Louise Reichlin & Dancers is in residence during June at Valerio
Elementary School in Van Nuys, where Reichlin will create a new piece for
children and their families about shared activities. In addition, LA C&D
Costumer Linda Borough offers a weekly workshop in creating costumes. As as
added facet to involve more of the students in dance, two of the third
grade classes will also receive weekly instruction. This is the 11th
project that the company has created in schools throughout Southern
California and the first one in the Valley. Besides the dance workshops,
which include training in modern dance as well as improvisations using the
elements of dance (space, time, and energy), the participants are also
working with objects that they have strong feelings about that they bring
from home. The project at Valerio Elementary School also includes a
performance by the professional company of Louise Reichlin & Dancers, where
the workshop participants will also perform the new pieces. The workshops
are made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Cultural
Affairs Department.
The intergenerational piece will be included in two public
performances by Louise Reichlin & Dancers and Zapped TapsĒ/Alfred Desio,
performing companies of Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers. These will be
presented at the Little Theatre, Los Angeles Valley College on June 27 and
28.
Highlighted on the program is a new version of Reichlin's The
E-Mail Dances: Version 2.0. As with the original multimedia work, it is
conceived, directed, and choreographed by Louise Reichlin, with Michael
Masucci as collaborating Video Artist. The original work, The E-mail
Dances: Version 1.0a was premiered at USC's Bovard Auditorium in 1996. The
theme of the work combined a personal quest of Reichlin's internet search
to find missing pieces and people from her past. with the whole experience
of the World Wide Web. A web review of
the original work by Barry Weiss includes: "Utilizing a variety of Internet
resources as a creative springboard, choreographer Louise Reichlin has
launched herself into cyberspace and returned with an innovative and
entertaining multimedia performance piece. The synergy between technology
and human bodies in motion was always intriguing. The combination of large
screen video projection, well-chosen recorded music, crisply executed
dance, and Ms Reichlin's charming narration provided a constant flow of
images and information." A further development was Version 1.0b created for
the Up On Mondays series that included a new dance section and revised
video footage for Re-relative. The E-mail Dances: Educational Version 1.0
was created for the Orange County Museum of Art, who in collaboration with
the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, wanted a project that had to do
with dance and technology. This solo version for narrator/dancer and video
(no company dancers) was performed 20 times in the spring of 1997 for high
school students bussed to the museum. They saw this version along with the
innovative Tap-TronicsĒ created by Alfred Desio and a video installation by
Bill Viola.
Last summer's Lite Version created for the Feet First Festival at
Keck brought in new audience interaction. For Reichlin, it also brought out
the realization that she had left out the heart of the piece in this
version; that the death of her father had been an underlying cause of her
search for her past relatives through the use of technology and internet.
This new Version: 2.0 adds movement and visuals around this theme. The
original work was funded in part by a grant from an EZTV/CyberSpace Media
Access Award for Production/ Collaboration.
Alfred Desio, the inventor of Tap-TronicsĒ, used in the film Tap,
seen in a number of international documentaries, and more recently live in
the Barcelona Dance Festival, will be presenting his most recent work Audio
Imp, along with acoustic tap jazz works. He will again be collaborating
with Reichlin in the company favorite Celtic Suite, which combines his
singing and flute playing with both the company's modern dance group and
solo tap dance.
Other pieces in the program include a revival of Dances of
Assimilation and The Woman With One Head. Dancers, besides Reichlin &
Desio, include Francie Daviess, Allison Higa, Benjamin Huerta, Daniel
Mason, Vanessa Jue, Tony Licon, April Murray, JoEllyn Musser, Kimi Page,
Jennifer Palmer, Sharon Pennix, and Morgan Williams.
The Little Theatre at Los Angeles Valley College is located at 5800
Fulton Avenue, Van Nuys. The curtain time on Saturday June 27 is 8 pm, with
a Sunday matinee at 2 pm. Tickets are $10 general and $5 students and
seniors. For tickets and further information, please call 213-385-1171.
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PLEASE VISIT US AT THE WEB SITE: http://www.usc.edu/dept/dance/ FOR THE
HOME OF THE "SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DANCE AND DIRECTORY" and "LOS ANGELES
CHOREOGRAPHERS & DANCERS."
To reach LA C&D faster, try "http://www.usc.edu/dept/dance/p2_lacd.html"
for general company information.
To go directly to LOUISE REICHLIN & DANCERS use
"http://www.usc.edu/dept/dance/p3_more.html#LRD"
To go directly to ZAPPED TAPS(tm) ALFRED DESIO use
"http://www.usc.edu/dept/dance/p3_more.html#ZT"
If you would like to contact us, you can also phone 213-385-1171.
351 South Virgil Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90020-1315, USA