DanceAction Garden Series is a performance event that combines artists from diverse disciplines (Dance, Music, Theater, & more!) to showcase short works rooted in improvisation and spontaneous composition practices. This event will showcase short performance pieces on Friday evenings in June, July, August, and September at its new garden performance venue in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Artist Carmen Caceres and her husband open their home for an evening of improvisation, performing arts, and summer celebration!

Friday, August 2*, 2024 at 8 pm

Doors open at 7:30 pm

BYOD or ACCESS THE BAR BY MAKING A DONATION!

Tickets: General Admission $20 | Student/Artist $10 | Pay what you wish Donation Option

Purchase your Tickets HERE. 

You may also reserve your seat via email at danceactionnyc@gmail.com &

purchase tickets at the door.

ONLY 25 SEATS ARE AVAILABLE!

*Dates are subject to change for inclement weather.

**The address will be disclosed after making a reservation.

Artists Lineup

Allen Fogelsanger, Louisa Miller, & Salma Kiuhan (Music & Dance)

Ankita Khanna (Dance)

Claudia Logi (Dance)

Emilio Teubal & Carmen Caceres DanceAction (Music & Dance)

Jenna Hanlon (Dance)

Jessica Marchand (Dance)

Madeline Wilcox (Dance)

Sergio Reyes (Music)

 

About the Artists

Dancers Salma Kiuhan, Louisa Miller, and musician Allen Fogelsanger formed the collective Fai come vai in 2023 to employ improvisation to collaboratively compose movement/sound pieces in real-time.

Allen makes music for dances, videos, and installations, teaches courses on dance and music, and accompanies dance classes. His work has been presented at the Cloud Dance Festival (London), il Corpo nel Suono (Rome), the global telematic festival Earth Day Art Model, and elsewhere. He teaches in the NYU Tisch Dance Department.

Louisa graduated summa cum laude from NYU with a BFA in Dance and a BA in psychology. She also trained in Israel at the Kibbutz Contemporary Company. Louisa has performed works by Rami Be’er, Mats Ek, Trisha Brown, Sidra Bell, and Andrea Miller. Her work has been presented in Ga’aton, Israel, and in New York City.

Salma studied dance performance and philosophy at NYU as a Tisch Dean’s Scholar. She’s performed works by George Balanchine, Trisha Brown, Andrea Miller, Paul Taylor, and others. Her work has been included in the Museum of Wild Newfangled Art, presented on Governors Island, and commissioned by The West Harlem Art Fund.

“By generating a sort of hive-mind consciousness, our practice allows for the emergence of a group dynamic that converses within itself and supersedes individual expression. What is developed as a group exists as an independent entity, distinct and more dynamic than the sum of its parts.”

Ankita Khanna began her Bharatnatyam journey at the age of 3 under Smt. Revathi Srinivasraghavan in Mumbai, continuing with Guru Sahasra Sambamoorthi in New York City. Guided by the iconic Shiamak Davar, she captained a Bollywood-style Broadway musical in Dubai, showcasing her global talent in 2016. With 27 years of dancing, teaching, and performing experience, Ankita loves to incorporate science into dance, ensuring the safety of dancers as they better understand their bodies. She holds certifications as a personal fitness trainer from the American College of Sports Medicine and is also a certified yoga instructor. Her journey epitomizes empowering dedication to the art of dance.

“My dynamic and unpredictable approach highlights the raw, unfiltered nature of improvisational dance and emphasizes the profound connection between the dancer, music, and audience input. Each performance becomes a unique journey, celebrating the beauty of in-the-moment creation and the vibrant energy of spontaneous composition. This project aims to blur the boundaries between performer and audience, making each show a collaborative artistic endeavor that is both immediate and deeply resonant.”

 

Carmen Caceres is a dance artist originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her works have been presented in renowned venues in New York and abroad. DanceAction, her company, serves as a creative platform to produce performing arts works in collaboration with musicians, dramaturges, and visual artists. She worked with artists such as Lisa Parra, Sarah Berges, and Elia Mrak as a performer and collaborator. Carmen received a BA in Dance and Education at SUNY Empire and deepened her studies in dance at the former Merce Cunningham Studio. In her native city, she graduated from the National School of Dance and studied Dance Composition at UNA. Carmen also works as a dance educator and consultant in different organizations in New York City. https://www.carmencaceres.com/carmen-caceres

“Our bodies are pathways of energy in time and space. Our architectural design is unique and full of asymmetries, but we build our world in straight, symmetrical shapes. How do we fit in? Pathways & Architecture explores this dichotomy, navigating the energy traveling through the body in movement with designs created in space.”

