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self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. collage by Gina Graham

postcard layout Rob Racine

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

self produced show. postcard by Gina Graham

Esse Aficionado Dance Company | info@esseaficionado.org | Terms of Use | Copyright©2011 All rights reserved.

Judson Memorial Church Performance

Choreography of Gina Graham presented by

Movement Research at Judson Church, NYC - Nov 2011

Repertory presented...

Body Bags (2011) by Graham







Maki Morinoue presented by New Dance Alliance

Performance Mix Festival

Dixon Place

March, 2010

choreographed by Morinoue

performed by Morinoue and Graham








Maki Morinoue presented by The Field

Emerging Artists Showcase

Dance Theater Workshop

June 30, 2010

choreographed by Morinoue

performed by Morinoue and Graham








The Pounding Room

City Center Studios

December 9, 2009

choreographed by Morinoue, De La Rosa and Graham








Intersection - Jackie O

Intersection of 5th Ave and 82nd Street

September 20, 2009

directed by De La Rosa








Late Saturday Afternoon: Portrait

Sidewalk in Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA

June 28, July 19 & August 2, 2008

choreographed by Morinoue, De La Rosa and Graham

directed by Morinoue








Strictly Seattle 2008

presented by Velocity Dance Center,

Seattle, WA - July 2008

Repertory presented...

Reductive Space (2008) choreographed by Morinoue








Northwest New Works Festival

presented by On The Boards,

Seattle, WA - May 2008

Repertory presented...

Early Sunday Morning (2008) co-choreographed by Morinoue, De La Rosa and Graham








Demonstration & Roundtable

presented by On The Boards at Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA - April 2008

Repertory presented...

Early Sunday Morning (2008) co-choreographed by Morinoue, De La Rosa and Graham








Esse Aficionado NYC Fall 2007 Season

Joyce SoHo, NYC - November/December 2007

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

Fifteen Minutes of Fame, or Cult, or One Movement Per Minute (2007)

Algorithm With Someone (2007)

Geoffrey Grauer (2005)

My Artist in Montana (2007)

choreographed by Morinoue:

The Architect (2006)








Bumbershoot 12 Min Max “I Just Want to Dance” series and Fall Kick Off Extravaganza

Velocity Dance Center, Seattle, WA - September 2007

Repertory presented...

3 Sides (2007) co-choreographed by Morinoue & Selfick Ng-Simancas








Holualoa Foundation for Arts & Culture (HFAC)

Donkey Mill Arts Center

Holualoa, Hawaii - August 2007

Repertory presented...

Isolating Forms and Soliloquy

by Morinoue








Dances by Bachman & Graham

presented by The Tank at Collective:Unconscious,

NYC - June 2007

Repertory presented...

Geoffrey Grauer (2005) & One Movement Per Minute (2007) by Graham








Judson Memorial Church Performance

Choreography of Gina Graham presented by

Movement Research at Judson Church, NYC - May 2007

Repertory presented...

Fifteen Minutes of Fame, or Cult, or One Movement Per

Minute (2007) by Graham








ArtsLaunch

Tashiro Kaplan Artist Loft, Seattle, WA - March 2007

Repertory presented...

Dialogue (2007) by Morinoue








The Bridge Project

presented by Velocity Dance Center,

Seattle, WA - January 2007

Repertory presented...

Nolenz Volenz (2007) by Morinoue








Aorta Performer

Merce Cunningham Studio, NYC - December 2006

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

The Moment of Event (2004)

Swan Song for Everyone (2007)

Four Bases (1999)

History (est. 2000)

choreographed by Morinoue:

Self-Depiction (2006)

choreographed by De La Rosa:

Inter...Ruption (2001)








Next Choreographic Series

presented by Velocity Dance Center,

Seattle, WA - May 2006

Repertory presented...

Jerrie Gullick (2005) by Graham








In My Language presented by MiKiJio Arts

Seattle, WA - July 2006

Repertory presented...

In My Language (2006)

Co-choreographed by Gina Graham, Veronica De La Rosa and Maki Morinoue

Soliloquy (2006)

Co-choreographed by Maki Morinoue and Gina Graham

Self Depiction (2006)

Choreographed by Maki Morinoue

The Architect (2006)

Choreographed by Maki Morinoue








Choreography of Gina Graham presented by

45th Street Theater, NYC - May 2006

Repertory presented...

I’m Going To Die Someday (2006) by Graham








Readymade

Merce Cunningham Studio, NYC - November 2005

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

History (est. 2000)

Jerrie Gullick (2005)

co-choreographed by Morinoue & De La Rosa:

Just in Case You Were Wondering, I’m Mexican American (2005)








21st Century Dancing

The Ailey Studios, NYC - May 2005

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

Commissure #44; Isn’t #24; Flamingo #17; Axe #20;

Fluorescent #45; Engineer #23 (2005)

The Name Series - Jerrie Gullick, Tom Graham, Geoffrey Grauer (est. 2005)








Event Horizon

Merce Cunningham Studio, NYC - October 2004

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

The Moment of Event (2004)

choreographed by Morinoue:

Still Point (2004)








Made on a Mac–Lec/Dem on how we use macs in dance

Apple Store SoHo, NYC - July 2004

Repertory presented...

demonstrated excepts of Inside The Mind of Line (2003) by Graham featuring the invention Speaker Trees by Michael Schneider & Kirsten Gilg.








