Philadelphia- New York City’s Choreographic Sketches, extends its 2009 Series IV to the Philadelphian audiences, featuring and debuting new works by nine emerging African Diasporic choreographers and their companies, from New York City, Washington DC and Philadelphia, under the series curator’s vision of Jo Anna Hazel Norris the Founder/ Director of Choreographic Sketches. The series is a choreographic exploration of contemporary and traditional dance, over the course of two evening performances and one day of workshops, Friday-Sunday, September 18th, 19th, and 20th,  at the Painted Bride Art Center, located on 230 Vine Street. Tickets prices are: $25, dance workshops are $20 at the door.

“…there could be no better platform or venue for INSPIRIT to make our Philadelphia debut.  The series speaks to the commonality of visions between INSPIRIT and  Choreographic Sketches,  thus  expressing ancestral truths… building a rapport with audiences through concert dance and being authentic to the process as while as the product.” Christal Brown, Founder & Artistic Director of INSPIRIT

The Philly 2009 Series IV Feature Choreographers

Chritstal Brown, Founder and Artistic director of INSPIRIT creates contemporary dance works embedded with spiritual exuberance, ancestral strength and startling perception. Brown is a two time recipient of the Bronx Recognizes Its Own Award, for creating works and sustaining a vision of female solidarity through dance.

Zane Booker, Founder and Artistic Director of The Smoke, Lilies and Jade Arts Initiative (SLJ), a socially conscious, multi-media dance theater production company, promoting HIV/ AIDS awareness, proclaimed as one of “25 to Watch” in Dance Magazine. Booker has served on review panels for The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership and the New England Foundation of the Arts.

Shani Nwando Ikerioha Collins (SNIC), a 2006 recipient of the New York (Bessie) Performance Award. Founder/Director of Eternal Works is dedicated to women’s healing empowerment through dance. SNIC is featured in Dance Magazine’s October Issue 2008 as “Warrior Woman” by Eva Yaa Assentawa and crowned a “Contemporary Revolutionary” by Lax Thomas in The Studio Museum Harlem Summer Magazine, Issue 2008.

David P. France, Founder Artistic Director of David P. France Dance Company, is an emerging multidisciplinary dance company based in Basel, Switzerland and New York City. The Company is a stylistic blend of modern, jazz, and ballet – a fusion of visual, musical and physical dance artistry.

Lela Aisha Jones, is a PhD candidate at Texas Women’s University, holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from the University of Florida. FlyGround: AfreeNation is an organization that embraces the spirit of multiple truths, exploring movement as artistic archives and documenting the current socio-cultural/political climate.

Duane Lee, former dancer and associate director of Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM), has also worked with:  Ronald K. Brown /Evidence, Garth Fagin The Lion King (Original Broadway cast), and Jeff Masted – A Few Good Men.  Lee was assistant choreographer and assistant dance captain of Maurice Hines’ Broadway production of “Hot Feet”.

Babacar M’Baye, has evolved to be one of New York City’s, foremost talented choreographer and instructor of Sabar dance, revolutionizing the field of contemporary Sabar dance forms and stands as the  renowned resident choreographer for the highly celebrated group Sing Sing Rhythms, a drum and dance company of Wolof griots from Medina, Senegal.

William Oaks IV, (dancer, choreographer, and multi-media artist) is a graduate of Howard University where he studied Dance and Theatre Arts Administration. Oaks’ is a freelance TV production agent. His credits include: The B.E.T Awards 2008, Making His Band, I Want to Work for Diddy, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta Season II. He strives to expand and improve movement media.

Katherine Richardson Founder and Artistic Director of  kerPlunk strives towards capturing the human spirit through movement, making it approachable and accessible to all audiences; to expose society’s dysfunctions, explore and celebrating the ordinary and make an emotional connection with others.

Vincent E. Thomas, 2009’s Metro DC Dance Awards, nominee for Outstanding New Work entitled “Witness”, performed at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.  Founder and Director of VTDance is multi-dimensional, contemporary dance, including performance projects: solo, group, and collaborative choreographic endeavors.

ABOUT CHOREOGRAPHIC SKETCHES

Choreographic Sketches was founded in 2006 in Brooklyn, New York under the vision of Founder Jo Anna Hazel Norris. Choreographic Sketches is an emerging educational choreography series that investigates the demystification of the choreographic/creative processes of choreographers, featuring new works by emerging African Diasporic choreographers and their companies; design to empower African Diasporic choreographers to make choreographic ventures through experimentation and demystification of their creative processes; thus producing choreographic transparency. These series objectives are: creating community partnerships that encourage and facilitates the advancement of traditional and contemporary African Diasporic art forms; producing a greater wisdom, knowledge and understand of choreographers, to audiences, and the field at large.

PROGRAM A SEPTMBER 18TH @ 7 PM
Lela Aisha Jones- Flyground
David P. France- David P. France Dance Company
William Oaks IV & Duane Lee
Katherine Richardson- KerPlunk

PROGRAM B SEPTMBER 19TH  @ 7 PM
Zane Booker- Smoke Lilies and Jade
Christal Brown- INSPIRIT
Shani Nwando Ikerioha Collins- Eternal Works
Vincent Thomas- VTDance

09 Series IV Dance Workshops
SEPTMBER 20TH
Contemporary- Shani Collins @ 3 PM
Traditional Sabar- Babacar M’Baye @ 5 PM

Tickets & Additional Information:
http://www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=8953

Artist Web Site:
http://www.csketches.org