WHAT ARE YOU?

By Nicolette Emanuelle, Tia Davis, Lexi McKay, Meredith Gordon, Jaylynn Amya Haygood, Arthur McDaniel and an ensemble of national artists, advocates, and storytellers.  

On Demand Throughout the festival!

What are You? is an unflinching exploration of what it means to be mixed-race in America. The project’s lead creator and performer Nicolette Emanuelle, raised with roots in the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina, was often confronted with this relentless question. As she started to interview other mixed-race individuals, Nicolette discovered striking and moving commonalities. Developed as part of our Home Brew @ Home Series, this original, perspective-shifting film combines movement, original music, and a multitude of personal testimonies to highlight the beauty and expose the struggles of multi-racial people while honoring their resilience.  

BONUS ALERT  – The artists are excited to offer one-on-one conversations about race as a part of the in person installation piece for our COMPLIMENTARY Saturday Service Days – June 19 & 26 from 1-4pm! Join us in person to share a story, hear a story, or converse on topics about race, ethnicity and what it means to be multiracial in America.

Welcome to Imagi*Nation

7:00 PM ET

“Welcome to Imagi*Nation” is a multimedia immersive performance inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s film “Modern Times.” While the audience participates in a virtual reality interactive experience, the performers will enter into a mass production competition that will result in multiple challenges. As performers are searching for conflict resolution, the audience will experience the motivations and consequences of migration.

Credits:
Director: Carmen Caceres
Choreography: Carmen Caceres (In collaboration with the performers)
Co-Director & Dramaturge: Lauren Hlubny
Producer: DanceAction
Performers: Aviya Hernstadt, Lauren Hlubny, Mallory Markham, Mar Orozco Arango, Sofia Baeta & Sofia Bengoa
Video: Daniel Hess
Lighting Designer: Stoli Stolnack
Visual Arts Consultant: Maria Nissan
Costumes: Carmen Caceres in collaboration with the performers

Originally created as a part of a residency with the Center at West Park in NYC April 2021.

Music Credits:
“Imagination” by Labrinth
“Omeprazol” by Frikstailers
“Sneaky Snitch” by Kevin LacLeod
“Un simple objeto,” “Un monton de notas,” & “Milonga para terminar” by Emilio Teubal
“The good, the bad and the ugly” by Ennio Morricone
“Puto” by Molotov
“El Matador” by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

CARMEN CACERES is a dance artist, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received a BA in Dance and Education at SUNY Empire State College and deepened her studies in dance, performance, and choreography at the former Merce Cunningham Studio in New York. In her native city, she graduated from the National School of Dance and has studied Dance Composition at the National University of the Arts UNA.

She has been creating and presenting dance works in Argentina and NY since 2009. In 2012 she founded DanceAction (DA), a creative platform comprised of artists from multiple disciplines, to produce performing artworks in collaboration and provide educational opportunities. DA participated in numerous festivals and performance series in New York, such as Performance Studio Open House (PSOH) at Center for Performance Research, Take Root at Green Space Studio, Open Performance for Movement Research, Under Exposed at Dixon Place, and SharedSpace at the Mark Morris Dance Center. DA has also been invited to international dance festivals in different cities. The First International Contemporary Dance Festival of Mexico City (FIDCDMX), the International Contemporary Dance Festival and Campus “Ticino in Danza” in Ticino, Switzerland, and “Women Center Stage Festival” in New York are some of them. DA’s latest project, BLINDSPOT, was sponsored, in part, by the Brooklyn Arts Fund community grant, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC). Most recently, DA has received the Dance/NYC Emergency COVID-19 Grant.

As a performer and collaborator, Carmen has worked with artists Ines Armas, Katie Rose McLaughlin, Isabel Lewis, Jillian Peña, Lisa Parra, Elia Mrak, Jody Oberfelder, and Sarah Berges among others. Carmen also works as a dance educator and program director for different art education programs in New York City, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. www.carmencaceres.com.

LAUREN HLUBNY is the NYC Artistic Director of Franco-American company Danse Theatre Surreality (DanseTheatreSurreality.org). Hlubny’s work centers image-as-metaphor, physicality, social justice, and interdisciplinary communication, and her research focuses on the intersection of movement and storytelling. Hlubny has been invited to share works in France, Italy, Seattle, San Francisco, Birmingham, Knoxville, New Orleans, Portland, and in museums nationwide, including the Dali Museum. Hlubny studies Martial Arts and Anthropology in New York City, where she works as a director who originates works at venues such as Joe’s Pub, Triskelion, The Kraine, Shetler Studios, TADA! Youth Theater, Mark Morris, and La MaMa. Fascinated by multifaceted productions, combat, and consent, Hlubny also enjoys working as a dramaturg and acting coach for choreographers, and as a choreographer for theatre and opera. Hlubny will be an artist-in-residence for her piece īs, a dance-concerto this August at the Shed Seattle, and serves as co-director/dramaturg for Dance Action’s latest work Welcome to Imagi•nation directed and choreographed by Carmen Caceres.

The Isolationists

8:00 PM ET

Produced by New Network & Directed by Maja Mitic – Virtual Performance

When the pandemic started, elders over 60 in Serbia were prohibited from going out (except during severely limited hours) for two months. “The Isolationists” was an initiative to empower 60+ women to share their experiences of intense isolation and acknowledge the importance of human connections in times of crisis. The film of this unique performance amidst the beautiful ruins that adorn the natural landscape of the community celebrates the power of sharing – whether it is deep sorrow, infectious joy, or hard-earned wisdom – that transcends age and geography.

The Fires of Rage

9:00 PM ET

by Ember Webb – Live Outdoor Fire Performance

Poetry and fire play blend together to create an intimate experience exploring the power and necessity of rage. The Fires of Rage holds out a light for those who are too often pushed into the shadows of our world. 

Ember Webb is a queer poet and fire performer, born and raised in Georgia. Their work focuses on themes of social justice, mental health, and healing from trauma and abuse. Their work can take listeners into the deep and dark corners of the human experience, but they always make sure to bring a spark of fire to help light the way home.

The Valkyrie

9:15 PM ET

by The Valkyrie – Live Outdoor Concert Performance

“We are The Valkyrie, a musical performance group featuring corpse Vikings in drag. We play loud rock and roll, but in our skirts and armor, we invert the machismo typical of the genre. We are driven by the community of artists that we are lucky to be a part of — by the process of creating with each other and pushing each other forward. Also, we just like to rock.” – Rob Thompson of The Valkyrie