DANCEACTION & The Center at West Park
presents
DIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY BY CARMEN CACERES
(IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DANCERS)
CO-DIRECTION & DRAMATURGY BY LAUREN HLUBNY
THE PROGRAM
Prelude
Intro: Migration
Act I: Transformation
Game 1: “Broken Telephone”
Act II: Functionality
Game 2: “Hot Potato”
Act III: Recruiting
Game 3: “Become a Worker of Nation 1/A”
Game 4: “The Natural Disaster: Monsoon”
Act IV: Culture Clash
Game 5: “Louder Crowd”
- Pause –
Post Performance Talk Back
THE SONGS
“El Tema de Ludmila” by Emilio Teubal
“The Last of Us” by Gustavo Santaolalla
“Ilaló” by Chancha Via Circuito
“Before the Beginning” by John Frusciante
“Let the Good Times Roll” by Sam Theard | Performed by Ray Charles
“Inca Yuyo” by Perotá Chingó
“Omeprazol” by Frikstailers
“Asphalt Tango” by Hungry March Band
“Kawa Kawa” by Chancha Via Circuito
“Pa’l Norte” by Calle 13
“Battle Without Honor or Humanity” by HOTEI
“This is Not America” by Residente
“El Arriero” by Atahualpa Yupanqui | Performed by Divididos
“Vientito del Tucumán” by Atahualpa Yupanqui | Performed by Divididos
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Direction & Choreography: Carmen Caceres (In collaboration with the dancers)
Co-Direction & Dramaturgy: Lauren Hlubny
Dancers: Carmen Caceres, Israel Harris, Lauren Hlubny, Lydia Perakis, Sofia Baeta, & Sofia Bengoa
Costumes: Carmen Caceres & dancers
Video Projections & Editing: Carmen Caceres
Lighting Design: Nina Agelvis
Video: Daniel Hess
THE INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
This interactive performance features 5 games.
Find the Instructions below:
Game #1: “Broken Telephone”
Goal: To pass a message via whispering to the person next to you.
(The Pink Spot represents the beginning | The Purple Spot represents the end)
The cast will give you the message.
The message will be passed in a zig-zag.
The last person will give the message back to the cast, who will announce it.
Game #2: “Hot Potato”
Goal: To accumulate the highest number of paper boxes into your team's pile by quickly passing and tossing them when the music stops.
While the music is playing, pass the boxes as fast as you can.
Paper boxes must be tossed when the music stops, aiming at the team’s goal pile.
The paper boxes will be passed the same way you whispered.
The outcome of this game will determine the narrative of the piece.
Game #3: Become a Worker of Nation 1/A
Goal: To join Nation 1/A as a worker on stage.
Only the audience sitting on the left side of the house will participate.
Audience members will be guided toward the stage by the characters.
All participants must bring their Visa Stamp Card to the border of Nation 1/A.
Game #4: “Natural Disaster: Monsoon”
Goal: To recreate the sounds of heavy rain by stomping your feet on the ground.
All audience members can participate.
Game #5: “Louder Crowd”
Goal: To be the louder audience by clapping (and making all kinds of noises)
We’ll signal who goes first, and then we will alternate turns for 3 rounds.
Any type of noise is allowed, including clapping, stomping, yelling, and singing, especially singing.
The outcome of this game will determine the narrative of the piece.
ABOUT WELCOME TO IMAGI*NATION: PART 3 & DANCEACTION
Welcome to Imagi*Nation: Part 3 is a “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” multimedia dance theater immersive experience inspired by Eduardo Galeano’s book the Open Veins of Latin America. This piece begins with the conflict between two fictional nations over natural resources and labor shortages. While performers are searching for conflict resolution, the audience will experience the motivations and consequences of migration. This piece reflects the relationship between the US and Latin America within the frame of industry, economy, and migration.
To watch Welcome to Imagi*Nation: Part 1 & Part 2 click on the following links.
(This video performance will be available only until 05/31/2022)
DanceAction is a contemporary dance company based in New York, led by Argentinian choreographer Carmen Caceres. Our culturally diverse team is comprised of artists from several disciplines such as dance, music, drama, media, and visual arts. Together we create dance works that reflect social realities that concern people, relationships, and social justice. Our primary purpose is to interpret these issues and use our works to propel change.
