Dance Source Houston Presents Mind The Gap 30
Contact:
Mollie Haven Miller
Executive Director
Dance Source Houston
713.224.3262
mollie@dancesourcehouston.org
Dance Source Houston Presents Mind The Gap 30
HOUSTON, TX August 6, 2024 – Dance Source Houston (DSH) will present the 30th edition of Mind The Gap on Tuesday, September 10 at 7:30pm at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH), kicking off the organization’s 20th anniversary season. The program will feature works by local dancemakers including Mark Aguilar, Dillon Bell, Caitlin Cork, Nicole McNeil, Isabel Villegas, and Lori Yuill. Following the performance patrons, choreographers and dancers will gather onstage for a reception to celebrate the significant milestones.
Launched in 2017, Mind The Gap has provided a performance platform to more than 125 independent choreographers and small dance companies in our community, helping artists navigate the space between creating and presenting new work. Through a partnership with MATCH, the program assists dance artists with valuable production, audience development, and administrative support.
“We are amazed at the trajectory of Mind The Gap since its inception,” said DSH Executive Director Mollie Haven Miller. “The incredible range of dance artists and dance genres represented in the first 8 seasons of the program is indicative of the expansive community we have in Greater Houston. DSH and our partners at MATCH are excited to celebrate the 30th edition of Mind The Gap as it continues to provide a much-needed performance platform to local dancemakers looking to explore new ideas and reach new audiences.”
Tickets to the performance are available now at matchouston.org on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale for both in-person and livestream viewing, starting at $15, with all choreographers receiving a percentage of total ticket sales.
Learn More About The Dancemakers & Works
Mark Aguilar is a Mexican American Houston, Texas native who graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts with a bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Spanish. While attending NYU, he had the pleasure of choreographing multiple pieces on his peers, including “Masculine vs. Feminine,” “T.M.R & N.O.A,” “In Red Ctrl,” and “F2A/F2B.” Additionally, he was able to work with Rafael Cañals, and the Trisha Brown Dance Company. He also created a piece for the Second Avenue Dance Company named “Chingon/a.” Mark is a Kinder HSPVA graduate of the class of 2020 where he had the opportunity to work with Zack Tang, Hope Stone, and Michael Foley.
This work serves as a celebration ode to the vibrant tapestry of BIPOC queer joy, skillfully weaving together the timeless steps of Jazz with the hints of social dances. It intricately captures the essence of diversity, unity, and boundless expression, inviting audiences into a captivating realm where music and movement harmonize to celebrate the richness of the queer experience.
Dillon Bell is a mover, maker, and artist currently based in Huntsville, Texas. Growing up in Daytona Beach, Florida, he has always strived for a tenacious grasp of movement and rhythm. Dillon has worked with much-acclaimed companies and choreographers, such as Dual Rivet, Jon Lehrer, Layla Amis, Robert Moses, Kiki Lucas, Joshua Manculich, Andrew and Dionne Noble, Adele Nickel, Travis Lake, and Francisco Graciano; including tap dance legends such as Nicholas Van Young, Sarah Reich, Charles Renato, Scott Poiley, Jade Whitmire and Derick Grant. Dillon is currently working towards his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance at Sam Houston State University, further cultivating his own twists and intricacies.
“For Now, Scarecrow” embodies and individual’s journey in the crossfade from longing to pensive. Accompanied by the heart chakra tone, the mover creates an atmosphere of juxtapositions along just a diagonal across the space. The work possesses an athletic movement quality riddled with soft and broken notes and tunes throughout.
Caitlyn Cork is a Texas-based dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Sam Houston State University. In her career and training, she has worked with Alex Clair, Cat Cogliandro, Sarah Garcia, Francisco Graciano, Travis Lake, Andrew Noble, Dionne Noble, Stephanie Nelson, Adele Nickel, Maya Orchin, and Meghan Sanett. She has had the chance to perform for Barnstorm Dance Fest by Dance Source Houston in Houston, TX, Dance Italia in Lucca, Italy, and American College Dance Association in Long Beach, California. Her future aspirations are to choreograph dances around the world. Caitlyn plans on learning techniques informed by physical therapy and integrating them into teaching students to preserve the bodies of dancers while finding time to perform and choreograph.
In order to say goodbye, we must be comfortable knowing that everything we’ve experienced until that point will only live in our memories. This work explores ideas of nostalgia, life transition, and learning to say goodbye. Composed into three sections this piece portrays what one might go through when having to say goodbye.
Nicole McNeil has contributed to the Houston dance scene for nearly 2 decades. She received her BFA in Dance and Minor in Interdisciplinary Arts from the University of Houston. While at UH, Nicole had the opportunity to work with various choreographers like Karen Stokes, Teresa Chapman, Becky Valls, and Jhon R. Stronks. She also danced for Suchu and other artists like Lori Yuill, The Living Room Project, and Pilot Dance Project. In addition to project-based work, Nicole has also performed in several festivals across Texas. Her artistic journey is intricately woven into the realms of multidisciplinary arts, where movement, music, and the natural world converge in a harmonious dance of creativity. It is Nicole’s sincere hope that these creations resonate with audiences, inspiring a deeper connection to nature, fostering appreciation for its beauty and fragility.
Choreographer, Lori Yuill, has been engaged in making dances for the past two decades. She has made dances on Pelican Island, at Finca Tres Robles, and for the kite festival at Hermann Park. Lori’s choreography has been presented in Mind the Gap and Barnstorm Dance Fest (Houston), at Dance Conversations at the Flea (NYC), and at Crear en Libertad (Paraguay). Lori holds an MFA in Dance from Sarah Lawrence College. She has been awarded grants from HAA and Dance Source Houston and her work was named Best in Show at the 2016 Houston Fringe Festival.
The Inbetween is a multimedia performance using dance, projections and sound design. The sound will be designed by Nicole McNeil and her plant friends, vocals will be provided by jhon r. stronks, the projections will be designed by Brian Buck, and the choreography is a reflection of the shared practices between Lori Yuill and Nicole McNeil. The sound score is a celebration of the natural world, where movement intertwines with the tones derived from the botanical realm, creating a unique soundscape that accompanies the dance.
Nicole:
Lori:
Shared:
Isabel “Izzy” Villegas is a multidisciplinary artist that started her artistic journey with dance. With over 15 years of dance experience, her style of choice is contemporary, with an emphasis on fluidity and control. Using the language of dance to accentuate her perspective, she combines her experiences to create a commentary on prevalent themes within the human experience.
This piece is a duet, featuring the dancer performing live alongside a projection of pre-recorded choreography, giving the audience the illusion that she is dancing with herself. By combining the two sets of choreography together, the work shows that comfort and strength can be found by looking within. The purpose of this piece is to demonstrate the inner strength and peace that we find in solitude as we learn to become our own caretakers.
About Dance Source Houston
Dance Source Houston is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the diverse individuals and organizations working in the field of dance throughout the Greater Houston region by means of advocacy, inclusive community engagement and support services. Founded in 2005, Dance Source Houston is a resource for all things dance in the Greater Houston area and provides programs and services to address the evolving needs of the local dance community. Dance Source Houston is funded in part through support from The City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, Houston Endowment, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Texas Commission on the Arts. www.dancesourcehouston.org
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