2020-21 Virtual
Ardsley Residency
In 2018, the Dance Gallery began a residency program in collaboration with Catskill Art Space for artists to develop works for the NYC Season. This residency is an all inclusive residency with accommodations, meals, rehearsal space, and a community showing at the end. With the shifts that the world has seen since the onset of the novel coronavirus, the 2020 residency has been moved online so that we can continue supporting the development of new work in a way that is safe for creators, performers, and audiences. Please enjoy the work and behind the scenes look into creating work during this time.
Khensani Mathebula
Teddy Tedholm, photo by Marcus Branch
Khensani Mathebula founded MATHETA Dance in 2017, with aspirations to build its presence in both the States and South Africa. Khensani was discovered in her hometown Johannesburg, South Africa, by international guest Ana Marie Forsythe at a Horton workshop, and recruited to the competitive Ailey School/Fordham University BFA program in New York City. She graduated cum laude as a double major in Dance (as a select Independent Study Choreographer) and Political Science. She danced with Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company, and performed works by noteworthy choreographers including Ronald K. Brown, Matthew Rushing, Michael Leon Thomas and Vincent Mantsoe, as well as Alvin Ailey in his classic work “Memoria” at New York City Center Theater. The Company has enjoyed residencies with CUNY Dance Initiative at Brooklyn College in 2018, and the Ardsley Choreographic Residency in 2019, and has performed in numerous festivals around New York City including Movement Research at Judson Memorial Church, Battery Dance Festival, and Dance Gallery Festival.
About the Company:
MATHETA Dance is an afro-modern, storytelling dance company. The name ‘Matheta’ plays on the word ‘thetha’, which in the South African Xhosa language means ‘to talk’. The company speaks through movement. We believe dance is a language of the spirit with the power to impact and uplift people to be used both as a medium for social activism, and as a practice for embodying beauty and joy in motion. We are a project-based company in New York City with dreams to establish a strong presence in both the U.S. and South Africa. mathetadance.com
About the work
“Repair” - A season of growth or a season of repair – this duet moves through contemplations of stepping back, pushing through and holding onto something to be treasured.
Performed by Tyler Clark and Caleb Austin.
Behind the Scenes
Repair
Artist Talkback
Sunday June 13th at 7pm
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Join us for a conversation with Khensani Mathebula to discuss the creation of Repair. They will be joined by Astrid von Ussar of Dance Gallery Festival, Sally Wright of CAS Arts Center, and moderator Quinn Czejkowski.
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Teddy Tedholm
Teddy Tedholm is emerging as one of the most exciting talents in dance. Upon graduation from the University of the Arts with a BFA in Ballet Performance in 2013, Teddy was awarded the university’s prestigious Stella Moore Prize for four years of achievement in dance. Shortly after graduation, he moved to New York City to where he immersed himself in the artistic concepts that continue to inform his work. His work began to receive praise almost immediately. In addition to a nomination for a World Dance Award in the Best Choreography Concert/Live Performance category, Teddy has been a finalist in the McCallum Theater Choreography Festival, the REVERB dance festival, and a two-time finalist in the Capezio ACE Awards.
In 2015, Teddy consolidated his work under tedted Performance Group. tedted Performance Group is a group of artists of different backgrounds who believe in creating work that defies definition. Since its inception in 2015, tedted Performance Group has rapidly carved out a unique space in the heavily saturated landscape of performance in New York City. With an emphasis on experimentation, the group has presented groundbreaking work in unusual spaces; from riverbanks to living rooms and warehouses to the occasional stage. The Boston Globe called their performance at the Huntington Theater “eye popping”. The aim of all their work is to stir conversations among audiences in order to help bring people together into a truly global community.
Teddy’s dance film work has also achieved great success. His film “Don’t Miss It” has been screened at festivals throughout the world.
He firmly believes that collaboration is a necessary act in order to further art and the world we live in. For this reason, his work is interdisciplinary and reflective of the multiple voices that appear within his work. He also believes that the creation of art can be a valuable research method. By allowing his art to be a research practice he keeps the door open for the overall mood and tone of the work to evolve with the group’s understanding of the work. The world is evolving as all art should and Teddy looks forward to continuing to push this idea out into the world.
