For the third biennial year the Company is presenting and adjudicating five new choreographers, carefully selected from applicants around the country. The showcase will be held October 4 and 5 at the Velocity Founders Theatre on Capitol Hill in Seattle. This year features a range of styles, experience, and background, and will again bring two professional panels to the table who will give feedback to the choreographers following the performance of the new pieces. Audiences will also be providing live observations by way of feedback cards. In this process, the goal is to start a conversation about the art and science of what it takes to make a successful dance piece and to continue to explore the uniqueness of setting pieces on male-identifying dance artists! Tickets will go on sale September 1st. For more info, or to help to support the MEN IN DANCE mission, please visit our website at menindance.org.
This year all five Choreographers have strong ties to Seattle and are making it their home base at least part of the time home base. They and their pieces are:
Daniel Ojeda who works both in Seattle and Boise, ID where he performs and choreographs for Ballet Idaho. He has also recently created works for The Treefort Music Festival, and ARC Dance in Seattle. Daniel will be creating a small group piece, dealing with toxic masculinity, and its role in contributing to bullying.
Beth Terwilleger who has had pieces produced in London, NYC, and at 12 Minutes Max and The Converge Dance Festival in Seattle. Beth was also the Creative Director of The Califa Arts Collaborative in Austin, TX. She is creating a quartet, playing with the differences and similarities, of the energy of men and boys in our society.
Elise Meiners Schwicht who has worked with the SALT II Contemporary Company, and has also created work for the Converge Dance Festival. Elise has also performed roles for the Utah Valley Civic Ballet Company. She is exploring how a single man is affected and changed by a group of men who surround him and are interacting with him.
Nahshon Marden (they/them) who recently appeared with The Sensible Theatre Company in Seattle, and participated in the GSBA’s Equalux Fundraiser. They have also appeared with the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, and California’s Bare Outlines. Nahshon is creating a duet for the Showcase dealing with the themes of what it is to be a male witness of the victim/enabler/perpetrator in our society.
Joel Hathaway, a freelance artist, who has served as a Company Performer and Resident Choreographer for the Missouri Contemporary Ballet company. Joel also danced with the Milwaukee Ballet II Compan and is creating a group piece about finding the courage to "make a change" in one’s life.
The MEN IN DANCE Board of Producers look forward to bringing these pieces to the Velocity Space and to helping these artists strengthen their choreographic works while educating the audience in the creative process and getting the community engaged in conversation around choreography
Please contact Kince de Vera at kince@verumcreative.com or reach MEN IN DANCE by emailing menindancesea@gmail.com.