, sound by Jacob Burckhardt. Pre-show live music by Tosh Sheridan. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Grazia Della-Terza, Douglas Dunn, Vanessa Knouse, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward, and Christopher Williams.
The Poetry Project
January 1, 2023
Image: Steven Taylor on guitar and singing, Photo by Ted Roeder, 2023.
At the Poetry Project Marathon at St. Mark’s Church, DD dances to "Oh My Love," written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono, played live by Steven Taylor & Laura Brenneman
American Dance Guild Performance Festival
December 2, 2022
Image: Shovel Dance, Dancers L to R: Douglas Dunn, Jin Ju Song-Begin. Photo by Robin Micheals, 2022.
As part of the 2022 American Dance Guild Performance Festival, DD & Jin Ju Song-Begin dance Shovel Dance at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, NYC; Music: "O Virgineta bella" by Acantus.
NYU Distinguished Faculty Dance ConcerT
November 18 & 19, 2022
Image: Another Cut, 2022 NYU Distinguished Faculty Dance Concert. Dancers L to R: Abby Zen, Tanya Xu, Deborah Black, Xinyi Zhang. Photo credit: @nyudanceed and @becca.vision, 2022.
On a mixed program with works by other faculty members, Douglas Dunn premieres a short piece titled Another Cut made with NYU dance education students at the Loewe Theater in NYC. Music: "The First Cut is the Deepest," by Cat Stevens, sung by Sheryl Crow; Choreographer: Douglas Dunn; Assistant to Choreographer: Janet Charleston. Dancers: Deborah Black, Sydney Ekanayake-Lin, Stephanie Jacco, Lejing Liu, Sky Morgan, Tanya Xu, Abby Zeng, Xinyi Zhang.
Milton Art Bank Residency
October 5-16, 2022
Image: Vain Combat in Lewisburg, PA. Dancers L to R: Emily Pope, Jules Bakshi, Janet Charleston, Jin Ju Song Begin, Christopher Williams, Alexandra Berger, Trace Yeams. Screenshot from video by Paul Naton, 2022.
At the invitation of Brice Brown, DD+D in residence in Milton, PA; Dancers: Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Grazia Della-Terza, Douglas Dunn, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Christopher Williams, Arthur “Trace” Yeames; Dances: Orchard Variations, Vain Combat, No Man's Land, Dancing Made Easy, RV, One Ways, Mozart, Roundelay.
Rubble Dance, Long Island City
September 14, 2022
Installation image of RUBBLE DANCE Long Island City shown at the Museum Tinguely in Basel, 2022-2023.
The 1991 Rudy Burckhardt movie RUBBLE DANCE Long Island City was shown at the Museum Tinguely in Basel, Switzerland from September 14, 2022 through January 8, 2023, as part of the group exhibition Territories of Waste - On the Return of the Repressed.
Lewis Warsh Memorial
April 24, 2022
Douglas Dunn, Steven Taylor, Grazia Della-Terza. Photo by Alystyre Julian, 2022.
At the memorial for Lewis Warsh, produced by The Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church, Grazia Della Terza & Douglas Dunn dance, Steven Taylor plays guitar & sings on the altar of the sanctuary.
Salon I just want to dance my way through life you know
April 4 -10, 2022
Roundelay, Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Dancers L to R: Janet Charleston, Alexandra Berger, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Emily Pope, Vanessa Knouse. Photo by Julie Lemberger, 2022.
Seven nights of a one-hour Salon of dances (solos, duets and group work) dating from 1974 to the present performed at DD+D Studio. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Vanessa Knouse, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward. Paintings by Mimi Gross. All spectators vaccinated, boosted and masked.
CORNER BOOK LAUNCH: RECRUDESCENCE
July 8, 9,10, 2021
Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Recrudescence, 2021.
Twenty minute dance performed at DD+D Studio, Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Douglas Dunn, Kara Hestevold, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams; Music: Norman Westberg playing live; all spectators vaccinated and masked; twenty-two chairs in the round spaced evenly. Great thanks to Brice Brown for his enthusiastic producing of Corner book.
Social Media SOLOS
May 3 - June 9, 2021
The DD+D Social Media platforms show video excerpts from the DD+D repertory chosen to feature a particular dancer. The featured dancers are: Dare Ayorinde, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Kira Blazek, Emily Bock, Tony Bordonaro, Janet Charleston, Liz Elmquist, Kara Hestevold, Acée Francis Laird, Jessica Martineau, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams.
FLYING SOLO
December 30, 2020
Peepstone, Utah Repertory Dance Theatre. Dancer: Kareem Lewis. Photo by Sharon Kain, 2020.
As part of the Utah Repertory Dance Theater, a section of Peepstone is part of a ninety-minute video titled Flying Solo which features significant moments in RDT company's history. The video is streamed live on the web on December 30.
AMERicAN DANCE GUILD PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL
November 9-15, 2020
Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Near Miss. Dancers front to back: Emily Pope, Jake Szczypek, Jules Bakshi, Paul Singh, Alexandra Berger, Timothy Ward. Photo by Whitney Browne, 2014.
As part of the 2020 American Dance Guild Performance Festival, 10 Years Over 10 Weeks, works by Joan Myers Brown, Douglas Dunn and Bill Evans were featured. Video documentation of Douglas Dunn + Dancers RV and Near Miss from the 2014 ADG Festival were available to view to the pubic online for one week, November 9 -15.
Grand Union
October 21, 2020
Grand Union performance on Sept. 22, 1973 at State University College, Buffalo, NY. Photo by Al Katz.
Douglas Dunn, Sean Curran and Wendy Perron discuss Wendy’s new book The Grand Union: Accidental Anarchists of Downtown Dance, 1970-1976, on NYU’s Skirball TV. Watch video recording of the event HERE.
Salon Karen Bernard
February 6, 7, 8, 2020
Image: Show card from Lakeside, 2020.
Salon Karen Bernard; Lakeside, a 45-minute collaborative duet with Karen Bernard & Lisa Parra.
The Cattle
January 10 & 11, 2020
Image: The Cattle rehearsal. L to R: Micheal Hammond, Douglas Dunn, Cleek Schrey. Photo by © Paula Court, 2020.
The Cattle, a collaboration allowing choice during performance; Michael Hammond, Text; Cleek Schrey, Music, playing an harmonium lent by Dick Connette, & other instruments; Jacob Burckhardt, Live Video; Douglas Dunn, Dance.
The POETRY PROJECT
January 1, 2020
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers. Dancers back to front: Douglas Dunn, Kara Hestevold, Jin Ju Song-Begin. Photo by Grazia Della-Terza, 2020.
At the Poetry Project Marathon at St. Mark’s Church, DD dances with Jin Ju Song-Begin & Kara Hestevold, Steven Taylor & Laura Brenneman playing & singing Beetles songs.