Teddy Tedholm, photo by Marcus Branch
About the work
“The Vision in Eight Parts” is a Dada-inspired examination of observation and the inspiration that visual art has on my own work. As we approach 100 years since Man Ray’s monumental film work was created, “The Vision in Eight Parts” pays homage to the visual artists (including Man Ray) who have influenced my own work while examining the adjustments that occur in translation of ideas. The film questions who the viewer of any given project can be, contextualizes history, and dabbles in the surreal.
Behind the Scenes
The Vision in Eight Parts
Artist Talkback
Sunday, April 11th at 6:30pm
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Join us for a conversation with Teddy Tedholm to discuss the creation of The Vision in Eight Parts. They will be joined by Astrid von Ussar of Dance Gallery Festival and moderator Quinn Czejkowski.
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ANNALEE TRAYLOR
Annalee Traylor, photo by
Annalee Traylor is a NYC based freelance creator/choreographer and educator. She is a high school graduate of UNCSA and received her BFA with honors from Point Park University. Collectively, her live work and films have been presented nationally and abroad in LA, NYC, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Seattle, Rotterdam, NL, and Rome, IT, and at festivals including the Dance Gallery, Battery Dance, Los Angeles Dance, and the American Dance Festival. She has been commissioned by Voices Carry Inc., Dance Canvas, Point Park University's International Summer Dance, Periapsis Music and Dance, Texture Contemporary Ballet, REED Dance, among others. Most recently, she was named “Outstanding Choreographer” at the 2020 Youth America Grand Prix regionals. Guest artist teaching credits include: Carnegie Mellon University, Sam Houston State University, Slippery Rock University, Point Park University, Dekalb School of the Arts, and The Creative and Performing Arts High School among others.
About the work
Created in response to societies time spent in quarantine, “MISS YOU”, is a concept film that explores the act of dissociation as a coping mechanism for isolation. The Ardsley Residency provided Traylor the opportunity and support to delve into creative research centered specifically around character study/building.
Behind the Scenes
MISS YOU
Artist Talkback
December 6th at 6:30pm
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Join us for a conversation with Annalee Traylor to discuss the creation of MISS YOU. They will be joined by Astrid von Ussar of Dance Gallery Festival, Sally Wright of CAS Arts Center, and moderator Quinn Czejkowski.
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Peter Cheng
Peter Chang, photo by Jason Lam
Peter Cheng is a Taiwanese-American dance artist hailing from San Francisco, CA and received his professional training through Alonzo King LINES Ballet, ODC/SF, Visceral Dance Chicago, SBDNY | MODULE, Springboard Danse Montréal, NW Dance Project, and Yin Yue, among others. He has performed works by Caili Quan (BalletX), Flavien Esmieu (BalletBoyz), and konverjdans. As the Artistic Director of Peter & Co. his work has been presented at Center Stage Theater, ODC Theater, Broadway Performance Hall (Seattle, WA), and prominently in New York at 92nd St. Y/Harkness, Judson Memorial Church, Arts on Site, The Mark O'Donnell Theater, and LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. Peter received his BFA in Dance from the University of California at Santa Barbara, with a minor in Education & Applied Psychology.
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About the work
L Ú T A L I C A is a concept-to-screen dance film that merges gesture, cultural identity, memory, and place. It is currently in development through Dance Gallery Festival’s Ardsley Residency in partnership with the Catskills Art Society.
"lútalica" (Serbo-Croatian for "wanderer")
“When you were born they put you in a little box and slapped a label on it. But if we begin to notice these categories no longer fit us, maybe it’ll mean that we’ve finally arrived—just unpacking the boxes, making ourselves at home.”
- The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.
Behind the Scenes
L Ú T A L I C A [ W A N D E R E R ]
Artist Talkback
Labor Day - September 7th at 5pm
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Join us for a conversation with Peter Cheng and collaborators Marie Lloyd Paspe (dancer) and Melissa Wu (cinematographer) to discuss the creation of LÚTALICA. They will be joined by Astrid von Ussar of Dance Gallery Festival, Sally Wright of CAS Arts Center, and moderator Quinn Czejkowski.