Anna, Darrin, David, Eleanor, jess, Katie, Leslie and Weena is Anna Witenberg, Darrin Wright, David Thomson, Eleanor Smith, jess pretty, Katie Workum, Leslie Cuyjet & Weena Pauly. We work continually together, through times of performing and, like now, absolutely no way. We meld the ritualized practice of Authentic Movement (an expressive improvisational movement practice that allows a group of participants a type of free association of the body,) improvisational dances, and the cultivation of a new culture in which today’s contemporary dance artists can thrive.
Through the building of improvisational dances in and out of the public eye, we practice our freedoms and reflect our jointed worlds to create new pathways for moving and living in this chaotic world. We create through kaleidoscoping lenses of personal and collective history, identity, geography, psyche, choice and form.
Anna, Darrin, David, Eleanor, jess, Katie, Leslie and Weena proclaim the form of dance is a human form, where the artists are the art. The work of making, stamina to create in varying conditions, ability to engage in risk, strength to weather storms and listen for opportunities are all still growing inside each company member. This flexibility has liberated us tremendously. We dream of new worlds and rebuild our old ones with our improvised dances even now. We’ve missed only one rehearsal since March 7th, 2020; dancing together online, in a hay field, via recorded video, through conversations, essays shared and repeated check-ins. These too are our dances and we will be ready when we can be in a room together again.
We are cocooning right now, and will emerge a new being. We are testing the groundwork already laid and daring to dream to create a new dancing world that we want to live in. Please stay tuned as we take the time to dream.
Bios:
Leslie Cuyjet is a collaborator and performer with an array of artists and choreographers including Will Rawls, Juliana F. May, Jane Comfort, Kim Brandt, Stephanie Acosta, and Cynthia Oliver. For sustained achievement, she was awarded a 2019 Bessie Award for Outstanding Performer. Her own work has been presented in venues across New York City. She was a 2018/19 Movement Research Artist-in-Residence and a 2019 AIR at Center for Performance Research.Lesliecuyjet.com
Weena Pauly-Tarr has been a company member of STREB, Brian Brooks Moving Company, David Neumann/Advanced Beginner Group, Young Jean Lee's Theater Company and most recently with Katie Workum. Weena is in her final year of school for Somatic Experiencing trauma resolution as well as a practicing C-IAYT yoga therapist. Weena founded ReConnect Somatic Therapy in 2008, a private practice that offers somatic therapy and movement education practice for adults and children through individual session work and group classes. Weena lives with her husband and four kids in Jackson Heights. www.weenapauly.com
jess pretty is on a quest for pleasure that transcends time and the spaces she claims to reside in. within her research she choreographs, performs, collaborates with other artists (will rawls, katie workum, cynthia oliver, leslie cuyjet, dianne mcintyre, jennifer monson and niall jones) and has a teaching practice in new york city (as well as universities around the u.s.) where she moved after receiving an mfa in dance and queer studies from the university of illinois at urbana champaign. her free time is filled curating methodologies for living past survival through being as unapologetically black as possible. thejessprettyballet.com
Eleanor Smith is a freelance dancer, teacher, and choreographer. She has performed with Katie Workum since 2013. Eleanor also currently dances for Ivy Baldwin, Julie Mayo, Molly Poerstel, and Ashley R.T. Yergens. Eleanor has been making dances with Molly Lieber since 2006. Their works have been commissioned by New York Live Arts, Barshnikov Arts Center, PS122, Danspace Project, and The Chocolate Factory Theater. Together they were nominated for a 2013 New York Dance and Performance "Bessie" Award for Emerging Choreographer. Molly and Eleanor have been guest artists and co-teachers at Connecticut College, Sarah Lawrence College, and The New School.mollyandeleanor.com
David Thomson has worked as a collaborative artist in the fields of music, dance, theater and performance with a wide range of artists including Trisha Brown, Susan Rethorst, Bebe Miller, Remy Charlip, Grisha Coleman|Hot Mouth, Ralph Lemon, Sekou Sundiata, Tracie Morris, Meg Stuart, Marina Abramović, Yvonne Rainer, and Kaneza Schaal among many others. He is a Bessie award-winning artist for Sustained Achievement (2001) and Outstanding Production (2018) for he his own mythical beast. Thomson has been recognized with awards and fellowships from US Artist, LMCC, Yaddo, MacDowell and Rauschenberg. He holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from SUNY Purchase. www.davidhamiltonthomson.com
Anna Thérèse Witenberg has performed in the work of Sarah Michelson, Anna Sperber, Douglas Dunn, Beth Gill, Maya Lee-Parritz, Doug LeCours and collaborated in choreography in Nick Mauss’ exhibition Transmissions at The Whitney Museum in 2018. Her own work has been presented at the Brooklyn Ballet, Performance Mix Festival 33, and at Bard College. She is devoted to and deeply loves the community of Katie, Darrin, David Eleanor, Leslie, Jess, and Weena. Annawitenberg.com
Darrin Wright is originally from Los Angeles, California. He has been a freelance dancing in NYC since 2002 and has worked with many fabulous artists.
