Dance Camera West

For Immediate Release:  February 3, 2011

Dance Camera West Announces
10th Anniversary Dance Media Film Festival & Conference
Dance Media: An Active Spectrum
Los Angeles – June 16 – 19, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA – Dance Camera West (DCW), recognized internationally for its annual presentation and celebration of dance on screen, announces its 10th Anniversary Dance Media Film Festival & Conference.  This year’s festival, entitled Dance Media: An Active Spectrum, which will also include a conference component, takes place at several venues around Los Angeles from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 19, 2011. In addition to a full program of provocative screenings, this year’s special anniversary event will also include a unique series of educational events, guest speakers, and networking opportunities for the international dance media community.  DCW once again partners with the city’s most prominent venues to offer this year’s screenings, installations, and panel discussions with visiting international artists. Please visit DCW’s website for continuous updates at www.dancecamerawest.org.

“In celebration of our decade milestone, we have added a full day conference of presenters and panels to our four day festival schedule,” says DCW Executive Director Lynette Kessler, “In addition to educating, inspiring, and empowering artists, our goal this year is to serve as a catalyst for dance media distribution opportunities while, at the same time, create greater access for new audiences.”

Dance Media: An Active Spectrum -
Dance media, or any media for that matter, has evolved beyond the traditional theater-based cinematic experience which requires today’s media makers to create work with a multitude of platforms in mind.  The “active spectrum” of opportunity today includes multi-screen installations, mobile applications, websites, online social networks, and more.  DCW’s special anniversary panel discussion program will, among other things, take a look at transmedia storytelling that offers creators an opportunity to reach fragmented audiences by adapting productions to new modes of presentation.

Poised at the intersection of dance media’s artistic, academic, and commercial pursuits, Dance Camera West is uniquely positioned to facilitate a robust discussion on the blending of art, technology, and commerce.  The anniversary project will provide a necessary forum for facilitating real-time discussions and international networking opportunities for leading artists, local audiences, and emerging practitioners through panel discussions, talkbacks featuring prominent directors and choreographers, multiple programs of experimental international short dance films, installations and documentaries with special guests.

“Dance media is a technological medium,” adds Kessler,  “Whatever hardware is used for viewing  — computer screens, handheld devices, home projectors, etc. — audiences are now in the position to demand when they want to see work, where they want to see it, and what format they want it in.  All those technological options, along with great content, need to be delivered by dance media makers.”

Dance Media -
Dance on screen, or “screendance,” is a unique cinematic experience that focuses on the intersection of cinematography and choreography. The festival includes this as well as all forms of dance media. The hybrid screendance medium is diverse, encompassing a broad range of cinematography styles, exhibition formats, and subject matter traversing global perspectives.  The festival includes everything from experimental shorts to documentaries – ranging from surreal visual abstractions to strict narratives.

Dance Camera West’s Tenth Anniversary Highlights-
Dance Media: An Active Spectrum, Dance Camera West’s Tenth Annual Dance Media Film Festival & Conference, opens at The Getty Center with a screening and special guests on Thursday, June 16, 2011. The next day, Friday, June 17, DCW will bring together artists, dancers, educators, and film/television industry professionals for a full day of panel discussions followed by an outdoor screening at a venue TBA. Panels cover the state of the art, distribution, funding, art and commerce, as well as the future of dance media.  DCW will then present two days of screenings and a director’s roundtable at the Hammer Museum’s Billy Wilder Theater on Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19.

“Dance Camera West seeks to ensure that Los Angeles remains an international hub for dance media, inspiring and supporting artists and audiences from all corners of the globe,” says Kessler, “We are bringing together the best in today’s dance media to help commemorate our tenth anniversary.”

Lynette Kessler -
Dance Camera West founder and executive/artistic director Lynette Kessler is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and media artist with an MFA in Dance from the University of Michigan and a BFA in Dance from York University in Toronto. Known for her innovative collaborations and dance work for the screen that have been shown in film festivals worldwide, Kessler has received numerous awards including a Lester Horton Dance Award, Alden B. Dow Creativity Fellowship, and an artist residency at Headlands Center for the Arts. She recently made panel presentations at IMZ Dancescreen/Cinedans in Amsterdam and at the Latin American Video Danse Forum in Brazil. She is a founding member of the international Media & Dance Network (MAD), has served on selection committees for EMPAC Commission (Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center), American Choreography Awards, Dance on Camera Festival in New York, Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film in Toronto, CHIME (Choreographers in Mentorship Exchange), and is a guest lecturer at UCLA, UC Irvine, and Cal Arts. Kessler sits on the board of directors for the Buckminster Fuller Institute and the California Ear Unit. She is an active member of the advocacy groups: Arts for LA, California Arts Advocates, and Americans for the Arts. And she’s also on the Media Arts Advisory Committee to guide the new Media Arts initiative creating a fifth arts discipline for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Dance Camera West -
Dance Camera West is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering and promoting the vibrant art of dance media from around the world. DCW connects diverse cultures and environments through its exploration of dance on screen, bringing thousands of challenging and provocative films to Los Angeles from around the globe, effectively bridging the gap between the uniquely influential Los Angeles film community and the significant local dance populace. The organization is unique in its artistic purpose, as no other organization in Los Angeles offers audience exposure to such a diverse range of work by international dance companies.  DCW also strives to create a broader and more engaged audience for dance and dance media by merging both performance and cinematic aesthetics. DCW is one of only a handful of organizations in the world that present the thought-provoking adventure of dance media and the only one of its kind on the West Coast.  Known as one of the world’s premiere presenters of dance media, Dance Camera West aspires to awaken and infuse the public mainstream with critical creative programming.  DCW has expanded the audience for dance in Southern California with the presentation of more than 2,000 dance films from 47 countries since its inception in 2002.

Annual DCW dance media events have been extremely well received by local and national media. The Los Angeles Times has twice named the festival “Best of LA.” LA Magazine selected the festival as its “Pick of the Month,” and Angeleno included the festival in its “Top Ten List” in 2010. DCW was also voted one of the “Top 25 Dance Organizations to Watch” by Dance Magazine in 2005 and 2006.  FOX News has aired three-minute features on the festival for the past three years, and Moving Pictures Magazine ran a full-page feature article with photos.  Publicity also flows from influential online outlets such as The Huffington Post, which ran a full review of the festival in June 2010, and flavorpill, which selected the festival as its “Hot Tip” of the Week for several years. Additional press coverage is available at: dancecamerawest.org/press_archives.htm

This year’s 2011 Dance Camera West anniversary event is supported in part by Mortimer Levitt Foundation, Metabolic Studio of the Annenberg Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

“Dance Camera West has had a tremendous impact during its first ten years, building audiences not only for dance media but for all dance.  Our ongoing support for artists, both locally and globally, inspires new work to be created, as artists know that Dance Camera West supplies a critically important platform for disseminating this very special art form,” says Kessler summing up the festival’s relevancy.

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For more information, press passes, photos, or to interview DCW’s founder Lynette Kessler, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Banner credits moving from left to right:

Image One
Film Title: For Water
Director: Natalie Metzger
Photographer: Robert Allaire
Choreographer: Natalie Metzger
Dancers: Lisa Long, Anne Moore, Dewi Nurnaeny, Cherise Richards, Helda Yossiana

Image Two
Film Title: Aqua-Booty
Director: Marta Renzi
Dancers: Alethea Pace, Jen Queliz, Jenny Tortorello, Tina Vasquez

Image Three
Film Title: Ecstasy Forbidden
Director: Jonny Silver
Photographer: Marlena von Kazmier
Dancers: Lucy Rupert and Danny Wild
Choreographer: Claudia Moore

Image Four
Film Title: Body of War
Director/Photographer: Isabel Rocamora,
Dancers:  James Hobson and Krysztof Szczenpanski

Breakdance Project Uganda reaches youth in the slums of Kisenyi, Uganda (photo credit: Nabil Elderkin)

Award-winning film Bouncing Cats, the inspiring documentary of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through hip hop, is on the festival circuit making its way around North America along with limited sneak peek screenings and benefit events.  Narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, the story follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn region that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.*  The film, by director Nabil Elderkin, recently won “Best Documentary Feature Film” at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking” at the Newport Beach Film Festival, and “Audience Favorite Award” at Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival.

For Immediate Release:  October 28, 2010 [updated: 1/17/11]

Inspiring Documentary
Bouncing Cats
Uniting the Children of Uganda Through Breakdance and Hip Hop Culture
Currently Screening at Festivals and Special Sneak Peek Events
Around North America Through Winter 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Award-winning film Bouncing Cats, the inspiring documentary of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through hip hop, is on the festival circuit making its way around North America along with limited sneak peek screenings and benefit events.  Narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, the story follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn region that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.*  The film, by director Nabil Elderkin, recently won “Best Documentary Feature Film” at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking” at the Newport Beach Film Festival, and “Audience Favorite Award” at Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival.  To learn more about the film, please visit http://www.bouncingcats.com and http://www.facebook.com/bouncingcats.

“Bouncing Cats is just the sort of work that the world needs to see coming out of Africa, a story of self-reliance and perseverance against immeasurable odds,” said K’naan.

Breakdance Project Uganda started in February 2006 by Abraham “Abramz” Tekya out of the belief that hip hop can be used as a tool to engage and empower disadvantaged youth in Kampala and other areas of Uganda. Its mission is to engage young people in hip hop culture in order to build leadership skills and promote social responsibility for positive change.  The Project has attracted people from every walk of life and acts as a catalyst for building mutually beneficial relationships between people of different social strata across Uganda and the rest of the world. After a trip to Uganda with NGO Oxfam, where he met Abramz, director Elderkin decided to make the film with the hope of shedding light on the situation.  “The work Abramz is doing with the kids of Uganda inspired me,” said Elderkin. “It was something I wanted to capture and share with others.”

Bouncing Cats is screening on the festival circuit and at special sneak peek events across North America.  Key screenings include:

- Apr. 17 – Newport Beach Film Festival – Newport Beach, CA
- Aug. 21 – DocuFest Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival – Atlanta, GA
- Sep. 17, 18 – Urbanworld Film Festival - New York, NY
- Sep. 17-19 -  DocUtah – Southern Utah Int’l Documentary Film Festival – St. George, UT
- Sep. 22 – Manifesto Film Fest – Toronto, ON
- Sep. 23 – Montreal International Black Film Festival – Montreal, QC
- Oct. 8-10 – BendFilm – Bend, OR
- Oct. 16, 17, 19, 22 – Heartland Truly Moving Pictures – Indianapolis, IN
- Oct. 18, 24 – Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival – Hot Springs National Park, AR
- Oct. 30 – MoogFest – Asheville, NC
- Nov. 3 – USC Albert & Dana Broccoli Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
- Nov. 4, 7 – American Film Market (AFM) – Santa Monica, CA
- Nov. 7 - Hartford International Film Festival – Hartford, CT
- Nov. 9 – National Geographic LIVE! – Washington, DC **
- Nov. 11 – Rice University – Houston, TX **
- Nov. 16 – Downtown Independent - Los Angeles, CA **
- Nov. 17 – Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip - Las Vegas, NV  **
- Nov. 19 – Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ **
- Nov. 20 – Decatur High School Performing Arts Center - Atlanta, GA
- Dec. 4 – Northwestern University McCormick Tribune Theatre- Evanston, IL
- Dec. 5 – Bahamas International Film Festival – Nassau, Bahamas
- Dec.  16 – NYU – New York, NY **

** These screenings include Q&A sessions with the filmmakers, Crazy Legs, and other cast members from the documentary.

click to watch trailer

Please visit the Bouncing Cats‘ site for additional screening announcements at http://www.bouncingcats.com/screenings.