Sundays On Broadway
December 15, 2019
At the invitation of Cathy Weis, Douglas dances in “Shorties,” a mix of open structures: solos, duos, trios, quartets, as part of her Sundays on Broadway Salon Series, 537 Broadway, NYC; the other dancers: Emily Climer, Patrick Gallagher, Fumi Kikuchi, Jon Kinzel, Luis Lara Malvacías, Dustin Maxwell, Jennifer Miller, Jennifer Monson, Wendy Perron, Vicky Shick, and Cathy Weis; there are two other presentations, one by Carolyn Hall, one by Ellen Fisher.
NYU Open Structures Class
December 12, 2019
Douglas Dunn hosts end-of-semester NYU Open Structures Class, taught in collaboration with Randi Sloan and students present their work.
Florence to New York Project 2019
December 8, 2019
At the invitation of NYU Professor Esther Lamneck, DD dances with his NYU "Open Structure" students amid her on-stage music students to Alfonso Belfiore’s La Città Sommersa in Loewe Theater as part of her NYU "New Music Ensemble’s Florence to New York Project 2019.
Guatemala
November 27 & 28, 2019
Image: Tandemette, Dancers top to bottom: Douglas Dunn (in red), Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Emily Pope, Alexandra Berger. Photo by Mario Rivera Cabrera, 2019.
Dance-Forms Productions presented Douglas Dunn + Dancers Tandemette in Guatemala City at the Teatro Abril. Vain Combat performed outdoors as part of of the Rambla Festival.
FALL DANCE SHOWCASE
November 15 & 16, 2019
Image: How To Sink Back Into Yourself Dancers L to R: Allison Wagner, Lauren Sullivan, Paige Braun (lunging), Mikki Du Bois, Emma Smith, Maddy Kho, Shaun Parrish (in back), Aisling Sullivan, Rosemary Reng, Caitlyn Schuette. Photo by Gordon Wenzel, 2019.
How To Sink Back Into Yourself was featured in the Fall Dance Showcase at Bucknell University in the Harvey M. Powers Theatre (Lewisburg, PA). Student cast: Paige Braun, Mikki Du Bois, Maddy Kho, Tyler Luong, Shaun Parrish, Rosemary Reng, Caitlyn Schuette, Aisling Sullivan, Lauren Sullivan, Emma Smith, Allison Wagner.
THE ROAD AWAITS US
November 8 & 9, 2019
Image: The Road Awaits Us, Unknown photographer, 2019.
Douglas Dunn performs in The Road Awaits Us at NYU Skirball. This evening of performance featured three works by Big Dance.
MAB Corner Book Launch
October 20, 2019
Image: Front and back cover of CORNER by MAB Editions, 2019.
Douglas Dunn and Gibson + Recoder celebrate the MAB Corner Book Launch at the Campus Theater in Lewisburg, PA.
Salon Maurizio SAIU & Marco Cappelli
September 29, 2019
Rio Grande Union, Inc. presents Salon Maurizio Saiu & Marco Cappelli. The two of them show We Never Played Together, Maurizio singing & dancing, Marco making music; in the DD+D Studio. Maurizio Saiu is a singer, dancer and choreographer from Sardinia (Italy) who has been involved in various experimental artistic projects around the world. Marco Cappelli is a guitar player and composer from Napoli (Italy). He lives in New York.
InCLINATIONS
August 12, 15, 16, 17, 2019
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Inclinations, Photo by Grazia Della-Terza, 2019.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers perform Inclinations, an outdoor dance made for various Manhattan stairways. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Cassie Roberts, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Vanessa Vargas.
Technique Classes
June 3-28, 2019
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Aubade Rehearsal, Dancers L to R: Christopher Williams, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward, Jake Szczypek, Emily Pope. Photo by Ron Antonelli, 2014.
Douglas Dunn leads Technique Classes at 541 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings.
The Body in Language: An AnthologY
May 3, 2019
At the invitation of Edwin Torres, DD+D dancers Emily Pope and Jin Ju Song- Begin dance their 5-minute duo from Stretch Duo Section of Tandem (2018), while Douglas moves around them; in the Parish Hall at St. Mark’s Church, as part of the launch of Edwin’s The Body in Language: An Anthology, in which Douglas has an entry.
NYU STEINHARDT DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CONCERT
April 26, 27, & 28, 2019
Image: Wrest, NYU dance education students. Dancers L to R: Nyasia Fraser, Jacqueline Ledesma, Jai Marie Williams, Trashina Arwanda Conner, Takako Amitani, Melanie Coats; Photo by Aman Cheung, 2019.
On a mixed program with works by other faculty members, Douglas Dunn premieres a short piece titled Wrest, made with NYU dance education students at the Loewe Theater in NYC. Dancers: Takako Amitani, Melanie Coats, Trashina Arwanda Conner, Nyasia Fraser, Jacqueline Ledesma, Jai Marie Williams. Music: Excerpts from “Serenade for String Orchestra in C major, op. 48,” by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky; “Ilahi Dostum Bagina,” played on the bagiama and sung by Ali Akber Cicek.
VAIN COMBAT
April 22 & 29, 2019
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Vain Combat, Photo by Grazia Della-Terza, 2019.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers perform Vain Combat in Washington Square Park. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Tony Bordonaro, Kara Hestevold, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward.
Merce Cunningham’s Centennial
April 1-13, 2019
Image: Douglas Dunn at Cornish College. Photo by Winnie Westergard, 2019.
Image: Douglas Dunn at Cornish College. Photo by Winnie Westergard, 2019.
Douglas Dunn and Holly Farmer were invited to participate in a two-week residency with advanced choreography students from Cornish College and University of Washington to generate a new work as part of the Merce Cunningham’s Centennial, culminating with a showing at the Henry Art Gallery on April 13th.
Deborah Jowitt Celebration
March 20, 2019
Douglas Dunn was invited to participate in From The Horse’s Mouth Honoring Deborah Jowitt Celebration at the 14th Street Y Theater - Special “Critic’s Panel” moderated by Linda Murray, Curator of the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts. Panel: Deborah Jowitt, Alastair Macaulay, Wendy Perron, Jack Anderson, Mindy Aloff, Marcia Siegel and Elizabeth Zimmer - CAST: Ella Baff, Patricia Beaman, Darrah Carr, Pat Catterson, Yoshiko Chuma, Emily Coates, Ze'eva Cohen, Tina Croll, Jamie Cunningham, Carmen DeLavallade, Douglas Dunn, Liz Gerring, Naomi Goldberg Haas, Ellen Graff, Sara Hook, Djassi Johnson, Deborah Jowitt, Elizabeth Keen, Kenneth King, Phyllis Lamhut, Cherylyn Lavagnino, Marcia Lerner Hofer, James Martin, Madeleine Nichols, Norton Owen, Wendy Perron, Rajika Puri, Barbara Roan, Tamar Rogoff, Jan Schmidt, Valda Setterfield, John Mario Sevilla, Hala Shah, Vicky Shick, Marcia Siegel, Robert Small, Gus Solomons jr, Andy Teirstein, Martine van Hamel, Elizabeth Zimmer.
