IMPROVISATIONAL DANCE PERFORMANCE (Graffito): From playful to meditative, Graffito Works movers capture the spirit at Shofuso Japanese House & Garden

It was a blistering hot day in Philadelphia as the newly formed Graffito Works dance had its launch at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in…

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Mary Tuomanen and Aimé Donna Kelly in WE ARE BANDITS. Image courtesy of Applied Mechanics.

WE ARE BANDITS (Applied Mechanics): People like us don’t meet

With WE ARE BANDITS, director Rebecca Wright and Applied Mechanics are working against a brutal opponent: American cynicism.

They’ve turned the third-floor space of Asian Arts Initiative into what looks like a sprawling, minimalist installation piece. Tables, chairs, and little else delineate various spaces throughout the basketball-court-sized venue, including a city square, the apartments of various characters, a rooftop, and a church.

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untitled commission by Kevin Meehan.

SOLOW FLASH INTERVIEWS 2014, EPISODE SEVEN: KEVIN MEEHAN, AMELIA CHARTER & ELIZABETH WHITNEY

SoLow is about play.

There are some plays in it.

There are some . . . things . . . in it which are not plays.

But, SoLow is about reducing the boring stuff—the stages and lobbies and tickets and grants and endless marketing strategies—which stands between the artist and the audience, so that everyone can play.

To give you a clearer picture of what’s being played around with, freelance writer/performer Julius Ferraro conducts a series of flash interviews of our artists.

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Photo credit Kate Raines.

COMMUNITAS (Almanac): The Contortionist and the Dancer

The action in COMMUNITAS could be best described as four people taking turns carrying one another around a space, then falling off, then swapping who carries whom. In a way, it is structured around a continual exploration of ways to make two or more people into one. Balance is challenged not by standing on a tight rope, but by joining two bodies at a single point and leaning precipitously apart; disassemble and repeat as necessary.

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Ben Grinberg rehearsing COMMUNITAS at Penn Treaty Park. Photo credit Justin Rose

Communitas Organizer: Interview with Ben Grinberg about his dance circus theater

Together with collaborator Nick Gillette, Ben Grinberg founded Almanac Dance Circus Theatre to offer production of his unique brand of acrobatic theater. Almanac’s inaugural show, Communitas, launches this May 22-24 at Christ Church Neighborhood House. Phindie asked Ben a few questions about the show and his new company.

View More Communitas Organizer: Interview with Ben Grinberg about his dance circus theater