Bouncing Cats Cast:
Abraham “Abramz” Tekya:
Abraham Tekya, commonly known as “Abramz,” is the director and founder of Breakdance Project Uganda, an organization launched in February 2006 that uses breakdance and other elements of hip hop culture to promote positive change and social responsibility. A native of Mengo, Kampala, Uganda, Abramz grew up quickly, as most children in Uganda are forced to. At the age of seven, he lost both of his parents to AIDS and was orphaned, shuffled between distant relatives and different homes. Despite these circumstances, Abramz used his life experience and love of hip hop to educate, inspire and unite youth in Uganda and beyond. http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast/tekya.php

Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn:
To call Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn a pioneer is an understatement. It is nearly impossible to have a conversation about b-boying without giving mention to the legendary Crazy Legs. Not only is he a veteran of hip hop as a culture, boasting more than 3 decades as the driving force behind the hip hop dance movement, but he’s also an outstanding citizen and role model. He has lent his time, experience, and influence to aiding and encouraging the positive advancement of hip hop culture. http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast/crazylegs.php

Jolly Grace Okot:
Jolly Grace Okot, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was among the first wave of children abducted and forced to be a child soldier in the beginning of Uganda’s civil war. She is the Uganda Country director for Invisible Children (IC) and has been involved with the organization since the beginning. Her guidance enabled Bouncing Cats‘ filmmakers to see and understand the plight of children in Northern Uganda, and her leadership and direction helped create IC’s initiatives on the ground. Okot also runs H.E.A.L.S., a program that provides play therapy for war-affected children.

Additional details on cast members are available at http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast.

Additional Credits & Film Details:
Bouncing Cats was produced by Red Bull Media House and directed by Nabil Elderkin. All proceeds from the film are going to Breakdance Project Uganda.

Nabil Elderkin, Director:
Director Nabil Elderkin, originally a native of Australia, began his photography career when he picked up a camera to shoot portraits of fellow surfers. What started as a hobby, rapidly developed into a working career. From surf portraits, Elderkin began shooting musicians and anyone that inspired him. He later moved to the United States to continue to expand his career. Today, Elderkin lives and works in Los Angeles at his studio downtown. He shoots musicians, sports, fashion, and portraiture. Elderkin has recently published a book titled Glow in the Dark with Kanye West through Rizzoli and has directed several music videos and documentaries from here to Africa. Traveling is his passion. He created the film in order to bring attention to the situation in Uganda as well as support the inspiring work Abramz is doing through BPU.  http://www.nabil.com

- Executive Producers: Amy Taylor, Scotty Bradfield, Karma Gardner, Charlie Rosene
- Producers: Nyla Hassell, George Mays, Claude Merkel, Charles Spano
- Film Editing: Isaac Hagy
- Sound Editor: Andrew Le Guier
- Genre: Documentary / Music
- Runtime: 75 minutes
- Country: USA
- Language: English
- Color: Color
- Filming Locations: Uganda, USA

Awards:
- Newport Film Festival “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking”
- Urbanworld Film Festival “Best Documentary Feature Film”
- DocUtah – Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival “Audience Favorite Award”
- Bahamas International Film Festival Audience Award for “Best Feature Documentary”

“In short – the movie features some serious hip hop cameos, incredible landscapes, and dancing, and is certain to be one of the most celebrated documentaries of 2010.” –Chris Farone, Boston Phoenix

Bouncing Cats Links:
- Official Site: http://www.bouncingcats.com
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bouncingcats
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/bouncingcats
- Trailer: http://vimeo.com/12234800

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For more information, or to request screeners, images, and interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Breakdance Project Uganda reaches youth in the slums of Kisenyi, Uganda (photo credit: Nabil Elderkin)

* Former UNICEF head Carol Bellamy has called northern Uganda “pretty much the worst place on earth to be a child;” over 20,000 children – some as young as six years old – have been abducted by the rebel-led Lords Resistance Army (LRA), forced to serve as child soldiers, sex slaves and laborers. http://www.warchild.org/projects/WC_Canada/Uganda/uganda.html

BACKGROUNDER

Synopsis:
Award-winning film Bouncing Cats is the inspiring documentary of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through the unlikely tools of hip hop and breakdance. Narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, the story follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn country that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.*  Poverty, disease, and a brutal, mindless war in the region have divided families, displaced millions and led to the abduction and mutilation of tens of thousands of children resulting in the deterioration of identity and culture.

In response to these tragic circumstances, Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and AIDS orphan, started Breakdance Project Uganda to create much needed positive social change in the region. His dream was to establish a free workshop that would empower, rehabilitate, and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture. Crazy Legs, one of the founding members of the world famous Rock Steady Crew, visited Uganda after receiving an invitation from Abramz to teach b-boy classes. What he discovered upon his arrival was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Traveling throughout Uganda, from the southern slums to the war-torn north, Crazy Legs encountered a passion for hip hop and desire to learn amongst youth living in the most squalid conditions.

After only a few short months on the festival circuit, the film by director Nabil Elderkin has already won “Best Documentary Feature Film” at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York; “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking” at the Newport Beach Film Festival; and “Audience Favorite Award” at DocUtah – Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival.

*Source:  Former UNICEF head Carol Bellamy has called northern Uganda “pretty much the worst place on earth to be a child.” Over 20,000 children – some as young as six years old – have been abducted by the rebel-led Lords Resistance Army (LRA), forced to serve as child soldiers, sex slaves, and laborers. http://www.warchild.org/projects/WC_Canada/Uganda/uganda.html

Breakdance Project Uganda:
Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) started in February 2006 by Abramz out of his belief that hip hop can be used as a tool to engage and empower disadvantaged youth. Its mission is to involve young people in hip hop culture in order to build leadership skills and promote social responsibility for positive change. The Project has attracted people from every walk of life and acts as a catalyst for building mutually beneficial relationships between people of different social strata across Uganda and the rest of the world. From the initial three students who turned up at the first session, the Project has grown through word of mouth, regular showcase performances, and exposure on the World Wide Web to become a thriving organization with over 1,000 members nationally in Uganda and many more supporters around the world.

Abramz organizes breakdancing sessions each week for hundreds of youth in different parts of the country. The Project has been built around free breakdancing classes which are currently offered at the Sharing Youth Centre, Kampala, Gulu Youth Centre and TAKS Art Centre in Gulu. The classes are sustained by members freely passing on their skills to new members, following the BPU ideology that everyone is a student and everyone is a teacher with something positive to give. Members have also made outreach visits to towns in other parts of Eastern and Northern Uganda to share their skills and engage more youth across Uganda. Many of the participating children are extremely vulnerable with members who are orphans, victims of war and poverty, unable to afford proper schooling.  Despite the hardships, children walk from miles away to attend the BPU classes each week. As Abramz says, “This is where many people’s pride is. It’s a skill that no one can take away from us.”

BPU supports formal and non-formal education opportunities by advocating the importance of education and partnering with organizations to increase members’ access to educational services such as life skills workshops, media and skills training, voluntary counseling and testing, and advocacy training. Through the sale of BPU t-shirts, the Project also sponsors schools fees for vulnerable members.

BPU aims to:
• Bridge the gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged while uniting people of different religious, tribal and social backgrounds
• Promote positive social responsibility
• Build leadership skills and self-esteem
• Increase access to formal and informal education
• Generate employment opportunities through private teaching and performances
• Connect local and international artists

Over the past four years, BPU has partnered with local and international organizations including: Oxfam, MS Uganda, In Movement, People Concern Children’s Project, Danish Centre for Cultural Development, H.E.A.L.S. (Gulu), Global Youth Partnership for Africa, the Embassy of France in Uganda, Uganda FDNC, and USAID/NUTI, Straight Talk Foundation (STF), and has carried out activities in orphanages, juvenile prisons, local and international schools, and youth and community centers.

Call to Action:
For those interested in supporting the work of BPU, donations can be made through the organization’s fiscal sponsor The Voice Project via the Bouncing Cats site at http://www.bouncingcats.com/donate. Donations are 100% tax deductible.  Proceeds go directly to Breakdance Project Uganda to continue its mission to empower and positively inspire youth through hip hop. Abramz also hopes to one day build a permanent center for BPU.

With a donation of $15 or more to BPU, contributors receive a limited edition Bouncing Cats t-shirt while supplies last. The t-shirts are made by Edun, the non-profit fashion brand founded by Ali Hewson and Bono, using 100% African cotton grown by farmers of the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) in Northern Uganda. The CCI was created by Edun, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Invisible Children to build sustainable farming communities and provide a fair trade market for their cotton. The CCI Uganda Program is based in the Gulu District, an area recovering from the civil war. The CCI Initiative assists farmers who are returning to their land by providing funding, tools, and training to grow a sustainable cotton business.

Uganda:
According to the World Bank, more than 30% of the population in Uganda lives below the poverty line. Uganda is a rapidly growing nation with a very young population (Source: UNGASS). An estimated 49% of people in Uganda are under the age of 14 (Source: Population Reference Bureau). After the introduction of Universal Primary Education in Uganda in 1997, primary school enrollment increased to 82% but less than 20% of young people go on to complete further education (Source: Population Reference Bureau). Development in Uganda has been greatly hampered by more than two decades of conflict between the government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the North and, as a result, the opportunities available to young people are extremely limited. Unemployment levels for young people between the ages of 14 and 24 are estimated to be at 83% (Source: ADI Report 2008/2009).

However, there is hope for young people in Uganda as the country gets closer to reaching its Millennium Development Goals. Since 1992, the number of people living in poverty has substantially decreased by more than 25% according to the 2007 UNDP Uganda Progress Report. Gender equality has been steadily improving with more than 2 million additional girls enrolling in primary school each year. Indicators show that HIV/AIDS prevalence has stabilized at 6.4%. Overall, there is growing optimism across Uganda that things will continue to improve and peace will remain.

Bouncing Cats Cast:
Abraham “Abramz” Tekya:
Abraham Tekya, commonly known as “Abramz,” is the director and founder of Breakdance Project Uganda, an organization launched in February 2006 that uses breakdance and other elements of hip hop culture to promote positive change and social responsibility. A native of Mengo, Kampala, Uganda, Abramz grew up quickly, as most children in Uganda are forced to. At the age of seven, he lost both of his parents to AIDS and was orphaned, shuffled between distant relatives and different homes. Despite these circumstances, Abramz used his life experience and love of hip hop to educate, inspire and unite youth in Uganda and beyond.

Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn:
To call Richard “Crazy Legs” Colòn a pioneer is an understatement. It is nearly impossible to have a conversation about b-boying without giving mention to the legendary Crazy Legs. Not only is he a veteran of hip hop as a culture, boasting more than 3 decades as the driving force behind the hip hop dance movement, but he’s also an outstanding citizen and role model. He has lent his time, experience, and influence to aiding and encouraging the positive advancement of hip hop culture. Among his many achievements, he is credited with the creation of the classic b-boy move called the continuous backspin or “windmill.”

