03 Oct

Posted at 12:00h in

Imaginary Gardens “Imaginary Gardens” is a short film inspired by an experimental dance work of the same name – performed by Nancy Havlik’s Dance Performance Group – where the company sets out to “plant ordinary objects in the mind and cultivate the images which spring up around them.” The staged work was inspired by poet Marianne Moore’s famous poem entitled, "Poetry", in which she hopes for poets who can produce "imaginary gardens with real toads in them.” In this film adaption, the director asked the diverse and multi-national group of performers to present to the camera their internal, personal, embodied experience, while improvising on the material; attempting to move beyond what an audience might experience in a staged, performative setting, where it might be difficult to make that connection. In the end we’re still left with bodies moving in space. But can we look beyond that and make a real connection? Official selection: London International Screen Dance Festival 2019 https://vimeo.com/332133630 ...

20 Jan

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Gesture on Paper / Gesture in Space Nancy Havlik’s Dance Performance Group – working with visual artist Donna McKee, directing the company in a charcoal gesture drawing workshop – explores the relationship between gesture on paper and gesture in space to dig for new movement vocabulary for a dance. https://vimeo.com/200385476?share=copy#t=0 ...

03 Nov

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notebook sketch no.1 for Body Into Sky Body into Sky is the umbrella for a series of solo dance projects investigating the nature and manifestation of the five elements in body, sound, light, space and environment. Culminating in multiple events, performances and projects as dance art, durational performance, installation, dance on camera, photography, and an archival body of research through the project's ongoing documentation, this series of works is meant to be a minimalist meditation of the presence of these elemental forces within self and life, and a love song to the body, nature, and the cosmos. This is a short excerpt of impromptu movement studies shot during a site visit – exploring a potential location and gathering ideas for the filmed portion of this project, to be undertaken at a future date. https://vimeo.com/144499963 ...

20 Jul

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Improvisations on text by Anne Carson Nancy Havlik’s Dance Performance Group exploring text from “The Fall Of Rome” by Anne Carson – in their new rehearsal space, Dance Loft on 14. Breaking up into two groups they explored the text, space between dancers, and changes of energy and dynamics. https://vimeo.com/134017996 ...

18 Mar

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INSERT [coda] HERE The INSERT [      ] HERE project was a performative experiment in embodiment, co-directed by contemporary dance artists Nick Bryson (Ireland) and Sharon Mansur (Washington, DC) employing imaginative notions of insertion via kinetic, spatial, aural and visual realms [https://vimeo.com/98989816]. INSERT [coda] HERE is a continuation of this work, with Sharon Mansur (performance), Tara Rodgers (music), and Brian Harris (photography, edit). https://vimeo.com/122605636 ...

12 Dec

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variation on residue Nancy Havlik's Dance Performance Group rehearsing their latest work, Love and Other Verbs. https://vimeo.com/114369013?share=copy#t=0 ...

29 Oct

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Acts of Arriving Acts of Arriving was a multi-event project incorporating visual art, dance, and music, bringing creativity to four locations across Metro Washington, DC. Through a series of hands on workshops and interactive performances, Acts of Arriving investigated place, community, and the creative act of making a home. Shot at Joe's Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Maryland on October 18, 2014. https://vimeo.com/109412993 ...

23 Jun

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INSERT [    ] HERE The INSERT [     ] HERE project was a performative experiment in embodiment, co-directed by contemporary dance artists Nick Bryson (Ireland) and Sharon Mansur (Washington, DC) employing imaginative notions of insertion via kinetic, spatial, aural and visual realms. This work evolved from Mansur and Bryson’s unique international partnership, involving creative practices in somatics and dance, along with contributions from collaborating artists. This video was shot during the performance at Dance Place, in Washington DC. https://vimeo.com/98989816 ...

01 Feb

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variation on residue Inspired in part by pentimento, an underlying trace image in a painting, "residue" marks the passage of time and remnants of memories past and future, through a spare and fragile, yet richly visual and kinetic landscape. "Variation on residue" was improvised on location, specifically for the camera, in September of 2013. It premiered at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center as part of the Dance Faculty Concert, November 13, 14 & 16, 2014. "residue" premiered at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, December 2012. Also presented by Mobius experimental gallery/performance space, Cambridge, MA, February 2013, Shepherdstown On Site Dance Festival, WV, June 2013, and SUPERNOVA Performance Art Festival, VA, June 2013. https://vimeo.com/85615685 ...

07 Nov

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Scenic Route: The Anacostia A 4-hour canoe trip/hike/performance with Daniel Burkholder/The Playground, taking place along the Anacostia River and in The National Aquatic Gardens, Washington, DC. The third site specific performance in the Scenic Route series, audience members have an opportunity to use video, or photography, along with social media, to share the performance. Shot with the Sony RX100, hand held, using in-camera audio. https://vimeo.com/78796510 ...