ARTISTS AND PERFORMERS
Meg Irwin-Brandon plays the clavichord at Galapagos Art Space
Essential to every Dark Dining event are performances by artists who engage the imagination and stimulate the senses of the blindfolded diners. Among the artists who have contributed their talents to Dark Dining Projects are:
Dana Salisbury (Artistic Director) Click on name.
Brian Bender (Musician)
A player (trombone, trumpet, melodica, keyboards, percussion) and composer, Bender has performed with O.J. Ekemode and the Nigerian All-Stars, Kotoja (African World-Beat), Ibrahima Camera, Black Rebels (African Reggae), La Perfecta (Salsa/Merengue) and the Berkshire Bateria Escola de Samba (Brazilian). He currently performs with the The Pangeans (World Beat), the Wholesale Klezmer Band, Lucky Seven (Caribbean Ska) and Big Bandemonium (Celtic). He has performed in the Cape Verde Islands (West Africa), Egypt, Israel, Alaska and throughout the United States including at Carnegie Hall and the Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton. Visit: www.brianbendermusic.com
Silvia B. Birklein (Dancer/ Embodier)
A dancer, certified movement analyst, and dance therapist in Germany, Birklein, who now works in the U.S., received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the New School for Social Research and a M.A. in Dance Therapy/Counseling Psychology from Antioch University. Currently a postdoctoral fellow at the William Alanson White institute for Psychoanalysis; she collaborates with Dr. Mark Sossin in affect - related research, and maintains a private practice for psychotherapy New York. She is director of the Center for Movement Informed Psychotherapy (MiP).
Siobhan Burke (Irish Step Dancer)
Introduced to traditional Irish dance at the age of four during a family vacation to Ireland, Burke studied at McDermott Academy in Holyoke, MA, David Rae School in Tralee, Ireland, and at the Griffith Academy in Hartford, CT. From 1998 to 2004, Siobhan ranked among the top five dancers in New England, qualifying annually for the World Championships and placing in the top ten at the 2004 North American Championships. As a senior in high school, she received an ARTS Award in Dance from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, one of twenty young dancers from throughout the U.S. to achieve this honor. Last year, Siobhan joined the North American company of Riverdance for the show’s 10th Anniversary tour of the U.S. and Canada.
Darrah Carr (Dancer)
Named one of the “Top 100 Irish Americans of the Year” by Irish America Magazine, Carr has been active for over a decade in both the Irish and modern dance communities as a choreographer, dancer, educator, and writer. Her company, Darrah Carr Dance, specializes in ModERIN: a unique blend of traditional Irish step and contemporary modern dance. Carr is an Adjunct Professor at Hofstra University and has been a Guest Choreographer at Adelphi University and Queensborough Community College. She is a frequent contributor to Dance Magazine and Dancer and is the North American Editor of the Dance Insider. www.darrahcarrdance.com
Cintia Chamecki (Tap Dancer) www.cintiachamecki.com
Montzerrat Contreras (Dancer/Embodier)
A dance conservatory graduate of the National Fine Arts Institute of Mexico, Contreras earned her BFA in dance in the University of the Americas and an MA in Performance Studies at the NYU-TISCH. A dancer, choreographer and reseacher, she has developed projects in Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Belgium, Germany, England and the United States. She has received grants from CONARTE, Fulbright and FONCA. While continuing to develop her own solo projects, she also conducts research for Meredith Monk and Dana Salisbury’s Dark Dining Projects.