Jolly Grace Okot:
Jolly Grace Okot, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was among the first wave of children abducted and forced to be a child soldier in the beginning of Uganda’s civil war.  She is the Uganda Country director for Invisible Children (IC) and has been involved with the organization since the beginning. Her guidance enabled Bouncing Cats‘ filmmakers to see and understand the plight of children in Northern Uganda, and her leadership and direction helped create IC’s initiatives on the ground. Okot also runs H.E.A.L.S., a program that provides play therapy for war-affected children.

Kibuka Mukisa Oscar:
Kibuka Mukisa Oscar, who joined BPU in 2006 and regularly attends weekly Sharing Youth Centre sessions, recently finished secondary school. He dreams of working in the visual arts.

Shadia Aghamu:
Aghamu Shadia was born into a family of 13 children. She dreams of going to a good business school, earning enough money to support her family, and hopes to buy a bus for BPU one day.

Alfred Otim:
Alfred Otim, currently studying at Gulu College, hopes to go to University to become an engineer. He intends to earn money for University by teaching and performing.

Claire Lewis:
Claire Lewis, a 20-year Oxfam veteran, has been based in Africa for the past four years. During a fateful trip to Los Angeles, she met director Elderkin and the two discussed hip hop, which included Lewis mentioning Abramz’ inspirational work in Uganda. After the meeting, Lewis casually suggested Elderkin drop by to see Kampala one day…

Ynot:
Ynot started dancing at the age of 17 and was mainly influenced by James Brown. He is a member of the legendary Rock Steady Crew. He enjoys traveling and teaching workshops across the US and the world.

Ervin Arana:
DJ, photographer and respected b-boy Ervin Arana is a member of the Rock Steady Crew. He has appeared in numerous music videos and shares his knowledge of dance through lectures and workshops.

Additional details on cast members are available at http://www.bouncingcats.com/cast/

Additional Credits & Film Details:
Bouncing Cats was produced by Red Bull Media House and directed by Nabil Elderkin. All proceeds from the film are going to Breakdance Project Uganda.

Nabil Elderkin, Director:
Bouncing Cats Director Nabil Elderkin, originally a native of Australia, began his photography career when he picked up a camera to shoot portraits of fellow surfers. What started as a hobby, rapidly developed into a working career. From surf portraits, Elderkin began shooting musicians and anyone that inspired him. He later moved to the United States to continue to expand his career. Today, Elderkin lives and works in Los Angeles at his studio downtown. He shoots musicians, sports, fashion, and portraiture. Elderkin has recently published a book titled Glow in the Dark with Kanye West through Rizzoli and has directed several music videos and documentaries from here to Africa. Traveling is his passion. He created the film in order to bring attention to the situation in Uganda as well as support the inspiring work Abramz is doing through BPU.

Executive Producers: Amy Taylor, Scott Bradfield, Karma Gardner, Charlie Rosene

Producers: Nyla Hassell, George Mays, Claude Merkel, Charles Spano

Film Editing: Isaac Hagy

Sound Editor: Andrew Le Guier

Genre: Documentary / Music

Runtime: 75 minutes

Country: USA

Language: English

Color: Color

Filming Locations: Uganda, USA

Festival Tour & Special Engagements:
Bouncing Cats is screening on the festival circuit and at special engagements across the US. Key screenings include:

- Apr. 17 – Newport Beach Film Festival – Newport Beach, CA
- Aug. 21 – DocuFest Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival – Atlanta, GA
- Sep. 17, 18 – Urbanworld Film Festival – New York, NY
- Sep. 17-19 – DocUtah – Southern Utah Int’l Documentary Film Festival – St. George, UT
- Sep. 22 – Manifesto Film Fest – Toronto, ON
- Sep. 23 – Montreal International Black Film Festival – Montreal, QC
- Oct. 8-10 – BendFilm – Bend, OR
- Oct. 16, 17, 19, 22 – Heartland Truly Moving Pictures – Indianapolis, IN
- Oct. 18, 24 – Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival – Hot Springs National Park, AR
- Oct. 30 – MoogFest – Asheville, NC
- Nov. 3 – USC Albert & Dana Broccoli Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
- Nov. 4, 7 – American Film Market (AFM) – Santa Monica, CA
- Nov. 7 – Hartford International Film Festival – Hartford, CT
- Nov. 9 – National Geographic LIVE! – Washington DC
- Nov. 11 – Rice University – Houston, TX
- Nov. 16 – Downtown Independent – Los Angeles, CA
- Nov. 19 – Arizona State University – Tempe, AZ
- Nov. 20 – Decatur High School Performing Arts Center – Atlanta, GA
- Dec. 4 – Northwestern University McCormick Tribune Theater - Evanston, IL
- Dec. 5 – Bahamas International Film Festival - Nassau, Bahamas
- Dec. 16 – NYU – New York, NY

Please visit the Bouncing Cats site for additional screening announcements at http://www.bouncingcats.com/screenings/.

Awards:
Newport Film Festival “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking”
Urbanworld Film Festival “Best Documentary Feature Film”
DocUtah – Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival “Audience Favorite Award”
Bahamas International Film Festival Audience Award for “Best Feature Documentary”

Distribution:
Bouncing Cats distribution is open to negotiations.  For distribution related inquiries, please contact Nyla Hassell at nyla.hassell@us.redbull.com.

Bouncing Cats Links:
- Official Web Site: http://www.bouncingcats.com
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bouncingcats
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/bouncingcats
- Video Trailer: http://vimeo.com/12234800

Publicity Contact:
For more information, or to request screeners, images, and interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada (née Hasty) at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Click to watch the Bouncing Cats trailer.

(Updated 12/02/10)

For Immediate Release:  May 6, 2010

Overtone Industries Invites the Public to
Extensive Community Arts Project
“Songs & Dances Craftacular Weekend Workshops”
Eco-Friendly Collaborations to Create Props & Costumes
From Recycled Materials for Upcoming Contemporary Opera
Songs & Dances of Imaginary Lands
Weekends in Culver City through June 20, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Overtone Industries is engaged in a massive community arts project, currently underway, to create props and costumes from recycled materials for their July site-specific contemporary opera, Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands directed by O-Lan Jones. In May and June, creative volunteers are invited to Overtone’s “Songs & Dances Craftacular Weekend Workshops,” a series of free public art workshops where donated recyclables are being transformed into sets and costumes for the innovative music theater production. Overtone Industries is looking for crafters, artists, knitters, and the general public of all ages to collaborate on the project by participating in the art-making process via the community workshops. Workshops are being held Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., through June 20, 2010 at the Songs & Dances Warehouse, 8840 Washington Street, Culver City, CA 90232 (with the exception of Sunday May, 9, 2010 – there will be no workshop on that date). Free lot parking is available on site. Children must be accompanied by an adult. RSVP is requested, but not required, at songdancesworkshop.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecal. All levels of experience, from beginners to professionals, are encouraged to drop by for the fun. Additional community art workshop and recycling program details are at www.overtoneindustries.org/sdworkshops.php. For questions, please call 323-655-2410 during business hours, Monday through Friday.

Under the artistic direction of Costume and Scenic Designer Snezana Petrovic, with the support of Vibrant Production Management, a vacant 25,000-square-foot Culver City car dealership is being transformed into an adventurous performance space. Through the creation of 21 art installations of the titular imaginary lands, each dramatically different from one another, and wild, native costumes of invented cultures, volunteers will help set the stage for this epic music and dance extravaganza. Participants will create props, textures, and aspects of the sets and costumes for the production while also learning new art-making techniques. Local residents, nonprofit groups, service organizations, and senior centers are expected to take part.

“The community is an essential ingredient to the creation of these lands; everyone’s experience will be literally glued, twisted, and knitted into the environments we create together,” says Director O-Lan Jones, “This collaboration is a metaphor for the existential point of the opera — in other words, we all make the world that we live in together.”

The public can participate in two ways:
-  donate recyclables to the project
-  join in at the community art workshops to create the sets, props & costumes

Recyclables can be dropped off at the Songs and Dances Warehouse on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 12noon through June 20, 2010. Overtone Industries is specifically looking for donations of plastic bottles, newspapers, corrugated cardboard, plastic shopping bags, catalogs, junk mail, magazines, can tabs, bottle caps, clean white socks, packaging peanuts, and CDs. For details, see: www.overtoneindustries.org/files/sdrecyclingprogramflyer.pdf

“Songs & Dances Craftacular Weekend Workshops”
Recycle Drop-Off & Art-Making Schedule:

• 11:00 a.m. – 12:00noon – drop off recyclables
• 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. – workshops

~workshop focus/featured materials noted~

Sat. 5/08/10 (Combination)
Sat. 5/15/10 (Combination)
Sun. 5/16/10 (Cardboard)
Sat. 5/22/10 (Plastic Water Bottles)
Sun. 5/23/10 (Plastic Water Bottles)
Sat. 5/29/10 (Metal & Aluminum)
Sun. 5/30/10 (Metal & Aluminum)
Sat. 6/05/10 (Paper Mache)
Sun. 6/06/10 (Paper Mache)
Sat. 6/12/10 (Assembling)
Sun. 6/13/10 (Assembling)
Sat. 6/19/10 (Assembling)
Sun. 6/20/10 (Assembling)

“Songs & Dances Craftacular Weekend Workshops” Video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH-pVrkd4co
(video credit: Halldor Enard)

Real estate developer Joseph Miller, owner and president of The Runyon Group, donated the use of the vacant Culver City car dealership for the production. Miller provided the space to Overtone Industries so that it could be used creatively, in a way that would benefit the community, instead of standing vacant. The development of this production has been supported by The Annenberg Foundation since 2006. Overtone Industries also receives support from The Ahmanson Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands
After seven years in development, non-profit organization Overtone Industries is set to launch their site-specific theatricale Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands, with two weeks of performances opening Thursday, July 8, 2010. Billed as a contemporary opera, the genre-bending production integrates art installation, dance, voice, live and recorded music, projected video, costuming, community participation, and theater. Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands was conceptualized by Jones in an extensive collaboration that involves twenty one librettists, eleven composers, Costume and Scenic Designer Petrovic, Musical Director David O, and many others. The performances will run from Thursday, July 8 to Sunday, July 18, 2010 with five weekly performances (Thursdays through Sundays, 8:00 p.m. nightly with 2:00 p.m. matinees on Sundays). Additional preview performances will run the week prior, from Thursday, July 1 to Sunday, July 4, 2010 (matinee only on July 4). Ticket prices start at $25 and go on sale in May on Overtone’s site at www.overtoneindustries.org.

Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands takes the audience on a journey with working class Tom and aristocratic Sue, who have lost their identities. The couple reclaims their story by means of a device that allows them to inhabit the “lands” that hold the pivotal experiences of their lives embodied in songs, dances, pledges of allegiance, and rituals indigenous to those turning points.

“Sounds heavy, but the show is a blast,” says Producer Scott Cargle, “It’s a large-scale extravaganza full of colorful art, an amazing array of music, wild costumes, and innovative choreography – but with a profound story as well.”

