Merián Soto/ Branch Dances: September 2011

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Announcing 2 cycles of performances in Philadelphia and NYC

Merián Soto/Performance Practice announces two one-year cycles of Branch Dances that will take place in Philadelphia and New York City, beginning in October 2011. Each series, the Wissahickon Reunion and Branch Dances at Wave Hill, will consist of four outdoor performances, one each season spanning from October 2011- June 2012. Soto is joined for these performances by dancers: Beau Hancock, Shavon Norris, Jumatatu Poe, Olive Prince, and Marion Ramírez. Acclaimed musician Robert “Tigger” Benford will create and perform the music.

Branch Dances at Wave Hill

Wave Hill, a 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades, has commissioned award-winning choreographer Merián Soto to return to the Bronx, her artistic home, to develop a site-specific project during a one-year residency. Soto’s project is part of Wave Hill’s 2011–2012 generated@wavehill commission, a program that provides artists the opportunity to create temporal work for the grounds. Over the next 12 months, Soto will develop and perform Branch Dances at Wave Hill.

This project was generated from Pepatian's APAP@HOME 2011 series in the South Bronx, and is further supported by project manager Jane Gabriels.

The first Branch Dances at Wave Hill performance takes place Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 3:00pm. Performances are free with admission to the grounds. The schedule for the entire series is as follows:

Fall: Saturday, October 29, 2011 (Target Free Morning)

Winter: Saturday, January 7, 2012 (Target Free Morning)

Spring: Sunday, April 22, 2012

Summer: Saturday, June 23, 2012 (Target Free Morning)

For more info see: Wave Hill

Wissahickon Reunion

Wissahickon Reunion revisits the award-winning One Year Wissahickon Park Project which investigated correspondences between movement, the elements, physical experience, alignment and balance, consciousness, and performance. Performances will take place on Sundays at 10:30am, rain or shine. Cancellations will be only in extreme weather.

Wissahickon Reunion performance dates are:

Fall: October 23, 2011

Winter: January 15, 2012

Spring: April 15, 2012

Summer: June 17, 2012

The Branch Dances

Welcome to Branch Dances Blog documenting and reflecting upon ongoing Branch Dance explorations.

The branch dances are slow meditative works designed as performance frames for an improvisational movement practice I have been developing since 2005 . Focusing attention on connecting somatic, energetic, and mental processes, the dances with branches are centered on consciousness in action, in performance, in practice. The work involves the practice of moving into stillness, the detailed sequencing of movement through inner pathways; the investigation of gravity through dynamic shifting into balance and alignment; and the investigation of speed including very slow movement approaching stillness.

Since 2005 I have created dozens of park performances as well as seven branch dances for the stage including the critically acclaimed Three Branch Songs, Balancing Acts, States of Gravity & Light #2, and What is Love?, commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

The One Year Wissahickon Park Project (OYWPP) was a series of performances in Wissahickon Park throughout 07-08 This award-winning creative research project consisting of 16 performances in the park (four during each season) shaped a number of performance experiences in nature in order to experience their evolution over time, the seasons, temperature, and weather. For more information see the
project blog: www.meriansoto.blogspot.com