for an interview-based dance theater piece about real lives of Muslim Americans

A Ping Chong + Company workshop production
Developed and directed by Jesca Prudencio

Ping Chong + Company, an internationally recognized performance company known for bringing unheard voices to the stage, including Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity, will explore the experiences of Muslim Americans through storytelling, movement, and dance. Led by NYC based director and company member Jesca Prudencio, the Identity Dance Project (working title) will use interviews with the performers as the basis of the script and movement generated during the collaborative creation process. We are seeking actors and dancers who currently identify as Muslim American, or who were raised with personal connections to Islam, and are willing and excited to share their experiences around their identity.

Rehearsals, tech, and performances will take place for four weeks between May 14th and June 30 in New York City. Observance of Ramadan will be accommodated. This is a paid opportunity.

To submit:
Send your headshot, resume, and brief statement of interest (200-400 words) to jesca@pingchong.org. Rolling auditions and callbacks will be set up on an individual basis until April 27.

This project is supported through a grant from Engaging Dance Audiences: A Program of Dance/USA.

ABOUT UNDESIRABLE ELEMENTS

Undesirable Elements is an ongoing series of community-specific interview-based theater works examining issues of culture and identity of individuals who are outsiders within their mainstream community. It's not a traditional play or documentary-theater project performed by actors. Instead, Undesirable Elements is presented as a chamber piece of story-telling; a “seated opera for the spoken word” that exists as an open framework that can be tailored to suit the needs and issues facing any community.The script is performed by the interviewees themselves, many of whom have never before spoken publicly. Since 1992, there have been over 40 productions in the series. Learn more here.