O-Lan Jones, Director and Co-Choreographer
O-Lan Jones is an award-winning actress, composer, sound designer, and writer. Her work as an actress, originating female roles in plays by Sam Shepard, Beth Henley, Murray Mednick, and John Steppling, among others, has made her something of a cultural icon. Named for the character in Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth, Jones was raised by a free-spirited mother in various ghettos across America (Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, New York) with stops in London and the jungles of the Yucatan where they lived in a hut in a village of 80 Mayan Indians. She began her professional acting career at 16 in New York’s off-off Broadway scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s. In 1969, Jones married playwright Sam Shepard with whom she has a son. Shepard and Jones divorced in 1983.

Of the more than 80 plays she has acted in, only two have been performed prior to her involvement in them — part of her lot in life is as accomplice to new/experimental projects. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1990, she has had a broad range of roles in film and television. In features, she has worked with directors Tim Burton, Jonathan Demme, Ivan Reitman, Paul Schrader, John Schlesinger, Oliver Stone, Peter Weir, and Paul Bartel who directed Shelf Life, a movie she wrote and starred in. She is perhaps best known for playing Esmeralda, the reclusive Christian organist in Edward Scissorhands, and numerous waitress roles (Seinfeld, Shoot the Moon, Miracle Mile, Natural Born Killers, and The Truman Show). A repeat member of Burton’s ensemble casts, she also played hick trailer-dwelling mama Sue Ann Norris in Mars Attacks! Television credits also include Lonesome Dove and The X-Files; and she was a series regular on CBS’s Harts of the West.

She has composed three short operas; five musicals; created original music, songs, and sound designs for more than 30 theatrical productions; and has scored two short films. She was also the musical director and arranger of Joel Lipman’s rock-’n'-roll extravaganza Celebration of the Lizard, which features 49 Doors songs. Jones is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Overtone Industries, which the Los Angeles Times called “… audaciously experimental entertainment.”

Scott Cargle, Producer
Scott Cargle has been an actor, writer, director, and producer for decades. He was the founder and artistic director of The Shakespeare Project in New York City, where he presented 11 seasons of free outdoor productions in parks and public spaces for more than 40,000 people. He produced two annual Play Outside! Festivals of Free Outdoor Theater, with more than 20 theater companies and performance artists presenting 120 shows in 30 parks, all in the course of 21 days. He served on funding panels for the New York Times Foundation, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs, NY Foundation for the Arts and many others. He teaches seminars on fundraising, grant writing, nonprofit business planning, and project development at the Center for Nonprofit Management and CalArts.

Snezana Petrovic, Costume and Scenic Designer
A freelance designer for 230 theatrical productions, 22 television series, and eight feature films, Snezana Petrovic is a pioneer in set design using computer-aided technology and was the first art director to design sets on the FLAIR computer in her native Yugoslavia. In the US, she was the first graduate student in theater design to earn an interactive MFA (from UC Irvine), submitting her thesis on CD-ROM. She has served as resident designer at the Redlands Theater Festival for 15 seasons, and taught theater design and visual arts at the university level for 14 years. She was the recipient of the award in production design at the International Film Festival in Pula as well as six national awards for theater set and costume design in Yugoslavia. Petrovic’s paintings, video, and installation works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally in museums and galleries in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Belgrade, and Prague. She has exhibited in 34 group exhibitions and had eight solo exhibitions. Currently she is serving as the Fine Arts Department Chair and Professor of Arts at Crafton Hills College.

Overtone Industries
Emmy and Dramalogue award-winning Overtone Industries cultivates new talent for music theater by providing opportunities for composers, writers, and performers to collaborate in the creation of new musical works. By drawing on artists that spring from the diverse community, Overtone productions speak to and attract a wide-ranging spectrum of people. Overtone believes that culture is enriched and revitalized not only by the differences and variety of expression, but also by the underlying experiences that connect us all. The organization strives to create myths and fables that will illuminate the eternal forces that reverberate in our contemporary lives. By exploring new relationships among words, acting, movement, and music, the nonprofit seeks to make the invisible visible and bring audiences, casts and production crews closer to understanding some of life’s mysteries. Overtone Industries’ work has been performed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and in New York at the Kurt Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall.

Vibrant Production Management
Vibrant Production Management works with artists of various disciplines to create and manage original, vivid artistic experiences. Vibrant offers comprehensive production services from concept to completion. Beginning with a shared vision or need, the firm assembles teams of artists and managers to provide energy and movement to a project. The firm handles logistics, allowing the artistic product to be presented as high-quality, seamless entertainment. Recent projects include: Ecosystems Gala at California Science Center, Meet Me @ Metro for Watts Village Theater Company, Shakespeare by the Sea’s 13th season and ensemble strategic planning for Impro Theatre.  Vibrant Production Management is a partnership between Sara Adelman and Michelle Magaldi. Adelman and Magaldi are experienced producers and managers of live events working in and around Los Angeles for over a decade as independent contractors and employees of award-winning arts organizations.

“This is not just an opera. It’s an event,” says Cargle in summing up Songs & Dances of Imaginary Lands, “It asks the artists and the audience to reconsider: What is theater? What is opera? Where does it happen? What does it look like? Who makes it happen?”

#               #              #

For more information, photos, or to arrange an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213.840.1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com

Illustration by Snezana Petrovic

After seven years in development, non-profit organization Overtone Industries is set to launch their site-specific theatricale Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands, with two weeks of performances opening Thursday, July 8, 2010.  Billed as a contemporary opera, the genre-bending production integrates art installation, dance, voice, live and recorded music, projected video, costuming, community participation, and theater.   Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands was conceptualized by Director O-Lan Jones in an extensive collaboration that involves twenty one librettists, eleven composers, Costume and Scenic Designer Snezana Petrovic, Musical Director David O, and many others.

For Immediate Release: March 26, 2010

Overtone Industries Presents
A New Contemporary Opera
Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands
With Performances in a Vacant Culver City Car Dealership
Thursday, July 8 – Sunday, July 18, 2010

~With Preview Performances Thursday, July 1 – Sunday, July 4, 2010~

LOS ANGELES, CA – After seven years in development, non-profit organization Overtone Industries is set to launch their site-specific theatricale Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands, with two weeks of performances opening Thursday, July 8, 2010.  Billed as a contemporary opera, the genre-bending production integrates art installation, dance, voice, live and recorded music, projected video, costuming, community participation, and theater.   Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands was conceptualized by Director O-Lan Jones in an extensive collaboration that involves twenty one librettists, eleven composers, Costume and Scenic Designer Snezana Petrovic, Musical Director David O, and many others. The performances will run from Thursday, July 8 to Sunday, July 18, 2010 with five weekly performances (Thursdays through Sundays, 8:00 pm nightly with 2:00 pm matinees on Sundays).  Additional preview performances will run the week prior, from Thursday, July 1 to Sunday, July 4, 2010 (matinee only on July 4).   Ticket prices will range from $25 to $65 and go on sale in May on Overtone’s site at  www.overtoneindustries.org.   Shows will be held in a vacant 25,000 square foot car dealership that is being temporarily transformed into a performance space at 8840 Washington Street, Culver City, CA 90232.  Parking lot on site.

Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands takes the audience on a journey with working class Tom and aristocratic Sue, who have lost their identities.  The couple reclaims their story by means of a device that allows them to inhabit the “lands” that hold the pivotal experiences of their lives embodied in songs, dances, pledges of allegiance, and rituals indigenous to those turning points. The fast-paced kaleidoscope of events range in tone from comic to deeply sorrowful.  Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands is an allegory where the various elements — the sets, costumes, characters, music, audience participation, and modes of collaboration across the production — create the world of challenges presented by life, love, and relationships.  This pastiche of seemingly incongruous elements, with a postmodern aesthetic that is simultaneously complex and accessible, comes together in one organic event.  Just like life!

“The indelible moments that make up the through-line of a life come alive in the form of twenty one imaginary lands that embody the terrain of this couple’s experience,” explains O-Lan Jones, adding, “We’re creating a journey that goes beyond a purely mental narrative of a life story to connect with the way memory is held in the body and feelings; memory at its most primitive that touches upon the mythic.”

Auditions for the production are being held in mid-April in Culver City.  Overtone Industries is currently accepting submissions; details are available at www.overtoneindustries.org.

Under the direction of Costume and Scenic Designer Snezana Petrovic, the Company is transforming a vacant Culver City car dealership into a surreal performance space featuring site-specific art installations of the production’s titular imaginary lands, each dramatically different from one another.  An extensive community arts project, bringing together local artists and volunteers in a series of free public workshops, is set to begin in May in order to create textures, props, and some aspects of the sets and costumes for the production.  These sets and costumes will be created primarily from recycled materials that have been donated and transformed through community participation. Culver City High School’s Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (AVPA) is among the organizations that have agreed to participate in the ambitious undertaking.  Local residents, service organizations, nonprofit groups, and senior centers are expected to take part as well.  Additional details on the workshops will be posted online soon.

“The community and collaboration aspects of the production are key to the philosophy of the project,” says Jones, adding, “If I had to boil everything down to one word, I’d have to go with ‘connection.’  It’s all about connecting.”

Twenty one librettists and eleven composers have contributed original words and music specifically written for Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands that collectively create an odyssey.  The challenging compositions span a range of musical styles from avant-guarde classical to choral, from island to rock, with each capturing the character of the imaginary land, or life moment, that it represents.  Electronic, traditional acoustic, and invented instruments are all incorporated in the unhomogenized array of recorded and live music performed by an eight-piece orchestra under the direction of award winning composer David O.

Performances are suitable for mature teen and adult audiences.

Overtone Industries has received support from The Ahmanson Foundation, The Annenberg Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and The National Endowment for the Arts.  Additionally, real estate developer Joseph Miller, owner and president of The Runyon Group, donated the use of the vacant Culver City car dealership for the production. Miller provided the space to Overtone Industries so that it could be used creatively, in a way that would benefit the community, instead of standing vacant.

“There are some forward thinking owners of vacant property that recognize that they have a tremendous opportunity to make innovative community projects possible by providing small organizations and creative individuals free or low-cost short-term access to these empty buildings,” says Jones, “This project wouldn’t have been economically feasible for us without the generosity of someone like Joseph Miller.”

Coming to a Ghost-Box Near You!
Overtone Industries has plans to tour the production after the Culver City run, hoping to utilize other vacant commercial properties as site-specific performance spaces in cities across the US and beyond.

O-Lan Jones, Director and Co-Choreographer
O-Lan Jones is an award-winning actress, composer, sound designer, and writer. Her work as an actress, originating female roles in plays by Sam Shepard, Beth Henley, Murray Mednick, and John Steppling, among others, has made her something of a cultural icon.

Named for the character in Pearl Buck’s “The Good Earth,” Jones was raised by a free-spirited mother in various ghettos across America (Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, New York) with stops in London and the jungles of the Yucatan where they lived in a hut in a village of 80 Mayan Indians. She began her professional acting career at 16 in New York’s off-off Broadway scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s. When she was 19, she married playwright Sam Shepard with whom she has a son. Shepard and Jones divorced in 1983.

Of the more than 80 plays she has acted in, only two have been performed prior to her involvement in them — part of her lot in life is as an accomplice to new/experimental projects.  Since moving to Los Angeles in 1990, she has had a broad range of roles in film and television. In features, she has worked with directors Tim Burton, Jonathan Demme, Ivan Reitman, Paul Schraeder, John Schlesinger, Oliver Stone, Peter Weir, and Paul Bartel who directed Shelf Life, a movie she wrote and starred in.

