OCT 24 - 26
TEN TINY DANCES
®
PHOTO BY KATE HALEY
TEN TINY DANCES ®
We begin by acknowledging this land is the ancestral home of the Duwamish and many other Indigenous peoples recorded and unrecorded, who have been the custodians of this land since time immemorial. As guests and — in many of our cases — as settlers on this land, we extend our deepest gratitude and respect to their ancestors and elders past, present, and future. On the Boards is beginning to engage in conversations to deepen our practices in a way that reflects and honors Coast Salish protocol. Part of our understanding of the protocol is making material gifts to the Indigenous peoples of this land as a way of recognizing their genealogical responsibility to the well-being of the territory and all beings who make a home here. We encourage you to donate online at realrentduwamish.org.
Filming and photography are not permitted during performances.
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Ten Tiny Dances® What kind of dance can you make on a 4' x 4' stage? Ten Tiny Dances® is a demonstration of how confined space becomes a conduit for creativity and innovation. Ten choreographers, artists, and dancemakers take on the challenge of creating live works on one very small stage, a square table set on a black box stage, with the audience surrounding it on all four sides like a boxing ring. Artists have the ability to create live works that go well beyond the physical confines of a small stage. From one performance to the next there is a certain amount of tension; what will the next artists do? how will the performer rise to the challenge and shift our perception of space and movement? In the end, what audiences will remember is not the feeling of how small the stage is, but how our perceptions of limited space and time have expanded beyond those boundaries. Choreographers, artists, and dancemakers include: Arson Nicki, Scott/ Powell Performance, Mike O'Neal (Majinn), Etienne Cakpo, KT Niehoff, ilvs strauss, Vis-à-Vis Society, Cheryl Delostrinos of Au Collective, Fox Whitney and Jessica Jobaris & General Magic. Ten Tiny Dances® was created in Portland, Oregon, in 2002 and continues to be produced by founder Mike Barber and others with permission. See www.tentinydances.org for more information. Thank you to Laurel Canan for the stage design and construction.
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An Interview with Co-curator and Co-producer of Ten Tiny Dances®, Sara Jinks In Houston, I had the opportunity to curate an iteration of TTD in collaboration with Counter Current Festival. I was struck by the amount of imagination that each artist used to transform the stage into another world while creating an intimacy with the audience. Each year the platform shifted locations or one of the elements twisted, from including video projection, to doing it outside or taking over a historic queer dance club. These variations allowed the program to grow and stretch artists’ vision of how to use this platform to make something new. This year we partnered with Sara Jinks, who recently joined our staff as the Production Coordinator, as Producer and Curator of Ten Tiny Dances®. She has put together a stellar group of artists who range in dance and movement languages, from contemporary, to drag, to street dance, to traditional African dance, and beyond. I’m looking forward to being in the audience and experiencing each performance. This is the first time that On the Boards is hosting Ten Tiny Dances® and we look forward to continuing the tradition with different curatorial voices each year. RC: TTD is a platform for both short form choreography, as well as for site-specific dance on a 4' x 4' stage. How do those two boundaries/ restrictions/limitations inform the work that gets made? SJ: The parameters of the structure require innovation. I love the way the limitations force choreographers to make different choices than they would normally. The form pushes artists to edit in ways they may never do so on their own, whether it be edits to time, facing, size, or space. It can be uncomfortable to come up against so many obstacles, but that’s what makes the end product so compelling. I think the restrictions also make for a great audience experience. Each dance takes watchers on a mini-journey. No piece goes on for very long and the audience gets to see how differently each artist dealt with the same set of challenges.
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RC: How has the making of these tiny dances shifted or stayed the same over the years or since the last time you curated/produced the program? SJ: While the Ten Tiny Dances® structure or “rules of engagement” (ten dances, 3-8-minute time limit, a 4’ x 4’ stage, audience in the round) remain very rigid, each TTD I and others have produced is unique. I’d say that through repetition and commitment to the form I’ve gotten better at organizing each one and knowing what and how to communicate with the artists. But the tone and content of each is utterly original based on the artists involved. I never quite know until our first showing what the performance will feel like. I also think I take the space and the co-producer into account when curating Ten Tiny Dances®. The Methow Arts audience in 2011 was quite different from an On the Boards audience in 2019 and the programming reflects that. RC: What was your experience like performing in Ten Tiny Dances®? SJ: It was really fun but hard. Anyone who has performed on a raised surface has felt the instinct to avoid the last two or three feet at the edge of the stage for self-preservation reasons. In Ten Tiny, with only 4’ x 4’ to work with, the entire stage is edge. It takes bravery and a lot of practice to figure out how to move with confidence and conviction on that tiny stage and trust you won’t fall off the side. Also, with the audience on all sides and a lot closer to you than is traditional, there is a heightened intimacy with the audience. Add lights and nerves and it’s a precarious performance experience! But seasoned pros (like the ones in this Ten Tiny) enjoy a good performance challenge. There is nothing like the feeling of over-coming those obstacles, embracing the vulnerability, connecting with the audience, and really going for it.