CRAG at Harkness Dance Festival
March 8 & 9, 2019
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Crag. Design andytoad. Dancers Left to Right: Jin Ju Song-Begin, Acee Francis Laird. Photo by Andrew Jordan, 2019.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Crag. Design andytoad. Dancers Left to Right: Grazia Della-Terza, Douglas Dunn. Photo by Andrew Jordan, 2019.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Crag. Design andytoad. Dancer: Christopher Williams. Photo by Andrew Jordan, 2019.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers invited to perform the world premiere of Crag as part of the 2019 Harkness Dance Festival at the 92Y on March 8 & 9. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Janet Charleston, Kara Hestevold, Acée Francis Laird, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Christopher Williams. Music: Steven Taylor; Design: Andrew Jordan.
Harkness Dance Festival
March 2, 2019
Douglas Dunn participated in the Harkness Dance Festival Conversation, “Drawing Dance: On Tour with The Merce Cunningham Dance Company” at the 92Y.
PulCinella
February 21, 22, 23 & 24, 2019
Image: Pulcinella, UNCSA students. Dancers L to R: Emmanuel Patterson and Blythe Koster, Photo by Rosalie O'Connor, 2019.
Former DD+D dancer Kira Blazek set excerpts from Pulcinella (choreographed by Dunn in 1980 on the Paris Opera Ballet) on students at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC, for their WINTER DANCE SERIES. Dancers on Feb. 21 & 23: Mariah Anton, Sofia Baeta, Madalyn Bailey, Zach Burrows, Emma Cumpston, Ethan Digby-New, John Gardner, Jordan Hooks, Grant Kennedy, Blythe Koster, Molly McGlennen, Teresa Noonan, Dylan Parton, Emmanuel Patterson, William Thompson. Dancers on Feb. 22: Madalyn Bailey, Jacob Barker, Zach Burrows, Ethan Digby-New, Eliza Engstrom, John Gardner, Elena Gimenez, Jordan Hooks, Grant Kennedy, Taylor McCain, Teghan Murphy, Emily Sanchez, William Thompson, Samantha Willins, Jacquie Whitmore.
APAP SHoWCASE
January 6 & 7, 2019
Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Molissa Fenley and Company, Jody Oberfelder Projects present latest work in this free APAP showcase held at Douglas Dunn Studio. DD+D Tandemette and DMAC: or Prelude to a New Dance; Molissa Fenley and Company Cosmati Variations and Mali ; Jody Oberfelder Projects Madame Ovary.
December 2018 Choreographers SALON
December 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8, 2018
Six evenings of curated dance at Douglas Dunn Studio. Dances by Jin Ju Song-Begin, The Path Which Empties Me (108), Dancer: Jin Ju Song-Begin; Cori Kresgi, Most Real (excerpts), Dancers: Breckyn Drescher, Cori Kresge; Emily Pope, The Albatross, Dancer: Emily Pope; Christopher Williams, Narcissus (excerpts from work-in-progress), Dancers: Cemiyon Barber, Casey Hess, Gildas Lemmonier, Alexander Olivieri, Logan Pedon, Joshua Tuason; Costumes: Andrew Jordan & Iggy Soliven.
SundaYs On Broadway
November 18, 2018
At the invitation of Cathy Weis, Douglas dances brief solo, brief duo with Vicky Shick, & briefly in the finale mix, at Weis’s Sundays on Broadway, 537 Broadway, NYC. Others on stage for this thrown-together-last-minute show: Jennifer Miller, Wendy Perron, Maura Gahan, Jonathon Gonzalez, Christine Elmo, Ashley Renee Watkins, Patrick Gallagher, Maddie Irmen, Fumi Kikuchi, Jon Kinzel, Cathy Weis.
DuO Multicultural Arts Center
November 7, 2018
Douglas Dunn + Dancers danced a new, fifteen-minute work, Diagonal Gait, on a shared program at Duo Multicultural Arts Center (DMAC) 62 E. 4th Street, New York City in DMAC's beautiful turn of the century playhouse. Dancers: Janet Charleston, Douglas Dunn, Kara Hestevold, Acée Francis Laird, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams.
American Dance Guild Festival
October 26, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Tandemette. Dancers Left to Right: Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope. Photo by Yi-Chun Wu, 2018.
On a mixed program, as part of the American Dance Guild Annual Festival, Douglas Dunn + Dancers were invited to perform Tandemette. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward and Douglas Dunn. Music: Calabrian Folk Song.
SCREENING & ARTISTS TALK
September 12, 2018
Image: Rubble Dance Long Island City, 1991.
POOL Internationales TanzFilmFestival Berlin invites Douglas Dunn to screen three moving image works: Celeste (1977) and Dancers, Buildings and People in the Street (1986) and Rubble Dance Long Island City (1991) which was followed by an artists talk with Douglas, Yoshiko Chuma and Thomas Körtvélyessy.
AIDOS excerpts AT Battery DANCE FESTIVAL
August 13, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Aidos. Dancers L to R: Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jessica Martineau, Photo by Russell Haydn, 2018.
On a mixed program, as part of the Battery Dance Festival, Douglas Dunn + Dancers perform excerpts of Aidos on an outdoor platform in Battery Park City in NYC. Dancers: Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jessica Martineau, Jake Szczypek, Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Timothy Ward, Jules Bakshi, Jared Brown (dancing Paul Singh’s part). Music: J.S. Bach Cello Suites by Guido Schiefen.
PoRTAL AT INSITU DANCE FESTIVAL
August 4 & 5, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Portal. Photo by Steven Speliotis, 2018.
Dressed in white, nineteen people dance in and out of unison on and around the stairway at Queensbridge Park, making use of the steps and the pathways that are part of the architecture. Dancers: Cherie Burnett, Janet Charleston, Maira Duarte, Rosy Gentle, Kara Hestevold, Lauren Kravitz, Fumihiro Kikuchi, Maya Lee-Parritz, Jacqueline Ledesma, Jenny Levy, Cassie Roberts Rossi, Ella Rosewood, Deborah Schneider, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Manatsu Tonaka, Rebecca Van Dover, Vanessa Vargas, Christopher Williams, Anna Witenberg,
The Let Go
July 1, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers at The Let Go, Photo by Robin Schatell, 2018
At the invitation of Nick Cave, DD+D gathers fifty friends & acquaintances to participate in his The Let Go at the Park Avenue Armory, NYC, 3:30 – 5:30pm; Performers: Christopher Williams, Ana Karimi, Atillio Rigotti, Alexandra Berger, Astrid Brucker, Barbara Campisi, Brittany Murphy, Steven Hall, Peter Chamberlin, Christine Elmo, Clive Zheng, Douglas Dunn, Breckyn Drescher, Fareen Islam, Fumihiro Kikuchi, Gabrielle Riera, Gabrielle Garevlock, Julia Gleich, Grazia Della-Terza, Richard Gomez, Hsia-Jou, Jacob Burckhardt, Janet Charleston, Jacqueline Ledesma, Jonathan Hulland, Judy Hussie-Taylor, Kimberly Erin Quillan, Maya Lorkovic, Mark Hayes, Marlaine Glicksman, Masako Uetani, Michael Esteras, Jamie LePinnet, Annabel Lee, Carol Mullins, Nobuko, Han Pham, Orsolya Sanchez, Paul Engler, Philip Foster, Dan Reardon, Robin Schatell, Emmett Schatell-Prince, JinJu Song-Begin, Sophia Isidore, Jill Twohig, Ildiko Viczian.