She is perhaps best known for playing Esmeralda, the reclusive Christian organist in Edward Scissorhands, and numerous waitress roles (Seinfeld, Shoot the Moon, Miracle Mile, Natural Born Killers, and The Truman Show). A repeat member of Burton’s ensemble casts, she also played hick trailer-dwelling mama Sue Ann Norris in Mars Attacks! Television credits also include Lonesome Dove and The X-Files; and she was a series regular on CBS’s Harts of the West.

She has composed three short operas; five musicals; created original music, songs, and sound designs for more than 30 theatrical productions; and has scored two short films.  She was also the musical director and arranger of Joel Lipman’s rock-’n'-roll extravaganza Celebration of the Lizard, which features 49 Doors songs.  Jones is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Overtone Industries, which the LA Times calls “… audaciously experimental entertainment.”

David O, Musical Director
David O is an award-winning composer, performer, and musical director.  His work has been featured at Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Mark Taper Forum, and the Hollywood Bowl, as well as other venues in Los Angeles and around the world.  His choral composition, A Map of Los Angeles, was commissioned by the LA Master Chorale with performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2008 and 2009.  Thousands of Los Angeles children and their parents know David as “The Professor” for his six years of performances with Summersounds at the Hollywood Bowl, produced by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  His original musicals include The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip and The Legend of Alex, both commissioned by Center Theatre Group’s P.L.A.Y. Program, and Imagine, commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theater. The Very Persistent Gappers of  Frip was performed as part of the inaugural season of the Kirk Douglas Theater.

David is the musical director, arranger, and co-composer for Disney Creative Entertainment’s new production, Toy Story: The Musical, which will open at Disney California Adventure in 2011.  Some of David’s most unique work includes non-traditional theater pieces for which he served as both musical director and composer.  Most notably, he created an entirely a capella score for Hippolytos, a new translation of Euripides’ tragedy commissioned to inaugurate the Fleischman Theater at the newly-refurbished Getty Villa in Malibu.  In addition, David was the composer, musical director, and on-stage pianist/percussionist for A Noise Within’s production of Ubu Roi, for which he received the 2006 Ovation Award for Sound Design in a Large Theater.

David has musically directed countless musical theater productions in the Los Angeles area, including the world premiere of 13, the new musical by Jason Robert Brown.  He has also served as musical director for the West Coast premieres of Michael John LaChiusa’s The Wild Party and Little Fish.  Other notable productions as Musical Director include The Last 5 Years (Pasadena Playhouse), The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World (Inside the Ford), and Divorce: the Musical (Hudson Mainstage).

Snezana Petrovic, Costume and Scenic Designer
A freelance designer for 230 theatrical productions, 22 television series, and eight feature films, Snezana Petrovic is a pioneer in set design using computer-aided technology and was the first art director to design sets on the FLAIR computer in her native Yugoslavia. In the US, she was the first graduate student in theater design to earn an interactive MFA (from UC Irvine), submitting her thesis on CD-ROM. She has served as resident designer at the Redlands Theater Festival for 15 seasons, and taught theater design and visual arts at the university level for 14 years. She was the recipient of the award in production design at the International Film Festival in Pula as well as six national awards for theater set and costume design in her native Yugoslavia.

Petrovic’s paintings, video, and installation works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally in museums and galleries in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Belgrade, and Prague. She has exhibited in 34 group exhibitions and had eight solo exhibitions. Currently she is serving as the Fine Arts Department Chair and Professor of Arts at Crafton Hills College.

Nataki Garrett, Assistant Director
Nataki Garrett is the Co-Head of Undergraduate Acting at CalArts School of Theater and the Co-Artistic Director of Blank-The-Dog Productions, a Los Angeles-based ensemble theater company. Currently she is co-writing and directing Carolyn Bryant – about the white woman for whom the 14 year old Emmit Till was brutally murdered in 1955. Garrett  recently directed the world premiere of the opera Sucktion (libretto by Doug Kearney, composed by Anne Lebaron) which premiered at the REDCAT NOW FEST in 2008. She has worked as a director and producer in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, Dartmouth in New Hampshire, Bellagio in Italy, Edinburgh, and in East Africa, and beyond. She is a recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program, 2005-2007.

Nina Winthrop, Co-Choreographer
Nina Winthrop formed her company, Nina Winthrop and Dancers, in 1991 and her work has been presented at numerous venues including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Danspace Project, Joyce SoHo, The Flea Theater and Movement Research at The Judson Church. She was awarded a Bessie Schönberg Choreographers’ Residency at The Yard in 2004, a Dancenow/NYC’s Silo Artist Residency in 2005, and participated in the Schönberg Choreographers Lab at DTW in 2005. Winthrop is the curator of the monthly performance and discussion series “Dance Conversations @ The Flea” and is on the board of Danspace Project and New Dance Alliance. She has danced with Wendy Perron, Susan Rethorst, Yoshiko Chuma, Sally Silvers, and Kei Takei. She studied with Erick Hawkins, Merce Cunningham, and Deborah Hay.

Producer
Scott Cargle for Overtone Industries

Production Manager
Sara Adelman

Librettists
Sissy Boyd, Joe Chaikin, Chiwan Choi, Kathleen Cramer,  Erik Ehn, Gilbert Girion, Deb Gwinn, Julie Hébert, O-Lan Jones, Merle Kessler, Quincy Long, Lynn Manning, Ruth Margraff, Leon Martell, Marlane Meyer, Ken Roht, Octavio Solis, John Steppling, Caridad Svich, Sharon Yablon, and Guy Zimmerman.

Composers
John Ballinger, J. Raoul Brody, Eric Culver, Beth Custer, Jeff Fairbanks, Bart Hopkin, O-Lan Jones, Penka Kouneva, Richard Mariott, David O, and George Sarah.

Overtone Industries
Overtone Industries cultivates new talent for music theater by providing opportunities for composers, writers, and performers to collaborate in the creation of new musical works. By drawing on artists that spring from the diverse community, Overtone productions speak to and attract a wide-ranging spectrum of people. Overtone believes that culture is enriched and revitalized not only by the differences and variety of expression, but also by the underlying experiences that connect us all. The organization strives to create myths and fables that will illuminate the eternal forces that reverberate in our contemporary lives. By exploring new relationships among words, acting, movement, and music, the non-profit seeks to make the invisible visible and bring audiences, casts and production crews closer to understanding some of life’s mysteries.  Overtone Industries’ work has been performed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and in New York at the Kurt Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall.

“At its core, Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands is a love story,” says Jones in summing up the production.

#                 #                #

For more information, photos, or to arrange an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213.840.1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com

For Immediate Release: January 11, 2010

New Book from Award-Winning Filmmaker Jon Reiss
Think Outside the Box Office:
The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era
To Be Released in Print on March 15, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Award winning filmmaker Jon Reiss is set to release his new book Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era on March 15, 2010. The book is a primer for filmmaking in the digital era covering distribution of all types of media content – feature films, shorts, webisodes, transmedia, vblogs, etc., and is the first to address the new distribution and marketing landscape facing filmmakers today. For more information please visit www.thinkoutsidetheboxoffice.com and the director’s blog, www.jonreiss.com/blog.

The book is a step-by-step, nuts and bolts guide to distributing and marketing a film. Each chapter addresses an essential aspect of a film’s release and offers specific techniques so filmmakers can take control of their distribution and marketing destiny.

Jon Reiss, an award-winning filmmaker himself, spoke with countless filmmakers, distributors, publicists, web programmers, festival programmers and marketing experts to create this ultimate resource of up to the minute information. Throughout the book, Reiss redefines the process from a filmmaker’s point of view empowering the reader to create unique strategies for their individual films.

“Open this book! Eat up every morsel Reiss provides. Internalize it and make it your second skin,” said Ted Hope, Producer (Adventureland, The Ice Storm, In the Bedroom, and 21 Grams).

Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker who has produced and directed feature films, documentaries, shorts and music videos in a career that spans nearly 30 years. Named one of the “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, Reiss also teaches in the Film Directing Program at the California Institute for the Arts.

The independent film community continues to redefine itself with the collapse of the traditional independent film distribution model. Just as the digital revolution created a democratization of the means of production, a new hybrid approach to distribution has created a way for independent filmmakers to take control, combining the best techniques from each distribution arena, old and new.

Reiss will travel in the U.S. and to Singapore in the next three months. He will close out the Filmmaker Summit at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, UT on January 23, 2010. Other participants at the Summit include Steven Soderbergh, Brian Newman, Jamie King, Timo Vuorensola, Khavn de la Cruz, Lance Weiler and Peter Baxter. Reiss travels to NYU’s Singapore campus in February as well as to SXSW and Miami International Film Festival in March.

Jon Reiss’ Upcoming Appearances & Book Signings:

January – Park City, UT –

Sat. January 23, 2010
Slamdance Filmmaker Summit
Part V Workshop: Jon Reiss workshops an existing documentary and narrative film and creates new strategies for distribution in conversation with the filmmakers and the participants.”
11:00am to 2:00pm (US Mountain Time)
Treasure Mountain Inn
255 Main Street
Park City, UT 84060
Book Signing from 2:00 – 2:30pm
http://www.slamdance.com/summit

Sun. January 24, 2010
Book Signing
Dolly’s Bookstore Park City
510 Main Street
Park City, UT 84060
3:00 – 5:00pm
http://dollysbookstore.com/2010/01/sundance-2010-author-signings

February – Singapore –

Wed. February 17 – Thu. February 25, 2010
NYU Singapore Producing Workshop
Jon Reiss will be giving a ten day workshop on producing independent film with an emphasis on reel world survival skills, distribution and marketing.

March – Austin, TX –

Sun. March 14, 2010
SXSW Film Festival Panel
The Main Event: Finding an Audience for Your Film
Specific Location TBD
3:30pm
Book Signing Immediately After
http://sxsw.com/film/talks/panels

While in Austin and South East Asia Jon Reiss will be continuing production of Bomb It 2 for Babelgum (http://www.babelgum.com). Bomb It 2 will be a further exploration of graffiti and street art throughout the world in areas not covered in Bomb It. For Bomb It 2, Reiss will be exploring other U.S. cities such as Chicago, Austin, and San Francisco. In Asia he’ll be covering Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and perhaps Malaysia. In Europe, Denmark and Italy – both hotbeds of graffiti – will be included and a trip to the Middle East is in the works.

# # #

For more information, photos, or to arrange interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com.

CREDITS:

Author: Jon Reiss
Foreword by: Ted Hope
Title: Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era
Published by: Hybrid Cinema Publishing a division of Hybrid Cinema
Distributed by: SCB Distributors
Publication Date: March 2010
# ISBN-10: 098257620X
# ISBN-13: 978-0-9825762-0-5

Content: 354 black and white pages
Cover: Paperback
Size: 6” x 9”
Language: English
Subject: Filmmaking
Price: $24.95

First Printing: 2010
Copyright: c. Jon Reiss 2010 All Rights Reserved

Book Layout and Design: Will Hays
Cover Design: Justin Van Hoy
Book Title by: Susan Graves
Cover Photographer: Jay B Sauceda
Assistant Editor: Stephanie Bousley
Copy Editor: Jennifer Hoche
Website Programmer: Kazuha Torisawa

Online:
Book site – http://www.thinkoutsidetheboxoffice.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/ThinkOutsidetheBoxOffice
Author blog – http://jonreiss.com/blog
Twitter – http://twitter.com/Jon_Reiss
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Think-Outside-Box-Office-Distribution/dp/098257620X

Grateful acknowledgement is made for permission to reprint the following copyrighted works:
- Lance Weiler’s Culture Hacker column on Piracy and Torrent Sites and Lance Weiler’s Hope is Missing MIG both originally published in Filmmaker.

