LES Fest 2011

Details

Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Dance

Published on Thursday, 26 May 2011 05:00

Written by L E Shannon

The Theater for the New City's 16th Annual Lower East Side (LES) Festival of the Arts runs this year from May 27 - 29, 2011 at 155 First Avenue in the Lower East Side area of Manhattan, New York City.

The Arts featured include a visual art exhibition, a film and video festival, plays and poetry, dance performances, and musical acts of all types.

In addition, the Street Festival features Outdoor Performances by some 20 musicians, poetry, performance art and dance by 20 poets and performers, and several comics.

Visual Artists in the Lobby, curated by Carolyn Ratcliffe – Over 40 artists are exhibiting, including:

• Amy Cohen Banker
• David Barish
• Elliot Berke
• Mario Bustamante
• Lois Carlo
• Victor Cevallos
• Kathy Creutzberg
• Dennis Edge
• Haim Elisha
• Keiko Kato
• Kathleen McDermott
• Jerry Pagane
• Carolyn Ratcliffe
• Bonnie Rosenstock
• George Smol
• Karl Sobel
• Keicocco Suzuki

Dance:

Cobu – 5293. Directed by Yako Miyamoto. Performed by Yuki Yamamori, Micro Fukuyama, Namiko Yamada, Yoco Ogawa. Cobu is a live rhythm performance group. Their motto is "Dance like Drumming, Drum like Dancing".

E-Dance – Body rhythm of Chinese Traditional Dance. Danced by Cha-Lee Chan. Movement arrangement by Cha-Lee Chan and Wai-Yee Chan. Two combinations utilize arm and leg movements to demonstrate basic Chinese traditional dance technique in slow and quick tempo.

Kitty Lunn – Infinity Dance Theater. In The Beginning: A Creation Story, choreography by Kitty Lunn, music by William Catanzaro. Dancers: Kitty Lunn, Toni Taylor

Laura Shapiro Quicksilverdance – Part 2, Coal Miners' Daughters. Conceived and directed by Laura Shapiro. Performed by Marjolayne Auger, Kiori Sherwood-Kawai, Trayer Run-Kowzun, Mari Sakahara

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers – Hoop Dance and The Old Style Warriors Dance. Participating are Louis Mofsie-Director, Alan Brown, Raymond Leung, Marie McKinney

Film & Video:

Pearl on the Ocean Floor (Documentary)
Directed by Robert Adanto
Featuring Shirin Neshat, Shadi Ghadirian, Parastou Forouhar, Sara Rahbar
Iranian female artists speak on issues of identity, gender, and the role Art plays in challenging the traditional stereotypes often associated with women in Iran.

Mahloul, a Palestine Journey (Documentary)
Directed by Gary Brackett
Actors from the Living Theater visited refuge camps, social centers, womens‛ centers, and villages, and captured the voices from the front lines of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

A Question of Solitude
Conceived and Scored by Peter Dizozza
Developed at La Mama ETC with George Ferencz
Dedicated to the James Bond Legacy. Uncle James and Senior Bond infiltrate a secret plot to occupy inner earth while Jimmy, confronting his solitude, helps two fallen Presbyterian missionaries escape the clutches of HAARM.

Icy Trouble (Animation)
Conceived and Directed by Ian James and William Electric Black
An animated short for kids showcasing the benefit of exercise and eating healthy.

Death &Taxes (Documentary)
Produced by the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
Meet 28 people from around the US who talk about why and how they resist paying taxes for war and where that choice takes them.

Music:

Judy Gorman – In Pete Seeger's words "Judy Gorman is a wonderful singer and musician." Her blues rooted songs seek to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Liz Magnes – Solo jazz piano, performing material from Porgy & Bess.

Tammy Grimes – Singing "The Rose" by Amanda McBroom, "How Deep Is The Ocean" by Irving Berlin and "If Love Were All" by Noel Coward. Accompanied by Christopher Denny on piano.

Vinie Burrows – A vignette of a Honduran woman is from her solo show, Sister! Sister!

Poetry:

Jennifer Blowdryer – Jennifer Blowdryer is a local writer who is currently working on The Bitches Guide to the Lower East Side. She performs spoken word frequently.

Valery Oisteanu – Oisteanu is performing/reading poetry from his new book in progress Present for a Rainy Day, poems dedicated to New York's poets and artists, friends and adventures in his travels.

Lissa Moira curates the Poetry Program in the Community Space Theater
Featured Guest: Richard West with a tribute to "Word Warrior" and Grand Old Fug, Tuli Kupferberg, with Anita Steckel. Other poets include Dixie Lee, Tom Savage, Liz Roberts and Richard Weber, among others.

Theater:

Chinese Theatre Works – A Day at the Office. Conceived by Bert Weschler and Kuang-Yu Fong. Performed by Kuang-Yu Fong. Inspired by the movement and staging from Chinese Opera, this piece combines Western and Chinese theater technique to tell a story that takes place in a modern office.

Combat Dating – Find out what happens when beastly attraction turns deadly in this a sex farce. Directed by George Ferencz, written by C.S. Hanson, with Jason Howard, Jenne Vath

Eugenia Macer-Story – Captain Midnight's Spyglass Heart, a new play in a series of published short stories and plays entitled The Captain Midnight Transmissions by Eugenia Macer-Story. Featuring Cathie Boruch and Neal Kodinsky. A magickal adventure with Atlantean sorcerers & spirit mediums loose outside the ordinary timeline.

New Stage Theatre – Oh, Those Beautiful Weimar Girls! is an original play inspired by the life and art of Anita Berber, the iconic dancer/poet who epitomized for many the decadence of Weimar era Berlin. Conceived and directed by The New Stage Theatre Company's Founder/Artistic Director, Ildiko Nemeth. Texts written by Ildiko Nemeth and Mark Altman. Choreography by Julie Atlas Muz and Peter Schmitz. Performed by Peter Schmitz, Kaylin Lee Clinton, Sarah Lemp, Catherine Correa, Markus Hirnigel, Denice Kondik, Jeanne Lauren Smith, Fabiyan Pemble-Belkin, Florencia Minniti, John Rosania and Maria Cuartero Toledo.

Youth Performances include:

• Lakota Youth Arts Program
• New York School of Rock
• Supercute – Rachel Trachtenburg - Vocals/Ukulele, June Lei - Vocals/Keyboards/ Ukulele, Julia Cumming - Vocals/Ukulele/Guitar.

This staggering array of things to see, hear and enjoy fills the whole Memorial Day weekend, which will hardly leave time for going anywhere else. And all of the performances are Free!

For more information, visit www.theaterforthenewcity.net/les.htm.

Lower East Side (LES) Festival of the Arts
May 27 - 29, 2011

Theater for the New City
155 First Avenue (between E. 9th & E. 10th Streets)
New York City
212-254-1109

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