Figment NYC
June 23, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Disappearances & Tandemette. Photo by Grazia Della-Terza, 2018.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers performing on Governors Island as part of FIGMENT NYC. DD+D performing Disappearances & Tandemette. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Jules Bakshi, Janet Charleston, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Alexandra Berger, Timothy Ward, Paul Singh, Kara Hestevold.
TANDEM at THE YARD
June 14 & 16, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Tandem. Dancers Left to Right: Emily Pope, Paul Singh. Photo by Sally Cohn, 2018
Douglas Dunn + Dancers at The Yard performing Tandem in the Patricia N. Nanon Theater on two evenings. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Paul Singh, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams.
VIsion Festival with Critical Response Trio
May 25, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers with Critical Response Trio ,Vision Festival. Visuals by Katie Martin. Photo by Eva Kapanadze, 2018.
DD+D collaborating with the musicians of the Critical Response Trio as part of the Vision Festival at Roulette. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Jules Bakshi, Janet Charleston, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Alexandra Berger, Timothy Ward, Kara Hestevold.
TANDEMeTTE
May 17 - 19, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Tandemette. Dancers Left to Right: Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward, Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope. Photo by Christopher Duggan, 2018.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers performing TANDEMETTE (10’) on a mixed program as part of the Footprints Fourth Annual Modern Dance Festival at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, 5 West 63rd Street, NYC; Dancers: Timothy Ward, Jake Szczypek, Emily Pope, Alexandra Berger; Music: fading in & out of Calabrian folk singing.
TANDEM
April 23 - 28, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Tandem. Dancers Left to Right: Jake Szczypek, Paul Singh, Emily Pope (front), Alexandra Berger. Photo by ⓒ Paula Court, 2018.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers performing Tandem for six consecutive nights as part of the April Festival - Early & Late. Q&A with Douglas Dunn and Wendy Perron on Tuesday, April 24th after the second performance.
Tandem -(2018) (60 minutes) Performers: Douglas Dunn, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Paul Singh, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams.
Dunn writes: "The new piece imagines wide space. You look out over a savannah, turning your head. What's going on over to the left, what's going on over to the right? In the studio, audience will sit against the brick wall, allowing maximum sideways stretch. The title? With bodies, singly or together, one move must follow another. While working, I consider this limitation an opportunity."
NYU STEINHARDT DISTINGUISHED FACULTY CONCERT
April 13 -15, 2018
Image: Tandemette. NYU Dancers Left to Right: Chie Schulz, Jessica Moore Ruhlin, Jacqueline Ledesma, Hannah Castoro. Photo by Aman Cheung, 2018.
On a mixed program with works by other faculty members, Douglas Dunn premieres a short piece titled Tandemette, made with NYU dance education students at the Loewe Theater in NYC. Dancers: Hannah Castoro, Jacqueline Ledesma, Jessica Moore Ruhlin, Chie Schultz. Music: Peer Gynt Suites No. 1 & 2 by Edvard Grieg
TIME OUT
April 2 - 7, 2018
Image: Douglas Dunn in Time Out, Photo by ⓒ Paula Court, 2018.
Douglas Dunn Solo - (1973) (60 minutes)
As part of the April Festival - Early & Late, Douglas Dunn performing Time Out for six consecutive nights in April 2018. Q&A with Douglas Dunn and Deborah Jowitt on Monday, April 2nd after the first performance.
Time Out - It was a pivotal year for Dunn. He was thirty-one. He had left the Cunningham Company in the spring of 1973. Grand Union was sporadically continuing. He had danced duet concerts with Sara Rudner, David Gordon, and Pat Catterson, here and there had also presented short solos on mixed programs. What now? He wrote: "I'm in turmoil. It's a question of confidence. These theatrical scenes running around in my head, for years. If I can bring them to life as an evening-length solo, my dance-heart will strengthen, I will persevere. If not, retreat to shyest corner is likely." The piece premiered at The Westbeth Theater, NYC, December 4,5. Parts of the solo were then included in a collage of '70s work at Dance New Amsterdam in 2007. Dunn says: "It's character work. There's hardly any dancing in it. I think I can do it. One last foray. The mature version."
SALOn ED Bowes
December 9, 2017
Image: video still of Seahorse Powder Room, 2017.
On Saturday, December 9, 2017 Douglas Dunn hosted Salon Ed Bowes for the premiere of Seahorse Powder Room which included a Q & A with the filmmaker Ed Bowes. Seahorse Powder Room spends personal time with two adults and two children; variously writers, thinkers, and musicians, presenting in a weave of text, considerations of Judith Butler and queer poetics, a severed fox head and performance, as they mix in the the shadow of words, light and impermanence. The performers are Steven Taylor, Serena Chopra, Uli Miller and Patrick Pethybridge.
Dixon place
November 29, 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Oh Acis. Dancers Left to Right: Emily Pope, Paul Singh and Douglas Dunn. Photo by Peter Yesley, 2017.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers were invited to dance on a mixed program as part of "8 in Show", a series curated by Sangeeta Yesley, at Dixon Place in NYC. Douglas Dunn + Dancers performed Oh Acis, a trio of dancing the story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Oh Acis is Dunn's first narrative dance (after 46 years). The mortal Acis (Paul Singh) is in love with the goddess Galatea (Emily Pope). the jealous Polyphemus (Dunn) kills Acis. Galatea, using her power as an immortal, turns Acis into a river. The score for the ten-minute piece: Giovanni Bonocini's Polifemo (1702).
MILTON ART BANK
September 29 & 30, 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Vain Combat in Milton, PA. Dancers: Paul Singh & Jake Szczypek. Photo by Jamie Wilson, 2017.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers were invited to dance at Milton Art Bank (MAB) at the invitation of Brice Brown in late September. Douglas Dunn + Dancers performed Contours inside the MAB Gallery on Friday, September 29th and on Saturday, September 30th the dancers performed Vain Combat through the streets of Milton, PA. Dancing by Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Kara Hestevold, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams, and Keslie Koontz. Live music for both events by Steven Taylor.
VAIN COMBAT
September 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Vain Combat at Battery Park, NYC. Dancers Left to Right: Dare Ayorinde, Jake Szczypek, Christopher Williams, Timothy Ward. Photo by Grazia Della -Terza, 2017.