Cover photo is from a B-Side screening of Before the Music Dies, Republic Square Park, Austin, Texas June 5, 2006.

Photo Credit: Helena Ruffin

Legendary interdisciplinary artist Rachel Rosenthal is set to introduce the world to her new improvisational theater group, TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble, with monthly performances starting the weekend of February 19, 2010. The name, loosely translated, means “collision or chaos” which Rosenthal describes as not what the Company does, but the process they go through to do what they do. Each monthly performance will span three nights during one weekend. All performance begin at 8:30pm. Tickets cost $20. Reservations are necessary to insure seats…For Immediate Release: December 21, 2009

Pioneering Interdisciplinary Artist Rachel Rosenthal
Introduces Her New Improvisational Theater Group
TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble

With Monthly Performances in Los Angeles
Premiering February 19 – 21, 2010

LOS ANGELES, CA – Legendary interdisciplinary artist Rachel Rosenthal is set to introduce the world to her new improvisational theater group, TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble, with monthly performances starting the weekend of February 19, 2010. The name, loosely translated, means “collision or chaos” which Rosenthal describes as not what the Company does, but the process they go through to do what they do. Each monthly performance will span three nights during one weekend. All performance begin at 8:30pm. Tickets cost $20. Reservations are necessary to insure seats and can be made by calling 310-839-0661 or online via Brown Paper Tickets at www.rachelrosenthal.org. The Rachel Rosenthal Company’s venue, Espace DbD, is located at 2847 South Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90034. Street parking is available.

The Rachel Rosenthal Company TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble schedule
– start time for every performance is 8:30 p.m. –
- February 2010 – Fri. 19th / Sat. 20th / Sun. 21st
- March 2010 – Fri. 12th / Sat. 13th / Sun. 14th
- April 2010 – Fri. 9th / Sat. 10th / Sun.11th
- May 2010 – Fri. 7th / Sat. 8th / Sun. 9th
– June 2010 – Fri. 11th / Sat. 12th / Sun. 13th

The Rachel Rosenthal Company’s TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble, the latest offering in the 83-year-old Rosenthal’s remarkable career, is inspired by Jean-Louis Barrault’s concept of “Total Theatre” and Antonin Artaud’s “Theatre of Cruelty.” Echoing Barrault’s and Artaud’s revolutionary notions about theater, Rosenthal’s performance aesthetic integrates movement, voice, choreography, improvisation, costuming, lighting, and sets into seismic experiences. This genre of work, total free improvisation, is completely unique. Nobody knows in advance what will happen – not Rosenthal, not Company members, and certainly not the audience. This uncertainty makes the performances psychologically charged for all involved.

“Improvisational theater is the most difficult art form in the world. You can’t perfect your technique and there are no lines to rehearse,” says Rosenthal, “Everything happens in the moment.”

TOHUBOHU! total free improvisation pieces typically start in a similar manner; there is a group warm-up, then Rosenthal directs the group with a few words — sometimes only three or four. The words she selects reflect an idea she’s been thinking about, something related to a current event, a random verb, or perhaps instructions for the number of elements to include on stage. The studio space is darkened for a few moments. One of Rosenthal’s dogs might run by, wagging its tail, as colored lights and sound emerge from the darkness.

Sets are composed on the spot from lengths of bright fabric, boxes, and folding chairs. Props might be added in by Company members from a large backstage collection of objects that include items such as a dress form, telephone handsets, old books, a houseplant, a bird cage, an oscillating fan, fake plastic flowers, and paper bags. The Company stirs in recorded music, sounds, live music, or perhaps chanting.

These initial seeds germinate a piece. From here, the convulsive physicality of the Company begins. The members’ primal actions operate in concert with each other as well as the formal aesthetic elements of light, sound, props, and physical space. Text, which is primary, even tyrannical, in traditional theater, is absent in uniquely ephemeral TOHUBOHU! Through a mysterious alchemical process, the players act, react, and respond to surprises. They collaborate with each other, and everything around them, to create composition, form, and meaning. Since there is no established narrative to satisfy audience expectations, viewers are forced out of passive complacency as they digest what’s going on and anticipate what might happen next.

Performances function formally in space more like visual art than traditional theater, requiring the audience to actively interpret all the various elements. Results can be either abstract or realistic.

“When it’s good, it’s sublime. And when it’s bad, it can be a painful experience. Much like human existence,” says Rosenthal in a naked assessment of the art form, “Sometimes you walk away scratching your head wondering what the hell you just watched. We embrace that sort of uncertainty and chaos which is counter to highly processed culture.”

The Rachel Rosenthal Company members include visual artists, dancers, aerialists, a Cake Diva, and the operator of the Tyrannosaurus Rex model at the Natural History Museum, among others….

Franc Baliton is a performance and installation artist.

Nathalie Broizat is a French performance artist and actress. She has been featured as a soloist in Los Angeles venues such as MOCA, The Getty Center, REDCAT, Highways Performance Space, and the Electric Lodge. A former Fulbright grantee, she has been working with Rachel Rosenthal for the past five years.

Jarred Cairns is in the Studio Arts program at University of California, Irvine. He has been studying with Rachel Rosenthal for over a year.

Doug Hammett, who received an MFA from Art Center in Pasadena, blends the worlds of the visual arts and theatrical arts into works for the wall and stage. He is a past member of CoMMit, Invisible Theater, and Fauve Conspiracy, and a current member of TOHUBOHU! and YesAnd.

Alexis Hunt is a visual and performance artist currently living in Los Angeles.

New York native Nehara Kalev is a dancer, choreographer and co-founder of Catch Me Bird Dance Theater, a reality-based performance collaboration with her husband C. Derrick Jones. She has performed as an aerial dancer with Airealistic and has been featured in the acrobatic Diavolo Dance Theater. She has a BA from Oberlin College and an MFA from University of California, Los Angeles. Kalev has been working with Rachel Rosenthal for several years.

Josué Martinez has a BA in Theater Arts and Dance from Cal State Los Angeles, studying under José Cruz González, Tanya Kane-Parry, and Hae Kyung Lee. He has performed as part of the Teatro Nueva Alma Company, Danielle Brazell’s Queer Exchange Group, and Tim Miller’s Performance Art Group. Currently he teaches theater to children and conducts story times to promote reading at the Commerce Public Library. This is his first year working with Rachel Rosenthal.

Michael Morrissey has performed across the city, from Al’s Bar downtown (Ubu da King, Exeunt, Porno), to Highways on the Westside (Last Queer Taboo, Voluptuous Madness) to The Rachel Rosenthal Company (Timepiece, Ur-Boor, etc.) and beyond… (Last Waltz, Crook.)

Craig Ng has accumulated dozens of credits in film, television, and theater. He is an award-winning Foley artist (post sound film production) currently working in animation on several Disney projects. He also brings a history of dance and martial arts to his explorations with TOHUBOHU!

Dan Poirier is an illustrator, graphic designer, puppeteer, and performer. He has degrees in Illustration from Art Center College of Design, and Theater Arts from University of California, Los Angeles. His creative experience includes set design, live event production management, and storyboarding for animated films. Poirier has studied with Rachel Rosenthal for two years.

Pamela Samuelson has performed as a dancer, aerialist, actor, and musician in New York City, Puerto Rico, and Los Angeles since graduating from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in Choreography and Religion. She has studied with Rachel Rosenthal for nearly four years.

Joan Spitler is an artist who has performed with Rachel Rosenthal for many years. She has studied with some of the originators of performance art including Eleanor Antin, Alan Kaprow, and Jerome Rothenberg. Her artistic talents as a performer and a renowned cake designer have been featured internationally in gallery settings, onstage, and in television and film.

Mike Steckel studied fine and performance art at the University of Northern Iowa under Jeffery Byrd. He now works at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, primarily as a dinosaur puppeteer. He has been studying with Rachel Rosenthal for two and a half years.

Interdisciplinary artist/arts educator Kate Noonan is the managing director, lighting designer, and sound designer for The Rachel Rosenthal Company. She was also a Company member in a previous incarnation of TOHUBOHU! She has worked in collaboration with Mehmet Sander, The Fabulous Monsters, John Fleck, and Susan Tyrrell, among many others in the Los Angeles theater community. As a performer, she was last seen in Bill Viola’s Dense Presence, a film installation that is part of his Passions series, which had its world premiere at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. She has taught theater arts and Performance from Scratch workshops across the United States.

Rachel Rosenthal, a leading figure from the Southern California arts movement in the 1960s and 1970s, has been inspiring audiences for decades. Born into an affluent Russian-Jewish family in Paris, Rosenthal’s father, Léonard Rosenthal, was a gem merchant widely known as “The King of Pearls.” During World War II, her family escaped France, moving to Rio de Janeiro by way of Portugal. After losing his material wealth to the Nazi’s, her father had to start over at age 65. In 1941, the family left Brazil to settle in New York where Rosenthal graduated from the High School of Music and Art and became a US citizen.

She studied art, theater and dance in Paris and New York after the war with such teachers as Hans Hoffmann, Erwin Piscator, and Jean-Louis Barrault. Her circle included Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham and John Cage, whose Zen sensibility informed and influenced Rosenthal’s aesthetic. With this foundation, she moved West and began her theatrical career in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s as artistic director and performer for the ten-year run of the totally improvised and influential underground Instant Theatre which created Happenings that drew upon notions of chance.

In the past 25 years, Rosenthal has presented over 35 of her own original performance pieces – thought provoking works centered on humanity’s place on the planet. According to Artweek Magazine, “Rosenthal defines what differentiates quality performance art from mundane theatrical exercise…she took us into her reality, and for that brief and precious moment, she altered our vision of the world. This is what great art can and should do.”

Rosenthal has performed in over 100 venues around the world including documenta 8 in Kassel, Germany, The Helsinki Festival, ICA London, The Performance Space in Sydney, The Whitney Museum in New York City, and Museum of Contemporary Art here in Los Angeles. The Pompidou Centre recently included her in its 2006 show Los Angeles 1955-1985. Her pioneering performances have earned Obie, Rockefeller, Getty, NEA and CAA awards, among others.

In 1999, Rosenthal received an Honorary Doctorate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and in 2000 she was honored by the City of Los Angeles as a “Living Cultural Treasure of Los Angeles.” Critics have called her “a monument and a marvel” and Richard Schechner, editor of The Drama Review (TDR), put Rosenthal into the same category as Robert Wilson, Ping Chong, Richard Foreman, Meredith Monk, and Laurie Anderson.

She opened her studio, Espace DbD, on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1980. From 1980 to 1983, Rosenthal presented performances by many emerging and established performance artists including Barbara Smith, Eleanor Antin, Cheri Gaulke, Alan Kaprow, John White, Joyce Cutler Shaw, Tom Jenkins, and many others. Rosenthal founded The Rachel Rosenthal Company as an educational non-profit arts organization in 1989.

