Events

Annex Dance Company Announces Piccolo Spoleto Festival Highlights

Published

1 year ago

May 17, 2023

Press Release

Annex Dance Company announces two new works to debut in the 2023 Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

The world premiere of dance film a PUSH and a PULL, created with film director and former company member Maggie Bailey, will take place on Wednesday May 31st, 6 pm, at the Terrace Theatre. Tickets are available for $18/$15 (students/seniors) at tickets.annexdancecompany.org. Following the film premiere, the company will present a dance installation within the Carla Gannis / C.A.R.L.A. G.A.N.: wwwunderkammer exhibit at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts on June 1st at 5:30pm, June 2nd at 11:30am, and June 8th at 6:30pm. The culmination of the annual residency with the College of Charleston Department of Theatre and Dance as part of the Stelle di Domani Series, this site-specific piece is created and performed by students and company members. Admission is free.

The 2023 Piccolo Spoleto Festival marks the company’s thirteenth appearance. ‘Lucky 13’, as artistic directors Kristin Alexander and Julie Clark have been referring to the body of work created for the Festival, is a true reflection of the company’s engagement in the Charleston arts community. “Since Annex Dance Company became a Charleston-based company in 2010, we have performed in traditional and non-traditional spaces,” comments Alexander. “The company presented an evening of dance at the Sottile Theatre in February, so it feels great to be sharing a film and site-specific piece for the Festival.”

The company will open their Piccolo Spoleto Festival performances with a screening of their newest dance film a PUSH and a PULL. Created with Maggie Bailey, an award-winning producer and director, a PUSH and a PULL explores the idea of the push and pull we feel within ourselves, relationships, and all aspects of life through the cinematic lens of dance filmmaking. A medium where both choreography and cinematography have an equally shared relationship in the creative process, dance films allow an audience to watch a piece unfold from multiple perspectives in multiple locations. a PUSH and a PULL is a series of vignettes danced to the music of Marcus Amaker mixed with text by Lydia Brown, Ronda Taylor, and Sofie Williams spoken by the writers and actor AP Hart. Filmed on the grounds of the College of Charleston Grice Marine Laboratory, Pixel Studios, and Navy Yard Charleston, Alexander, Clark, and Bailey allowed the environments to enhance the movement vocabulary and inspire choices made with the camera.

A collaboration that has been in the works since the start of the season, Alexander and Clark were excited about working on the company’s second dance film with Bailey. Bailey danced with Annex Dance Company as an apprentice and company member from 2013-2016 prior to moving to Austin, TX to pursue an MFA in Film and Media Production. Clark acknowledges, “Maggie’s experience dancing with Annex enhances our ability to showcase our movement and concept from the rehearsal process to the screen.” With Annex Dance Company rooted in collaboration, Bailey’s own approach was a perfect fit. “As a director and producer in the independent film space, I find inspiration and excitement in working together with a team of artists and technicians to bring a project to life,” shares Bailey. “I feel deeply honored to be a part of this dance film that is showcasing a wide array of Charleston’s local artists including filmmakers, dancers, choreographers, poets, musicians, writers, and actors.”

a PUSH and a PULL is sponsored by The Law Office of Kathryn M. Cockrill and Digital Ignite. The Piccolo Spoleto Festival premiere at the Terrace Theatre (1956D Maybank Highway) on May 31st will include a screening of the film and a talk back with Alexander, Clark, and Bailey, as well as some of the dancers and collaborators. Tickets are $18/$15 (students/seniors) and can be purchased tickets@annexdancecompany.org. Following the talk back, the company will be heading over to Maybank Public House who is generously offering a 10% discount for a meal to anyone who attends the premiere. This gastro-chic pub and taphouse has a rotating tap with wide varieties of food and drink for any occasion! The company appreciates their partnership and hopes to see patrons at the pub.

On June 1st, the company will transition into presenting their second project for the 2023 Piccolo Spoleto Festival with three performances of V³, a dance installation in the Carla Gannis / C.A.R.L.A. G.A.N.: wwwunderkammer exhibit. The company was invited by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art to create a site-specific piece for the exhibit, a collaboration Alexander had been hoping to explore again since their work with Jennifer Wen Ma’s Cry Joy Park: Gardens of Dark and Light in 2019. This Spring, Alexander and Clark virtually immersed themselves in the wwwunderkammer created by Carla Gannis, a transmedia artist based in New York. The dance component of the exhibit pushes the boundaries of audience and performer, reflecting the display of human and AI, reality and VR, baroque and contemporary. Performed by the company and students selected for the company’s annual residency with the College of Charleston Department of Theatre and Dance, the dancers bring a fourth dimension to the 3D rooms, or ‘chambers’, of the wunderkammer. “The wunderkammer feels vast and grand, yet specific and nuanced. Hearing Carla describe the different personalities and the symbolism behind the avatars in her world has been the driving force behind our creative process,” shares Clark. “This is the first time dance has been part of Carla Gannis / C.A.R.L.A. G.A.N.: wwwunderkammer, and it feels very much like the beginning of our company exploring the virtual space beyond this project.”

Carla Gannis / C.A.R.L.A. G.A.N.: wwwunderkammer can be viewed at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art (161 Calhoun Street) from May 19 – July 15, and V³ will be presented on June 1st at 5:30pm, June 2nd at 11:30am, and June 8th at 6:30pm. Admission is free.

Patrons are encouraged to find more information regarding the performances and take a look into the behind-scenes process by on the following social media outlets: https://www.facebook.com/AnnexDanceCompany/, https://www.instagram.com/annexdancecompany/, and http://annexdancecompany.org. Performance times, details and ticketing information will be shared on the website.