Trying for something rougher than my indoor work, I made the street dance Vain Combat in 2010. The word Vain was meant to mean both arrogant and futile. No irony. From past experience I knew the difficulty of grabbing the attention of New Yorkers in their daily rounds. I allowed simple configurations and welcomed unison. The piece has been performed many times all around the boroughs over the last seven years There are fifteen sections, well over an hour of material. The dancers get together before a foray and settle on the half-hour score for the day. We behaved as a guerrilla force, entering public and private spaces without permission. Sometimes we are stopped and driven away, most famously on the Lincoln Center Plaza, where both guards and police confronted and banished us. We dedicated September 2017 to this dance. It was shown often and in diverse locations in NYC and Brooklyn. For the first time, we invited those interested to join the accidental audiences we will encountered. - Douglas Dunn
The rotating cast included: Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams, Jake Szczypek, Paul Singh, Dare Ayorinde, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Alexandra Berger, Jules Bakshi, Kara Hestevold.
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
August 7-11, 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Oh Acis. Dancers Left to Right: Douglas Dunn, Emily Pope, Paul Singh. Photo by Garry Platt, 2017.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers were invited to dance on a mixed program as part of the Dance-Forms' 74th International Choreographers' Showcase which was part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Emerald Theater/Greenside Venues. Douglas Dunn + Dancers premiered Oh Acis, a trio of dancing the story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Oh Acis is Dunn's first narrative dance (after 46 years). The mortal Acis (Paul Singh) is in love with the goddess Galatea (Emily Pope). the jealous Polyphemus (Dunn) kills Acis. Galatea, using her power as an immortal, turns Acis into a river. The score for the ten-minute piece: Giovanni Bonocini's Polifemo (1702).
Screening & ARTISTS talK
June 6, 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn, Myth of Modern Dance. Photo by Sheila O'Neal, 1990.
Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn invites Douglas Dunn & Charles Atlas to screen two video works, The Myth of Modern Dance (1990) and Secret of the Waterfall (1983) which was followed by an artists talk.
Brooklyn Performance Combine 2017
June 3, 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes at Danspace. Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers were invited to participate in a collaborative evening of poetry, sound, dance and performance as part of the Norte Maar Brooklyn Performance Combine 2017 which took place at The Muse in Brooklyn. Dancers: Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Douglas Dunn, Kara Hestevold, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, and Timothy Ward.
The italian Dance Connection 2017
June 2, 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Oh Acis. Dancers Left to Right: Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Douglas Dunn. Photo by Marie Noyale, 2017.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers were invited to dance on a mixed program as part of the IDACO NYC - The Italian Dance Connection 2017 festival which took place at The Baruch Performing Arts Center in NYC. Douglas Dunn + Dancers premiered a new piece titled Oh Acis. Oh Acis is a trio of dancing the story from Ovid's Metamorphoses and the lovers Acis and Galatea. Polyphemus in jealousy kills Acis, but Galatea turns Acis into a river as immortal as herself. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Emily Pope, Paul Singh.
IDACO ROUNDTABLE
May 31, 2017
Douglas Dunn participates in a Thematic Roundtable Eventt the Italian Cultural Institute as part of the IDACO - The Italian Dance Connection 2017 Program. The discussion facilitated by Cecilia Fontanesi.
Celebrating Fridays at Noon
May 20, 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Sky Eye. Dancers: Christopher Williams & Liz Filbrun. Photo by Julieta Cervantes, 2009.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers were invited to dance on a mixed program in celebration of three decades of Fridays at Noon (1987-2017) at the 92Y Harkness Dance Center in NYC. Douglas Dunn + Dancers premiered a short piece titled While Away.
Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams
Music: a) Estonian folk melody arranged by David Simons b) Codex Chantilly
Celebrate Deborah
April 29, 2017
Image: Grazia Della-Terza & Douglas Dunn, Photo by Jack Gordon, 2017.
Grazia Della-Terza and Douglas Dunn were invited to dance on a mixed program in celebration of the retirement of Deborah Riley at Dance Place in Washington D.C. Deborah has been leading Dance Place for many years and she was a member of Douglas Dunn + Dancers in the 1970s and '80s. Read interview with Deborah HERE.
Image: Grazia Della-Terza, Deborah Riley, Douglas Dunn, Photo by Jack Gordon, 2017.
Nyu Steinhardt Distinguished Faculty Concert
April 14 & 15, 2017
Image: Rain Shadow NYU dance education students. Dancers Left to Right: Aliya Kerimujiang, Miguel Lerma, Whitley Green, Kara Hestevold, Belle Ritter. Photo by Ben Ouriel, 2017.
On a mixed program with works by other faculty members, Douglas Dunn premiered a short piece titled Rain Shadow, made with NYU dance education students at the Loewe Theater in NYC. Dancers: Whitley Green, Jacqueline Ledesma/Kara Hestevold, Miguel Lerma, Aliya Kerimujiang, Belle Ritter. Music composed by Steven Taylor.
ANTIPODES
February, 2 , 3, 4, 2017
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Dancers Left to Right: Timothy Ward, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Douglas Dunn. Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Choreography: Douglas Dunn
Design: Mimi Gross
Costume Construction: Jennifer Fadel, Sue Julien, Quinndustry, Zak Vreeland
Set Construction: Mike Levy, Mimi Gross
Douglas's costumes made by Andrew Jordan after an idea by Douglas Dunn
Lighting: Carol Mullins
Original Score & Performance: Steven Taylor, Laura Brenneman
Additional Music: Shawn O'Sullivan, Katie O'Sullivan
Dancers: Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams. With Grazia Della-Terza as The Moon, & Douglas Dunn as The White Dwarf
The creation of Antipodes was made possible, in part, by the Danspace Project 2016-17 Commissioning Initiative, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
www.danspaceproject.org
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Musicians: Steven Taylor & Laura Brenneman, Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Dancers: Douglas Dunn & Grazia Della-Terza, Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Dancers: Alexandra Berger & Paul Singh, Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Dancers: Alexandra Berger, Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Dancer: Douglas Dunn, Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Dancers Left to Right: Emily Pope, Alexandra Berger, Paul Singh, Jake Szczypek, Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Dancer: Grazia Della-Terza, Photo by© Paula Court, 2017.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Antipodes. Dancers Left to Right: Jin Ju Song-Begin, Paul Singh, Jake Szczypek, Christopher Williams, Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Photo by © Paula Court, 2017.
Salon Steven Taylor
October 28, 2016
Image: Courtesy of Steven Taylor.
For this Salon event, composer and musician Steven Taylor sang selections from William Blake's Song of Innocence and Experience Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (published 1794).
Douglas Dunn: American Modern Dancer at NAP Gallery & Performance
Gallery Exhibition: September 9 - October 30, 2016
Performance: October 1, 2016
Image: Installation view Douglas Dunn: An American Modern Dancer; Photo by Grazia Della-Terza, 2016.
An exhibition of works showcasing the Douglas Dunn + Dancers archive was on view at New Arts Program Space Gallery in Kutztown, PA from September 9th until October 30th, 2016. The title of the exhibition was Douglas Dunn: An American Modern Dancer. On October 1, 2016, Douglas Dunn + Dancers performed Infolding at St. John's UCC. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Alexandra Berger, Jules Bakshi, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward. Music by Steven Taylor.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Infolding. Dancers: Jin Ju Song-Begin, Emily Pope.