Rosenthal’s new book, The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing!, was released this month by Routledge. DbD, or “Doing by Doing,” describes her signature method of teaching improvisational theater. In the 130-page book, Rosenthal explores improvisational theater and its relationship to life, offering a blow-by-blow account of what happens in her 34-hour DbD weekend intensive workshops (currently still happening on a bi-annual basis in Los Angeles). This mix of memoir, teaching manual, and manifesto was edited by Kate Noonan (ISBN 978-0-415-55102-1, www.routledge.com). For the full press release on The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing!, see: http://www.greengalactic.com/2009/dbd-experience/

“Chance is the core of improvisation,” says Rosenthal when crystallizing the point of her teaching methods which come to life in TOHUBOHU!, “It’s about breaking down borders, opening up to the givens, activating the moment, and paying attention to what is.”

# # #

For more information, to get on the press list for an upcoming TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater performance, photos, a copy of Rosenthal’s new book, or to arrange an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213.840.1201 and lynn@greengalactic.com

# # #

- event details –

The Rachel Rosenthal Company Introduces
TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble

Friday – Sunday night
Feb. 19, 20, 21, 2010
8:30 – 10:00pm

The Rachel Rosenthal Company
at Espace DbD
2847 South Robertson Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90034

$20
Reservations Required

310-839-0661
www.rachelrosenthal.org

]]> http://www.greengalactic.com/2010/rachel-rosenthal-tohubohu/feed/ 0 http://www.greengalactic.com/2010/buddha-bark-golden-globes/ http://www.greengalactic.com/2010/buddha-bark-golden-globes/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:12:07 +0000 lynn-hasty http://www.greengalactic.com/?p=407 Buddha Bark is the premiere wellness, pampering and gifting lounge for celebrities and their dogs to primp and prepare pre-awards shows, debuting in January 2010 during the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards. Created by canine wellness expert, Madison Svensson, her Buddha Bark event series is the first to bring together top experts and brands from both the celebrity lifestyle world and the canine wellness community. Showcasing cutting-edge organic treatments, services and products for people and their pets, Buddha Bark will take place on Friday, January 15th and Saturday, January 16, 2009 from 11:00am – 5:00pm. Find refuge in an exclusive Zen-inspired garden oasis located in the heart of the awards show action zone complete with bungalows, a dog park, salon, art gallery, fashion runway, performance art, walking gardens and more.For Immediate Release: December 21, 2009 [updated 1/14/10]

Buddha Bark
Celebrity and Canine Style Lounge
Debuts During the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards
In Hollywood on Friday, January 15 & Saturday, January 16, 2010

Hosted by Actress Camille Guaty, Buddha Bark Founder
Madison Svensson, and Stylist to the Stars Chaz Dean

LOS ANGELES, CA – Buddha Bark is the premiere wellness, pampering and gifting lounge for celebrities, media, tastemakers and their dogs to primp and prepare pre-awards shows, debuting in January 2010 during the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards. Created by canine wellness expert, Madison Svensson, her Buddha Bark event series is the first to bring together top experts and brands from both the celebrity lifestyle world and the canine wellness community. Showcasing cutting-edge organic treatments, services and products for people and their pets, Buddha Bark will take place on Friday, January 15th and Saturday, January 16, 2009 from 11:00am – 5:00pm. Find refuge in an exclusive Zen-inspired garden oasis located in the heart of the awards show action zone complete with bungalows, a dog park, salon, art gallery, fashion runway, performance art, walking gardens and more. For additional information, please visit www.buddhabark.com.

Hosted by Buddha Bark founder Madison Svensson, hair stylist to the stars Chaz Dean, and actress Camille Guaty, this pre-Golden Globes weekend retreat will take place at the gorgeous, canine friendly Chaz Dean Studio located at 6444 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028. The January event will feature a canine couture fashion show, animal communicators, art exhibit, silent auction, doggie talent showcase, hair salon appointments, canine mini-massages, mobile groomers, agility demos, and Frisbee dogs pet tricks. Refreshments provided by Coca Cola, Dasani Water, Hansen’s, Honest Tea, Synergy Kombucha, and Vitamin Water. The event will also feature celebrity dog lovers Elisabetta Canalis, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Connely, Molly Sims, Kristin Bauer (“True Blood”), Charlotte Ross (“Glee”), Jason Biggs, Daisy Fuentes, David Faustino, Kym Johnson (“Dancing with the Stars”), Corin Nemec, Rex Lee, Elaine Hendrix, Rachel Hunter, Rebecca DeMornay, and more.

Intended to be fun and relaxing for guests, each event will benefit and draw attention to serious animal rights causes. Buddha Bark is about extending the circle of compassion by educating and promoting a lifestyle of harmony and wellness between humans and their canine companions. Buddha Bark’s debut event will benefit Best Friends Animal Society and its campaign, “Puppies Aren’t Products,” which advocates supporting adoption and shelters rather than dishonest and inhumane pet retailers and breeders involved with puppy mills. Learn more here: http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/puppies_arent_products.cfm.

Celebrity and canine wellness experts will host a series of activities throughout both event days from 11:00am – 5:00pm. Dogs are welcome both days as are celebrities and VIP members of the media. This event is not open to the public. Appointments may be booked with animal communicators, dog groomers, canine and people masseuse/masseurs, and for mini facials, makeovers, and styling sessions with Chaz Dean Studio. Celebrity transport will also be available between Buddha Bark and the GBK Mondrian gifting lounge and/or to/from home.

Planned activities, events and entertainment during Buddha Bark’s pre-Golden Globes pampering weekend include:

Doggie Fashion Show presented by D.O.G. Pet Boutique -
A celebrity hosted doggie couture Spring 2010 fashion show featuring fun, themed outfits from the best dog fashion designers in the world. The show will run on both Friday and Saturday afternoon commencing at 3:00pm both days and will be presented by the world’s hottest pet boutique – D.O.G. Pet Boutique.

Art Gallery and Silent Auction to benefit Best Friends Animal Society -
The art gallery will showcase artistic expressions depicting man’s relationship with the canine world through photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, and mixed media. Both humorous and dramatic pieces regarding a dog’s perspective on life will be included. Featured artists to include Jesse Freidin Photographer, Nancy Levine, Andy Stolarek, Sam Price, Shaun Alexander, and Shine Pet Photos. Auction items include a limited edition Chién Vivant Couture “Nice” doggie bed (retail value $ 1,947), clothes by visionary couture and eco-designer Linda Loudermilk, artwork, jewelry, spa services, and much more. Proceeds from Best Friends Animal Society Silent Auction will benefit its “Puppies Aren’t Products” campaign.

Chaz Dean Studio -
Stylists from the salon will be pampering celebrities and media with salon appointments for blowouts, cleansing and styling.

Facials –
The Healing Rose will provide mini facials.

Canine Wellness Services -
Appointments are available for Animal Communicator sessions and Canine mini-massages. Canine mobile groomer Wizard of Paws is also available for appointments. Onsite pet sitting and walking provided by Healthy Spot.

Entertainment -
Agility Demonstrations, Frisbee Dogs, and Pet Tricks.

DJs -
DJ entertainment provided by Glenn Wiekert of ArcheDream for HUMANKIND, Brion Topolski of Zen Arts, Ken Hankins of ElectroBass, Ryan Jesena aka Bunny DJ Lu5h.

Living Sculpture -
Dancers, will add to the magic of this weekend oasis with movement that communicates universal ideas and emotions to promote understanding and compassion.

Events sponsors include Beasty Bling (http://www.beastybling.com), Buddha Dog Massage (http://buddhadog.webs.com), Chien de Nimes (www.chiendenimes.com), Chién Vivant Couture (www.chienvivantcouture.com), Dog Pet Boutique (www.dogpetboutique.com), Doggie Driving (www.doggiedriving.com), Kane and Couture (www.kaneandcouture.com), Maggie Bags (www.maggiebags.net), Modern Dog Magazine (www.moderndogmagazine.com), Pet Flys (http://www.petflys.com), Shine Pet Photos (www.shinepetphotos.com), The Pet Loo (http://www.thepetloo.com), Weider Pet Health (www.weiderpethealth.com), and Wellness Natural Food for Pets (www.wellnesspetfood.com).

About the Hosts:
Madison Svensson is the founder and spokesperson of the Buddha Bark canine lounge event series. She is a canine wellness trainer and consultant. She is certified in Canine Massage, a member of IAAMB (International Association of Animal Massage and Bodywork), a member of The Animal Wellness Association, and the producer of DJ Doggie canine bioacoustic music therapy CDs.

Celebrity hair stylist Chaz Dean single-handedly transformed the beauty industry with the wildly successful WEN Hair & Body Care line. The all-natural line has replaced the harmful detergents and sulfates in soap and shampoo with nourishing botanical ingredients that work wonders on even the most dry, damaged and frizzy hair. When Dean is not focusing on developing new groundbreaking products and his personal clients, you’ll find him hiking with his dogs, who even have their own playground at the studio.

American actress Camille Guaty’s first big break came when she was a finalist on the WB’s reality show “Popstars,” which led to her film debut in the movie Chaos Theory and her television introduction as Maria, the maid in the sitcom “The Help.” Guaty has had major roles in the television shows “Raising Dad,” “Prison Break,” “Las Vegas” and in the Disney Channel original movie Gotta Kick It Up. She is currently starring on the hit ABC show “The Nine.” Of Buddha Bark founder Svensson, Guaty shares, “I am so supportive of Madison and everything she is doing for our furry four-legged friends. My two dogs were at a kill shelter and they’re the best decisions I have ever made. I support “Don’t shop, Adopt” and you should too!”

About the Event Venue:
Located in the heart of Hollywood, this private complex is a Zen-like refuge tucked away in a charming bungalow surrounded by bamboo and filled with the scent of eucalyptus and lavender. Chaz Dean chose to have no signage at his studio. Instead you’ll find ivy-covered walls, lush foliage, trickling fountains, calming sitting areas and hanging lanterns. The living room and parlor of this 1921 Craftsman home are filled with overstuffed velvet furniture in jewel tones and exquisite hand wrought iron surrounds the hanging mirrors at the stylist’s stations. The salon’s services include hair color and cuts, conditioning treatments and makeup application and lessons. Learn more at http://www.chazdean.com.

About Best Friends Animal Society:
Best Friends Animal Society is a nonprofit, membership organization building no-kill programs and partnerships that will bring about a day when there are No More Homeless Pets. The society’s leading initiatives in animal care and community programs are coordinated from its Kanab, Utah, headquarters, the country’s largest no-kill sanctuary. This work is made possible by the personal and financial support of a grassroots network of members and community partners across the nation. In 2009, Best Friends celebrates its 25th anniversary. More information at www.bestfriends.org.

About the Golden Globes:
This year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s (HFPA) 67th annual Golden Globe Awards® will be seen in more than 160 countries worldwide with an estimated 14.5 million viewers and attendance by all major film and TV stars. HFPA members represent some 55 countries with a combined readership of more than 250 million. The Golden Globes is one of the few awards ceremonies that span both television and motion picture achievements. Today, the Golden Globes recognize achievements in 25 categories – 14 in motion pictures and 11 in television. Dick Clark Productions has produced the Golden Globes ceremony since 1983. All nominees will be invited such as Emily Blunt, Sandra Bullock, Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sadibe, Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, Tobey Maguire, Marion Cotillard, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Daniel Day Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Michael Stuhlbarg. For more information please visit http://www.goldenglobes.org.

