In Collaboration With LA-Based Pieter Performance Space,
Series to Feature an Array of Instruction and Performance by Noted Dance Artists in LA’s Union Station
In collaboration with Pieter Performance Space, Metro Art Presents “Moving Through,” a monthlong series of dance and movement for times of change featuring a diverse group of teaching artists. The series, filmed at Union Station, launches Thursday, April 1, at 7 p.m. on Metro’s Facebook, Metro Art’s Facebook, and Union Station’s Facebook and YouTube channels and will continue April 8, 15 and 22.
Each program features a connection to transit, ranging from the practical (meditative movement to bring calm during a hurried commute) to the abstract (through Cunningham Technique, a systems-based dance form developed by distinguished choreographer Merce Cunningham) to the historical (House Dance’s relationship to the subway system in Chicago and New York).
The culminating program—the premier of “Baggage,” a theatrical dance work for film—was developed on-site in Union Station’s historic Ticketing Hall by acclaimed dancer and choreographer Jay Carlon and musician Alex Wand.
The program:
April 1 – Movement of Stillness With Joy Alegria
Alegria, a curator and arts educator who integrates dance, yoga and somatics, will offer a sequence of breath, stretching and meditation practices to bring serenity and calm, even while in transit alongside new music by Alex Wand.
April 8 – Cunningham Technique With Chard Gonzalez
Gonzalez, a choreographer, performer and teacher, will be joined by dancers Tamsin Carlson, Julie Opiel and Heather Seybolt to introduce exercises from Cunningham Technique, a dance training method that explores how the spine and limbs can move both independently from one another and in concert.
April 15 – House Dance: Dance Happens Everywhere With Emiko Sugiyama
Sugiyama, a performer and producer who has worked with renowned street dance and hip-hop companies, will be joined by dancers Andrea Lomelin and Juliet Mendoza to demonstrate foundational steps of House Dance and will then show how to put them all together in a dynamic sequence.
April 22 – “Baggage,” A New Dance Film Choreographed by Jay Carlon With Music by Alex Wand
“Baggage” celebrates origin stories and embodies the many histories of arrivals and departures at the station. A personal family narrative is unpacked through music, dance and memory inside Union Station’s Ticketing Hall. Carlon, named as one of the 25 dancers to watch in 2020 by Dance Magazine, is collaborating with Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Alex Wand.
Metro Art Presents showcases an exciting year-round array of arts and cultural events at historic Union Station and beyond. From music and dance performances, film screenings and poetry readings to experimental and mixed-media presentations, the programs creatively activate downtown’s primary transportation hub for all ages. For more information about how Metro enriches the transit experience through innovative, multifaceted arts and cultural programs, visit metro.net/art, Instagram and
Facebook.
Pieter Performance Space was founded at a studio in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles by Jmy James Kidd in 2010. A unique and expansive art community grew over the following decade, centered around an ethos of non-monetary exchange and reciprocity of generosity. Having left the studio in August 2020 amidst the pandemic, Pieter is currently an entirely virtual platform for classes, workshops and events led by dancers, healers and activists offering a multitude of approaches to body-based practice. pieterpasd.com // @pieterperformancespace
You must be logged in to post a comment.