Experience the ultimate dance-sampler of what’s new and bold. Eight rising Philly choreographers have been commissioned to stage eight major new works for the Festival. Come see their creations in four separate programs: Megan Mazarick and Meg Foley (Program A), Olive Prince and Shavon Norris (Program B), Daniele Strawmyre and Jaamil Olawale Kosoko (Program C—see below), Jumatatu Poe and Eun Jung Choi (Program D).

Program C

Kaidan
Daniele Strawmyre (Daniele Strawmyre and readySetGO)

"I started questioning and thinking about how throughout history, in all kinds of cultures, people have enjoyed being frightened as a form of entertainment."
Daniele Strawmyre, choreographer of Kaidan

Kaidan taps into the aesthetic of Japanese horror films, creating a harmonizing mix of the gorgeous and the grotesque. Based on archetypal figures from Japanese folklore, the dancers perform in elaborate sculptural costumes, each created by a different designer. Video, set design, costumes, and dance merge into a performance installation that mixes high art with spine-tingling chills.

Direction and Choreography Daniele Strawmyre with movement contributions from the dancers Score Joshua James Video Projection Lauren Mandilian Dramaturge Katherine Cooper Set and Costume Design Daniele Strawmyre Kinetic Costume Designers Susan Morris, Joslyn Newman, Kristen Phillips, Heidi Barr, Kevin Koniewicz, Jennifer Goettner Performers Elleanor Goudie-Averill, Kate Watson-Wallace, David Konyk, Gina Hoch-Stall, Hedy Wyland, Zach Svoboda, Sara Nye, Megan Bridge

To read blog articles about this artist, click here.

Or Maybe My Mother was an American Chameleon?
Jaamil Olawale Kosoko (KOSOKO PERFORMANCE GROUP)

"I engage in a kind of trance-like state of performance where the outcomes are completely unexpected."
Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, choreographer of Or Maybe My Mother was an American Chameleon?

Spawned from masks, characters, and extreme dysfunctional circumstances, this work transforms a dancer into a host of characters that once haunted his mother's schizophrenic mind. Audiences can join in the story by adding their own songs and sounds to the performance's musical score. Bring a CD to the performance or submit an MP3 to jaamil@kosokoperformance.org and become a part of this surreal theatrical experience.

Choreography Jaamil Olawale Kosoko Performers Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, Vince Johnson, Shannon Murphy, and Zachary Svoboda with special cameo appearances

Post-show discussion moderated by Craig T. Peterson, director, Live Arts Brewery (LAB), following the performance on September 10.

To read blog articles about this artist, click here.

Jaamil Olawale Kosoko is an author, poet, choreographer, performance artist, curator, experimental vocalist, and comedian. He is the artistic director at KOSOKO PERFORMANCE GROUP. He has performed at venues across the US. He has performed in or consulted creatively with Terry Creach, Lisa Kraus, Kate Watson-Wallace/anonymous bodies, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Keely Garfield Dance, Headlong Dance Theater, Leah Stein Dance Company, Emergent Improvisation Ensemble, and Faustin Linyekula and Les Studios Kabako (The Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa). He has published his written work in The American Poetry Review, The Dunes Review, The Interlochen Review, The Broad Street Review, and Silo Literary and Visual Arts Magazine. Most recently Kosoko published the chapbook Animal in Cyberspace.

Daniele Strawmyre is the artistic director of readySetGO and a multi-media artist, choreographer, performer, and educator based in Philadelphia. Utilizing projection, lighting, sculpture, and sound she creates immersive performance installations with a strong sense of texture and a cinematic aesthetic. She's an artist in residence at thefidget Space and her work has been presented throughout Philadelphia. She's worked with numerous companies including Anonymous Bodies, Workshop for Potential Movement, Meyer Chafaud Dance (NL) and Willi Dorner (AT), Junction Dance Theatre in Pittsburgh, Dance Theatre Etcetera in NYC, and CIE Felix Ruckert in Brussels, BE and Berlin, DE. She teaches creative movement, ballet, yoga, Pilates, all manner of fitness and creative arts, technical theater, and college and professional level courses in dance technique and improvisation to students ranging from age 3 to 83. She earned a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of the Arts.