Year: 2024-2025
DanceForce Member: Jim Self
Artists: Amy Cohen, Jim Self
Community Partners: Circus Culture; Cherry Arts Space; Hupstate Circus Festival
Audience: 810
County: Tompkins

‘CROSSOVERS’ is a two part project celebrating fusions of performance genres, and the notion of moving through different ‘realms of being’ in physical reality and beyond.

‘Part One’ focuses on the blending of circus, burlesque, modern, classical, post-modern, and acrobatic dance forms. For the past three years, Ithaca’s HUPSTATE Circus Festival has been presenting dynamic and provocative movement artists from many backgrounds and training traditions. Breaking through conventional rules of genre, the 2023 HUPSTATE Festival presented 34 events in 16 venues over 4 days. Labor Day Weekend 2024 is a continuation of that tradition. The headline company, ‘People Watching,’ is an acrobatic dance collective consisting of 7 international multidisciplinary artists. They will be performing the widely celebrated surrealistic work, “PLAYDEAD.” Performances are on August 30 and 31, 2024, and 3 workshops for movement artists will be offered (times tbd) . HUPSTATE Festival also supports Ithaca’s own exciting emerging movement artists in multiple venues. Fire Dancer and Ritualist, Billie Alexandria will again present their mesmerizing and deeply moving work during the festival (additional Ithaca artists and times -tbd). All works are of the highest quality, and the artists share an unwavering commitment to full physical engagement. The interactions between the visiting and local artists, and the access to the general public will be an enormous gift to audiences and participants alike.

‘Part Two’ features a more esoteric aspect in the theme of Crossovers, i.e. exploring human states of being such as consciousness in one’s own body, consciousness in other bodies, and speculations on the nature of ‘crossing over’ or afterlife consciousness. June Dance 2025 will celebrate the 5th year at Ithaca’s Cherry ArtsSpace. Choreographers and artists of different genres who have participated in the past 4 years will present up to four performances during the week of June 9-15th, 2025. The pool of artists to be invited include Kathy Lucas, Amy Obrien, Amiee Rials, Rik Daniels, Mandy Caughey, and others. The exact lineup will be finalized by October of 2024, and performance days will be determined at that point. Works will include a wide range of ages and demographics. June Dance 2024 had great success with participants from all age decades (20’s though 70’s), and 2025 will continue building on themes of representing dancers at all stages of their careers.

CROSSOVERS, Parts One and Two, continues an active strategy of celebrating and supporting Tompkins County artists, while hosting guests artists of exceptional quality. All events will bring in an estimated audience of 810 people.