Leanne Darling (Violist/Composer)
She has appeared with virtuoso oudist Simon Shaheen in Carnegie Hall, with poets Robert Bly and Clarissa Pinkola-Estes at the Omega Institute, and with the Cedar Lake Ensemble's premiere performance in Chelsea. Her work on Toy Box Theatre’s The Landlord earned her the Best Original Music award from the New York Innovative Theater Awards in 2007. She has worked with choreographers Jodie Gates and Ann Robideaux. A classicaly trained violist and former assistant principal with the Florida West Coast Symphony, Darling now specializes in Arabic music, jazz, blues and composes her own repertoire for solo viola and loops. www.leannedarling.com
Michelle Dorrance (Dancer)
Katie Down (Musician)
A composer, sound designer, and performer of many kinds of music including Sephardic, Balkan, free improvisation, noise improv, and bawdy songs from the 20s and 30s, Downs plays glass percussion, flute, doumbek, banjo ukulele, soprano ukulele, baritone ukulele, guitar, piano, and voice. Her ensembles include THE UKULADIES, (myspace/theukuladies), a family act of ukulele, tap dancing and song brought to you all the way from Winnipeg! Her Sephardic music group, ADELANTRE, is comprised of 7 women singing, playing cello, flute, violin, and percussion. She also produces concerts and music series around New York and composes for the theatre, dance, and film. www.katiedown.com
Miguel Frasconi (Musician)
A composer and improvisor who uses glass objects, electronics, and "de-evolved" instruments to create music that sounds from a uniquely imagined tradition. His instruments have been called "a beautiful menagerie of pealing contraptions" (Time Out NY), while his music has been called "lyrical and stormy" (New York Times). His recent activities include a new score for choreographer Alonzo King, performances with electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick, a newly commissioned work for Gamelan Son of Lion, and concerts with the composers collective Ne(x)tworks. He is currently artist in residence at Harvestworks electronic media studios. Visit www.myspace.com/miguelfrasconi.
Claire Garabedian (Musician),,
An accomplished baroque and modern cellist, Garabedian has performed and recorded with many orchestras and chamber ensembles including Seattle Baroque, Philharmonia Baroque, American Baroque, BostonBaroque, Portland Baroque, and the Portland Symphony. She conducts
the community-based “New Baroque Orchestra” and is completing a certificate program to become a music practitioner playing music at the bedside of the sick and dying. She can be heard on the Harmonia Mundi, Centaur, Diaphonica, BMG, Dorian, and Koch International record labels.
Gillian Harwin (Musician/Vocalist)
A multi-instrumentalist (vocals, upright and electric bass, guitar, ukulele, musical saw, kalimba, kazoo, jaw harp, percussion) and composer from California, Harwin recently relocated to New York. She has performed and taught in the US, Caribbean, North Africa, Europe and Latin America. Appearing regularly in NYC with her own group, an eclectic mix of jazz, blues, funk and Afro-Latin, she also works with the Latin ensemble, Movimiento, Gillian is promoting her debut album, Whiskey Sandwich. www.gillianharwin.com
Shelley Hirsch (Singer)
An "an unorthodox, extraordinary fusion of vocalist, composer and performance artist " whose work has been presented on 5 continents, Hirsch has staged multimedia solo pieces, performed hundreds of concerts of improvised music with great musicians, can be heard on dozens of CDs, composed music for and appeared in films, and written radioplays. She has been awarded grants by Creative Capital, National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts (in music composition, new forms, interarts and performance art categories), Mary Flagler Carey Trust (in the music for theater and recording categories) and New York State Council on the Arts (in electronic music). Visit: www.shelleyhirsch.com
K.J. Holmes (Dancer/Embodier)
An independent dancer, singer, poet and body worker who explores improvisation as process and performance, Holmes works solo and in collaboration with such artists as Simone Forti, Lisa Nelson, Karen Nelson and Scott Smith, Stephanie Maher and Steve Paxton. She teaches, directs and performs at festivals, universities and venues throughout the world including Jerwood Space, London; P.A.R.T.S., Brussels; ImpulsTanz, Vienna; EDDC, Arnhem, among many others. Her influences include Contact Improvisation, Body Mind Centering, Yoga, Authentic Movement, Alexander and Feldenkrais techniques, Martial Dance, world vocal studies and contemporary dance and theater. She is adjunct faculty at New York Universityís Experimental Theater Wing.
