"notes on de groat was done with such clarity, love, and sly wit that it won me over. You felt a tug from the past, but more than that, an exchange with the past."
Wendy Perron, A Fresh Breeze: Galassos and de Groat
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In December 2015, Catherine collaborated with choreographer Andy de Groat to present an evening of his early works at Danspace Project, and the evening was titled GET DANCING. Danspace also commissioned Catherine to create a new work in response, which resulted in notes on de groat for performers Chris DeVita, Kristopher K.Q. Pourzal and Meg Weeks.
GET DANCING was nominated for a 2016 "Bessie" Award for Outstanding Revival. It was described by Siobhan Burke in The New York Times as "an illuminating, heartfelt program of old and new work." Wendy Perron included it on her Best of 2015 list, and later wrote an in depth article reflecting on the program, incorporating interviews with several cast members: "The experience was like following a string back through time and finding some sort of treasure. What [Catherine] found wasn’t flashy or transgressive, but an enchanted meeting of movement and music." TOURING OPTIONSnotes on de groat can be presented as a standalone 30-minute lecture/dance performance with 3 performers, or as part of the full GET DANCING 70-minute program featuring Andy de Groat recreations from the 1970's.
all photos by Victoria Sendra except where noted
GET DANCING
- program - Danspace Project Presents Andy de Groat & Catherine Galasso get dancing December 10-12, 2015 - 75 minutes, no intermission - This program includes four dances by Andy de Groat, recreated by Catherine Galasso in conversation with de Groat and former collaborators, and one new work by Galasso, created in response. Rope Dance Translations, 1974/1979 Choreography by Andy de Groat Film by John Meaney and Andrew Horn, with original music by Michael Galasso on solo violin, featuring Robyn Brentano, Ritty Ann Burchfield, Frank Conversano, Charles Dennis and Andy de Groat. Performance: Ritty Ann Burchfield, Frank Conversano, Charles Dennis and Buck Wanner get wreck, 1978 Choreography by Andy de Groat Poem written by Christopher Knowles Performed by Christine Bonansea, Ritty Ann Burchfield*, Frank Conversano*, Charles Dennis, Chris DeVita, Catherine Galasso, Kathryn Ray*, Alex Romania, Kristopher K.Q. Pourzal, Meg Weeks Chorus: Jacob Burckhardt, Kirstin Kapustik, Christopher Knowles, Keith McDermott, Ghan Patel, Lillian Pickett, Satya Celeste Stainton, Saori Tsukada, Shelley Valfer fan dance, 1978 Music by Michael Galasso Performed by: Ritty Ann Burchfield*, Patrick Gallagher, Makram Hamdan**, Meg Harper, Kirstin Kapustik, Kathryn Ray*, Kristopher K.Q. Pourzal, Sarah Sandoval, Satya Celeste Stainton, Julia Vickers, Buck Wanner, Emily Wassyng, Meg Weeks - pause - notes on de groat, 2015 Written and directed by Catherine Galasso in collaboration with Chris DeVita, Kristopher K.Q. Pourzal and Meg Weeks Music by Michael Galasso, including pieces composed for Andy de Groat’s stabat (1990), and Iranian Suite (1975) Swan Lac, 1982 Performed by Patrick Gallagher, Austin Selden, Madeline Wilcox Music: Talking Heads This is an excerpt from de Groat’s evening length Swan Lac, which premiered in Aix-en-Provence in 1982, and was performed at Danspace Project in 1983 by de Groat, Viviane Serry and Michael O'Rourke. Lighting Design: Carol Mullins Costume Design: Karen Boyer Stage Manager: Martita Abril Rehearsal Assistant, fan dance: Patrick Gallagher In the lobby: Excerpts from Syracuse Sequence, 16mm film Director: Robyn Brentano Dancers: Andy de Groat and Julia Busto Art: John Willenbecher Music: Michael Galasso Camera: Jacob Burckhardt and Robyn Brentano *original cast, 1978 premiere at Danspace Project **member of Andy de Groat's company red notes in France from 1991-1995 and worked intermittently on projects with Andy from 1995-1999 |
performancesPremiere: December 10-12 2015
Danspace Project, NYC Reprisal: January 20, 2018 Bard Graduate Center, NYC Upcoming Reprisal: December 13, 2019 John Michael Kohler Arts Center Sheboygan, Wisconsin aboutnotes on de groat, 2015
Written and directed by Catherine Galasso in collaboration with Chris DeVita/Doug LeCours, Kristopher K.Q. Pourzal and Meg Weeks Music by Michael Galasso Lights by Carol Mullins Costumes by Karen Boyer support + fundingThe creation of GET DANCING was made possible, in part, by the Danspace Project 2015-16 Commissioning Initiative, with support from the Jerome Foundation. Additional support provided by the Bossak/Heilbron Charitable Foundation, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, individual donors, and the 92nd Street Y. The project was developed through residencies at Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, the Centre National de la Danse Pantin, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center with support from the New York State DanceForce and funding from the New York State Council on the Arts Dance Program, and through the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Extended Life Dance Development program made possible in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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Photo at top by Julieta Cervantes