© Lindsay Thomas
TO DUST
World Premiere November 11, 2021
Runtime: 8 minutes
Choreographed by Juliano Nunes
Directed by Bruno Roque
Filmed by Bruno Roque
Music by Travis Lake
In this striking and tender duet by Juliano Nunes, the dancers move together in nearly constant contact, as they take turns supporting each other with fluid counterbalance and quiet reverence. To Dust was filmed in an unadorned performance studio with restrained lighting, and set to an ethereal score by Travis Lake.
WHERE YOU STAY
World Premiere November 11, 2021
Runtime: 18 minutes
Choreographed by Robyn Mineko Williams
Directed by Robyn Mineko Williams
Music by Tenci and Brian Case
Robyn Mineko Williams’ Where You Stay takes the audience on a mesmerizing visual journey, weaving together dreamlike vignettes on an evocatively uncertain timeline. Filmed on the grounds of Vashon Island’s historic Mukai Farm and Gardens, the piece includes six dancers, plus a role for Robyn’s young son, Knox.
5 FAVORITE THINGS
World Premiere November 11, 2021
Runtime: 23 minutes
Choreographed by FLOCK
Directed by FLOCK & Bruno Roque
Filmed by Bruno Roque
Music by Wolff Bergen
Alice Klock and Florian Lochner of FLOCK asked the six dancers and composer to identify five favorite things about themselves. These “nuggets of personal positivity” served as a starting point for this captivating tapestry of solos, duets and ensemble movement. Filmed from start to finish in one continuous, choreographed camera shot, the viewer is immersed directly into the piece to become, in essence, the seventh dancer.
The New Works Residency
The release of HERE & NOW marked the culmination of Seattle Dance Collective's month-long summer residency on Vashon Island. The group of eight dancers, three choreographers and small crew collaborated this past July to produce a collection of three world premiere dances. The new works were choreographed by critically-acclaimed artists FLOCK (Alice Klock & Florian Lochner), Juliano Nunes and Robyn Mineko Williams.
Rehearsals took place at two theater spaces on the island: Vashon Center for the Arts, home of the state-of-the-art Katherine L. White Hall and site of SDC’s debut performances in 2019; and Open Space, a multi-use arts and community center on the island. The three pieces were filmed by Bruno Roque both in-studio and on location at Mukai Farm & Garden, a beautiful property listed on the National Register for Historic Places celebrating Vashon’s Japanese-American and agrarian history.
Artist housing was generously provided by those in the Vashon community, including the Vashon Artist Residency, recently founded by island resident and visual artist Cathy Sarkowsky, providing a spacious communal home situated at the water’s edge.
The Dancers
For most of the eight dancers this summer’s residency provided the first opportunity since the pandemic began to collaborate in-person with a group of this size. The collection of artists included SDC Artistic Directors Noelani Pantastico and James Yoichi Moore, plus dancers from Whim W’Him (Jane Cracovaner and Andrew McShea), FLOCK (Alice Klock and Florian Lochner) and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Jacqueline Burnett and David Schultz).
Videographer Bruno Roque (left) with SDC summer residency artists
David Schultz (left) and James Yoichi Moore in rehearsal for 5 Favorite Things by FLOCK (photo by Lindsay Thomas)
Choreographer Robyn Mineko Williams viewing rehearsal footage in real time (photo by Lindsay Thomas)
The Choreographers
Robyn began making her own work in 2001 at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago with whom she danced for 12 seasons. She has since created multiple premieres for Hubbard Street and has choreographed for many companies in the US and around the world, including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Malpaso Dance Company, Ballet Idaho, and more.
Alice Klock and Florian Lochner are co-choreographers and dancers, starting their own company in 2017. They met while working at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and now create and perform works worldwide, as well as teach and produce shows and short films. They have choreographed for numerous institutions including Hubbard Street, Whim W’Him, the Goethe Institut and others.
Juliano is a young Brazilian dancer who trained in Rio de Janeiro and Germany. He is now a full-time freelance choreographer, creating works for such companies as The Royal Ballet, Marinsky Theatre, Acosta Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and more. Juliano has also choreographed for the 2020 Netflix series, "Tiny Pretty Things”.
Thanks to our Residency Supporters:
Vashon Artist Residency
