Our signature dance series has been presenting outstanding emerging, evolving and established choreographers who are defining the future of dance. This season E-Moves expands its program format to give dancers more resources and performance time and audiences a chance to see exciting new dance in a more concentrated program. Our E-Merging/E-Volving programs will each feature four emerging artists presenting short new works. The second half of each program will feature a 45 minute presentation of work by two evolving artists we have nurtured over the years.
Program 1: Fridays, April 9 and 16
E-Merging Choreographers:
Miguel Anaya
Marguerite Hemmings
Malcolm Low
Paloma McGregor
E-Volving Chreographer:
Ayo Jackson / les libertines
Program 2: Saturdays, April 10 and 17
E-Merging Choreographers:
Ja'Malik
Ching-I Chang
Maurice Chestnut
Lia McPherson & Desiree Godsell
E-Volving Chreographer:
Erick Montes
For the E-Stablished program, we have stretched out and placed it later in the season, giving more resources to these master artists to realize fuller programming while still staying connected to E-Moves by mentoring the emerging and evolving artists and selecting a few they’ve had their eye on. This year we present only one E-Stablished artist. Ron K. Brown and Evidence, a Dance Company will celebrate their 25th anniversary in a co-presentation with Harlem Stage in June. In addition to a stunning program of selected works from their repertoire, Ron will conduct a master classe for dancers, a workshop for boys and the men in their lives – fathers, big brothers, mentors – prior to a special Father’s Day presentation. See our June programming for more details.
PLUS!!!
Dance on Film – join us for a special presentation of Carmen and Geoffrey, a loving documentary on Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder on April. 14th.
Dance in Theater – James Scruggs reads his provocative new one man show, Touchscape, of monologues with movement and music on April 12th.
Choreographer's bios:
Ching-I Chang
Ching-I Chang is originally from Taiwan where she started her dance training mostly. She believes that she began dancing when she was in her mother’s belly. However, she has been dancing and performing since she was five. At the young age, she has performed in the major cities both in Taiwan and America. She received her BFA in Modern Dance from University of Utah in 2009. She is currently working with Gesel Mason Performing Project, Kelley Donavan & dancers, Kyle Abraham, H.T. Chen & Dancers, Maurice Fraga, Corinne Cappelletti, and Jessie Tomanek. And she loves bananas.
Lia McPherson & Desiree Godsell
Lia McPherson a native of Detroit, Michigan, received her first formal dance training through the Detroit Public Schools at the age of 10. She has been told often by her mother that she came out of the womb dancing—her dance roots stem deeply in Detroit Street and social dance, hip-hop, West African and modern. In 2002 while attending the University of Michigan she started a campus based dance company, Cornrows Dance. Later that year Lia decided to spread her wings and fly to New York to become an Independent Study student at the Alvin Ailey Dance Center, she then went on to receive a full scholarship to the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance where she performed Martha Graham's Rite of Spring. Lia completed her undergraduate studies at the University of the Arts where she performed works by Reggie Wilson, Myriam Herve-Gil, Brian Sanders, Faye Snow, Curt Haworth, Kim Bears-Bailey and Rachel Berman.
Lia holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance Performance from the University of the Arts (2005) and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Columbia University (2008).
Desiree Godsell is native to wonderful Houston, Texas and a graduate of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She was fortunate to study on scholarship at the Alvin Ailey School for dance in New York City, soloing in Matthew Rushing's repertory. Specializing in modern dance, jazz dance, Latin dances, and choreography, she graduated from the University of the Arts in 2005 with the Susan Glazer Leadership award. While in college she received the 2003 Robert Price scholarship to travel and work along side the Eastern Cape government creating performing arts programs for children in South Africa. In Philadelphia Desiree was a principle dancer in the afro-modern dance company Dance Theater X. Through modern dance as a technical base, she investigates cultural movement from around the world, using counterpoint to produce a contemporary "mash up".
Currently she is dancing and choreographing for Downtown recording artist Santigold and also working with other artists developing stage shows.
Miguel Anaya
Mr. Miguel Anaya was born on the edge of Texas next to the Mexican border. He has danced with Bill.T.Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co, White Oak Dance Project, Liz Gerring Dance Co and Martha Clarks 'Garden of Earthly Delights.' Mr. Anaya was assistant choreographer to Bill.T.Jones on the TONY award winning "Spring Awakening".
