Dance Source Houston Presents Mind The Gap XXIII
Contact:
Mollie Haven Miller
Executive Director
Dance Source Houston
713.224.3262
mollie@dancesourcehouston.org
Dance Source Houston Presents Mind The Gap XXIII
HOUSTON, TX February 3, 2023 – Dance Source Houston (DSH) will present the 23rd edition of Mind The Gap, a showcase series featuring danceworks by local choreographers, on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:30pm at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH). The program includes works by DSH members including Teresa Chapman, Sadhana Gollapudi, Bhavana Gollapudi, Amanda Monteith, Violet Moon, Tarika Nath, and Keeley Dunnam in collaboration with Tory Pierce. This evening of all-new works will feature a range of dance genres including Bharatanatyam, contemporary, Kathak, Kuchipudi, and modern.
The co-production style format of Mind The Gap offers dancemakers the opportunity to share their work with audiences alongside fellow artists on a shared program supported by Dance Source Houston. Participating artists receive assistance in production planning and audience development skills while not taking on the full burden of self-production so they can direct their energy and focus to the works presented onstage.
Mind The Gap was created in partnership with MATCH to support independent choreographers and small dance companies presenting their work. The program offers participants high production value, low administrative burden, and shared ticket income. Begun in January 2017, Mind The Gap has provided a performance platform for more than 105 local dancemakers to date.
Tickets are available now at matchouston.org on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale, starting at $15, with all choreographers receiving a percentage of total ticket sales.
Learn More About The Dancemakers & Their Works
Teresa Chapman is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Dance Program at the University of Houston. Chapman is an independent choreographer and presents her work under the company name Chapman Dance. Her work has been presented at DiverseWorks Art Space, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Barnevelder Movement Arts Complex, MATCH, the Kaplin Theater, Cunningham Studios in New York City, CHI Movement Arts Center in Philadelphia and Music Mountain Theater in New Jersey. In addition, her work has been commissioned by the University of Nebraska, West Virginia University, UC Santa Barbara, Bucknell University, and Houston Contemporary Dance. She has received multiple internal UH grants and has secured external funding from Houston Arts Alliance Individual Artist and Project grants over the years to support her work. Chapman received her MFA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach.
“Opposing Forces” is a duet inspired by Newton’s Third law that states “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” As the duet unfolds, dancers move from a mechanical approach to a human interpretation of Newton’s concepts.
chapmandance.com @chapmandancehouston
Bhavana Gollapudi is a Bharatanatyam dancer training under Dr. Rathna Kuman in Houston, Texas. She has taken part in dance ballets such as Dashavataram, Ramayanam, and Anshuman. She has won awards for both Raas and Bharatanatyam. Recently she performed in Guru Madhurai R Muralidharan’s dance drama Karna, and played the role of Arjuna.
Sadhana Gollapudi is a Kuchipudi dancer training under Dr. Rathna Kumar in Houston, Texas. She has performed with Tandavam Events, Virtual Arts for Humanity, Music IN CA, Music of Madras etc, Houston Fringe Festival and the Battery Dance Festival in New York in addition to being a part of dance ballets like Dashavatar and Sri Krishna Parijatham.
Recently, they choreographed and starred in the one of the music videos in NRIVA’s Vasamba music album that was released on Bhakti TV and YouTube. They also produced and choreographed a collaborative dance production, YUVA.
In this dance, we portray the story of an Indian-American mother and daughter. We take you along their emotional journey, as the daughter comes out to her mother as homosexual. We explore their relationship, and the reaction of the Indian society through the classical dance forms Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi.
Tarika Nath is a Kathak dancer, performing artist, and dance educator based in Houston, Texas. Tarika received her training under her Guru and mother, Smt. Shiva Mathur, and continues to guide students as the principal mentor of the academy. Furthermore, she has been fortunate to complete additional training at Kalashram Delhi under the guidance of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj & Vidushi Saswati Sen. As an emerging artist of the new generation, Tarika utilizes the unique intricacies of the Lucknow Gharana to highlight contemporary themes within traditional storytelling. Tarika has been given the opportunity to perform in various prestigious venues across North America, such as Madison Square Garden (NYC), Native Earth Performing Arts (Toronto), Wortham Theatre Center (Houston), and most recently, as a soloist at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (New York Kathak Festival).
“Nachat Morni – The Dancing Peacock” is a traditional Kathak rendition showcasing a peacock’s spiritual connection to Lord Krishna, the God of Dance. Through stories of enchantment by Krishna’s flute or inspiration by the rain clouds, this piece utilizes the technical aspects of the Lucknow Gharana to depict the dancing peacock as a symbol of divine love.
shivanginiacademy.com @tarikakathak
Keeley Dunnam received her M.F.A at Sam Houston State University in 2022, and her B.F.A. in Dance focused in choreography and performance from the University of North Texas in 2018. Keeley has performed with companies such as Company XV, Pilot Dance Project, PDC Works, AmpDance, and Impulse Dance Project. Her work, “NArrow is the Way” was showcased in imPULSE Dance Project’s annual summer show in 2018, and “Same but Different but Same” was showcased in Mind the Gap in 2022, and most recently selected as an Artist in Residence for Dance Source Houston in 2023.
Tory Pierce originally from The woodlands, Tx studied dance at Austin Community College, as well as, the University of Houston. She made her professional debut performing for Jacqueline Nalett and has since worked with many companies such as PDC Works, Suchu, Freneticore, The Pilot, and Son Kiss’d. She has also had the opportunity to perform for Houston Grand Opera, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, and Urban Bush Women.
“Interrelational Transactions” is representative of all the relationships that exist in our daily lives, which all involve some sort of exchange. Even in the most basic everyday interactions there is a level of give and take between the two people, and movement in the duet is representative of these transactions.
@the_real_keeleydunnam @tory_the_explorer
Originally from upstate New York, Amanda Monteith is a dancer, choreographer, and artist based in Houston, Texas. She holds a BFA in Dance from Arizona State University where she developed multiple works both for film and live performance shown on platforms associated with said university and otherwise. She has trained internationally in multiple disciplines, spanning from Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company to Institute of Contemporary Dance and Garage 713 Studio, where she currently teaches. Amanda has trained in multiple avenues of performance and genres of dance as well as dabbling in film and photography. She has been featured in multiple film festivals and has even presented a show with her business partner Jessica Torres in December of 2021, entitled “A Very Merry Christmas Show. She has also appeared in VH1’s A Hip Hop Family Christmas in December 2021 both as a dancer and an extra.
This piece explores the theme of a journey towards personal growth, finally accepting the arduous task of changing and shedding old ways and cold composures.
amandagmonteith.com @mandygmonteith
Violet Moon began their pre-professional training at The Sweat Spot, Edge Performing Arts Center, and small community studios along the Southern California coast before moving to Texas. There, they formally studied under Dana Sparks, Amy Cain, Dawn Dippel, and more— performing extensively throughout the Houston area. Upon graduation, Violet toured as an apprentice with Revolve Dance Company before being invited to learn select works by ARCOS Dance Company and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. They later performed as a soloist in several pieces by Dorrell Martin, Mike Esperanza, and Mario Zambrano as a founding member of LÉON Contemporary Dance Company. Since, Violet has taught dance movement therapy at the Monarch Institute, choreographed pre-professional works, and is currently creating and collaborating with local artists while pursuing their Master’s in Mental Health Counseling.
“Giving While Needing” is a contemporary solo exploring the desperation, fear, and requisite self-forgiveness that surfaces when learning how to receive.
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 the Texas Commission on the Arts. www.dancesourcehouston.org
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