Archive – Danspace Project

Remembering the Spirit of Dance by Anh Vo

In a hazy and shadowy lighting, three black femme dancers are placed on the altar steps. Leslie is seated on her knees with an arm outstretched to the ground. Paloma, in the middle, is standing crouched, also with her right arm outstretched toward the ground. Tenisha walks facing away from the group.

Please read choreographer Anh Vo’s reflections on Leslie Parker’s NYC premiere of Divination Tools: imagine home, the latest iteration of Parker’s multi-year project, Call to Remember. In this essay, Vo brings their background in shamanistic ritual and performance practice into… Read more

“You” by Koma Otake: Choreographer’s Notes

Two side-by-side images of Koma Otake. The sepia image on the left is of a young Koma (1981), shirtless with a red chili pepper necklace. On the right, is an image of an older Koma (2023) shirtless and covered in white chalky make-up, wearing the same chili pepper necklace.

Koma Otake brings his latest solo, You, to Danspace Project. “In dancing this trilogy, I engage and converse with various You but one at a time. Friends, parents, siblings, spirits, streets, fields, and objects with personal memories all inspire and… Read more

forms of healing: a conversation with devynn emory and Yo-Yo Lin

An illustration of two orange-colored hands massaging an ethereal light blue lower leg. The leg has multicolored lines running over it, outlining the chi channels of the body. The hands and leg are nestled in a field of green leaves dotted with tung blossoms: tropical white flowers with pink centers.

This intimate conversation between Danspace Project 2021-2023 Research Fellow, devynn emory, and 2022-2023 Renewal Residency Artist, Yo-Yo Lin, emerged organically and iteratively—first in a New York City hospital room, then followed by my curious nudging, and ultimately across the world… Read more

Tilting the Mirror by Nora Raine Thompson

Eiko and Joan onstage. Joan stands in a white dress reading from a book with a microphone while Eiko sits in a chair, leaning forward, also speaking into a microphone. A wooden mallard sits between them with other set elements and props scattered around them. Behind them is a large projection of a tilted mirror, reflecting a tree in the woods.

In this essay, Nora Raine Thompson reflects on her experience witnessing Joan Jonas and Eiko Otake’s unique and historic collaborative performance and installation, Drawing in Circles WHY (an experiment), presented at the Castelli Gallery in partnership with Danspace Project. This… Read more

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