Dance Source Houston Presents Mind The Gap XXIX
Contact:
Mollie Haven Miller
Executive Director
Dance Source Houston
713.224.3262
mollie@dancesourcehouston.org
Dance Source Houston Presents Mind The Gap XXIX
Dance Source Houston (DSH) will present the 29th edition of Mind The Gap on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:30pm at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Housotn (MATCH). The evening will include works by local choreographers and companies including Jai Alexander / choreobyjai, Keeley Dunnam Dance, Persi Mey, Sara Draper, Shruthi Mohankumar, and Steps For Dancing. The program will feature Bharatanatyam, contemporary, Kathak, and modern dance pieces created and performed by dance artists based in the Greater Houston area.
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 without taking on the full burden of self-production so they can direct their energy and focus toward 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 115 local dancemakers to date, providing opportunities for dancemakers and connecting audiences with new dance experiences.
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 In Their Own Words
Jai Alexander is a contemporary dancer and choreographer based in Houston, Texas. He is inspired by rollercoaster rides and movement that resonates with the body. As he continuously strives to amplify his style, technique, and knowledge of dance. He has acquired an Associate of Arts in Dance at Houston Community College and is currently studying at Lamar University. He has worked with choreographers: Cynthia Garcia, Maggie Lasher, Shani Diabouf, Amy Elizabeth, Dorianne Castillo, Jennifer Salter, Amy Wright, and Lou Arrington.
This work is an internal experience of hateful influences through observation, persuasion, and realization.
Keeley Dunnam received her M.F.A at Sam Houston State University in 2022, and her B.F.A. in Dance from the University of North Texas in 2018. Keeley has performed with companies 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, “Same but Different but Same” was showcased in Mind the Gap in 2022, and “Interrealational Transactions” premiered in Mind the Gap 2023. Keeley was named Artist in Residence by Dance Source Houston for the 2022-23 year and produced and eighteen-minute-long group piece called “Into the Shimmer” for the Barnstorm Dance Festival in 2023. She was also awarded Artist in Residency by Fresh Arts in the STARS program for the month of August 2023. Keeley continues to focus her choreographic works towards building community by using movement as a means of communication, and to create meaningful interactions between art and the public.
“Conversations of the Heart and Mind” is a nine-minute long duet between two dancers that represent the heart and the mind. During this duet they share the conversations I experienced toward the end of a relationship; conversations of internal struggles that often happen as my heart wanted to stay, but my mind said to leave.
Persi Mey is originally from Clawson, Michigan and relocated to Houston in 2022 after spending a couple of years in Kansas City, Missouri. They received their BFA in Contemporary Dance from Indiana University ‘20. During their undergrad, they also had the opportunity to spend a year studying on scholarship at The Rothberg International School at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Persi creates movement for both stage and film; Notably having had their work shown at the Blaffer Museum in Houston, the Tanzahoi Film Festival in Hamburg, Germany, and the Barciff Indie Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain. Currently, they are making new works as a resident artist at the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center with hopes to continue to reach audiences in Houston and beyond.
Creation and destruction work in an endless cycle of give and take to maintain the balance the universe.
Sara Draper is a Houston-based dance artist/educator. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Houston where she also earned a Minor in Dance. Her work history includes multiple dance disciplines, performing, teaching, choreographing, writing, directing a modern dance company, and running a dance business. She enjoys collaborating with fellow artists, and has worked with opera singers as a movement instructor and choreographer. Recognition for Sara’s choreography includes multiple grants from Houston Arts Alliance, a DiverseWorks Residency, and the 1995-96 Cultural Arts Council of Houston Creative Artist Award for her previous choreography. Outside of Houston, her work has been performed in D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, and Louisiana. “Wait…What?” is Sara’s first work she brings to the stage in a decade. While having continued as a dance educator, she is now re-starting her choreographic and artistic career with a new focus and fresh vision.
This modern dance duet is a whimsical look at male-female relationships and some of the problems encountered in the journey. It speaks to a perennial social issue with a touch of humor, using a blend of stylized physical acting and charming, kinetic, athleticism.
Shruthi Mohankumar is a Bharatnatyam dancer and choreographer based in Houston, Texas. Currently receiving training from Dr. Rathna Kumar, Artistic Director of the Anjali Center for Performing Arts, she has 16+ years of experience performing in front of large audiences, creating unique choreographies, and delivering private dance training. She balances her time between practicing the art and her profession, where she works full-time as a senior electronics research and development engineer.
“Thillana” is a Bharatanatyam piece, which is a popular Dr.M. Balamuralikrishna composition in Brindavani Ragam, Adi Talam. This dance has poses of Lord Krishna throughout the piece. The lyrics describe Krishna’s beauty and how the whole world feels overjoyed at the sound of his flute.
Steps For Dancing is a dance school in Houston which has been leading the way from 2018 by Dolly Goyal, a passionate dancer and teacher who wanted to share her love for Indian Culture and art with the community. Steps for Dancing caters to different age groups and level of dance enthusiasts, from beginners to advanced learners. Steps for Dancing aims to provide quality education and training in Indian classical and contemporary dance forms. It also strives to promote cultural awareness and appreciation among the diverse population of Houston. Quench your thirst for Indian classical dance form Kathak or the colors of Bollywood dancing with Steps for Dancing.
Evolving Kathak from ancient temple rituals to courtly entertainment to modern stage performances without compromising its roots Kathak infusing with the western world of dance and music and expanding its expressive range.
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 Houston Arts Alliance, Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, Heimbinder Family Foundation, Houston Endowment, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Texas Commission on the Arts. www.dancesourcehouston.org
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