the Modern Garage Movement is here this Friday and Saturday, 25 and 26!
By on July 23, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Last summer, we made first contact with a superb group of artists called Modern Garage Movement. We threw an excellent party. We are doing it again and, this year, you have two chances to get in on the lively and stunning action. bodycity will screen two short films and MGM will dance in, around, and trough each one of us. Don’t miss it!
Friday, July 25
Betalevel
963 N. Hill Street
10pm
bar
Directions:
Find yourself in front of “FULL HOUSE RESTAURANT” located at 963 N. Hill Street in Chinatown.
Locate the alley on the left hand side of Full House.
Walk about 20 feet down the alley (away from the street).
Stop.
Notice dumpster on your right hand side.
Take a right and continue down the alley.
Exercise caution so as not trip on the wobbly cement blocks underfoot
The entrance to Betalevel is located 10 yards down on left side,
behind a red door, down a black staircase.
Saturday, July 26
meagan’s house
250 North Avenue 57
LA, CA 90042
(you know where it is or you can google this one)
BYOB
See you there!
the details:
Booth Dance - Choreographed by Jennifer Lehman; Camera and Editing by Jacinto Astiazaran; with bodycity (Madeline Baugh, Betsy Hume, Jennifer Lehman, Cristina Paul, Molly Rodgveller, Lake Sharp, Meagan Yellott)
Found Dance at Echo Park - filmed and edited by Jacinto astiazaran
with bodycity members Ali Hyman, Jennifer Lehman & Cristina Paul
Modern Garage Movement is a collaborative endeavor between Felicia Ballos, Biba Bell, Jmlly Leary, Theo Angel, and Robert McNeil. This project explores the relationships between disappearance and metamorphosis.
New Gree is a dance on tour that not only happens anywhere, but is happening all the time. The fashions worn on the road are the costumes of the dance. The terrain of the performance is demarcated by props; flags, lights, tarps, mirrors, jibs and projections. MGM’s rock band concept is transformed into a band of cow-boygirls and the New Gree group is always on guard, ready for long stillnesses, quick getaways, telepathy and remonstrance. An aim, but not goal of New Gree, is to dance in complete unison with eyes closed, navigating safely through densities of people and space. Ulteriorly, the choreography works with shifting formations of energy and hyper-reality in relation to the mobile audience, building additive layers of past and future performances, past and future influences, and linking everyone and everything in the accumulative journey of now.
b-city cruisin’: LA, SD, SF, HOLLYWOOD
By on July 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Before too much time passes, we must mark and remark on what was our first tour…the mini-ist and most awesome west coast-inental “have a Glasser of Lemonade for your bodycity” Tour, Summer Jams 2008. A recap:
The Smell, Los Angeles - Thursday, July 10th
Highlights: Nite Jewel; the super friendly home-town crowd; Lemonade blew our minds.
Weirdlights: Having to sign release forms for standing within camera range of an ongoing indie film (but it was kind of cool too…they wanted to film our performance, but when it came down to it, it was their big lights or our dance floor….naturally they had to move).
House Party, San Diego - Friday, July 11
Highlights: all the cool kids in San Diego materialized at this party, then squeezed into what was the tinniest place we’ve ever danced, a baby basement about 7 feet tall; making tiny versions of our dances; dirty sweat flinging and shoving.
Weirdlights: traffic; having to change into our costumes in front of a giant window; no hoisting Molly into the air; having to go home almost immediately so we could hit the road to SF.
Grey Area Beacon, San Francisco - Saturday, July 12
Highlights: we rented a behemoth 15 passenger van; we got there in time for a romp with a ridiculous puppy, a reunion with our Norcal friends, and a round of Bloody Marys; we started a serious dance party; Evan SNJ let us crash all over his house in Modesto that night.
Weirdlights: mysterious banana disappearance
Bastille Day Celebration, W Hollywood - Sunday, July 13
Highlights: Adele Jacques, the event’s coordinator, a new but already good friend who gave us the most touching and well-spoken introduction we’ve ever had; our “eF-it, I’m so freaking tired” attitude made this our best performance.
Weirdlights: the morning sun after 10 hours of sleep in 3 days knowing there’s a good six hours of road ahead of you; too much Starbucks - it’s creepy.
In other words: Success! Wicked Positive.
Also, we’ve gotta mention our newest member, Alisha Adams! bodycity is completely thrilled to have her, she is true blue.
Glasser was a stellar companion. Cameron, Matt, Rebecca and Madeline kept things real and were always bang-on come performance time.
And, though we saw little of them on the road, the Lemonade dudes are excellent humans and we are so grateful to them for their organizing prowess and easy attitudes.
With our first tour under the bodycity belt, we have brave new thoughts on future tours and can’t wait to tell you about new stuff happening soon…
Tour with Glasser and Lemonade! What a summer time pair!
By on July 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (6)
Well you gotta hand it to us folks. We are going on (an albeit mini) tour. Now, if you live in California, you have no excuses for missing out. And really why on earth would anyone ever want to miss out? Come. see. like.