Nancy Hughes (Dancer/Embodier)
Holding a BA in Dance from Texas Woman's University, Hughes is an active performer, teacher, and choreographer. She has performed with companies in New York, Texas and Colorado. In Massachusetts, she has worked with Katrina O'Brien and Madelyne Camera. She has been a guest artist at Colorado College and taught dance in Baltimore and at Manitou Springs Arts Academy. She is co-artistic director of Lost Arts Dance based in Jersey City, NJ and a Pilates teacher in Longmeadow, MA.
Margaret Irwin-Brandon (Clavichord)
At the top of her form at an "early keyboard," Margaret Irwin-Brandon has been a featured performer on the organ in festivals in Europe, Mexico, South America and the US. For her New York debut as harpsichordist, she presented J.S. Bach's entire "Well Tempered Clavier" at Weill Recital Hall. She recently concluded a West Coast tour of clavichord recitals. In 1989 she founded and for 15 years directed the Arcadia Players Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble in Western Massachusetts.
Chikako Iwahori (Dancer)
Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Iwahori moved to NYC in 1995 to continue her study of tap dance. Since then she has worked with “Feraba African Rhythm Tap” and “Dha Fuzion”. Currently she works with “Manhattan Tap”, Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista's group “Beat the Donkey” as well as Max Pollak’s “RumbaTap” touring the USA & Europe.
Alex Jackson (Dancer)
Jackson, 17 years old, is an instructor and a company member of Seattle’s TTAAPP Central Studio. He and Brian Davis, known as the Tapoholiks, were winners of the 2003 Amateur Night at Langston and the Paramount Theatre's 2004 Showtime at the Apollo. They later performed at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City. Jackson has been a member of the Seattle Theatre Group's Dance this Company for the past four years and he has performed at the Century Ballroom's Musica Vitae' Cabaret and as a dancer and choir member of Intiman Theatre's production of Black Nativity. He has danced with tap legends: Savion Glover, Dianne Walker, Jimmy Slyde, Ben Vereen, the late Nicholas Brothers and the late Buster Brown.
Silvie Jensen (Mezzo-soprano)
Singing in many genres from Gregorian chant to opera to contemporary compositions, Jensen has performed with Ash Lawn Opera, Stonington Opera, Riverside Opera, Bronx Opera, New Amsterdam Opera, Mannes Baroque Ensemble, and Friends and Enemies of New Music. She has appeared as a soloist at the Barbican in London with Ornette Coleman, and at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall singing the works of Meredith Monk. She has soloed with Christopher Caines Dance Company, and is a frequent recitalist in New York and elsewhere.
Derrik Jordan (Musician)
A recording artist, award-winning singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist (electric violin, guitar, percussion, piano and voice), producer and teacher, Jordan is fluent in everything from Soul to Samba, Jazz to World Music, Pop to Spoken Word. His many self-produced recordings reflect these eclectic interests, but it’s his live performances that truly bring all these forces together. . “Creating live music is a sacred trust. That moment of ecstatic communion when performer and audience become one is one of life’s greatest experiences.” www.derrikjordan.com
Matt Kanelos (Musician)
Singer, songwriter and pianist, Kanelos has a vocal style that calls to mind Paul Simon and Will Oldham, a songwriting concept in the realm of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, and a touch at the keyboard reminiscent of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. He appears regularly as a band leader and an accompanist at New York music venues such at the Living Room and Rockwood Music Hall. www.mattkanelos.com
Elise Knudson (Dancer/Embodier)
Finding inspiration in the less explored areas between traditional disciplines, Knudson creates work that spans both dance and music. Her work is performed widely and includes commissions by EarSay, Arts & Science Collaborations, the Third Annual Transportable Environment Conference in Toronto and the 10th Annual Kites on Ice Festival in Wisconsin. She has performed at the historic 'WindArt' residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. A member of both Risa Jaroslow’s and Jody Oberfelder’s dance companies, she has also danced for Noemie Lafrance, Yoshiko Chuma, J.Mandle, Christopher Williams and Laura Peterson. A musician as well, Knudson composes music for dance and is a singer/songwriter. Her next album is due out in April.
