Danspace Project

01/18/2025

Danspace Project presents “Dedications / State of Heads (1999)” by Donna Uchizono Company from March 13–15! 👥

Uchizono, alongside artists David Thomson and Jodi Melnick, will offer a series of dance dedications exploring the body’s expansive capacity to listen. “State of Heads” (1999) originated with the idea that the “heads” of states seem to be disconnected from the “body” of the country. For Danspace Project’s 50th anniversary—performed to the “Bessie” Award-winning sound score by James Lo—the original cast, Levi Gonzalez, Rebecca Serrell Cyr, including Donna Uchizono, who has not performed this work in 25 years, will hand the baton over to a younger generation, Tim Bendernagel, Chelsea Hecht, and Paulina Meneses.

📷: Photo by John Cyr of Levi Gonzalez, Rebecca Cyr, and Hristoula Harakas

01/17/2025

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 (𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱).” -Yvonne Rainer

For our 50th anniversary, we invited 50+ artists who, in addition to their artistic work, have labored behind the scenes at Danspace, including serving on our Board of Directors, Artists Advisory Board, Admin & Tech Staff, or more recently as Research Fellows, to create a 50-second video with the prompt “The future is...” Find all of the films and written responses on our Online Journal.

🎥: Video of Deborah Hay by Ella Romero

01/16/2025

Today, Getty and a coalition of foundations, arts organizations, and individuals created the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund. Currently at $12M, the fund will support the arts community impacted by the Los Angeles fires.

The ongoing fires have destroyed residences, studios, archives, artworks, and places of employment for LA’s vibrant arts community.

Impacted artists and arts workers can visit cciarts.org to apply for an emergency grant starting on January 20.

Learn more—including how to contribute: https://gty.art/firerelief

01/16/2025

♥️ Thank you to everyone who joined us last month at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to celebrate Danspace’s 50th anniversary with a panel featuring Cynthia Hedstrom, Wendy Perron, Judy Hussie-Taylor, Ishmael Houston-Jones, and Carol Mullins!

🗓️ Mark your calendars! On June 9, NYPL will present “15 Years of Danspace Project’s Platform Series”, with a conversation featuring Judy Hussie-Taylor, Seta Morton, Okwui Okpokwasili, Eiko Otake, and Reggie Wilson.

01/14/2025

Join us tomorrow in prayer and to plan support for our siblings in LA ❤️🙏

01/14/2025

https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2025/01/10/angie-pittman-by-seta-morton/

A performance brings together vampire folklore, resistance practices, and myriad dance traditions.

01/13/2025

💌 Steve Paxton sent this postcard on June 29, 1983 after Fred Holland and Ishmael Houston-Jones had performed their Untitled Duet, sometimes called Oo-Ga-La on the “Partners” program at Contact at 10th and 2nd Festival at Danspace Project.

Join us at Danspace on February 14 for “Steve Paxton - a video amble” and from February 27–March 1 for “OO-GA-LA Reimagined” (The Fred Holland and Ishmael Houston-Jones 1983 Duet Danced into the 21st Century)!

https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/ws2025-paxton/
https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/ws2025-holland-houston-jones/

01/11/2025

01/09/2025

Opening tomorrow at Danspace Project! 💛❤️💙💚

“Choreographer and dancer Stacy Matthew Spence’s brief and luminous trilogy of dances ‘I am, here; Here with us; Where we find ourselves’ provides such solace and continues to hold me days later. The perfectly spare production is a visual pleasure, a sound bath, and a spa for the soul.”
- Sarah Cecilia Bukowski, The Dance Enthusiast

Co-presented with Live Artery | New York Live Arts

📷: Photo by Elyssa Goodman

01/08/2025

📰 Read about Sara Mearns in The New York Times in a new profile by Gia Kourlas! 🦻🩰

On Saturday, April 12, Sara Mearns will participate in the 10-year reunion of Danspace Project’s Platform 2015: 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴, curated by writer and critic Claudia La Rocco, along with many of the original artists, including Kaitlyn Gilliland, Silas Riener, Rashaun Mitchell, Jodi Melnick, Jillian Peña, Troy Schumacher, Emily Coates, Yve Laris Cohen, and Pam Tanowitz. Tickets are available now! https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/ws2025-dancers-buildings-people-in-the-streets-reunion/

Sara Mearns, the New York City Ballet principal, announced her 10-year struggle on Instagram. She tested out her new hearing aids in “The Nutcracker.”

01/06/2025

01/04/2025

As part of recognizing Danspace Project’s 50th anniversary, Ishmael Houston-Jones will present “OO-GA-LA Reimagined (The Fred Holland and Ishmael Houston-Jones 1983 Duet Danced into the 21st Century)“, performed by AJ Wilmore, Stephanie Hewett, and Kris Lee. https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/ws2025-holland-houston-jones/

🔲 Thursday, February 27 | 7:30PM
🔲 Friday, February 28 | 7:30PM
🔲 Saturday, March 1 | 7:30PM

📷: Photo of Ishmael Houston-Jones and Fred Holland by Pamela Moore
📷: Wrong Contact Score

01/03/2025

💛 Next week at Danspace Project! 💛
https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/ws2025-spence/

12/31/2024

It’s been quite a year! So many wild roads we’ve traveled in the past 12 months alone.

Fortunately, here at Danspace Project, we have something to celebrate! We’re celebrating 50 years of movement and creativity at our iconic home at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery. It is almost impossible to fully capture the depth and breadth of brilliant artists who’ve launched their careers at Danspace Project since 1974. We’re still here and relishing every minute.

We invite you to be part of our future by supporting us with $50 or $250 or $500 or more. Or whatever you can afford! Every gift is a treasure to us.

Please join us with your year-end gift and your 50th memories! https://ci.ovationtix.com/2742/store/donations/54515

Warmly,
Judy Hussie-Taylor
Executive Director & Chief Curator

12/30/2024

Read Catherine Tharin’s impressions of “Part Song/Immortal Life” by Ayano Elson and “in the port’s mouth” by Wendell Gray II, which premiered at Danspace Project from November 21–23, in The Dance Enthusiast! https://www.dance-enthusiast.com/features/impressions-reviews/view/Ayano-Elson-Wendell-Gray-II-Danspace-Project

📷: Photo of Jade Manns and Amelia Heintzelman by Ayano Elson
📷: Photo of Wendell Gray II by Rachel Keane