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Phone: 216-991-9000
Address: 13110 Shaker Square, Suite 106, Cleveland, OH 44120
DANCECleveland is honored to be the recipient of a competitive Ohio Arts Council Arts NEXT grant for bold, groundbreaking projects to pilot the DANCECleveland Choreography Mentorship Program. For this initial iteration of the program, DANCECleveland has commissioned local choreographer Jessica Bennett to create a new dance work under the mentorship of acclaimed, New York City-based choreographer Stephen Petronio.
Through virtual mentoring sessions with Petronio, Bennett has experimented with different choreographic techniques, honed her creative process, and received feedback and guidance on the creation, direction, and staging of her work. Bennett's work, titled Spurious, will be performed by local dancers on October 21 at 78th Street Studios during their monthly Third Friday event.
As a “presenter and more,” DANCECleveland is committed to supporting local artists through professional development and networking with world-renowned dancers and dance-makers. Throughout the year, DANCECleveland offers a number of opportunities for local dancers to advance their craft, including performances from a selection of the best modern dance companies in the world, masterclasses with company members, pre- and post-show conversations, an annual residency with The University of Akron, professional development sessions, and Teaching Artist opportunities with our early childhood dance and literacy program. DANCECleveland is proud to add the Choreography Mentorship Program to the list of exciting opportunities we offer to Northeast Ohio dancers.
Choreography & Costume Design: Jessica Bennett
Music:
Audio from Being Authentic In A Filtered World, a TedTalk from Rachel DeAlto at TEDxHartford, editing by Jessica Bennett
Intro by Bright Orange
Ryan Mason Scores Winner Before
Porno Disaster by Octopus Project
10x Stronger by Dominic Fike
CRISPR/cas9_ by O, Nomak
CDP Co. Dancers:
Anna Cerveny
Emily Ann Dustman
Megan Gurzce
Elana Leonis
I hope this dance is a reminder to all to find the version of themselves that feels most true. We live in an accelerated modern world, moving a million miles a minute, with a buffet of demands on each of us. Often times we create different versions of ourselves to juggle it all. This dissection of ourselves is a slippery slope in my opinion. My wish for you as that you always center yourself back to who is truly you. Maybe even stay there.
Thank you to Stephen Petronio for your guidance, expansive wisdom, honesty, and down-to-earth approach to this mentorship. Thank you DANCECleveland for such an incredible and unique opportunity. Thank you to the beautiful CDP Co. dancers who turned whatever I threw at them into something even better. Thank you to Anna for thinking of me. And special thanks to Jeremy who gives me the space and support to do what I authentically love.
Meet our first DANCECleveland Choreography Mentorship recipient, Jessica Bennett!
Jessica Bennett studied for 14 years at the Canton Ballet and has a dual degree from the Ohio State University in Modern Dance and Choreography and Psychology. She has danced professionally with TUPACO Dance, Lori Belilove, High Jinx, Anna and the Annadroids, and the Backspace Performance Ensemble. Bennett's choreographic experience includes work for Fugitive Kind Live Theater and Cleveland Dance Project, where she also currently serves as Assistant Director. Her creative process intends to push boundaries and engage dancers and her audience with a compelling and accessible form of movement that captures the nuances of what it is to be human. Jessica is also a teaching artist for the nonprofit organization, Artful Living & Learning.
DANCECleveland is thrilled to have Stephen Petronio as our choreography mentor for this special initiative.
Founder, Choreographer, and Artistic Director of Stephen Petronio Company, Petronio is known as a risk-taker who continues to push the boundaries of modern dance. Since its founding in 1984, Stephen Petronio Company has performed in over 40 countries, including 25 seasons at the Joyce Theater. With a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer, Petronio is committed to developing the next generation of modern dance choreographers through his Petronio Residency Center and scholarship programs in the Catskills region of New York.
DANCECleveland is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.
The Ohio Arts Council helped fund DANCECleveland with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.
This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Ohio Arts Council.
DANCECleveland's mission is to bring the passion and verve of modern and contemporary dance to Northeast Ohio. Founded originally as Cleveland Modern Dance Association in 1956, DANCECleveland continues to be: A DANCE PRESENTER AND MORE!
One of only a handful of presenters in the nation dedicated solely to the presentation of modern and contemporary dance, DANCECleveland brings renowned modern and contemporary dance companies from around the world to perform on the stages of Northeast Ohio through their annual dance series. DANCECleveland is A COMMISSIONER of new dance works, bringing up-and-coming choreographers from across the nation to be inspired by our community as they create new dance pieces; AN EDUCATOR through Read to Learn…Dance To Move, an early childhood program that brings professional dancers into preschool and kindergarten classrooms to inspire creativity through literacy and movement. A RESOURCE to the dance community by offering free dance classes with visiting world class dancers and directors for local dancers of all ages and abilities; A NATIONAL LEADER recognized by organizations such as Dance/USA for their innovative audience engagement programs, pre and post show activities; and A VISIONARY by collaborating with the region’s leading arts, cultural and educational organizations to create co-presenting relationships.
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Electric and thought-provoking, Stephen Petronio Company is a postmodern icon in the dance world. Marking the Company’s Ohio debut after a last-minute pandemic cancellation in March 2020, DANCECleveland is thrilled to bring Stephen Petronio Company to Cleveland for an engagement that promises to be visually striking and artistically daring. The captivating performance will include the multi-dimensional American Landscapes, featuring the music of Jim Jarmusch and Jozef Van Wissem with imagery by Robert Longo; Creep, set to music by Radiohead; and New New Prayer for Now. A bold and visceral dialogue between bodies, space and the viewer's eye, New New Prayer for Now is a collaboration with composer/performance artist Monstah Black, creating music based on the treasured songs "Balm in Gilead” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, Stephen Petronio is widely regarded as one of the leading dance makers of his generation. The company is known for carrying on the lineage of modern dance pioneers, while pushing the boundaries of modern dance into the contemporary, relevant present by weaving together modern dance movement with new music, visual art, and fashion in a way that is uniquely Stephen Petronio Company.
“He is one of the few contemporary dance makers who have created an instantly recognizable style …infused with emotional texture and wit …jarring and just right” - New York Times
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