Emerging Artist Showcase January 5, 2011

Gotham Arts Exchange presents the Emerging Artist Showcase, a shared evening of dance works by emerging choreographers John-Mark Owen, Jessica Gaynor and Adam Barruch (with guest performer Margie Gillis) on Wednesday, January 5 and Thursday, January 6 at 7:30pm at Dance Theater Workshop, 219 West 19th Street, NYC. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.dtw.org or by phone at (212) 924-0077.

Adam Barruch Dance will present three pieces. "The Worst Pies in London" (2008), a fast-paced solo performed by Adam Barruch, is set to Angela Lansbury’s opening number in Stephen Sondheim’s musical thriller "Sweeney Todd", "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street". Performed with just a table, the work relies purely on movement and gesture to convey the story and accentuate the brilliant dynamics of the score.  International solo-artist Margie Gillis will perform "Chalice" (2010), set to the Bach aria “Erbarme Dich” from The St. Matthew Passion. The work portrays a woman drinking of her own tears in a desperate attempt to transcend her sorrow.  Costume Design by Margie Gills, Set Design by Adam Barruch. "Wane", a World Premiere, is a highly physical piece for seven dancers set to a pulsing electronic score by Loscil. "Wane" is performed by Adam Barruch, Hollis Bartlett, Chelsea Bonosky, Matthew Branham, Brooke Broussard, Frances Chiaverini and Delphina Parenti with Costume Design by Jesse Dunham.

Jessica Gaynor Dance presents excerpts of three pieces. "Theory of Games" (2009), danced by Jonathan Ciccarelli and Angel Vasquez and set to J.S. Bach’s "Musical Offering", offers variations on a same theme. Echoing the music, the choreography uses puzzles and game structures to express a metaphor for the complex truths behind human relationships. Through intense physicality, "Unfurling" (2000), danced by Jordan Risdon, plays with the dichotomy between emotional stagnation and intellectual progression. "(x,y,z)" (2010) plays with dance as a multi-dimensional form. The overarching sense of space both contracts and expands, ranging from cramped, restrictive forms to open, expansive landscapes. The piece examines moments of isolation, juxtaposed with group unity and beyond that, an encroachment of personal space. Featuring Jonathan Ciccarelli, Ashlie Kittleson, Jake Laub, Blythe Proffitt, Jordan Risdon, Julia Sabangan, Angel Vasquez. Original Music by Devin Maxwell. Lighting Design by Andrew Dickerson. Costume Design by Anjia Jalac. Set Design by David Gaynor.

"Salve", the newest piece by John-Mark Owen, is inspired by the paintings of the medieval and renaissance periods and is set to sacred motets by Guillaume Bouzignac. Mr. Owen delves into the canvases of these periods to bring their naive and raw beauty to life through moving imagery. The natural state of man versus the learned state of man is explored through angularity and fluidity. Featuring Selina Chau, Josh Christopher, Kerry Shea. Costume Design by Candice Thompson.

The Emerging Artists program is part of the Mentorship Program of Gotham Arts Exchange, and has been generously supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts.