HOME BODIES: A new film series
CREATED BY MCKENZIE CHEN & MARIEL LOWE
This series of 8 short films focuses on dancers and movement-makers at home, each telling a unique story in their own, personal environment.
"Some would say its crowded with knickknacks but it is happy cozy house that is as much a part of our family and we are."
"I appreciate the process of being collaborate with others and finding a happy medium where all parties can contribute something that we could not do on our own."
"Dancing can be scary and uncomfortable, but the risks are always worth taking."
"I feel most alive when I am in a space with music and letting my body move in an untamed manner. "
"The apt appears completely empty. Dancing in the space was a nostalgic experience for me. I lost myself in all of the memories I had created there. "
"A lot of art making happens within the walls of my apartment, and the fact that these three wanted to come in and capture a bit of it was pretty special."
FATTY FATTY NO FRIENDS
Created by de gré, anderson & gay
“FATTY FATTY NO FRIENDS is the story of a kid. The skinny kids hated him, no matter what he did.They taunted him until he took revenge without amends. It was a tasty lesson for Fatty Fatty No Friends.”
Ironically enough I did have a bully when I was about four or five. Her name was Astor and she was twice my size. She kept saying she would put me in the chokie if I didn't do things for her.
I'm having flashbacks to my first tiny (literally and figuratively) role: King of the Flying Monkeys in an elementary school 'Wizard of Oz.'
I would have to say middle school was the worst for me. That was when I first got glasses and I was very self conscious about them. I thought I looked like a dork so I would take them off whenever I got to school, but then couldn't see a thing!
My "bully" and I actually were in choir together in sixth grade, and I won "Best 6th Grade Girl Choir Member." So, in a way, I guess I did use the power of song to win. BOOM.
Everyone has bullies growing up, and we're all still growing up until we kick it. The title of 'bully' hasn't stuck with one person my whole life, it's hopped from person to person as I've learned to live and let go. That title has passed through raccoon-eyed middle school trollops, ex-boyfriends, old roommates, teachers, cranky late night drunks and everyone in between.
I had three bullies - they liked to make fun of me for being overweight (as my mom would say, "husky"). One of their patented bullying methods was to call me varieties on my real first name, Theodore, so The Odor, Theodork, the Fat Chipmunk, or my favorite was they would call me Barfallonyou or Barfy, because they thought Theodore sounded like Bartholomew, even though they're not in any way the same name. Kids.
This is a huge piece of theater, and no amount of preparation really, truly, or fully makes you feel ready to live through this emotional rollercoaster of a show in front of an audience.
BEWARE THE CHUPACABRA
CREATED BY DE GRÉ & ALBERTY
"Seeking to impress his future father-in-law, innocent dressmaker Teddy Baskins embarks on a dark and musical journey from 1920's New York to the dangerous jungles of Mexico in pursuit of the legendary Chupacabra, a mythical, goat-sucking beast."
I can eat an entire jar of pickles and drink all of the juice in one sitting. It's ecstasy at the time, but an hour later my body punishes me for my gluttony.
Finding an unexplored land that holds hidden ruins, buried treasure, a deep, dark secret that mankind was not meant to know, chases, and just when it looks like all hope is lost, I dig down deep within myself and find the strength to save the day. So basically accounting.
The craziest dream job I've ever wanted...When I was a kid I really wanted to build houses for fairies.
When I was younger, I at some point wanted to work at a cake shop at the mall. My reasoning was that when the mall closed I would get to eat all the cake I wanted.
Craziest Dream Job I ever wanted was to be a Ninja Assassin... or maybe... I already AM one...
A teacher of mine told me that I go to my ancestral plain. I just sort of leave this world for a short periods sometimes. It can be a real killer for conversation.
I would love to circumnavigate the globe on a sailboat, or to deep sea dive and find what fish and creatures have not yet been discovered by science.
I am of the opinion that The Chupacabra is FACT. I grew up right next to the mountains in New Mexico. I have seen a Jackalope (a bunny rabbit with antlers). So The Chupacabra is not a far stretch for my imagination.
WHISKEY PANTS: THE MAYOR OF WILLIAMSBURG
CREATED BY DE GRÉ, ANDERSON & GAY
Williamsburg, Brooklyn: a land where the whiskey is always flowing. Here people live in blissful peace under the tenure of Whiskey Pants, their beloved Mayor. Since "The Event", they've found it's dangerous to dream, leaving most to prefer to live their days in a drunken stupor. But now, their way of life is threatened by an ambitious newcomer from the outside world who seeks to sober their perpetual hangover. Will he ruin everything? Or will he discover that in Williamsburg, it's easier to drink.
Needless to say I got an A for the project, but my teacher hastened to explain to me that in real life, I had to just pick one. Joke’s on you, my dear teacher, I’m an actress! I can be all three!
Then take him back to earth and tell my parents I had found my husband (Yes, I wanted to marry Yoda).
Once I drank two giant Rockstar energy drinks back to back and I swear I could smell colors.
"I take swigs from a hefty bottle of Jack Daniels proffered by a cute hipster cowboy, after which we run out into the rain across a grassy meadow, falling all over each other drunk and laughing and kissing."
When I was younger, I considered running my own country. It was during my brief stint with politics, having recently been elected 4th grade class president in a landslide.
I know from later photographic evidence that I spent some portion of that night in a tree, followed by a nap in a bathtub.
Before I even went to the pre-gaming party, I PRE-pre-gamed at home (at noon. On a Tuesday.)
I woke up with a feather drawn in permanent marker covering the entire right side of my torso.
I remember running around screaming "I don't want to be wiggly anymore!", taking my clothes off and vomiting.
LA MAMA PRESENTS
THE DREAM VAULT CYCLE
October 24, 2014 - November 2, 2014
Exploring the thread of creation & inspiration The Dream Vault Cycle brings together over fifty multidisciplinary artists from opposing aesthetics. Their combined talents create unique multi-media performances exploring the evolution of a creative idea and the interpretation of its seed value as it journeys from art form to art form.
Be unafraid while being human. Be assertive, maybe even aggressive with your art, but with humility and kindness to those around you.
At one point we made a right on the path, and used a seated, sedate, cud-chewing, camel as our land mark.
I went over trying to be all cool and said, "How bout we make this unofficial thing official?"
I decided that these were my lucky stars and that if one ever disappeared, my luck would run out.
When I was a kid my nickname was Serrana Piranha because I bit people. I still bite people...
I was raised on Motown, so I joined in. It should be noted that I was drunk and can't really sing all that well.
Even though her love was geared to a pig Griselda was equal parts adorable and absolutely bat-shit crazy. I miss her... even though I created her...
"I sat there and looked at his eyes, which because of his size, I could clearly see. And he looked at me. And we both waited until he died."
I was a little kid, maybe five years old, we had two basset hounds, Cookie and Boo. They were fat and kind of old, and Boo had some issues...
Johnny gets his thumbs snipped off by tiny men with giant scissors.... I was off the thumb by age 7.
I called out, “HEY, STUPID!” (which may seem mean, but it truly was something we called each other all the time - suffice to say, we’re merely acquaintances today).
My inspiration is the power of a person's mind and the raw imagination, unadulterated and unhindered, that stems from it.
I like tiny utensils. Mostly tiny spoons. They are best employed on foods in large containers....
"After a year-long adventure of couch surfing and rotating sublets, I have settled within the tall white walls of a Brooklyn apartment."