100 DAYS
Choreography by Caili Quan
Dancers: Chloe Perkes (and Ammon Perkes)
Music: The Longest Time, Music and Lyrics by Billy Joel, Performed and Arranged by Micah Manaitai
Videographer: Chloe Perkes
Editor: Caili Quan
Advisor: Kira Leinonen
FROM CAILI QUAN: The inspiration behind this work happened a few weeks into the shelter-in-place. Our entire universe shrunk down to the size of our living space. I broke things and hit furniture dancing in my living room while my husband worked in the next room. I wanted to create a work that captured not only the angst and sadness that we all experienced, but also the simple joys in love, companionship and family during the “100 Days” of dancing at home.
Chloe Perkes and her husband, Ammon generously opened up their home and shared their relationship for this project. There’s so much love between them, I wanted to share it with everyone.
Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time” was played on repeat in my house growing up. It was my Dad’s favorite song. The lyrics and melody reflect all facets of life, longing, adoration, and disappointment. I asked Micah Manaitai, a Guam-born and LA-based musician, to collaborate on this project and he covered it beautifully.
Lead support from the Wyncote Foundation, at the recommendation of Leonard C. Haas, in addition to the Anne M. & Philip H. Glatfelter, III Family Foundation, Eugene Lefevre & Deborah Boardman, Mary Kirson & Bob Bierman, and Joan DeJean.
…it’s okay too. Feel
Choreography by Hope Boykin
Dancers: Savannah Green and Ashley Simpson
Music: Constance from the album Cables by Bill Laurance
Videographer: Savannah Green and Ashley Simpson
Editor: Hope Boykin
Advisor: Kira Leinonen
FROM HOPE BOYKIN: While the world is on pause, a career-ending plan cut short, and hatred and anger fueling so many, I’ve got to give myself permission to FEEL. Good, bad, sad, angry, needy or weak; there is always room to find the light through all of the frustration. Forgiveness begins in our own hearts, but it’s okay to feel.
Lead support from the Wyncote Foundation, at the recommendation of Leonard C. Haas, in addition to the Anne M. & Philip H. Glatfelter, III Family Foundation.
Brown Eyes
Choreography by Penny Saunders
Dancers: Andrea Yorita and Zachary Kapeluck
Music: Michael Wall
Videographer: Tara Keating
Editor: Pablo Piantino
FROM PENNY SAUNDERS: During this pandemic, our sense of control over our lives has been shaken. This prolonged feeling of uncertainty at home can be an unfortunate recipe for increased abuse and oppression for those with preexisting inequities. “Brown Eyes” attempts to go behind closed doors to give us a glimpse of an intimate relationship with an ever shifting and unfair balance of power.
This excerpt will eventually become part of a larger work for film with the artists of BalletX, that will attempt to unravel the archetype of the American cowboy. My hope is to display how this glorified image, that is so ingrained in our North American culture, has been (and still is) a perpetuating factor in messages of racism, patriarchy, homophobia, xenophobia, and gun violence.
Lead support from the Wyncote FounLead support from the Wyncote Foundation, at the recommendation of Leonard C. Haas, in addition to the Anne M. & Philip H. Glatfelter, III Family Foundation.
The Under Way (working title)
Choreography by Rena Butler
Dancers: Stanley Glover and Roderick Phifer
Music: Darryl Hoffman
Videographer: Tara Keating
Editor: Rena Butler
FROM RENA BUTLER: The excerpt of this work explores the expression of escapism through the constant obstacle of shifting landscapes and environments. How is the evolved landscape informing the desperate search towards freedom? My intent is to find parallels with defining moments in US History, such as The Underground Railroad, and pair these particular events to where we are currently.
Lead support from the Wyncote Foundation, at the recommendation of Leonard C. Haas, in addition to the National Endowment for the Arts, Anne M. & Phillip H. Glatfelter, III Family Foundation, Arthur M Kaplan & R. Duane Perry, and the Charles & Joan Gross Family Foundation.
Premiere Dates, Co-Presenters, and Sponsors
All four short dance films originally premiered by BalletX on June 14 as a Works & Process at the Guggenheim Virtual Commission.
Co-Presented by Works & Process at the Guggenheim, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Vail Dance Festival, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Grand Rapids Ballet.
This virtual commission was made possible through lead support from the Wyncote Foundation, at the recommendation of Leonard C. Haas, in addition to the National Endowment for the Arts, Anne M. & Philip H. Glatfelter, III Family Foundation, Joslyn Ewart, Arthur M. Kaplan & R. Duane Perry, Eugene Lefevre & Deborah Boardman, Mary Kirson & Bob Bierman, Joan DeJean, and The Charles & Joan Gross Family Foundation.
Learn more at https://wordpress-468119-2184858.cloudwaysapps.com/