Photo by Kara Hestevold, 2016
PerFormances & Workshops in NC
September 23 & 24, 2016
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Infolding. Dancers Left to Right: Alexandra Berger, Emily Pope, Jules Bakshi, Timothy Ward, Jin Ju Song-Begin. Photo by Kara Hestevold, 2016.
DD+D performed Infolding at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, NC as part of the Celebration of Black Mountain College. Founded in 1933, Black Mountain College was the first interdisciplinary liberal arts school. The school attracted and connected many talented artists including Merce Cunningham and John Cage. Cunningham formed his company at Black Mountain College and in 1952 John Cage presented his first happening there. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Alexandra Berger, Jules Bakshi, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward. Music by Steven Taylor.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers Workshop. Photo by Kara Hestevold, 2016.
While in North Carolina, DD+D also conducted workshops with dance and theater students at UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University and Elon University. Teachers: Douglas Dunn, Timothy Ward & Jules Bakshi.
VAIN COMBAT at Astor Place
September 17, 2016
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Vain Combat. Photo by Chan Lin, 2016.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers was invited by Danspace Project to celebrate the reopening of Astor Place in New York City. DD+ D performed Vain Combat at the Astor Alive! Festival on September, 18th. Dancers: Timothy Ward, Emily Pope, Emily Bock, Douglas Dunn, Jake Szczypek, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Alexandra Berger.
VAIN COMBAT AT Socrates Sculpture Park
August 6, 2016
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Vain Combat. Photo by Nobaoko, 2016.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers were invited by Julia Gleich and Jason Andrew / Norte Maar to perform Vain Combat at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, NY on Saturday, August 6, 2016. Dancers: Jules Bakshi, Emily Pope, Emily Bock, Timothy Ward, Tony Bordonaro, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Alexandra Berger. Choreography by Douglas Dunn, Music by Steven Taylor.
VAIN COMBAT AT Washington Square Park
August 5, 2016
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Vain Combat. Dancers Left to Right: Tony Bordonaro, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Douglas Dunn. Photo by Justin Hamel, 2016.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers, one of the inaugural recipients of The Washington Square Park Conservancy Arts Mini-Grants, performed Vain Combat on Friday, August 5th at Washington Square Park. Dancers: Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Emily Bock, Douglas Dunn, Tony Bordonaro, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jane Szczypek and Timothy Ward.
Disappearances
July 18-22 & 25-29, 2016
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Disappearances. Photo by Douglas Dunn, 2016.
Breaking the monotony?
Is this The Dance of Death, or the death of dance?
Is it that you don’t want to bother us?
I can’t tell what you’re doing.
Though built by us humans, and for us humans, these Bunyanesque buildings make me feel really small. You know what I mean? Every day.
---Now I go back to work.
---So do I.
You’re like the chipmunks in my backyard; I’m not sure if I see them or not. If I saw them or not.
Are you performing?
I think I’m enlightened, but I don’t feel the benefit yet.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Disappearances. Photo by Dina Denis, 2016
It’s 1994 and Douglas Dunn + Dancers is short of money. I think of Wall Street, right down Broadway from the studio, no shortage there. How address a whopping discrepancy of available wealth? Disappearances emerges. The instructions for the piece are to mix with the lunchtime crowd in the plaza at Broadway and Liberty for half an hour, then move to the Chase Plaza one block east for another half hour. Any behavior, dance or otherwise, is acceptable, but you are obliged not to be noticed as performer. If you are so noticed, you are to dissolve into a position or gesture or movement that reestablishes you as worker-on-break, or as tourist. If asked what you are doing, you are to lie your way back into contextual familiarity.
Impecuniousness strikes again like lightening here in 2016. Should Company operations cease completely? No. What, therefore, could be more felicitous than to remount this insubstantial protest, this wan gesture meant through contradictory evanescence to fulfill the promise to myself never to complain? A second time around, twenty-four years of living and dancing later, are we not better prepared to appreciate the subtleties of the interactions? Our attitude, the facial expressions with which we move, for example, often determine whether we remain acceptable as legitimate personae within New York City’s glorious anonymity, or suddenly stick out, like that phantom limb of the body politic, the Dancer.
Performers July 18-22 & 25-29, 1994
Company Dancers: Grazia Della-Terza, Kari Richardson, Douglas Dunn. Guests: Marie Baker-Lee, Dorothee Caan, Maja Lorkovic, Alice MacIntyre, Rachel Odoroff, Michele Oppliger, Mary Seidman, Margaret Whalley, Kriota Willberg, Rebekah Windmiller.
Performers July 11-15 & 18-22, 2016
Douglas Dunn, Michelle Applebaum, Jules Bakshi, Grazia Della-Terza, Carlye Denice, Dina Denis, Maira Duarte, Chie Kurokawa, Maja Lorkovic, Pavel Machuca, Alice MacIntyre, Alex Pfister, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Danielle Staropoli, Lex Stavrou
Further writing on Disappearances will appear in a forthcoming issue of Tether. tether-magazine.com
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Disappearances. Photo by Grazia Della-Terza, 2016
Vision Festival with BILL COLE
June 9, 2016
DD+D collaborated with composer/musician Bill Cole as part of the Vision Festival at Judson Church. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Jules Bakshi, Jessica Martineau, Emily Pope, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Paul Singh.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Vision Festival. Photo by Marek Lazarski, 2016.
Salon Solos, Etc
May 31, June 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5, 2016
This Salon presented a fluctuating array of solos, duets and trios drawn from Douglas's 45 years of organizing bodies aesthetically to be viewed. Each evening was different, with some bits repeated here and there. The dancers were released from being one of many in the supportive context of a whole dance. They took to the stage on their own, in individual relation to the audience. We hope enjoyed these fragments, this archive-come- alive.
Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Janet Charleston, Emily Pope, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jake Szczypek, Timothy Ward, Christopher Williams. Set by Mimi Gross.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Caracole. Photo by Beatriz Schiller, 1995.
Evolving Collaborations: Mimi Gross + Douglas DunN
May 22, 2016
Presented by Cathy Weis Projects. Mimi Gross's Evolving Collaborations is a collection of drawings, designs, costumes and three-dimensional works developed over her nearly 40-year collaboration with choreographer Douglas Dunn. The presentation included a lecture, screening of video clips and live dancing which was followed by a discussion.
Image: Illustration, Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Collaborations, Art work by Mimi Gross, 1989.
TOur Review Party
May 16, 2016
Show & tell event of our travels to Perth, Australia and San Francisco; Sharing photos on the big screen, live music, some dances and talking about our experiences on the road.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers in Perth, Australia. Unknown photographer, 2016.
SARA DOES A SOLO - Sara Porter
March 4 & 5, 2016
After three decades as a dancer and a writer, Sara Porter stands at the collision of the two in Sara does a Solo, a fearless account of an aging body and a reflective mind. Part memoir, part stand-up comedy, part dance performance, Porter creates a world where intimacy and pathos, hilarity and beauty co-exist in the physical stories she tells about life as an artist and a parent. Prompted by a chance encounter with singer Mary Margaret O'Hara, Sara does a Solo is a bold and beautiful account of mid-life.
Image: Sara Porter. Photo by Tamara Romanchuk.
CANNING WORLD ARTS EXCHANGE - PERTH, AUSTRALIA 2016
February 6, 2016
Douglas Dunn + Dancers traveled to Australia to participate in the Canning World Arts Exchange, a one night, outdoor extravaganza with audience in the thousands. Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Timothy Ward, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Emily Pope and Paul Singh performed in conjunction and collaboration with Taikoz drummers from Sydney, Link Dancers from Perth, Canning’s own Community Choir, and the featured UNESCO Vietnamese Ede Gong Group. The costumes for DD+D are by andytoad.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers at the Canning World Arts Exchange. Photo by Matt Devlin, 2016.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers at the Canning World Arts Exchange. Photo by Matt Devlin, 2016.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers at the Canning World Arts Exchange. Photo by Matt Devlin, 2016.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers at the Canning World Arts Exchange. Photo by Matt Devlin, 2016.
DOUGLAS DUNN + Dancers in San Francisco
January 22 - 29, 2016
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers at 500 Capp Street, SF. Photos by Madison Voelkel, 2016.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers performed at 500 Capp Street, San Francisco Art Institute and PianoFight in San Francisco, CA in celebration of David Ireland's life and work. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Grazia Della-Terza, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Timothy Ward, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Emily Pope and Paul Singh.
DOUGLAS DUNN Curates Choreographers
December 4 & 5, 2015
Two evenings of dances by Jules Bakshi, Douglas Dunn, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin & Christopher Williams at Douglas Dunn Studio.
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers. Photo by Boyd Hagen, 2015.
Douglas Dunn + Dancers at Sundays on Broadway
October 25, 2015
Presented by Cathy Weis, Douglas Dunn + Dancers presented an evening of video, poetry, and dance at 537 Broadway. Featuring video by Glen Fogel, Jules Bakshi and Sandra Gibson, reading by Tom Haviv, live music by Steven Taylor, and dancing by Douglas Dunn, Jules Bakshi, Alexandra Berger, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Paul SIngh, Emily Pope, and Timothy Ward. The evening ended with Q&A and conversation.
DOUGLAS DUNN + DANCERS WITH CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS
June 26, 27, 28, 2015
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Ruins, 92Y. Photo by © Paula Court, 2015.
As part of an evening Spirits of The Air & Heroes presented by Christopher Williams Friday June 26th, 8pm, Saturday June 27th, 8pm, Sunday June 28th, 3pm at 92Y. Dancers: Douglas Dunn, Jules Bakshi, Tony Bordonaro, Alexandra Berger, Giulia Carotenuto, Peter Chamberlin, Grazia Della-Terza, Jessica Martineau, Emily Pope, Jake Szczypek, Paul Singh, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Timothy Ward, Mark Willis. Music by Steven Taylor. Musicians: Jessica Schmitz (flute), Alicia Lee (clarinet), Ha-Yang Kim (cello), Steven Taylor (guitar).
SALON NEPAL RELIEF
June 11, 2015
Image: Nepal. Unknown photographer.
Douglas Dunn + The Bakshi Family hosted Salon Nepal Relief to raise money for earthquake relief. Photos by Jules and Ken Bakshi. Performances by Subtle Details Dance Theater: Jules Bakshi, Emily Pope, Lulu Soni. Live projections by Avery McCarthy, Music by Elias Meister + Dancing by Douglas Dunn.
SALON INTERLACED DANCE JOURNEY
April 28, 2015
Image: Interlaced Dance Journey. Dancers: Wilfride Piollet & Jean Guizerix, Unknown photographer.
Micheline Lelièvre, Jean Guizerix & Douglas Dunn hosted screening of the documentary Interlaced Dance Journey. Wilfride Piollet & Jean Guizerix on Tuesday April 28th, 8pm 2015 at Douglas Dunn Studio, including dancing by Douglas Dunn Jules Bakshi Jin Ju Song-Begin.
DOUGLAS DUNN WITH SALLY SILVERS
March 22, 2015
Douglas appeared with Sally Silvers & Dancers on Sunday March 22nd at 92 Y as part of SIlvers' series: Actual Size Plus
DOUGLAS DUNN + DANCERS AIDOS AT BAM
February 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15, 2015
Images: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, Aidos, BAM. Dancers Top: Timothy Ward, Jules Bakshi. Dancers Bottom, Front to Back Left to Right: Jin Ju Song-Begin, Jessica Martinau, Alexandra Berger, Jake Szczypek, Jules Bakshi, Paul Singh. Photos by Robert M. Cooper.
Charles Atlas Releases New Book FeatURING Douglas Dunn
2015
Image: Front Cover of Charles Atlas, published in 2015 by Luhring Augustine, New York.
Image: Charles Atlas, published in 2015 by Luhring Augustine, New York, page 14.
TORONTO CHRONICLE 11/21
November 21, 2014
Image: Near Miss, Older & Reckless, Douglas Dunn and Steven Taylor. Unknown photographer, 2014.
Steven Taylor and I just spent ten days in Toronto. Three professional musicians and six experienced dancers appeared for our Saturday-Sunday workshop, Music & Dance: Friends or Enemies. We worked head-on, side-by-side, and back-to-back, playing as many dance-music juxtapositions and permutations as we could imagine. The rapport and the material were so enlivening that we fantasized taking the show on the road.
On Monday, at the invitation of Artistic Director Patricia Fraser, I lead a workshop at The School of Toronto Dance Theater. A record-for-me fifty-five students crowded the Studio Theater. Half had to sit no matter how free the moves. The congestion was in fact instructive: as viewers, each waiting group saw the kind of dance that results from setting mini-activities and allowing them to be executed in any order.
On Tuesday we had our tech. Steven sounded firm playing guitar and piano and coordinating with computer and multiple gizmos. Myself I was still figuring out how to arrange and how to time my planned bits, including a memorized monologue (“…asparagus grows out my head…”). To my dismay, despite the “age-justified” context, I felt a new vulnerability at the prospect of appearing solo, no accompanying youthful dancers to demonstrate vigor and virtuosity to offset my ramshackle anatomy.
On Wednesday at York University, at the invitation of Associate Professor Carol Anderson, I screened Secret of the Waterfall, the half-hour video-dance commissioned by Susan Dowling of WGBH Boston in 1983. What a pleasure! The direction, costumes and editing by Charles Atlas make mighty sprightly the steps I set on the company of that era: Susan Blankensop, Grazia Della-Terza, Diane Frank, John McLaughlin and Deborah Riley. Anne Waldman and Reed Bye weave in and out of the various scenes speaking lines they wrote during the eight days of shooting on Martha’s Vineyard. Despite being among young strangers, I teared up occasionally, falling headlong into the emotionally charged gap between here and now and these long-ago camera-caught moments of clarity, spirit and dedication. I recalled how numerous were the takes to arrive at perfected versions of each scene, how, despite our lack of experience dancing for film, we never flagged. Afterwards, with the students I talked about the process of adjusting to setting moves for the limited space of the camera as opposed to the breadth of a proscenium stage, where one needn’t be telling audience exactly where to look.
