Elaine Gardner, 2013-2014

Supplemental Canalside Planning/Dance Intensive/Elmwood Arts Festival

Year: 2013-2014
DanceForce Member: Elaine Gardner
Artists: Katie Dorn, Matt Pardo, Aaron Piepszny, Ashley Vita-Verde
Community Partners: Elmwood Festival of the Arts, Friends of the Buffalo Story, Nichols School
Audience: 900
County: Erie

Katie Dorn and Matt Pardo from Lucinda Childs Dance Company will be in Buffalo from June 10-13 to begin the planning and initial movement creation of a site specific work to be performed 4 times in August as part of the August Canalside series. This planning time will be used to visit the 19th-century historical site “The Ruins”and the Buffalo Maritime Museum. The dance artists will work on movement and theatrical motifs to be incorporated in the August performances and will structure the August Dance Intensive. Dorn and Pardo will meet with Artistic Director Elaine Gardner, composer Jonathan Golove, and other collaborators from Friends of the Buffalo Story as well as visit the Buffalo Maritime Museum. The artists will be exploring the idea that historical boats will be part of this site specific work. The Maritime Museum’s involvement in contemporary dance is a new partnership.

When Dorn and Pardo return to Buffalo in August, they will collaborate with local professional and student dancers on the Canalside performance. Piepsny and Vita-Verde will also be part of this second phase in Buffalo and will be key collaborators in the on-site performance. Student dancers and other professionals from Buffalo Contact Improvisation Group are also invited to participate in the creation of the work and to take part in the dance iintensive. Select artists will be featured at the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts. Rehearsals will be from August 5-17.
Pardo, Dorn, Piepszny, and Vita-Verde will teach a week intensive open to the public from August 17-24. The workshop will feature contemporary dance technique classes, contact improvisation class, and contemporary ballet sessions. This is a new collaboration between local dance artists, NYC dancers, and students from the community.

Dorn and Pardo both hail from Buffalo and are excited to come back to create new work, collaborate with local dancers, and to teach at a dance intensive. Piepsny and Vita-Verde are excited to share their circus movement and contact improvisational techniques with with more classically trained dancers.