Joyce SoHo Presents

Joyce SoHo, NYC - May 2004

Repertory presented...

Successions (2003) by Morinoue








Diorama

Merce Cunningham Studio, NYC - December 2003

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

Diorama (2003)

History (est. 2000)

choreographed by Morinoue:

Successions (2003)

choreographed by De La Rosa:

Time Past, Time Future (2003)








Esse Aficionado @ Joyce SoHo

Joyce SoHo, NYC - March 2003

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

Where I Meets Thou (1996)

Inside the Mind of a Line (2003)

History (est. 2000)

choreographed by Morinoue:

Episode I & II (2003)

choreographed by De La Rosa:

Power of Point (2003








Esse Aficionado presents...Strangelet

Merce Cunningham Studio, NYC - October 2002

Repertory presented...

Strangelet (2002) evening length work

co-choreographed by Graham, Morinoue, & De La Rosa








Esse unplugged - Oasis Dance Festival

presented by Chashama

Times Square, NYC - May 2002

Repertory presented...

excerpts of Strangelet (2002)

co-choreographed by Graham, Morinoue, & De La Rosa








EA Lecture Demonstration

Jewish Community Center, Sherman, CT - April 2002

Repertory presented...

History (est. 2000) by Graham








EA @ APAP Convention “New Voices Series”

City Center Studios, NYC - January 2002

Repertory presented...

History (est. 2000) by Graham

Portrait by Morinoue








Esse Aficionado presents Esse Aficionado

Merce Cunningham Studio, NYC - October 2001

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

History (est. 2000)

To Roam the Earth (1998)

Four Bases (1999)

choreographed by Morinoue:

Portrait (2001)

choreographed by De La Rosa:

Inter...Ruption (2001)








This is What I am Doing

University Settlement, NYC - May 2001

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

Currency #3 , Movie #24, Why #17, Receipt #20,

Pepper #45, Tuesday #23 (2001)

History (est. 2000)

choreographed by Morinoue:

Study for a Voice (2001)








The Making of Americans

Merce Cunningham Studio, NYC - July 2000

Repertory presented...

choreographed by Graham:

Nude Torsos (1998)

In An Apartment on E. 7th Street (2000)

History (est. 2000)

choreographed by De La Rosa:

Take Five (2000)

postcard by Gina Graham

   performance/repertory chronology

cURRENT WORK

BODY BAGS


I wanted to deconstruct the elements that can make viewing a dance and dancing a dance desirable. The idea to put a dancer in a bag was born out of my 2003 work, Diorama. Back then I didn’t have a clear understanding as to why I chose this medium; I just knew I wanted the freakish look and feel of someone trapped inside of a bag on the stage. 


I’ve become interested in the exploration of anonymity on stage as a reaction toward our societies’ constant need to showcase who we are, what we’re doing, what we look like and how we look doing things across many public platforms. To some degree, everyone has entered the stage space. In abandoning the identity of face and body I wanted to re-create an anonymous & sacred space for the dancer to facilitate the movement without the exchange of physical appearance and technical ability.


The limitations that are consistently explored in Body Bags can be considered the antithesis of what dance is to most people. I wanted to put the dancer’s instrument in a strained and uncomfortable position, limiting their sight, spatial perceptions and body facings and incorporating the faculty of touch as a static form of sight. The dominating relationship between bag & performer is shared and often contributes to how the movement task is executed. The element of space, movement and time are somehow compressed by the dancer’s inability to see & shape their outside world.  


By censoring their expression and individuality inside the bag, I want the dancer and the viewer to be drawn into the texture of what’s happening. These moving, breathing-pods are continually morphing, allowing neutrality to transcend into performance. It is through this medium that the dancer struggles to achieve a symbiotic relationship with the material and their environment, organically allowing movement to become the primary focus.


I derive inspiration for this piece and other dance works by assembling my collages and working with layers of materials & textures. I deconstruct my subjects into powerful, vulnerable, sexualized, and often deformed figures, transforming them into something different from their original state. Like mixing up my collage media, I hope to allow the viewer to see another life force and mystic behind the material. The bold colored bags drape over the dancers’ bodies similar to how sculptors Christo and Jeanne-Claude completely covered objects in material, resulting in a totally different identity and perception of the subject.  The objectification of the human figure creates a moving piece of collage-art and the bags are an integral prop that the dance cannot exist without, ultimately becoming the costuming platform for the dance.


It is through the vulnerable and powerful instruments of the unseen figures that I hope to establish an exotic and unsettling quality that can result in finely woven, ambiguous and perverse relationships. However macabre the title, it can suggest numerous scenarios and images that one may find unsettling, but continually reminds us that life and death coalesce.



- Gina Graham, 11/2011