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sara jinks ten tiny dances® curator and co-producer Production Coordinator for On the Boards, Sara Jinks is the Curator and Co-producer of Ten Tiny Dances®. She presented Ten Tiny Dances® at Velocity in 2015 and with Methow Arts Alliance and Crispin Spaeth in 2011. Jinks is also the Production Manager for acclaimed choreographer Heather Kravas. She is on her fifth year of co-producing the Buttcracker at the Erickson Theater --- a wild and popular hair metal-themed holiday dance show. As a dance artist, Jinks performed extensively with Crispin Spaeth Dance Group, d9 Dance Collective, and was a member of Pat Graney Company from 2000-2018.
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performance schedule
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Michael O'Neal (Majinn) SOURCERESS Choreographer and Performer: Michael O’Neal (Majinn) Music: Jordan Rakei, Photay MICHAEL O'NEAL JR (MAJINN) Majinn is a queer mixed race African American dance artist and educator who utilizes his training in multiple dance styles to find and express his whole self. Majinn aims to help people become more confident in their bodies, express themselves and be confident speaking their voice as well as to give back to the communities that these street/club style dance forms were created from. IG- @majinn_mike youtube.com/MajinnMike
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KT NIEHOFF ODE TO DEPRESSION
(and the state of the world in general) Maker: KT Niehoff Performers: KT Niehoff (Thursday/Friday) and Alia Swersky (Saturday) Music: Bob Barraza Adapted from a 2001 performance titled Dysfunction BOB BARRAZA Bob Barraza is the drummer for the Seattle based band Shivering Denizens and part of the Portland based Samba group Bloco Alegria. He collaborated with KT from 1995-2001 on four projects: 4/4 culture, Residue, Dysfunction and Attracted to Accidents. KT NIEHOFF KT Niehoff creates multi-dimensional performances that integrate choreography, music, design, film and technology to create her signature form. She co-founded Velocity Dance Center, and currently owns 10 degrees LLC, art+event space. Notable honors include: MAP Fund, Dance Teacher Magazine Cover, MANCC Fellow, NEA, National Dance Project, and Artist Trust Fellow. KT is currently writing a musical about math and magic, premiering spring 2021. She has battled Bi-Polar Disorder for 35 years, effectively medicated for the last 10. ALIA SWERSKY Alia Swersky is best known as an improviser, solo performer, ritual creator, mentor and teacher. Alia has been on faculty at Cornish College since 2005 and is currently PT Faculty at the UW Dance Department. Alia has been battling depression her whole life; every day is a moment to moment commitment to stay here, to stay alive, and to find refuge in the beauty of art, nature, and the humans she deeply loves.
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FOX WHITNEY WE R GOLDIN Choreographer: Fox Whitney Performers: Will Courtney and Fox Whitney Sound: Fox Whitney and Kim Petras FOX WHITNEY Fox Whitney is a dancer and interdisciplinary performance maker. Fox’s transgender and queer point of view is at the heart of their performance project, Gender Tender, for which they create experiences that investigate the nature of trans and queer relationships and histories as well as the surreal nature of transformation. Gender Tender engages a team of artists trained in Fox’s unique methods modeled on sports teams, cults, sitcoms and riots. Fox was awarded the 2018 Artist in Residence position at Velocity Dance Center. Their work has been presented by Velocity and commissioned and produced by On the Boards, the Twist Film Festival, The Seattle International Dance Festival, Yellow Fish Epic Durational Festival and Gay City Arts.
