Body And Soul

I asked my friend, Tom Pearson, to help me introduce my interviewee, Louis Mofsie, who will once again MC the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers' annual concert and pow-wow at Theater for the New City, February 8-17. Tom responded with this lovely reflection. "Louis Mofsie is a community builder, in the truest sense. A respected elder and member of the Hopi and Winnebago tribes, and a Brooklyn native, Louis draws together urban Indians of all ages by teaching traditional dances and music, collaborating with contemporary artists, and creating opportunities for people of myriad backgrounds to gather and express cultural heritage. The dance troupe he directs, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, has been holding monthly socials for years at the American Indian Community House (where he serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors) and more recently at the Museum of the American Indian, as well as annual summer powwows at the Queens County Farm for 28 years. And for 33 years, in the thick of winter, hi

Tamango's revolutionary approach to tap transforms his dance into music with a sharpened sense of style and awe-inspiring fluidity. Born in Cayenne, French Guiana, Tamango moved to Paris at age eight and began a formal education in art. He started tap dancing in his early 20's at the American Center in Paris and the Beaux Arts de Paris, which he left to join the university of the streets before moving to New York City. Bringing together a global mix of dancers, musicians and artists, Tamango's Urban Tap crosses and blends the cultures and rhythms of jazz, tap, hip hop, capoeira, stilt, world, free-style and more. Tamango has been hailed worldwide for the electrifying skill and elegant beauty of his dancing. The New York Times declared, "One is tempted to call him the best dancer of any kind around." He is also a painter, drummer, didjeridoo player and spoken word artist. Currently, he is acting, singing and dancing in "In Search of Josephine," a French production that draws together stories of the sensa

Last summer, as Japan Society celebrated its centennial, I spoke with artistic director, Yoko Shioya, at the Society’s beautiful center on East 47th Street in Manhattan. She shared her thoughts on the far-ranging influence of contemporary Japanese performing arts and on the origins and significance of butoh. Update: Japan Society will present its annual Contemporary Dance Showcase (January 11-12, 2008), featuring cutting-edge dance from Japan and, for the first time, East Asia. For more information, visit http://www.japansociety.org/dance_topic. Subscribe to Body and Soul podcast at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2007, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Chris Elam, the first recipient of the new Summer Stages Dance/Baryshnikov Arts Center residency, is truly a dance artist for the 21st Century--a brilliant, probing maker of dance that expresses the protean nature of the human body, mind, and spirit; an explorer of the myriad ways in which people communicate; and an innovator of Internet community-building and artistic marketing. In September 2007, I had a wide-ranging talk with Elam, founder and artistic director of Misnomer Dance Theater, about the origins and intent of his unusually powerful choreography and about his latest and upcoming projects. Update: Chris invites you to vote for Misnomer Dance Theater, a finalist in the IdeaBlob contest with a proposal to build online tools for the dance world. For more information and to cast your vote, see http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/ 906-Impact-the-arts-Enable-perform. Subscribe to Body and Soul podcast at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml. (c)2007, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

In September, I visited with Camille A. Brown, who had recently made a huge impression as the choreographer and performer of her solo, The Evolution of A Secured Feminine, on a program of choreography by Black women called This Woman's Work. We talked about the steady evolution of her remarkable career. She has won rave reviews for her appearances with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, and now she has premiered a delightful and well-received ensemble piece with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, one of the world's most celebrated dance troupes, during its 2007 season at City Center. Camille is a young artistic star on the rise. For information on the Ailey season at City Center, visit www.alvinailey.org. Subscribe to Body and Soul podcast at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml.

Miguel Gutierrez and the Powerful People will reprise "Everyone" at Dance Theater Workshop, Jan 14 -15. Here's an interview I conducted with Bessie Award-winning choreographer Miguel Gutierrez last summer. Somewhere in the middle of my interview with Miguel, I realized that I could listen to him talk forever. (I've had that feeling about watching his dances, too!) Even after we wrapped up our recording, we kept talking, and he never ran out of interesting and vital things to say about art, community and the often sorry state of discourse on dance. I definitely want to talk with Miguel again, and I'm delighted to share with you today some insight into his life and work. For more information and tickets to the January performances at DTW, visit http://www.dancetheaterworkshop.org/Gutierrez. Subscribe to Body and Soul podcast at http://magickaleva.hipcast.com/rss/bodyandsoul.xml.

I'm convinced that Tony Waag is one of those people put on earth to help me find my smile when I most need it, and I'm not alone in this feeling. Everyone who has ever seen Tap City loves Tony, its producer, director and often goofily-charming MC. As artistic and executive director of the American Tap Dance Foundation, Tony has a broad perspective on all facets of this art--from its rich history to its modern revival, dynamic present and future possibilities. In August 2007, I ran into Tony at a Lincoln Center Out of Doors show where we watched Roxane Butterfly and her tap company, Worldbeats. We agreed to meet again and talk tap. For more information about ATDF and its programs, visit http://www.atdf.org.

Eva Yaa Asantewaa interviews tap superstars, producers and educators Ayodele Casel and Jason Samuels-Smith (July 2007)

Last night, a buddy and I went to the “Tappy Holidays” show at Symphony Space. We were both a little leery about it because neither one of us is particularly into Christmas music, and this was going to be a tap dance show featuring nothing but Christmas music. Here's how things turned out! For more on "Tappy Holidays" and its co-producers--Ayodele Casel and Sarah Savelli--visit http://tandemact.homestead.com, http://www.ayodelecasel.com and http://www.sarahsavelli.com.

I conducted this interview in July with Alessandra Belloni about her work with the tarantella and other ritual folk dance and music of Southern Italy. See her "Spider Dance" show at Theater for the New City, December 21-23, 2007. Visit http://www.alessandrabelloni.com.

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