DA has presented works in numerous renowned venues and performance series in New York including Performance Studio Open House (PSOH) at Center for Performance Research, Take Root at Green Space Studio, Open Performance for Movement Research, WaxWorks at Triskelion Arts, The Secret Theater, Under Exposed at Dixon Place, and SharedSpace at the Mark Morris Dance Center. DA has also been invited to international dance festivals in multiple cities, including the First Contemporary Dance Festival of Mexico City (FIDCDMX), the Contemporary Dance Festival “Ticino in Danza” in Ticino, Switzerland, the “Women Center Stage Festival” in New York, and the “Human Lights Festival” in Atlanta. DA’s works have been awarded the Brooklyn Arts Fund Community Grant, the Dance/NYC Emergency COVID-19 Grant, the City Artist Corps Grant, and most recently the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Creative Engagement Grant to produce this piece in partnership with the Center at West Park.
We are dedicated to making an impact in the community. In addition to producing performing arts works in collaboration, we created the arts education program to provide learning experiences in the arts. DA has facilitated dance workshops and open classes, locally and internationally. Many members of the company have developed their practice as teaching artists and early childhood educators, which is why we love to offer unique educational opportunities.
Carmen Caceres DanceAction is a fiscally sponsored member of New York Live Arts, Inc., a non-profit tax-exempt organization. Contributions in support of Carmen Caceres DanceAction’s work are greatly appreciated and may be made payable to New York Live Arts, Inc., earmarked for “the New York Live Arts member project of Carmen Caceres.” A description of the work and current project activities for which such contributions will be used are available from Carmen Caceres or New York Live Arts, upon request. All contributions are fully deductible to the extent allowed by law.
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS
CARMEN CACERES (Artistic Director & Choreographer) is a New York based dance artist, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received a BA in Dance and Education at SUNY Empire and deepened her studies at the former Merce Cunningham Studio in New York. In her native city, she graduated from the National School of Dance and the National University of the Arts UNA.
With her company, DanceAction, she produces performing artworks in collaboration with multidisciplinary artists. DA has participated in numerous local and international festivals and performance series. She has performed and presented work at multiple prestigious venues like Center for Performance Research, Green Space Studio, Dixon Place, the Mark Morris Dance Center, Judson Memorial Church, and St. Marks Church. Carmen also produces her new performance & improv-lab series Lo De Carmen in collaboration with Silvana Brizuela-Weigel. These bi-weekly events taking place at her home’s Rooftop in New York City during the summer months bring together dancers, musicians, and theater performers to showcase their work while exploring core principles of Argentine Tango.
As a performer and collaborator, Carmen has worked with artists Ines Armas, Katie Rose McLaughlin, Isabel Lewis, Jillian Peña, Lisa Parra, Elia Mrak, Jody Oberfelder, and Sarah Berges among others. Carmen also works as a dance educator and program director for different art education programs in New York City, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. www.carmencaceres.com
LAUREN HLUBNY (Co-Director & Dramaturge) is the NYC Artistic Director of the Franco-American company Danse Theatre Surreality (DanseTheatreSurreality.org). Hlubny's work centers on image-as-metaphor, physicality, social justice, and interdisciplinary communication, and her research focuses on the intersection of movement and storytelling. Hlubny has been invited to share works in France, Italy, Seattle, San Francisco, Birmingham, Knoxville, New Orleans, Portland, and in museums nationwide, including the Dali Museum. Hlubny studies Martial Arts and Anthropology in New York City, where she works as a director who originates works at venues such as Joe’s Pub, Triskelion, The Kraine, Shetler Studios, TADA! Youth Theater, Mark Morris, and La MaMa. Fascinated by multifaceted productions, combat, and consent, Hlubny also enjoys working as a dramaturg and acting coach for choreographers, and as a choreographer for theatre and opera. Hlubny was an artist-in-residence for her piece īs, a dance-concerto this August at the Shed Seattle, and serves as co-director/dramaturg for Dance Action’s latest work Welcome to Imagi*nation directed and choreographed by Carmen Caceres.
ISRAEL HARRIS (Artistic Associate & Dancer) is a Latinx American artist who was born in Guatemala and raised in Bellevue, WA. He began dancing at the age of ten and graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Dance. He currently dances as a company member with Sean Curran Company and Dry Marinaro Dance Company. He also had the amazing opportunity to dance featured roles in works by Wayne McGregor and Ronald K Brown/Evidence, and worked with Lar Lubovitch, Ori Flomin, and the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation. As a freelance, NYC based-artist, Israel’s interests span to areas of performance, choreography, teaching, video editing, media and marketing practices, and social advocacy. He strives to work at the intersection of art and advocacy, recently taking on the specialty role of Racial Justice Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Israel enjoys collaborating on creative processes which inspire the voices and perspectives of others to be heard.
LYDIA PERAKIS (Artistic Associate & Dancer) is a Greek, New York based artist who engages with performance, choreography, education, and arts administration. She creates multi-disciplinary works that utilize movement, spoken text, visual art and multimedia. Her training includes a BFA in Dance from NYU-Tisch School of the Arts and a Minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies (2019). She has worked with choreographers such as Jeremy Nelson, Christina Robson, Luis Lara Malvacías, Arnie Zane (re-staged) and the Yonis. Some of her own choreographic works have been presented in venues such as the Danspace Project, Green Space, Jennifer Muller/The Works Studio, SMUSH gallery, Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center (19th DUMBO Dance Festival), Brooklyn Bridge Park (Current Showcase), Bridge for Dance (virtual), the Queens Outdoor Dance Festival, and Threes @ Franklin + Kent (The Craft NY). Additionally, she has been awarded the MUSE Residency through Danspace's Community Access program. Besides her choreographic pursuits, she is a staff member at New York Live Arts, the Center for Performance Research, and the Soho Playhouse. Lastly, she is a dance educator via the educational platform of Outschool and has been teaching movement classes professionally during the past 4 years.
SOFIA BAETA (Artistic Associate & Dancer) was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and moved to the US to pursue her dance education at age 17 to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. After graduation with a BFA in Contemporary Dance in 2019, Sofia relocated to NYC as a recipient of the Kenan Fellowship at Lincoln Center Education (LCE). She has performed works from Martha Graham, Merce Cunnigham, Ton Simons, Austin McCornick, Charles Czarny, Douglas Dunn, Brenda Daniels, Mari Meade, and Juel Lane among others. Her repertoire also includes highlighted roles in classical works such as La Bayadère and The Nutcracker. Her self-choreographed solo, In the eyes of others, was performed at The Ailey Citigroup Theater in 2019. Sofia is also a teaching artist and has taught for organizations such as LCE, Dancing Classrooms, and WR ARTS. Sofia is currently working at National Dance Institute and Helen Simoneau Danse and is excited to be joining DanceAction for this project.
SOFIA BENGOA (Artistic Associate & Dancer) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and grew up in Miami, FL. She received her early dance training at Heidi and Joe Melchiona's Dance Center. Sofia attended Brown University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in community health. While at Brown, she danced in works by Carol Abizaid, Julie Strandberg, William Forsythe repertoire, and performed with MEZCLA, Brown’s Latin dance company, and Badmaash, Brown's South Asian Fusion dance team.
After moving to NYC, in addition to obtaining her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology and Master in Public Health, Sofia trained extensively in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and Latin fusion. Recent performance credits include Theater Dance Vietnam: Dancing Through, WAXworks/Triskelion Arts, OFFLINE Thrive/Nimbus Dance, Jazz Choreography Enterprises, Booking Dance Festival/Jazz at Lincoln Center. She's had the pleasure of working with Tracie Stanfield (Construction Company, Brooklyn Dance Festival Company), Paul Brown-Lombardi, Cristal Del Mar Lopez, Danielle Diniz, Ashle Dawson, and Julie Carter among others. Sofia assists Eric Campros in his Contemporary Jazz classes at Broadway Dance Center.
PRODUCTION AND MAJOR SUPPORT Credits
Welcome To Imagi*Nation: Part 3 is presented through a residency at The Center at West Park. This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Welcome to Imag*Nation: Part 3 is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC. LMCC serves, connects, and makes space for artists and the community.
SPECIAL THANKS
Special Thanks to The Center at West Park for welcoming us over three consecutive residencies to make this work possible, to Larry Discenza & Inspired Training for continuously supporting DanceAction, to Rosario Caceres for her unique designs, and to our generous donors, multiple collaborators, and artistic advisers who helped make this work possible: New York City Artist Corps, Emilio Teubal, Maria Nissan, Aviya Hernstadt, Mar Orozco Arango, Lauren Harris, Maia Wechsler, Sheherezad Dubash, Heather Schechter, Shonna Valeska, Naomi Ramirez, Angelica Falcinelli, Sarah Downey, Lisa Parra, Cheryl Brigante, Emily Schoolman, Liam O’Reilly, Melanie Martin, Anna De Carli-Durkan, Miriam McBride, Scott Brigante, Viviana Choi, Jane Gardner, Kelsey Flynn, Mary Madsen, Laurie Lawes, Sarah Berges, Julia Price, Trace Brigante, Susan Eckbold, Steven Ripley, Nancy Dalva, Kora Radella, Willow Collamer, Stephanie Lee, Kay Brigante, Jody Oberfelder, Alvaro Gonzalez, Rich Weinstein, Lauren Burke, Marc Brigante, Nancy D'Uva, James B. Bond, Caitlin Dutton, Bobbi Legg, Ana Svendsen, & Julia Corrigan, and Michael Weston.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Center at West Park is a not-for-profit community performing arts center based in the historic West Park Presbyterian Church, a New York City landmark on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
We recognize that this land where we are privileged to be is the unceded territory and ancestral home of the Munsee Lenape. Today, members of the Lenape and many other indigenous sovereign nations continue to live, work, and create in New York City.
For over 30 years in the mid-19th century, this land was home to Seneca Village, the first free Black community in New York City. In 1857, the city used eminent domain to forcibly remove the residents and demolish their homes, schools, and churches to make room for the construction of Central Park.
Since its construction in 1889, this building has been home to countless artists and activists:
In 1978, West Park led the way in openly welcoming LGBTQ+ members as part of the More Light Movement.
From 1980 to 1985, West Park was home to The Shakespeare Center and the renowned Riverside Shakespeare Company.
From 1987 to 1991, God’s Love We Deliver worked out of West Park’s kitchen to serve up to 250 meals per day to people living with AIDS during the height of the crisis.
The West Park Presbyterian Church building was named a New York City Landmark in 2010. In 2016, The Center at West Park was founded by a coalition of community members to preserve and revitalize West Park as a community resource and home for arts and culture.
We are deeply inspired by the legacy of those who have called this land and this building home before us. We hope to honor them in all our work today and in the future.
ABOUT THE CENTER AT WEST PARK
The Center at West Park is a community performing arts center based in the historic West Park Presbyterian Church, a New York City landmark. We present engaging and boundary-pushing early-career and established artists through our artist residency programs, provide affordable rental space for artists to develop their work, and steward the restoration of our historic home’s landmark exterior. The Center is a secular, 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.
This program is made possible by the generous support of audience members like you. To make a donation to support future residencies, go to centeratwestpark.org/donate.
Staff
Natasha Katerinopoulos, Managing Director
Zachary Tomlinson, Artistic Director
Dane Jerabek, Marketing & Box Office Manager
Richard Pimentel, Fascilities Manager
David Shocket, Consulting Technical Director
Gary Eisenkraft, CPA, Accountant
Mercedes Marrero-Alvarado, Porter
Dion Thompson, Porter
OBJECT MOVEMENT CURATORS
Maiko Kikuchi
Rowan Magee
Marcella Murray
Justin Perkins
FALL 2022 GUEST CURATORS
Christina Franklin
Melanie Greene
Trevor Weston
Board of directors
Marian M. Warden, President
Marsha Flowers, Vice President
Theodore S. Berger, Treasurer
Beryl Abrams, Secretary
Robert L. Brashear
Jennifer Rogers Carlock
Don Frantz
Derrick McQueen
Mitchell Schamroth
Susan E. Sullivan