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CHERYL DELOSTRINOS FRUIT Choreographer and Performer: Cheryl Delostrinos Co-Direction: Megan Erickson Music: MNDSN, Beyonce CHERYL DELOSTRINOS OF AU COLLECTIVE Cheryl Delostrinos is a Filipino American born and raised in Seattle. She is one of the co-founders and the former Artistic and Executive Director of Au Collective. Delostrinos has presented many works for festivals and events in Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, and New York, including The CHIN Project at the 92nd St Y, NW New Works Festival, SAM Remix, Risk/Reward, Sassquatch, the Beacon Hill block party, and Filipinx in the Diaspora. She is a cultural worker and movement educator with SAAS, Yesler Community Center, and Coyote Central. Delostrinos has devoted her life to creating and fostering art spaces that are accessible to marginalized communities. She believes that art in not a privilege, it is a right. Cheryl is passionate about creating a platformfor the young people to access the tools they need in order to empower themselves and become the future leaders of this world.
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ARSON NICKI & MISS TEXAS 1988 NO TAKEBACKS Choreographers and Performers: Arson Nicki and Miss Texas 1988 Sound: Arson Nicki Special thanks to Stasia Coup, Lazy Susan, Bitch Hazel, and Lilith ARSON NICKI Arson Nicki is a drag artist currently based in Seattle, WA. Their performance work has been showcased at the Seattle Art Museum, On the Boards, Annex Theatre, the Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival, Studio Current, and various nightlife venues up and down the West Coast. Arson's work references pop culture and contemporary fashion to question gender norms, presents drag in unexpected settings, and advocates for platforms for their communities. MISS TEXAS 1988 Miss Texas 1988 (she/her) is the frazzled creation of performance artist Nico Pecans (they/them). She's had the honor of being Critter Person 2018, winner of R Place's "So You Think You Can Drag" competition, and defeatee of the Miss Bacon Strip Unpageant. Drag-queen, clown, and considerate ball of chaos, Texas embodies a radical disruption of all that is standard via the glorious way we all rebel and succeed though defiant failure.
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intermission
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VIS-À-vis society
four years ago the future: we built you this time machine and change is messy but somehow from the cells we were and imaginal possibility we are becoming something new Choreographer: Vis-à-Vis Society Performers: Dr. Ink (Sierra Nelson) and Dr. Owning (Rachel Kessler) Sound: Sonia Monet Saxon / Soundcloud DJ sonia monet As we explored the 4x4 stage and the number 4, we realized a lot had gone down in our lives in the past 4 years. (Maybe you too?) We collaboratively wrote and danced our way into the number 4. We tried to build an invisibility cloak. We built a time machine cocoon. We learned that within the chrysalis, out of the dissolved cells of caterpillar soup, previously dormant “imaginal cells” start to develop the first idea of radical future form. THE VIS-à-VIS SOCIETY The Vis-à-Vis Society is a group of poet-scientist founded by Drs. Ink and Owning (a.k.a. Sierra Nelson and Rachel Kessler). Working across media including interactive performances, large-scale installations, theater, film, visual art, music, dance, and text, the Vis-à-Vis Society has appeared at Live at the NW Film Forum, V2, Henry Art Gallery, Hedreen Gallery, Seattle Art Museum, Bellevue Arts Museum’s Bellwether Festival, Lo-Fi Festival at Smoke Farm, NEPO 5K, and Brooklyn’s Galapagos Art Space.
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SCOTT/POWELL PERFORMANCE solo for allison b Choreographer: Molly Scott Performer: Allison Burke Composer: Jarrad Powell Thanks to Sara Jinks (All Around Rock Star!), Alex Harding (Lighting Design) and On the Boards for their support. A special thanks to Allison Burke for inspiring and realizing this work. SCOTT/POWELL PERFORMANCE Scott/Powell Performance (S/PP) is home for the collaborative work of choreographer Molly Scott and composer Jarrad Powell. For 25+ years they have explored the intersection between movement, sound, and visual territories. S/PP has been presented through On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center, Myrna Loy Theater/Helena Presents, PICA’s T:BA Festival, Dance Theater Workshop/NYC, The Southern Theater/ Minneapolis, PNB’s Celebrate Seattle Festival, Reed College/Portland, and Composer/Choreographer. Projects of S/PP have received funding from the National Performance Network/Creation Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Artist Trust, 4Culture, Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture/Seattle. www.scottpowell.org ALLISON BURKE Allison Burke is a performer/choreographer based in Seattle, WA. Allison currently performs with Cherdonna Shinatra’s company DONNA and is lead singer of Seattle punk band, No Baby. As a choreographer, Allison has presented her work and film at venues/festivals across Seattle including Velocity Dance Center’s Bridge Project, Earshot Jazz Festival, TUF Fest, Next Dance Cinema, Racer Sessions, Open Studio, the Seattle Art Museum, and more. Allison teaches dance at Velocity Dance Center and is Operations Manager at Base: Experimental Arts + Space.