Thursday July, 10 2008 at the Smell
w/ glasser, Lemonade & Nite Jewel
247 South Main Street, los angeles, California
$5
doors open at 9pm
Friday July, 11 2008 at TBA w/ glasser & Lemonade
House Party at 2220 Front Street, San Diego, California
Saturday July, 12 2008 at Grey Area Beacon w/ glasser & Lemonade
1515 Folsom, San Francisco, California
Sunday July, 13 Celebrate Bastille Day at the Southland’s Best French Festival!
In the West Hollywood Park
647 N. San Vicente Blvd.
noon-10pm
we play with glasser at 3:55pm
We have merch now. Beautiful hand made bandannas and tote bags with silk screened designs by Claire and Tucker. Made by, for and out of bodycity.
wikidance 2.0 BYOD
By on June 16, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
During a recent pracky, we discussed all of the answers we’ve each given to the oft-asked question, “what kind of dance do you do?”. As we tossed out such phrases as “contemporary experimental dance” and “democratic dance” and “you know, awesome dance”, we eventually stumbled upon something perfect ” B.Y.O.Dance”.
In celebration of this discovery we are asking you to literally B.Y.O.D. for wikidance 2.0
Originally conceived during the Ultimate Blogger 3, we solicited all users of the internet to share their sweet moves with the promise that we would turn them into a dance.
These were the moves:
wikidance creators! from bodycity on Vimeo.
And what we did with them:
The Wikidance from bodycity on Vimeo.
Post your moves on vimeo or youtube and be sure to tag them with “wikidance2.0”!
Bring it!
Lady Stranger
By on June 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
One dark night in February, Mr. T’s Bowl was home to some strange ladies with flying thighs and trotting bosoms.
Here’s proof:
Lady Stranger from bodycity on Vimeo.
Bodycity with Glasser - Thursday, May 29!
By on May 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Come and see this set!
new songs + new moves = Lucid Dreaming
THURSDAY - May, 29 2008 at Silverlake Lounge w/ Hecuba and Warpaint
$7
9:00pm
we play first!!!!!!!!!!
Body City and Glasser at the Echo this Wednesday!!!
By on April 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Remember us? We are still sashaying (to strut or flounce in a showy manner; he was sashaying around the dinner party in his fancy new clothes) down unassuming neighborhood streets by day and gallivanting (to roam about in search of pleasure or amusement; the young lady was treated like she was about to gallivant off with a pack of low-life hooligans) by night. Take Wednesday night for example. Do you think just any old sassy (lively and spirited; jaunty crew; a sassy little hat) crew would find themselves playing at the Echo alongside LA’s own Glasser? Not to mention in a set with Fool’s Gold and The Entrance Band. If you’ve seen it, then you know. If you haven’t, then you must.
Bodycity at
The Echo
Wednesday, April 30th
9pm
1822 Sunset Blvd, Echo Park, California 90026
$10
come one, come all.
bodycity at The Echo, March 24
By on March 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Let’s be honest, here at bodycity, we imagine ourselves as rock stars. Not always, but very often. Some of us have had brief and glorious stints as performing musicians. We’re interested in substance experimentation. We destroy a living room on a weekly basis. We drink tequila constantly without break or pause. We shave each others’ heads. We have wicked jam sessions. We own tambourines. We eat the hottest chilies in the world. Yes, we are rock stars.
On that note:
We are performing at The Echo this Monday!
We are so amped to be collaborating again with the bona fide ruler of rock Glasser for an ass-kicking full set of transcendental mayhem! Kutcha-kah-tah! Yip!
Details:
The Chapin Sisters residency
March, 24 2008 at The Echo
1822 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90026
* 9:00 PM * FREE *
Be there or be not a rock star.
By at 11:39 PM | Comments (1)
Anatomy Riot #22: Parts and Wholes @ Mr T’s Bowl
By on February 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)
image courtesy Tucker Neel
February 11, 2008, 8:00 PM
bodycity is curating the upcoming Anatomy Riot #22: Parts and Wholes.
performers include:
Julie Lequin
Existential Media
bodycity
Emily Birnbaum and Dan Selon
Don Allen
and more!
@ Mr T’s Bowl in Highland Park
Starts at 8:00pm
$7 at the door
21+
“With low-tech, do-it-yourself spirit in an easygoing setting, Anatomy Riot is an ongoing monthly dance/performance series, curated by choreographer Meg Wolfe & guest curators. Anatomy Riot encourages creative exploration and provides a platform for local artists to share what’s new and what’s in the works; you, dear audience, are spared from the high ticket prices and seat-squirming formality of a more traditional theater setting, while seeing a diversity of works by up-and-coming & seasoned artists.
Short works by 7-10 artists each month.”
image courtesy Ericka Gomez
——————————————————
About the Artists
“Thoughts on dance.”
“Julie finds whimsical idiosyncratic differences between homeland Quebec and adopted America.”