Malcolm Low
Malcolm Low is originally from Chicago where he trained with Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Ruth Page Foundation. He went on to perform with Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance, Les Ballets Jazz De Montreal, Ballet British Columbia, Crystal Pite, Ronald K.Brown/Evidence, Zvi Gotheiner and Dancers, Stephen Petronio, Complexions and Margo Sappington. He also spent four wonderful years with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company where he had the great pleasure of travelling with Bill on his solo tour As I was Saying. Low has shown work at River to River Festival in collaboration with DJ Spooky, BAAD, DanceNow and most recently at E-Moves.
Marguerite Hemmings
Marguerite Hemmings was born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in New Jersey. She is a recent graduate of Columbia University and a choreographer, dancer, and teacher who specializes in hip hop and new school dancehall/reggae mixed with elements of modern and West African. She teaches and performs in New York City and its surrounding areas. Her recent projects include Bam Bam, showcased at the January 2010 Highline Ballroom, Sybarite Love is Love Showcase; What is Love., showcased at the April 2009 DTW RAW DanceFest studio showing; and Hey, How You Doin'' showcased in Rhapsody's April 2009 Sirens After Dark Showcase at BLVD.
Maurice Chestnut
One of tap's brightest young stars, Maurice Chestnut is an original member of the New Jersey Tap Dance Ensemble. His extensive list of credits includes his appearance at Carnegie Hall and throughout Europe with the Geri Allen trio as a featured soloist, and his performances in productions with Savion Glover such as Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk, Improvography, Classical Savion, Tappin' Into Monk, Invitation to the Dancer and on ABC-TV's Dancing With The Stars. At the turn of the 21st century, the Newark Star Ledger's arts reviewers named Chestnut "one of the twenty New Jersey faces to watch for in the new century."
Ja' Mailk
A former member of Cleveland Ballet, Oakland Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, CityDance Ensemble, and Ballet X. Appeared as a guest artist with Ohio Ballet, Nathan Trice/RITUALS, and Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance. A collaborative member of Collage Dance Collective, and Avi Scher and Dancers, he also serves as assistant to Camille A. Brown.
Ja' Malik is a freelance choreographer based in Harlem New York. Since 2007 he has been building a name for himself as a choreographer having created works for North Carolina Dance Theater 2, Oakland Ballet, and CityDance Ensemble of Washington D.C.. He has also self produced his own work in Harlem Stages E-Moves 10th anniversary season and The 2009 Reverb Choreographic Project. As a choreographer he has been nominated for several Metro DC dance awards including Outstanding Emerging Choreographer. Ja’ Malik is the proud recipient of the 2010 Harlem Stage Fund for New Work Grant, presented by Harlem Stage and the support of the Jerome Foundation.
Paloma McGregor
Paloma McGregor is a New York-based choreographer and co-founder of Angela's Pulse, a collaborative performance company. Her work has been presented throughout New York, including at The Kitchen, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Bronx Academy of Art and Dance and SolarOne Arts Festival, as well as at Yale University, UCLA, The Dance Place in Washington, DC, and Cleveland Public Theatre. She is a 2010 recipient of the Harlem Stage Fund for New Work and a 2009 Voice & Vision ENVISION artist-in-residence at Bard College.
Ayo Jackson
Ayo Janeen Jackson is from North Carolina and received her BFA from the NC School of the Arts. She has danced with the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company and since leaving has pursued work in film, concerts, and other concert dance projects. Her recent projects include her Coming Out Exhibition. The evening length work is comprised of two set pieces designed and created by Ms. Jackson, along with three dance pieces inspired by Ms. Jackson’s need to find freedom.
Eric Montes
Erick Montes most recently voted one of Dance Magazine 2004's 25 to Watch, Montes is originally from Mexico City and joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in 2003. He trained at the National School of Classical and Contemporary Dance in Mexico City. His professional career began with the Compañia Barro Rojo Arte Escenico, A-Quo Danza Contemporanea, Aksenti and Thania Perez-Salas. In 2001, he received the first prize in the Premio Intercontinental INBA-UAM. In 2002, he collaborated with choreographer Stephen Petronio in projects sponsored by Lincoln Center Out of Doors and Queens Theatre in the Park. He received grants in both 2002 and 2005 through the Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y Las Artes. In 2004, he was invited as an emerging Mexican choreographer to participate in the Festival Mexico Now in New York City. In 2005, Montes received a grant from Aaron Davis Hall (Harlem Stage) for E-Moves.