Later that day I lead a workshop with a different York group, making numerous small Open Structures, which they then performed as a Mix. A student asked afterwards do I construct dances in this way, inviting dancers’ choreographic choices. No, I answered…because I take pride in generating and organizing every aspect of what is to be seen…because it is unfair to dancers who may wish later to do their own work to have it already exposed in mine…because what interests me in art is original, risked, individual vision.
Thursday through Sunday Steven and I performed our latest iteration of Near Miss at Canadian Stage as part of the 15th anniversary season of Older & Reckless, the inspired format invented by Claudia Moore. Thrice yearly she provides a platform for past-prime dancers who have yet something to offer. Click here to see the diverse lineup: http://moonhorsedance.com/older_and_reckless_season_2014_2015.html
The warm generosity of these performers and their friends was wonderfully welcoming, as were the impeccable administrative attentions of Natasha Powell of Dance Umbrella. Steven and I felt valued and at home.
If dancing when youthful was flying free with wax-less wings…if dancing in middle age was pouncing cloud-to-cloud, landing ever so softly…then dancing at seventy-two is climbing The Eiger in a blinding snowstorm with frozen fingers and no rope. Stage fright I always found energizing. The trepidation surrounding and impinging on my five fifteen-minute exposures during this week was something new. Steven’s dynamite music and serious plus fun-loving presence buoyed. Whatever other resources came into play (“I’ve done this before, I can do it again,” and the like) were new and necessary. The semi-harrowing experience ignited an unexpected illumination: that without knowing it I have always held inwardly a qualitative threshold below which my company and I must not fall—because audience deserves at least that level, preferably above. Whether I made the grade is hard to know. We came through without disasters (I did not, for example, drop the shovel), and the responses were positive, so I take heart and will continue to plan to dance in Aidos, the new evening we are preparing for the BAM Fisher space, Brooklyn NY, February 11 – 15, 2015
JUDSON FRAGMENTS
October 28, 2014
Image: Judson Fragments, 16mm film by Elaine Summers, 1970.
On Tuesday October 28th, 2014 we presented a rare screening of Summers' film Judson Fragments, containing some of the only footage of Judson Dance Theater performances by Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton and Deborah Hay, and vignettes of Fred Herko shot specially by Summers for Fantastic Gardens.
The screening was part of a weeklong program of events to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Herko's death. For details of the full program, visit:www.freddieherko.com.
The film was followed by a Q&A session with Elaine Summers.
On three consecutive nights in February 1964, Judson Dance Theater choreographer Elaine Summers presented a cornucopia of dance, music, sculpture, film, slide projections and audience participation.
Fantastic Gardens featured music by John Herbert McDowell and Malcolm Goldstein, sculptures by Al Hansen, photographs by Billy Linich (Billy Name) and Stan VanDerBeek and costumes by Johanna VanDerBeek.
The dancers included Judson Dance Theater regulars Carla Blank, June Ekman, Sally Gross, Elizabeth Munro, Sandra Neels, Rudy Perez and Arlene Rothlein, as well as composer Philip Corner, poet Kenward Elmslie, artist Al Hansen, and Summers' husband Carol and infant son Kyle. Fred Herko, Christine Meyers and Sally Stackhouse played "Creatures," their naked bodies gradually accumulating multicolored layers of paint as they traversed the space.
Summers describes the event as follows:
The concert was presented in three parts with two intermissions. The first section consisted of a film collage of dances, using chance methods inspired by John Cage. In the second section [...] film images were splashed over the ceiling, floor, walls and audience, who were given small hand mirrors with which to pick up additional images. As the projected images, partially aided by mirrors placed near the projector lens, splashed very slowly over the audience, dancers began to dance inside large sculptural pieces which were placed within and outside the perimeters of the audience. The audience was then invited to participate in the dance by using their mirrors to light the dancers.
In the third section, "Other People's Gardens," one of the sculptures, a large metallic "tree" built of junk, became the instrument played by composer Malcolm Goldstein. [...] Fantastic Gardens was made with the rather bitter acknowledgement that you can't see in the back of your head. You were not meant to see everything. You were meant to deal with that question: "Where shall I look?" If you came back another night, you would see a whole different thing.
In his review in The Village Voice, Jonas Mekas described the work as, "a huge ballet-happening, often involving the entire audience and using the entire presence of the church itself, its walls, its columns, balconies, ceiling. Mirrors were distributed which the audience used to catch the beams of light crisscrossing the church. When one looked at the audience, it seemed to be dancing too, going through a variety of fluttering, floating movements, hands moving in the air as if they were chasing and following the light beams, in a strange ritual of light."
BOOK LAUNCH FOR JIM KLOSTY'S JOHN CAGE WAS
October 18, 2014
Image: John Cage at the Piano. Photo by James Klosky.
On Saturday October 18 from 5:30 – 8 PM at the Douglas Dunn Studio we held a book launch celebration of James Klosty’s John Cage Was "Intimate portraits and remembrances of one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century."
The event featured live music by Cleek Shrey & Friends, and dancing by Jules Bakshi, Jin Ju Song Begin, Yara Travieso.
LE MOUVEMENT: BIEL SWITZERLAND
September 8, 2014
Company members Jules Bakshi, Ji Ju Song-Begin, Paul Singh, and I have just returned from Biel, Switzerland where we were part of Le Mouvement: Performing the City.
Invited local dancers worked with us for three days to fill out the cast for Vain Combat, the street dance DD&D has been showing anonymously off and on on the streets of NYC over the last four years. We then danced the piece three times a day for four days running.
This link will give you an idea of the breadth and goals of the festival. The curatorial emphasis was on conceptual work, the human body occupying public space in ways that articulate city densities and bring into focus the many often contradictory layers of urban consciousness. Vain Combat, with its energetic display of moves, tempos, rhythms and spatial configurations, came off as dancier and less idea-driven than other offerings.
Instead of the hit-and-run anonymity of the piece in NYC, in Biel we found ourselves one of many well-advertised performances daily taking over the heart of the not big city. Audience responses ran the usual gamut for street work, from total indifference to awed attention, with everything in between. Of course there were dogs, of course there were children (some beautiful young imitators, some obnoxiously derisive adolescents), and of course there were older folks wavering between annoyance at our being in their way and curiosity at the unexpected appearance in their familiar surround of a large coherent group of highly stylized human bodies. Noticeably different from NYC was deference on the part of those not caring to engage: they would walk well out of their way in order to avoid interrupting viewers, not to mention the performers. On the last day, Sunday, the stores were closed, the pedestrian traffic at a minimum, the viewers nearly all intentional festival spectators...the hush during quiet moments of the piece was magical.
Best Fall Wishes
Douglas
THe NEW School
March 19, 2013
Image: Douglas Dunn + Dancers, performance/demo at The New School,. Dancer: Jin Ju Song-Begin. Unknown photographer, 2013.