by Carl Paris On creative and meaning-making levels, Wilson’s process typically begins with in-depth research into a topic that interests Wilson; and may take months, or even years to flesh out.[1] At some point, he then works out random movement… Read more
On Saturday, March 31st, Danspace Project brought to a close its nine-week PLATFORM 2012: Parallels series of performances, panel discussions, and film screenings focused on questions of black dance, identity, and postmodern performance. The series marked the 30th anniversary of Ishmael Houston-Jones’s… Read more
This & That: Day of Walking, Talking, and Watching (Tuesday, March 27, 2012) With the apt title, This & That: Day of Walking, Talking, and Watching, the PLATFORM 2012: Parallels series at Danspace Project (curated by choreographer, teacher and multimedia artist… Read more
Thoughts on the New Work by Kyle Abraham, Marjani A. Forté, Samantha Speis (March 22-24, 2012) According to Ishmael Houston-Jones, a key question that drives the PLATFORM 2012: Parallels is what does it mean to be an emerging black choreographer in the postmodern mode today?… Read more
Thoughts on performances by Dean Moss and Reggie Wilson (March 8-10, 2012) For both their similarities and differences, it was a good idea to pair Dean Moss and Reggie Wilson up in a program title “New Works” as part of the… Read more
Thoughts on Self-concept and the Black [African] Female Body In one of its most compelling programs to date, Danspace Project’s PLATFORMS 2012: Parallels series presented exciting new solo works by Nora Chipaumire and Okwui Okpokwasili. To echo curator Ishmael Houston-Jones in his… Read more
Thoughts on performances by Darell Jones, Niall Noel Jones, Nicholas Leichter and Regina Rocke (February 23-25, 2012) In what ways do popular dance forms inform experimental modern dance? What do individual choices by black postmodern dance choreographers say, implicitly or… Read more
Three Evenings: Diverse Perspectives on the Black Postmodern Dance Question PLATFORMS 2012: Parallels presented its second weekend of performances (February 16-18, 2012) at Danspace Project with three distinct evenings—part of the eight-week Parallels series aimed at exploring questions around the relationship between the notion… Read more
Writer-in-residence Carl Paris on New Work by Will Rawls and Isabel Lewis PLATFORM 2012: Parallels Last Thursday, February 9 Danspace Project presented the first of its live performances in PLATFORM 2012: Parallels. As with the original 1982 Parallels (also curated by Houston-Jones), this year’s… Read more
PLATFORM 2012: Parallels, The Protagonists. Carl Paris on films curated by Will Rawls. It is far-too-rare an occasion that we are able to gather in one place and view, discuss, and learn about past and present dance events and performances by… Read more