# # #

For more information, photos, interviews and media credentials, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at lynn@greengalactic.com or 213-840-1201.

Pioneering Interdisciplinary Artist Rachel Rosenthal
Shares Life’s Work in Anticipated New Book
The DbD Experience:
Chance Knows What It’s Doing!
U.S. Release in December 2009 by Routledge

LOS ANGELES, CA – Pioneering interdisciplinary artist Rachel Rosenthal, 83, is set to release her long-awaited book, The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing! DbD, or “Doing by Doing” describes her signature method of teaching improvisational theater. In the 130-page book, the Obie winning performer explores improvisational theater and its relationship to life, offering a blow-by-blow account of what happens in her 34-hour DbD weekend intensive workshops (currently still happening on a bi-annual basis in Los Angeles). This mix of memoir, teaching manual, and manifesto was edited by Kate Noonan and is set for US release in December 2009 by Routledge (ISBN 978-0-415-55102-1, www.routledge.com).

“Chance is the core of improvisation,” says Rosenthal when crystallizing the point of her teaching methods, “The DbD Experience is about breaking down borders, opening up to the givens, activating the moment, and paying attention to what is.”

Memoir
The book starts with a biographical introduction that summarizes Rosenthal’s colorful personal history. Born into an affluent Russian-Jewish family in Paris, Rosenthal’s father, Léonard Rosenthal, was a gem merchant widely known as The King of Pearls. During World War II, her family escaped France, moving to Rio de Janeiro by way of Portugal. After losing his material wealth to the Nazi’s, her father had to start over at age 65. In 1941, the family left Brazil to settle in New York where Rosenthal graduated from the High School of Music and Art and became a U.S. citizen.

She studied art, theater and dance in Paris and New York after the war with such teachers as Hans Hoffmann, Erwin Piscator, and Jean-Louis Barrault. Her circle included Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Merce Cunningham and John Cage, whose Zen sensibility informed and influenced Rosenthal’s aesthetic. With this foundation, she moved West and began her theatrical career in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s as artistic director and performer in her totally improvised and influential underground Instant Theatre for its ten-year run.

Manual
The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing! lays out the processes and exercises Rosenthal invented and developed over the last fifty years. It offers a step-by-step, nuts and bolts guide to the methods Rosenthal employs during her 34-hour DbD Experience Weekend workshop. Her teaching methods were inspired by Jean-Louis Barrault’s concept of “Total Theatre” and Antonin Artaud’s “Le Theatre et Son Double.” What emerged is a performance aesthetic that integrates text, movement, voice, choreography, improvisation, costuming, lighting, and sets into seismic experiences.

The book jacket outlines the DbD Experience Weekend process that Rosenthal orchestrates in her Los Angeles studio with a force “equal parts shaman and drill sergeant” (High Performance):

FRIDAY – Origins
Arrive at the Doing by Doing workshop to be greeted by Rosenthal, pioneering theater explorer and your host for the weekend ahead. Explore non-human ways of living and moving. Begin to develop a shared vocabulary with your fellow students through exercises.

SATURDAY – Connections
Continue to connect with the group on an energetic level. Make the journey from Kansas to OZ. Collaborate and create as a group, moving and vocalizing without language. Improvise boldly at every step. Treat music, voice, lighting, costume, sets, props and fellow performers as equals.

SUNDAY – Power
Learn to arrive in the moment when you are needed. Engage with transformative processes and take part in the Star Meditation. Understand your own individual power, joining your physical and emotional self. Perform solo improvisations and the Rambler – the final, extended culmination of everything that you have learned through the 34-hour experience.

Rosenthal says: “The experience can be transformational not only for performers, but anyone – it gives them courage and allows them to take risks.”

Manifesto
Rosenthal’s personal, philosophical and political beliefs are very much present throughout the book. Woven into its pages are tasty ideological morsels that Rosenthal has gleaned in her years as an interdisciplinary performer, activist, master teacher, director, iconic artist, and worrier for mankind. A leading figure in the Southern California Arts movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Rosenthal was an outspoken pioneer in addressing environmental and animal rights issues, and was a founder of “Womanspace,” a hotbed of feminist art and activism. She also brings to the DbD table years of research and meditation, facts and impressions on science, art, philosophy, transformational psychology, holistic health, and personal power.

“We live in a world filled with competition, anxiety and fear which locks us all up,” says Rosenthal connecting the ideals put forth in the book to the reality of modern life, “By allowing ourselves to let go, to improvise, we learn to embrace life as it comes. To truly be in the moment, we can face the unknown with open eyes, work with what is, and open the door to magic.”

Rosenthal’s Career
In the past 25 years, Rosenthal has presented over 35 of her own original performance pieces – thought provoking works centered on humanity’s place on the planet. According to Artweek Magazine, “Rosenthal defines what differentiates quality performance art from mundane theatrical exercise…she took us into her reality, and for that brief and precious moment, she altered our vision of the world. This is what great art can and should do.”
Rosenthal has performed in over 100 venues around the world including documenta 8 in Kassel, Germany, The Helsinki Festival, ICA London, The Performance Space in Sydney, The Whitney Museum in New York City, and Museum of Contemporary Art here in Los Angeles. The Pompidou Centre recently included her in its 2006 show “Los Angeles 1955-1985.” Her pioneering performances have earned Obie, Rockefeller, Getty, NEA and CAA awards, among others.

In 1999, Rosenthal received an Honorary Doctorate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and in 2000 she was honored by the City of Los Angeles as a “Living Cultural Treasure of Los Angeles.” Critics have called her “a monument and a marvel” and Richard Schechner, editor of The Drama Review (TDR), put Rosenthal into the same category as Robert Wilson, Ping Chong, Richard Foreman, Meredith Monk, and Laurie Anderson.

She opened her studio, Espace DbD, on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1980. From 1980 to 1983, Rosenthal presented performances by many emerging and established performance artists including Barbara Smith, Eleanor Antin, Cheri Gaulke, Alan Kaprow, John White, Joyce Cutler Shaw, Tom Jenkins, and many others. Rosenthal founded The Rachel Rosenthal Company as an educational non-profit arts organization in 1989. She is currently nurturing a new troupe of performers that she will introduce to the world as The Rachel Rosenthal Company’s TOHUBOHU! Extreme Theater Ensemble in February 2010. The name loosely translated means “collision or chaos” which Rosenthal describes as not what the Company does, but the process they go through to do what they do. For more on The Rachel Rosenthal Company and upcoming DbD workshops, see http://www.rachelrosenthal.org.

The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing! was edited by Kate Noonan, an interdisciplinary artist/arts educator who has taught theater arts and Performance from Scratch workshops across the US. Noonan is also the managing director of The Rachel Rosenthal Company.

Routledge is a global publisher of academic books, journals and online resources in the humanities.

#         #        #

For more information, a copy of the book, photos, or to arrange an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Hasty at 213-840-1201 and lynn (at) greengalactic.com.

Just the Facts:

Author: Rachel Rosenthal
Edited and with a foreword by: Kate Noonan
Title: The DbD Experience: Chance Knows What It’s Doing!
Published by: Routledge
ISBN: 978-0-415-55102-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-55101-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-87241-X (ebk)
Book cover photo by: Daniel Joseph Martinez

Table of Contents

1. Foreword by Kate Noonan
2. Preface
3. Introduction (Biography)
4. What is Doing by Doing?
5. Friday: Origins
6. Saturday: Connections
7. Sunday: Power
8. The Dibidi Story
9. Addenda: Post DbD Letters

Online Distribution

Routledge:
http://www.routledge.com/9780415551021

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/DbD-Experience-Chance-knows-doing/dp/0415551021/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

]]> http://www.greengalactic.com/2009/dbd-experience/feed/ 0 http://www.greengalactic.com/2009/halloweenabaloo/ http://www.greengalactic.com/2009/halloweenabaloo/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:13:45 +0000 lynn-hasty http://www.greengalactic.com/?p=255 Hello, Halloween Revelers!

For you undecideds out there….

The Silverlake Conservatory of Music is hosting its 5th annual Hullabaloo fundraiser on Halloween night so….. it’s Halloweenabaloo!

The night will feature music performances by Flea and Ben Harper!!

For Immediate Release: October 22, 2009

Flea Performs Live on Halloween with Ben Harper
At Silverlake Conservatory Of Music Fundraiser
“Halloweenabaloo”
At Union Station in LA
Saturday, October 31, 2009

LOS ANGELES, CA – Silverlake Conservatory of Music’s (SCM) fifth annual “Hullabaloo” fundraiser will be held on Halloween, Saturday, October 31. The event, dubbed “Halloweenabaloo,” will take place at LA’s historic Union Station (800 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles CA 90012). Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for a special “Kids Hour” of music, trick-or-treating, and Halloween celebration. At 7:00 p.m., the first of the evening’s musical performances will begin, continuing throughout the night. Tickets for the general public are available via SCM’s office (3920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90029) or by calling 323-665-3363, for a donation of $150 each. Tickets include open bar, limitless gourmet tacos, and access to the silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind signed guitars, custom surfboards, and high-fashion finds. For more information please visit http://www.silverlakeconservatory.com.

Performances from SCM co-founders Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and “Tree,” aka SCM Dean Keith Barry, along with special musical guests Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, Linda Perry, and others will highlight the festivities. Costumes, masks, observation of “El día de los muertos” traditions plus food, and family fun will make for a ghoulishly grand experience for those in attendance who will also be treated to musical performances by students and teachers of the Conservatory.

The Halloweenabaloo stage at Union Station will be appropriately festive, framed by the work of legendary artist Ernesto de la Loza. Gourmet food trucks from Spring Street Smokehouse, Green Truck and others will be on site. Other highlights include a haunted house for children as well as face painting, a costume contest, silk screening by Hit + Run, and continuous music. Guests will be able to bid on auction items in support of SCM that have been generously donated by FleaBass, Santa Cruz Guitar Company, Channel Island Surfboards, the Los Angeles Lakers, Marc Jacobs, Diane Von Furstenberg, Fender, Dita Eyewear, Daisy Rock, Gucci, and many others.

Halloweenabaloo 2009 sponsors include Staples Center Foundation, Diller Von Furstenberg Foundation, Musk Foundation, The Wiesner Family, and others.

About Hullabaloo:
Hullabaloo is the Silverlake Conservatory of Music’s annual fundraiser with proceeds used to provide free music scholarships and instruments as well as support for general operations. In 2008, over 220 low-income Los Angeles children whose families would otherwise not be able to afford quality music lessons benefited from the Conservatory’s programs. The name “Hullabaloo” was chosen to signify the youthful enthusiasm heard emanating from the Conservatory’s storefront location on Sunset Boulevard at Sunset Junction in the heart of Silverlake.

About Silverlake Conservatory of Music:
SCM was born of the resolve of Flea and his long-time friend, and fellow musician, Keith Barry to fill the void left by cuts in the music education programs in the public schools. SCM’s mission is to facilitate basic music education. Its primary focus is on the youth of the community but all are welcome and encouraged to participate. The Conservatory offers private music lessons at a reasonable cost and grants scholarships to children in need, providing free lessons and instruments. The study of music enriches not only the lives of the students but also that of the community and society as a whole. SCM’s eight lesson studios are filled with instruments, students, teachers, instruction, discussion, laughter, inspiration and music, underscoring the value of music education for all.