www.airelise.com and http://profile.myspace.com/airelise
Susie Kozawa (Musician)
A sound artist, composer and performer, Kozawa works with soundscapes, sound collages and site specific installations in which the gathering of sounds is a primary activity. She explores different acoustic spaces using musical instruments she has made out of found objects, kelp, modified toys and human voice. Her work has been presented at Bumbershoot, New Music Across America Festival, Center on Contemporary Art, Empty Space Theatre, On the Boards, the Goodwill Arts Festival, Soundwork Northwest, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle Art Museum, and the Seattle Aquarium. She has had wide ranging collaborations in dance, theater and multimedia projects and has received awards from the Seattle Arts Commission, Artist Trust, Washington State Arts Commission, and the Ford Foundation. She is a founding member of Aono Jikken Ensemble that specializes in live sound and music for Asian silent films.
Katherine Kramer (Jazz Tap Artist)
Kramer's has performed with tap masters Honi Coles and Gregory Hines, jammed with Wynton Marsalis, choreographed for Robert Redford in "The Horse Whisperer," and collaborated with many musicians, including Ray Anderson, Virginia Mayhew, Rebecca Mauleon and Michael Spiro. She has toured her one-woman show, "Rhythms of the Heart," from Alaska to South America and is currently working of an evening-length work, "Stop Look Listen," which will premiere at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach, Florida in June 2008 and feature 8 musicians and 5 dancers. www.KatherineKramer.com
Stephanie Larrière (Dancer)
Gina Leishman (Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist)
Leishman has written for the theater, opera, dance, film and concert stage, garnering numerous awards. She leads various ensembles including Kamikaze Ground Crew, Mr. Wau-Wa and In My Skin. Her interest in glass led to the design and building of the glass tiers, a sui generis instrument that has in its turn led to collaborations with numerous artistsincluding Marcus Rojas (tuba), Kenny Wollesen (percussion) and Miguel Frasconi (glass and toy piano). Her recordings can be found on New World Records, Koch Jazz, Busmeat and GCQ Records. www.ginaleishman.com
Douglas MacKenzie (Musician)
MacKenzie studied South Indian rhythmic patterning and the mrdangam under the late T. Ranganathan and continued his study under Karaikudi R. Mani, Palghat Raghu, and Ramnad Raghavan, each a renowned drummer in India. He is the recipient of a Ford Foundation Fellowship to collect and transcribe the compositions of Ranganathan. His drum, the two-headed mrdangam, is a barrel-shaped instrument made from the wood of the jackfruit tree, capable of producing as many as 15 distinct sounds through the sophisticated technology of its multi-layered drumheads. He also plays the kanjira, a lizard skin tambourine, and the morsing, a metal mouth harp through which he recites drum syllables. He is a guitarist as well. He maintains a practice in Movement Therapy and Bodywork, with offices in New York and Western Massachusetts.
Adam Matta (Vocal Percussionist)
A vocal percussionist and vocal sound effect artist, Matta has performed with the Cornell Chamber Orchestra, Bora Yoon, Kenny Muhammad, Sxip Shirey, Shara Worden, and Beatboxer Entertainment, at venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center's Allen Room, Madison Square Garden, and Town Hall. His music can be heard on "The L Word: Season II, Sessions," released on Tommy Boy Records. He is a 2007-08 Artist in Residence at Cornell University, where he produces live events and beatboxes for multiple dance classes every week. www.myspace.com/adammatta and www.adammatta.com
Ingrid Matthews (Baroque Violin)
Music Director of the Seattle Baroque Orchestra and one of today's most respected baroque violinists, Matthews won first prize in the prestigious Erwin Bodky International Competition for early music in 1989. She performs extensively as a soloist and guest director with leading ensembles including the New York Collegium (Manhattan), Musica Angelica (Los Angeles), New Trinity Baroque (Atlanta), the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, and many others. She has recorded eight solo CDs and dozens of chamber music collaborations.
Amy Mazzonna (Irish Step Dancer)
Mazzonna received her intensive Irish dance training at the Griffith Academy in Hartford, CT, where she began studying in 1991. She has excelled in regional, national, and international competitions, traveling to Killarney, Ireland to take part in the 2003 World Championships. Just back from a six-month tour with the hit show Magic of Ireland—in which she performed the lead role—she has danced professionally in Canada, the U.S., Germany, France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. She is a member of the Griffith Celtic Dance Company.
Will McEvoy (Double Bassist, Composer)
As a performer McEvoy has played in many settings from contemporary jazz and classical orchestras to improvised duets with dancers. In New York City, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, and numerous house parties, artist lofts and small clubs. What sets McEvoy apart from other bassists of his generation is his focus on solo repertoire and performance practice, with particular influence from Dadaism, Surrealism, and modernist composition. His current projects include Mutasm, a revolving cast that performs extended works, duets with dancer Hadar Ahuvia, the New York Jazz Band, and other free lancing performances.
Kenneth Metzker (Percussionist)
Metzker has performed with Rebeca Mauleon, Michael Spiro, Jimmy Branley. His work has taken him to Cuba, Brazil, Europe, and the Caribbean. In Brazil, he appeared with Cia. Vata in Fortaleza and with Dona Zefinha in Pernambuco at Carnaval '05. He freelances in Miami, recording and playing original music with the world fusion group Lanzallamas Monofonica. Over the past 3 years, he has collaborated and performed with jazz tap artist and choreographer, Katherine Kramer, in numerous settings, including the Soul to Sole Festival in Austin, TX, and festivals in Brazil, Montana, New York and Miami.
Amy Mielke (Embodier)
An actor for TV and film, voice talent and award-winning mixed media artist, Amy recently retired at age 38 from a 17-year stint in business communications to move to an arts-inspired community in Hartford. "I'm through with being on the hamster-wheel, unless it's part of my artwork.' Amy hopes to inspire others to follow their true course, by collaborating in artistic ventures and coordinating art shows. She resides at Hartford ArtSpace.
Rachel Mundy (Shakuhachi/Japanese Bamboo Flute)
Rachel Mundy is an artist and music historian living in Manhattan. A player of the shakuhachi, or Japanese bamboo flute, she has a Master's degree in musicology from the Hartt School. She has taught at the Hartt School, the University of Washington, and New York University. She recently performed at the Sakura Matsuri Festival in Brooklyn.
KT Niehoff (Dancer/Embodier)
Niehoff is the Artistic Director of Seattle’s Lingo Dancetheater. Established in 1996, Lingo is an interdisciplinary performing ensemble, presenting adventurous and athletic works of dancetheater around the world. Most notable engagements include performances in Canada, Japan, Ecuador, Cuba, at UMass Amherst, TN's Vanderbilt University, MS's Delta State University, Minneapolis' Southern Theater, Seattle's On the Boards, and the west coast Bagnolet Platform. The company has received support from institutions such as Meet the Composer/Composer/Choreographer Project, Arts International/The Fund, and The National Dance Project. www.lingodance.com
Sari Nordman (Dancer/Embodier)
A native of Finland, Nordman came to the US in 1993 to study dance. After receiving her certificate in dance from Nikolais & Louis Dance Lab. in 1995, she began presenting her choreography in concerts of her own production, as well as in festivals and events in the US and Finland. She has performed with Beverly Blossom, Douglas Dunn, Melinda Ring and Naomi Goldberg among others. She holds an M.F.A. degree in modern dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She also teaches dance.
Ulrike Ottinger (Text)
A German artist whose challenging films, staged works, texts and photographs have won international acclaim, Ottinger’s work was honored in 2004 by retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Tate Modern in London and Madrid’s Museo Reina Sofia. Her newest artist-book “Ulrike Ottinger Image Archive” is about to appear.
Susan Pereira(vocalist, percussionist)
Leader of the acclaimed Brazilian jazz group Sabor Brasil, co-founded with drummer Vanderlei Pereira, Susan Pereira has appeared at a variety of notable festivals and clubs including the Savannah Jazz Festival, the Hartford Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), B.B. Kings, Iridium, Birdland, Zinc Bar and the 55 Bar. Apart from Sabor Brasil, Susan has performed as a vocalist and/or percussionist with many top names in Brazilian jazz as well as in traditional samba percussion ensembles, both in the U.S. and Brazil, at venues such as the Blue Note, the Kennedy Center, the Syracuse Jazz Festival, the Village Gate and Rio de Janeiro’s Armazén Digital Leblon and Sambodromo. Susan Pereira and Sabor Brasil’s recently released CD is Tudo Azul (Riony Records). http://susanpereira.com
Sarah Pillow (Vocalist)
Vocalist/lyric coloratura soprano Sarah Pillow is equally at home in jazz and classical repertoire. Her jazz festival appearances include the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland; her work as a classical musician spans from Monteverdi to Mozart to John Cage. Sarah performs regularly with her jazz trio, her early music ensemble "Galileo's Daughters", and as a soloist with orchestras throughout the U.S. www.buckyballmusic.com
David Pleasant (Musician)
A multi-faceted percussion virtuoso, rhythm effects vocalist and lecturer, Pleasant specializes in African-American traditions. As a Fulbright Senior Specialist, he presents his work at universities and institutions worldwide. A composer/performer and soloist, he has worked with artists such as: Audra McDonald, Regina Taylor, Graciela Daniele, Micheal John La Chiusa, Jonathan Tunic, Wynton Marsalis, Erykah Badu. Gullah/Geechee culture has influenced his work which has been featured from Broadway to television to dance. He has collaborated with major choreographers and companies such as Jawole Zollar (Urban Bush Women), Ron Brown, Dianne McIntyre, Jane Comfort, Padro Harris, Marlise Yearby, Abdel Salaam (Forces of Nature), Batoto Yetu, Step Afrika! He has been a featured performer and/or consultant for: Nightline; Disney Channel; Reading Rainbow (PBS); ABC Evening News; Brave New World (ABC) and numerous PBS showings. www.DavidPleasant1.com
Monya Pletsch (Audio Artist)
An experimental sound artist from Switzerland, Pletsch invented the platform for "zooterrain" in Hamburg, coordinates dorkbot.swiss meetings and organizes "tune(in) festival" Zurich for Free 103.9. In New York, she has worked at Harvestworks and Chelsea Art Museum and with Ikue Mori, Aki Onda, Shelley Hirsch, Kenta, dj Olive, Okkyung Lee, Martin Baumgartner, Joke Lanz, Hans Joachim Pfammatter, Roli Von Flue, and Jasch.
Max Pollak (Musician/Dancer)
Internationally traveled musician/dancer Max Pollak, Austrian by birth, has performed and taught all over the world (including Cuba) with many famous artists like Ray Brown and Danilo Perez, his group RumbaTap has been featured at the Joyce Theater and Jacob's Pillow; his style has been incorporated into Cuban folklore by Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Cubas legendary Rumba group. For more, visit www.rumbatap.com
Claudia Rahardjanoto (Dancer)
Having performed in tap dance shows throughout Europe (Germany, Austria, Sweden, Belgium) and been on tour with "Magic of the Dance", "Dancing Feet" and "Dancing On Common Ground", Rahardjanoto moved to New York City in 2003. Since then, she has danced alongside Dianne 'Lady Di' Walker and Mable Lee, Michelle Dorrance, Andrew Nemr, Max Pollak, Michael Minery, Pascal Hulin, and many others. She is currently working with Andrew J. Nemr's CPD Plus, Roxane Butterfly's WORLDBEATS, Jared Grimes' TADAH and Susan Hebach's TAP COLLECTIVE.
Val Ramos (Flamenco Guitar)
Over the past 21 years, Ramos has gained international reputation as one of the premier Flamenco guitarists in the United States. He has performed in the United States, Spain, and Puerto Rico and has recorded and released three albums of original Flamenco guitar and ensemble compositions. Hailed as "the best of classical Flamenco brought to modern standards" (Rootsworld.com) and as "a hidden treasure of Flamenco in the Americas...superb musicianship..." (Flamenco Connection), Val toured Sapin with his ensemble (Val Ramos Flamenco Ensemble) in July 2005 under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy in Spain. For more, visit www.valramosflamenco.com
Malina Rauschenfels (Musician)
Cellist and composer Rauschenfels attended the Eastman School of Music and Juillard. At Juilliard she began collaborating with and being inspired by dancers. She has written for or worked with Misnomer Dance Theater, Laura Flowers, Elisabeth Motley, Luke Wiley, Human Kinetics Movement Theater and Jody Oberfelder, among others. Her compositions have been performed at Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie's Weill Hall. Her choreography has been performed at the Zenon showcase, the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, and City Center Studios in NY.
Raul Rothblatt (Musician)
Classically trained cellist, Raul Rothblatt performs with several groups. He plays Hungarian folk music with Eletfa and West African music with Kakande. He is the composer/bandleader/African fiddler of Dallam-Dougou, which combines West African melodies and Hungarian grooves. He is co-founder of Jumbie Records Artist Management, a world musiclabel that is a partnership of similarly diverse bandleaders/arts managers. The nyenyeru, the one-string violin featured at Dark Dining, comes from the Fulani (or Peul) people of Guinea, West Africa. Its body is made of gourd, its face is a lizard skin, and both the bow and the string are made of horsehair. For more, visit www.JumbieRecords.com.
Melanie Sroka (Vocalist/Multi-Instrumentalist )
Sroka has worked with such varied projects as Shokazoba Afrobeat Battalion, Soul Diva Betty Harris of New Orleans, and The Black Rebels Reggae band. She also performs her own originals and jazz standards with hergroup Skatmandu. For more, visit www.myspace.com/melodiemusique.
Despina Sophia Stamos (Dancer/Embodier)
A dancer/choreographer, Stamos’ work has been presented in New York City at such venues as Dance Theater Workshop, PS122, PS1, and aboard in Greece, Puerto Rico, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Her interest in site-specific work began in 1998 when invited to participate in Julie Atlas Muz' 24 Hours on the Staten Island Ferry. Since then, she has performed and organized events in a plethora of locations including Times Square, the NYC subways, piers, parks and gardens. As a dancer she has worked with Chen and Dancers, Hikari Baba and Dancers, Anahi Galante Dance Theater and the National Caravan Theater. She is currently dancing withBlum Dance Theater, Vanessa Walters, the Daisy Spurs and the MDC, as well as working on product X 4.0 with the modern dance awareness society. http://www.tmdas.org
Mia Theodoratus (Harp)
Harpist Mia Theodoratus fuses North Indian Classical, free improv, Classical technique with a bit of rock and roll glitz. She has played at the Herod Atticus in Athens, the Glamour Club in Shanghai, Red Cat In LA, just about every stage in NYC and many places in between. Past and present groups/artists include the Citizen's Band, Adam Dugas, Baikida Carrol, Neuvo Butoh Harpa, Leona Naess, Roscoe Mitchelle, Charlie Hayden and Casey Spooner.
Gwendolyn Toth (Clavichord)
Director and founder of New York City's period instrument ensemble, ARTEK, Toth has also conducted at Sadler's Wells Theater in London with the Mark Morris Dance Group; the Skylight Theater in Milwaukee; Kaye Playhouse, Merkin Hall, and BAM in New York City, and for the German Radio Broadcasting system. A performer of early keyboard instruments, she has performed in early music festivals and on radio throughout the United States and Europe. Her discography includes a CDof Bach's Goldberg Variations on the lautenwerk, and a CD of organ works by Heinrich Scheidemann. In contemporary music, Ms. Toth has worked with John Cage, Rhys Chatham, Petr Kotik, Dave Soldier, Louis Andriessen, and Elliot Sharp at BAM Next Wave Festival, The Kitchen, Bang on a Can Festival, Cage Nachttage in Köln, and others. www.artekearlymusic.org
Tony Vacca (Musician)
An innovative American percussionist best known for his work on the giant xylophones (balafon) of West Africa, Vacca has made a habit of pushing the already adventurous conventions of World Music into new territory, both as a soloist and as the leader of his World Rhythms Ensemble. He has recorded and/or performed with pop icon Sting, Senegalese Afro-pop star Baaba Maal, Jazz trumpeter and World Music legend Don Cherry, poet Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets, Senegalese Hip-Hop stars Gokh-bi System, and Massamba Diop, Senegalese master of the tama or talking drum. www.tonyvacca.com
Shelly Watson (Vocalist)
Watson, winner of the Inter Arts Award, received Bachelors and Masters degrees in opera from Juilliard. In 2001, opened the MTV Music Awards with Jaime Fox at The Metropolitan Opera. For four years, she has made operatic arrangements of hard core rap songs for the nationally syndicated radio spot called Hip Hopera. In 2007, she won Mo Pitkin's "Cabaret Star of the Year" and this June will start her monthly Inter Arts Variety Show at The Zipper factory. www.shellywatson.com and www.myspace.com/themusicofshelly
Stefanie Weber (Dancer)
Artistic director of Creatures of Habitat, Weber is a grassroots multi-media artist specializing in rhythm tap dance. A drummer, singer, costume maker, and poet, she often incorporates sound and spoken word in her performances. Her work has been seen at Jacob's Pillow, La MaMa, New York Dance Center, The Audubon Society, DanceSpace Center, Dance New Amsterdam, WhiteWave, Williamsburg Art Nexus, Topaz Arts, Bowery Poetry Club and various festivals. She is a faculty artist for CATA: Community Access to the Arts, where her work was featured in the documentary Rhythm & Hues.
Sarah Young (Dancer/Embodier)
Young received her BFA at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with an International Arts minor. Through her studies, she received a Ford Foundation Fellowship and traveled to Zimbabwe to study indigenous dance and perform for Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Culture. In 2002, Sarah founded Flying Art, an international exchange of art among children. While in NYC, she has performed Steven Koplowitz’s Grand Step Project, on board with Ann Robideau and Alexx Shilling, with RedShift Dance and Stefanie Nelson Dance Group. She currently performs with David Dorfman Dance and the Treehouse Shakers.
Mark “Moti” Zemelman (Dancer/Embodier)
A performer and teacher of Contact Improvisation, Zemelman’s recent engagements include Earthdance (USA), DanceBase (Edinburgh), Circuit-Est (Montreal), Zodiak Festival (Helsinki), Villa Sumaya (Guatemala), and Centro de Investigación Coreográfica (Mexico City). Among his respected teachers are: Nancy Stark Smith, Andrew Harwood, Ruth Zaporah, Danny Lepkoff, Martin Keogh, and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen.An original member of Wire Monkey Dance, he currently dances with the Silver Swimmers, plays vocal-electronic music, is a board member at Earthdance Retreat Center in Massachusetts, practices yoga, Action Theater, stilt-walking, modern dance, and clowning. He also designs and moderates the new international Contact Improv resource website, www.contactimprov.com.
Elizabeth Zimmer (Actor)
Writer and former Senior Dance Editor at The Village Voice, Zimmer has performed in the work of Christopher Williams, Joshua Fried, Lynn Marie Ruse, and the Instant Shakespeare Company. She loves to eat.