- Ross-the-Boss
Julie Lequin(Born in Laval, Quebec in 1979) is a French Canadian living in Los Angeles where she received her MFA from the Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA) in 2005. Julie’s multidisciplinary practice includes video-performance, watercolor, props and costumes, as well as writen lists, voiceovers and notes for scripts. She is interested in storytelling, imitating voices, making wigs and facial hair that look like “sculptures,” creating characters inspired by friends, family and NPR, narration, lip-synching, video diaries, Le Nouveau Roman, and the differences between humor, awkwardness and sadness. In 2007, Julie’s first book and DVD project was published by 2nd Cannons Publications (Los Angeles). Lequin has performed and participated in several group exhibitions in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, and Sweden. Forthcoming projects include a collaboration with Satellite3 publications, a series of performances for the Confederacy of Creative Ephemera in Los Angeles, a solo exhibition at Raid Project, and an artist residency in Ireland in the Fall 2008. Julie likes: Tina Fey, dancing home parties, bike riding, stressing, to talk to strangers, and cilantro on baguette. She enjoys taking care of her blog: http://julielequin.blogspot.com/
Gwendolyn Meier had dreams of being a hair-dresser from a very young age. Her parents wanted her to be a doctor. She countered with sights set on lounge singing, go-go dancing, or personal shopping. Playing music with Julie may be as close as she’ll get to any of these.
Chantravolta
Existential Media is a web-based community of writers, designers, and artists. This is our first dance performance.
Real Talk!
bodycity is a dance democracy. we are completely ensemble based, each of us with varying levels of training. we are all creative directors. our dances challenge the notion of dance and choreography as a traditional/singular vocabulary performed by specific dance “types.” we are dedicated to the site specific. we are interested in the humorous, perplexing, delightful, weird, pensive, beautiful, exciting and lively.
“LadyStranger” is inspired by those lady strangers you see in a bar. The ones you can’t stop looking at and maybe never talk to, or when you do, you’re not sure exactly what’s happening….. they seem utterly filled up in knowledge of themselves (less self-centered and more like timeless beasts of the earth) that you feel it like steel beams from their eyes. We’ve assembled our own army of these creatures, enlisting the dreamy sound abstractions of Glasser as our battle cry.
Glasser is a band-like recording and performing act, born out of dreams. Cameron Mesirow writes songs with large emphasis on abstract vocals, designed for multi-layered performance which will incorporate as many different singers as she can find.
Accompanying her are Matt Popieluch (Foreign Born, Big Search, Fool’s Gold), Lily Chapin (Chapin Sisters) and Elizabeth Wight (Love Grenades).
“Tied”
Emily Birnbaum and Daniel Selon are both independent theatre artist who have had the pleasure of working together on a number of projects before this in the LA area. This is the first time that they have created a piece together and they are pleased to have had the opportunity to work so closely on this one time duet.
Don Allen has been steadily creating theater for the past eighteen years. An early foundation in musical theater has found him working up and down the East Coast from NH to KY, with three shows at The Walnut Street Theater including a world premiere for Neil Simon. He shifted gears to move to Chicago and devote himself to Improv Theater. A graduate of all the major schools (IO, Second City, The Annoyance). Film work Flirting With Anthony and Waiting are available thru TLA /TROMA. As of late Don has been working with Ken Roht both as a performer and choreographer and dancing in five Alec Mapa shows including a special for LOGO. Recently founded StArt. An organization to produce commercially viable theater in site specific locations to benefit under served audiences.
www.myspace.com/icondonallen
found dance
By on November 4, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)
bodycity is always in flux, taking in new members and sharing last dances with old friends on their way to new cities, new towns, new schools, new environments, and new bodies. As each dance is performed we have small moments to pause and consider what we’ve done and what we’ll do next. Right now, bodycity is ten members strong, the largest we’ve ever been. This is exciting and challenging, scheduling is a little tougher, but the dynamism of each member is what makes bodycity. An especially exciting part of bodycity right now are the smaller collaborations including some members some times in sight-specific dance videos. These found dance videos include one made recently by our favorite local filmmaker, Jacinto Astiazarán, in Echo Park. The other was made by some of us while hanging out at the Huntington Gardens several weeks ago.
found dance at echo park from bodycity on Vimeo.
We hope to continue to make these videos inbetween our live performances, we are always collaborating with this city and are inspired by the different spaces we pass through. We welcome suggestions, comments, or secret maps to places in LA that need to be danced upon. Send us your musings at bodycity@gmail.com or leave a comment bellow.
danceplants from bodycity on Vimeo.
bodycity also has a new flickr account where we are archiving all photography of past performances. Add us as a contact and if you have pictures of any of our dances please send them to us so that we can add them to our account. Bellow is one of many photos you’ll find of our last dance, bodycity IX: through the Glass Mass.
Thanks to our wonderful audience, we hope you had as much fun as we did!
-bodycity
Recent Posts
b-city cruisin’: LA, SD, SF, HOLLYWOOD
Tour with Glasser and Lemonade! What a summer time pair!
wikidance 2.0 BYOD
Lady Stranger
Bodycity with Glasser - Thursday, May 29!
Body City and Glasser at the Echo this Wednesday!!!
bodycity at The Echo, March 24
Anatomy Riot #22: Parts and Wholes @ Mr T’s Bowl
found dance