Emilio Teubal is a pianist/composer/arranger from Argentina based in New York. He has recorded over twenty albums as a sideman and composer/bandleader, including the 2018 Latin Grammy Winner album "Vigor Tanguero" by the Pedro Giraudo Group. Emilio identifies his artistry and creative search to the music of Latin America and the permanent elasticity of its stylistic limits. Prior to “Tides,” he released albums “Memorias de Otro Tiempo” (2018), “Música Para Un Dragon Dormido” (2013), "La Balteuband" (2006), and "Un Monton de Notas" (2009). Emilio has performed in some of the most prestigious venues in the United States, such as The Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Blue Note, and Joe's Pub. He has been touring Japan regularly since 2018, performing in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, and other cities. He has also been an essential member of multiple ensembles, such as the Pedro Giraudo Quartet, Pablo Lanouguere Quintet, Sergio Reyes's Romancero Latinoamericano, Erik Friedlander, and Satoshi Takeishi. Emilio is a recipient of the 2007 Meet The Composer's Van Lier Fellowship and has been commissioned to write music for Saint Peter's Church, Dan Lippel, and the Adam Tully Tango trio.

Claudia Logi is a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor based in New York City. Originally from Paris, France, she moved to New York to attend The Ailey School, where she graduated with a Certificate in Dance in Spring 2024. Claudia concentrates on both performing and choreographing dance pieces. Her choreographic style is primarily rooted in contemporary dance, enriched by influences from codified modern techniques and ballet. She focuses on creating collaborative works with artists from various disciplines and is dedicated to showcasing her pieces in unconventional spaces and venues.

"Room with a View" delves into the nuanced dimensions of the creative process and the essence of art itself. Logi explores the notion that every work of art is a culmination of the artist's experiences, serving as a window into their subconscious. The dance piece seeks to unravel the intricate relationship between the artist and their creations, navigating the paradox of encapsulating the artist's past influences and present identity within the constraints of a singular artistic expression.”

 

A native of Rochester, NY, Jenna Hanlon currently resides in New York City. She balances three careers as a Modern/Contemporary Artist, Theater Technician, and Postural Alignment Therapist with The Egoscue Method. Jenna draws inspiration from her acts of daily living, grounding down like earth, rising with the tides, and free-falling with the wind. With early roots as a competitive gymnast, Jenna is now an active yogi + instructor, movement artist, adrenaline junkie and heavy meditator + educator. She has closely collaborated with Alexandra Beller and is the Production Manager and Stage Manager for ‘Is It Thursday Yet?’ co-choreographed and created by Jenn Freeman and Sonya Tayeh, with direction by Sonya Tayeh.

“‘Shadow realm' revealed itself during the pandemic. A time where the depth of reflection was cavernous with tumultuous healing. The work offers refuge from the world and indulgence within the mind.”

 

Jessica Marchand was born and raised in metro Vancouver, Canada. She moved to NYC to study at the Peridance Center in their two-year Certificate program. Jessica is freelancing around NYC, performing with multiple project-based companies, including Project TAG, and The "Unnamed Company," and most recently collaborated with artist Bruno Catalano for his gallery debut on Madison Avenue. She has performed works by Nicole Von Arx, Gregory Dolbashian, and Igal Perry, among others. Jessica’s work has been performed in various festivals across NYC. Her work revolves around a central theme influenced by her curiosity pertaining to the human experience, including aging, childhood, and woman/motherhood.

“Abuelita is inspired by Jessica’s abuela, who suffers from Alzheimer’s Dementia, what her daily life looks like, and exploring what it feels like to live in her head. She is an immigrant who does not remember immigrating, a mother who cannot recognize her daughters, and a sister living through childhood. Jessica built the piece using improvisational tasks inspired by her abuela and her common mannerisms.”

 

Madeline Wilcox is a dance and performance artist, social worker, and cat Mom currently living and making work on Lenapehoking land. Madeline uses intuition, ritual, and writing to explore her relationship to the energetic shifts in space and her own interiority. Using improvisational structures, Madeline is currently working with text, singing, and movement on a work in progress concerned with loss of identity, notions of femininity, and the layers of grief.

“In this work, I seek to challenge the notion of gender and identity assumptions. I utilize voice as well and experiment with pop music and how the meanings of pop music influence my relationship with my body - accepting some parts within my body and rejecting other parts.”

 

About DanceAction

DanceAction is a contemporary dance company based in New York, led by Argentinian dance artist and educator Carmen Caceres. With a culturally diverse team of artists, we create educational opportunities and artistic experiences that foster collaboration and inclusion and promote critical thinking. Together, we develop performing arts works that reflect social realities that concern people, relationships, and social justice. Our primary purpose is to interpret these issues and use our works to propel change. DA participated in numerous festivals and performance series in New York and abroad, including Take Root at Green Space, Under Exposed at Dixon Place, Women Center Stage Festival at Teatro SEA, Festival FIDCDMX in Mexico City, and Ticino in Danza in Switzerland. DA has self-produced and presented several full-length works, such as BLINDSPOT at the Mark Morris Dance Center and Game Night at the Center for Performance Research. DA's awards include the City Artist Corps and LMCC Creative Engagement Grants. Most recently, DA developed and presented their latest work, Welcome to Imagi*Nation, as a Resident Artist at the Center at West Park.