With Can We Dance Here?, the three storytellers explore the concept of permission and trust as they journey towards their individual and collective freedoms. An enticing evening of rhythmic exchange including live music (by prominent NYC live artists) and rooted improvisation, this trio brings the audience on a journey to the revelation of pure freedom as three strong women taking the floor…and making NOISE.

This Dixon Place commission is made possible, in part, with private funds from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Jerome Robbins Foundation and Harkness Foundation for Dance, and public funds from NY State Council on the Arts w/the support of Gov Andrew Cuomo & the NY State Legislature.

Arielle Rosales is a Bessie Award nominated Social Engagement Performing Artist and Interdisciplinary Flamenco Dancer. From dance to comedy to playwriting to percussion, this proud Native New Yorker’s performative approach is as eclectic and grounded as her upbringing. Credits include commercials for Nokia, Target, & MTV; episodes of “The Today Show” (NBC), “Good Morning America” (ABC), & “Fatal Encounters” (Investigation Discovery); and the feature film True to the Heart (Winner of the 2011 LIIFE Award for “Best Supporting Actress”). Her choreography has been featured in The Latin Quarter Show (REVEL Casino & Resort, Atlantic City), Man of La Mancha (Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington DC), and the 2012 Logo Premier of Telemundo. In 2016, she founded House of Duende — www.houseofduende.com — birthing her signature #UnleashYourDuende creative movement workshop, which has been commissioned by Movement Research, Gibney Dance, and BRIC Arts Media. Rosales is the Fall ’18 Curator for Movement Research’s Artist of Color Council and is a 2018 Dixon Place Artist in Residence with the #ladiesinpercussion trio @SolesOfDuende, culminating in their world premiere production of “CAN WE DANCE HERE?” Follow her at @ariellerosales!

Amanda Castro, a multidisciplinary artist with her storytelling rooted in rhythm and soul of tap, is a choreographer, judge, and teacher nationally and internationally including performances in London, Germany, and South Africa. Recently playing a “flinty” Anita in an “atomic” performance of West Side Story at the Glimmerglass Festival (NYT), Amanda is a graduate from the California Institute of the Arts where she studied under Glen Eddy of Nederlands Dans Theatre and Andre Tyson from Ailey Company. She was a principal dancer of Urban Bush Women for four years with a closing performance at the Kennedy Center, won 2016’s Run The Night competition at Highline Ballroom and placed 2nd in 2017 with the collaborative trio Soles of Duende. She has worked along side Julio Monge, Jared Grimes, Ayodele Casel, Jason Bernard, Andrew Nemr, and Nick Kenkel, danced at Radio City Music Hall, and was featured in New York Fashion Week. Choreography credits include American Dance Awards, select UBW repertoire, and multiple works for Northeast competition studios. Follow her at @acastrodance!

Brinda Guha has been learning North Indian Classical Kathak dance for over 20 years under the tutelage of her mother, Smt. Malabika Guha. She also studied classical Manipuri dance with Kalavati Devi in Kolkata, India; Flamenco with Dionisia Garcia in NYC; and Contemporary dance under renowned choreographers at Broadway Dance Center. Performing professionally for over a decade, artistic and teaching collaborations include work with Malabika Guha, Phil Orsano, Justin Conte, Derek Mitchell, Neil Schwartz, Ashlé Dawson, Kumari Suraj, Lauren Cox, Carlos Neto, Omari Mizrahi, Myriam Gadri and Subhasis Das. Brinda began choreographing when she attended college at NYU and has choreographed pieces presented at Brooklyn Dance Festival, NYCDA Dance Festival, Young Choreographer’s Festival, Gowanus Arts Center, Secret Theater, Dixon Place, Grounds for Sculpture, George St. Playhouse, The Knockdown Center, Hammerstein Ballroom, Madison Square Garden, and many more. Follow her at @brindaguha!

Soles of Duende Bio, birthed in East Harlem, the women of Soles arrived with a single, transparent question: how do they find truth, connection, and storytelling through the rhythms of their respective cultures? Based in the rhythms of Tap (Amanda Castro), Flamenco (Arielle Rosales) and Kathak (Brinda Guha), their mission created the fire that is Soles of Duende. They devote their work together to yield nothing but joy and music, and to bring clarity to how they connect given their beautiful differences.