John J Zullo Dance/Raw Movement to perform

John J Zullo Dance/Raw Movement will present a 2013 season at Danspace Project on September 19-21. The season is part of DANCE: Access, a self-production series overseen by Danspace Project that serves independent choreographers and dance companies.

Performances will include works from John J Zullo Dance/Raw Movement’s repertory, including ALL what THIS do HAS you HAPPENED see? BEFORE, as well as the world premieres of this Exquisite diversion/mysterious Skin and project Xiii, which includes guest performers Barry Blumenfeld of TAPFusion and choreographer Jeff Rebudal, among others. 

The dance work ALL what THIS do HAS you HAPPENED see? BEFORE explores perception, perspective, the insistence of memory and the inevitability of repetition. Events unfold, remembering actions we have seen, how they differ from what actually occurred versus what we remember having happened. Movements are repeated, constructed and then deconstructed, rearranged then viewed from different angles shifting the perspective to create something familiar yet new.  

The work creates a clear space for the action to unfold as the audience is invited to watch the work from any side of the space, as well as within. The music includes works by Monolake, Ludovico Einaudi, David Lynch and Autechre, and features a live performance by singer Jessie Davis. Costume design is by Hector Perez, lighting by Lily Meyer and set decor by Lily Meyer and Zullo.

The world premiere of the full work this Exquisite diversion/mysterious Skin will delve into the physical manifestation of extreme psychological experiences where individuals are blocked from accessing the memories of events that happened. It accesses an out of body experience as the walls of mind and memory are slammed and mined for fragments of a lost story whose effects are felt but not always recalled.  

Using the text of Scott Heim’s novel Mysterious Skin as a map and compass for the work, this dance piece will look at how two different individuals process trauma and how their choices set in motion courses for the rest of their lives. Featuring a sound score by David Englehard, the work also utilizes lighting design by Mark Simpson, set decor by Lily Meyer and Zullo, and costumes by Zullo.

After seeing an in-progress version of this piece at the La Mama Moves! Festival in June, Oberon’s Grove wrote, “The dancers knot up in intense pairings… maintaining individuality in this dark collective. The piece, with evocative lighting, has a restless, brooding and ultimately sensual quality.”

The other premiere, project Xiii, is based on one 60-second phrase of movement with 12 solo variations with dancers from Raw Movement as well as esteemed colleagues and choreographers Zullo has worked with over the past two decades. Each artist will perform a movement variation from the original phrase to their own 60 second piece of music. For the final 60 seconds of the piece all artists will repeat their variation simultaneously to zero. There will be a large clock in the center of the stage counting down the piece from 13 to 0, invoking notions of variations in space and time as well as the ephemerality of performance.

John J Zullo Dance/Raw Movement, both relatively new dance ensembles, will present these three works on September 19-21 at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Church, located at 131 East 10th Street in NYC. Tickets are $20 general admission ($15 for students and seniors) and can be purchased at www.danspaceproject.org. 

Photo courtesy of John J Zullo Dance/Raw Movement.