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ilvs strauss i don't wanna lose this feeling Choreographer, performer, sound: ilvs strauss Thank you Steven Hill, Rob Kitsos, Mauricio Pauly, Jody Kuehner, On the Boards ilvs strauss To be clear, the pause she sustains while maintaining eye contact with a person after explaining what the ‘MFA’ in ‘MFA’ stands for is nothing more than an outwardly manifested front to her internal attempt to figure out whether or not any further information of said person can be derived from the ‘definition of MFA’ shaped negative space that inhabits the full breadth of their knowledge other than ‘Does not have an MFA themselves.' She is currently attending school in Vancouver, BC.
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jessica jobaris & general magic excerpts from "orphans, thieves & other unlived lives" Choreographer: Jessica Jobaris in collaboration with General Magic performers Performers: Carie Esquenazi, Hannah Rae, Hendri Walujo, Jessica Jobaris, Melissa Sanderson, and Maia Veague. Music: Talk Talk, Explosions in the Sky & David Lingo, Vivaldi, Bradley Laina "Orphans, Thieves, & Other Unlived Lives" premieres Nov 7-16th at Base: Experimental Arts & Space. Visit jessicajobaris.com/tickets. JESSICA JOBARIS & GENERAL MAGIC Jessica Jobaris has been choreographing, teaching, performing, touring and exploring movement and awareness for 25+ years across the world. She holds a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts and is Artistic Director of Jessica Jobaris & General Magic, a dance-theater, multi-media performance company, intersecting catastrophe, comedy, and sacred ritual. Her latest General Magic work, "Orphans, Thieves and other Unlived Lives" will premiere at Base Experimental Arts & Space November 7-16th, 2019. www.jessicajobaris.com 
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etienne cakpo zehli dance Choreographer and performer: Etienne Cakpo Music: Alekpéhanou Zéhli is a traditional royal court dance from the Abomey Region of Benin, West Africa. it has been performed since the late 1800s, and is marked by graceful undulation of the back and deeply-bend knees. This piece is arranged by Etienne based on typical movements danced to the Zéhli polyrhythms found in Benin music. ETIENNE CAKPO Etienne Cakpo is an award-winning dancer, choreographer and musician from Benin, West Africa. Specialized in instruction and performance of traditional African dance from Benin as well as contemporary African dance styles, Etienne has been building his repertoire for nearly thirty years. He is director of Gansango Music & Dance, a dance company registered in Washington State since 2000. Gansango works with libraries, schools and independent arts agencies to make African dance and music performances available to a wide range of audiences, including young children. As Artistic Director of Gansango, Etienne has been the innovative mind and lead choreographic talent behind numerous public dance performances, representing a remarkable diversity of styles, and embodying collaborations with a broad range of collaborators from Uzbekistan to Burkina Faso, from Japan to Zimbabwe. For Etienne, the act of creating dance is innovation by definition, with his culture and cross-cultural collaborations serving as key inspirational forces.
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THANK YOU, ON THE BOARDS DONORS! INSTITUTIONAL & COMMUNITY PARTNERS 100,000+ | The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 50,000+ | New England Foundation for the Arts (National Dance Project and National Theater Project)
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INDIVIDUAL DONORS Thank you to all our donors! This list includes donors through October 22nd, 2019. Please contact Erica Bower Reich at erica@ontheboards.org if your name should be included but isn’t, or is spelled incorrectly. Thank you!
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THANK YOU
On the Boards is grateful for the generous support of the following organizations
IN KIND & MEDIA SPONSORS
About On the Boards Founded by artists in 1978, On the Boards invests in leading contemporary performing artists near and far, and connects them to a diverse range of communities interested in forward-thinking art and ideas. We believe if we are successful in our work that we can grow our field, enrich peoples’ lives, and contribute to civic and global dialogues. We value: artistic risks while being fiscally responsible; leadership in our field and the multiple communities we serve to strategically advance the role contemporary artists play in society; racial and social equity, and accountability, to ensure our organization includes multiple viewpoints; provocative art as a vehicle to connect people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives; our local creative community as we engage with international artists and peers; and professional and transparent management.
