Dance
The Body as Semi-transparent Envelope1
By Madison MainwaringChristiana Axelsen might not be the first dancer that your eye catches in a crowd. All of her gestures have a rounded, softened edge, and they flow without dramatic pause or emphasis.
In Conversation
On and with Effie Bowen
By Leslie AllisonEffie Bowen looks people in the eye. She draws her viewers with her, deep into mysterious, glittering atmospheres. Performing her own choreography or that of regular collaborators like Jen Rosenblit and Kim Brandt, Bowen’s projects tend toward performance art.
REBECCA BROOKS: Hopeful Grief
By Cassie PetersonContemporary dancer and choreographer Rebecca Brooks believes in the power of dance as a healing agent for the total body, mind, and spirit. By successfully incorporating the tenets of different body-based modalities into her movement vocabularies and expressions, she commits herself to a literal healing experience of movement.
WHAT THE BODY SAYS: An Appreciation of Simon Courchel
By Risa ShoupTo watch Simon Courchel perform is to watch grace embodied. Simon and I worked together as deputy and associate directors respectively at the Invisible Dog from 2011 to early 2013.
LYDIA OKRENT: The Work I Do Is Performing, Is Mine
By Jaime Shearn CoanLydia Okrent is an inventor: fastening worlds to blank walls, curiosity and confidence coexisting in her gaze. The taut magnet of her body passes through space with intention and clarity.
Six Nights and Seven Sizes Later
By Jaime Shearn CoanWhat would have happened in 1963 if someone from the voguing ballroom scene in Harlem had come downtown to perform alongside the early postmoderns at Judson Church? This is how Harrell situates his series at the start of every performance, explaining that his intention is to create not a historical fiction, but a realm of possibility.
Choreographic Wizardry of Yanira Castro
By Ivan TalijancicA Brooklynite by way of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Yanira Castro began dancing and choreographing shortly after graduating college in 1994. The Rail spoke with Yanira as her company gears up for a world premiere at Danspace Project later this month.
Additional Dancers of Note
by the Rail's Dance SectionA note from the Editor: In the same spirit of the Music section’s Undiscovered Lands, we’ve dedicated October to dancers who we believe deserve greater recognition. Spotlighted here are 16 artists who have captivated us with their virtuosity and inventiveness, their vulnerability and grace. By no means an exhaustive list, we’re excited to begin the conversation.
