Continuing with his commitment to fostering bold new artistic voices, choreographer, Almanac co-founder, and Cannonball producer, Adam Kerbel launches Performa Choreographic Incubator this month. Performa is a 5-week laboratory where artists create uninhibited acts of new dance in Philadelphia.
Movement makers drop-in weekly to generate individualized, body-based explorations while working simultaneously alongside peers in a large, open air environment. The Incubator supplements an artist’s ongoing creative practice by offering a space to manipulate and layer movement material among an enthusiastic community of peer professionals. There are no mirrors or music in the room; nor are there dance styles or numbers to “perfect.”
Instead, the workshop centers individual curiosities as the primary motivator to hone one’s artistic voice and spur progress towards exuberant new performance creations. Performa students will self-direct their own movement creations and volunteer to show their progress in class, engaging in a collective discourse around the work shown. Adam offers tactical guidance and the impetus for creative risk-taking in every session. Participants will investigate foundational questions about liveness in the art of performance, where information emanates from in a dance, and how we may consider structure as a potent source of meaning in choreography.
Dance and performance artists of all interests are encouraged to attend. Dates run January 27 – February 24, 2024 at Pig Iron Studios in Olde Kensington / Fishtown. The pricing structure is intended to help sustain artistic momentum at an affordable rate. The cost is $10 per class or $40 for all 5 dates paid in advance. Tickets: performa.ticketleap.com/philly
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants are invited to share brief works-in-progress with a live audience at the popular Miniball Festival produced by Cannonball at FringeArts between March 28 – 31, 2024. Tickets are Pay What You Decide from $10–25. Specific performance times will be announced through the Cannonball and FringeArts websites.
“There needs to be a place where artists cultivate skills as a community at an affordable cost. And it’s got to be exciting.” says director and organizer Adam Kerbel. “That’s why I made Performa: to usher in dancemakers from many stripes who are committed to ongoing experimentation. At Performa, there is neither approval to gain nor an aesthetic to serve. It’s a laboratory to get inspired, pursue thought, and delight in your artistic voice. Doing so contributes to a larger conversation around how we perceive being alive in art, and I believe dance is an amazing way to do that.”
Performa departs from the tendency to create dance in total privacy. The public-private design of the workshop produces unique sensations and emphasizes formalistic experimentation to stretch the boundaries of movement performance. Whether someone identifies as a newcomer or a seasoned artist, Adam supplies the workshop with his warm and optimistic mentorship. Sessions result in discussion circles on the floor in response to the work present in the room.
“Something awesome happens when many artists come together as a critical mass. A sense of scale arises which opens us up to new energetic information and making choices that we might not otherwise have an opportunity for,” Kerbel concludes. “Performa is like a vitamin. Supplement your creative practice, acquire tools, and sow seeds that lead to your next big project.”
Adam Kerbel is a mixed-culture choreographer, improviser and educator based in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. His improvisations and ensemble spectacles explore questions that keep him thinking about what dance could be. He co-founded Almanac Dance Circus Theatre in Philadelphia who have received a Rocky Award, Barrymore Award, and engagements with the famed Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. He served as an educator and puppeteer at Noah’s Ark at the Skirball in Los Angeles and is a mentoring producer of the acclaimed Cannonball Festival. Adam’s work has received support from CalCreative, Skirball Cultural Center, Terra Nova, Cannonball Festival, Los Angeles Dept. of Cultural Affairs, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, New York Live Arts–Fresh Tracks, and Breaking Walls Festival in Cairo, Egypt.
Performa Choreographic Incubator
Saturdays, Jan. 27 – Feb. 24 from 11am – 1pm*
*except for Saturday, 2/17. Instead, go Friday 2/16 from 4-6pm.
Pig Iron Studios 1417 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19122
$10 Daily drop-in $40 Full series (all 5 dates paid in advance)
Tickets: performa.ticketleap.com/philly
Information: adamkerbel.com/performa
Works-in-progress showing at Miniball Festival
March 28 – 31
FringeArts 140 N Christopher Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19106
$10 – $25 sliding scale
Information: cannonballfestival.org and fringearts.com