STAFF Betsey Brock, Executive Director Rachel Cook, Artistic Director Samie Detzer, Director of External Relations Rich Bresnahan, Technical Director Kate Connerty, Communications Associate Sara Ann Davidson, Operations Manager and Office Witch Alexandra Harding, Assistant Technical Manager Clare Hatlo, Associate Producer Sara Jinks, Production Coordinator Ben Marx, Sound Technician Erin McCarthy, Bookkeeper Pamala Mijatov, Director of Audience Services Eze-Basil Oluo, House Manager Erica Bower Reich, Patron Relations Specialist Charles Smith, Curatorial Administrator
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BOARD Davora Lindner, Board President Ruth Lockwood, Past President John Hoedemaker, Vice President John Robinson, Treasurer Michaela Hutfles, Secretary Tyler Engle, Member at Large Tom Israel, Member at Large Norie Sato, Member at Large Kristen Becker, Lara Behnert, John Behnke, Kim Brillhart, Maryika Byskiniewicz, Jeanie Chunn, Florangela Davila, Jeffrey FracĂŠ, Corey Gutch, Rodney Hines, John Hoedemaker, Tina LaPadula, Mireya Lewin, Mari London, Lance Neely, David Taft, Emily TannerMcLean, Kate Murphy, Mary Ann Peters, Spafford Robbins, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Stumberger, Annette Toutonghi, Josef Vascovitz, Bill Way
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Ahamefule Oluo: Susan Dec 5-8 Merrill Theater
Taylor Mac: Holiday Sauce December 19 & 20, 8:00 pm The Moore Theater
This darkly comic musical portrait of Oluo's mother builds one story out of many, a journey from Section 8 housing in 1980s Seattle to the mangrove swamps of the Niger Delta to the Clallam Bay Correctional Facility. With stunning new compositions combined with soul-baring stand-up interludes, Oluo explores two intertwining narratives: his mother’s life as the white, Midwestern wife of a Nigerian chief and, later, a destitute single mother; and his own journey to Nigeria, as an adult, to visit his late father’s village and discover a family on the other side of the world.
Christmas as calamity – 2017 MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize finalist Taylor Mac takes on the holidays to celebrate the season in all of its dysfunction.
The follow-up to Oluo’s musical Now I’m Fine, SUSAN is a story about the failings of men and the endurance of women. It is a crystalline slice of American life; a collision of class, race, bodies, love, and men with bad intentions; a tragedy about the most comically optimistic person on earth.
Performance Lab: Uncanny Cabaret Dec 11, 8:00 pm Studio Theater Co-curated by Performance Lab Producer Charles Smith and Artist Matt Aguayo.
For this new production, Taylor Mac is joined by longtime collaborators, designer Machine Dazzle, Music Director Matt Ray, and a spectacular band to reframe the songs you love and the holidays you hate.
Jaha Koo, Cuckoo Jan 23-26, 2020 Merrill Theater In Cuckoo, South Korean artist Jaha Koo gives a touching insight into the tragedy of a lonely life in a thoroughly technologized society–all through a sequence of dialogues between Koo and three rice cookers. One day when his electric rice cooker informed him that his meal was ready, Jaha Koo experienced a deep sense of isolation. ‘Golibmuwon’ is an untranslatable Korean word expressing the feeling of helpless isolation that characterizes the lives of many young people in Korea today.
Performance Lab is a continuation of OtB's longstanding commitment to showcasing works-in-progress by artists from across the Pacific Northwest.
23
COMING SOON ON THE BOARDS'
NOV 1
40TH BIRTHDAY
In 1979, On the Boards was born; the love child of a group of artists with a dream for world-class contemporary performance in Seattle. Over the past four decades, On the Boards has shaped the way our region experiences performance. We celebrate the artists that launched here; and the audiences that have embraced and supported new art and ideas at On the Boards from 1979 to 2019.
Join us for this birthday extravaganza from 6-10PM and become a part of the future of On the Boards featuring special guest, Reggie Watts! Tasty food and drinks. OtB Alumni Toasts and Tributes. As well as special guests... Reggie Watts, Dakota Camacho, Sarah Rudinoff and Dude York!
TICKETS: ontheboards.org/birthdayparty