Sarasota Contemporary Dance Presents Its In-Studio Performance Series for In-Person and Virtual Viewing

March 24, 2021 – Sarasota

Sarasota Contemporary Dance is expanding its in-studio series to even greater heights, inviting more local and national artists to present works through its studio residency program. SCD’s In-Studio Performance Series is a residency offered in the spirit of creating opportunities for artists in various stages of their careers, providing them access to SCD’s home studio and its resources. Whether they’re showing a work-in-progress or adding the final touches to a piece, the residency culminates in a live performance followed by a Q&A with the featured artist.

This season, in-studio artist residents have the added benefit of SCD’s live-stream outfitted studio, including four multi-lensed cameras and professional switchboard and streaming software. For the remainder of Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s celebratory 15th Season, Quinceañera, it is inviting several artists to show work in its community studio space. Consisting of DJ artists, renowned choreographers, and performance artists, SCD’s In-Studio Performance Series aims to open SCD’s arms once again to the Sarasota community in supporting the arts.

Additionally, Sarasota Contemporary Dance is partnering with New College of Florida through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to bring in two of its In-Studio artists, Stephanie Bastos and Dwayne Sheuneman. Part of the partnership’s Physically Integrated Dance Series, these artists are expanding their incubated performance works in SCD’s In-Studio Performance Series. Learn more about the partnership here: https://www.ncf.edu/about/events-and-conferences/connecting-arts-humanities/physically-integrated-dance-series/

Sarasota Contemporary Dance In-Studio Performance Series Lineup:

SCD In-Studio Performance featuring Karim Manning: Col-Lab-Oration featuring Special Guest SCD Member Monessa Salley

Virtual Tickets Only
Dates: March 26th, 2021 @ 7:00 PM LIVE Stream & March 27th, 2021 @ 7:00 PM LIVE Broadcast Recording
Tickets: Choose What You Pay $5, $10, $15 

This performance will be the showcasing of some unreleased tracks that will include rapping and singing for vocals as well as improvisational song creations collaborated with the audience. The members of the audience will be asked to contribute ideas and phrases for Karim to create whole songs with on the spot to create a one time unique musical experience for all those involved. Accompanying Karim will be SCD member Monessa Salley who will be interpreting some of his produced music through movement. 

Born in South Florida and Raised in Arizona Karim has had a passion for music his whole life. He has been performing human beatboxing, Lyricism, and has been producing music for over 20 years. Hosting open mic’s for hip hop enthusiasts and lyricists since high school has made freestyle rap and improvisational music second nature to him. In the studio he is a composer of many different genres, and sings as well as raps. He is passionate about pushing the envelope on what genres are, and hybridizes different musical styles to create his own unique feel and sound.

SCD In-Studio Performance featuring Stephanie Bastos: An open rehearsal of Timeline

In Partnership with New College of Florida’s Integrated Dance Series, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Virtual Tickets Only
Dates: April 9th, 2021 @ 7:00 PM LIVE Stream & April 10th, 2021 @ 7:00 PM Broadcast Recording
Tickets: FREE (donations are welcomed to support arts education)

“Timeline” is a work of heART. It started with the vision of my best friend Leymis to have a one woman show that can feature my skills and passion as an artist. I have been dancing since the age of five, training vigorously in classical ballet. It was in middle school when I discovered modern dance and other forms. This is when I decided I was going to dedicate my entire being to this art form. I had found my place!  Fast forward to my senior year of high school at New World School of the Arts in Miami, Fl, to the fateful day I got into a car accident that resulted in the loss of my right foot.

I begrudgingly decided that dance was no longer for me. I didn’t have two feet to do it with, so how was I going to? That feeling literally lasted one day after I had a dream of myself dancing freely and joyously. I woke up and changed my mind. I dedicated myself to continue to dance because it was the only thing that made me happy. I settled for dance as a “hobby” and would look to other means of pursuing a professional career of any kind.

Well, dance had other plans for me and my so-called hobby went right back to a full fledged lifestyle of a pre-professional dancer, but now with a new body- a disability. I had to learn how to walk all over again with a prosthetic leg and subsequently learn how to dance with and without a prosthetic leg. I must admit that that journey was both juicy and painful. I have now integrated into my new body and new lifestyle and have continued to dance professionally all around the U.S. and the world. I have danced with various companies, collaborated with various choreographers and have learned a whole new way of being an artist with a place at the table. I am a woman of color, artist with a disability after all… Leymis and I embarked on the creation of Timeline in 2014, starting with an improvisational structure that we presented at New College in Sarasota that journeyed through my life as an artist, starting at childhood. In 2016, I got awarded an opportunity to create work at Counterpulse, San Francisco as an artist-in-residence

We decided to expand Timeline for this residency and turn it into the one-woman show we had dreamed of. It was a huge success so we decided to premiere the full length show in the East Coast at New College in 2017. At this point, all processes with Timeline had thrust me into a new relationship with my vulnerability, spirituality and my community. We knew we would present it again and Leymis continued to forge that path… It’s now 2021 and we are in a global pandemic. Lockdowns, quarantine, shutdowns, face- masks, and social distancing are the new normals. I’m unemployed, uninspired and still, I persist.

 Timeline is returning to Sarasota this April 2021 to dive back into the creative process; reconnect with the dancing body and re-ignite that which has been dormant since the start of the pandemic. Instead of a finished product for this work that we envisioned this past season of digital dance, this intimate encounter (not a performance) will invite the community to join us- Stephanie and Leymis, in the creative rehearsal process of revisiting, reinvestigating, and resurfacing what this work is and how it continues to evolve with Stephanie today. 

SCD In-Studio Performance featuring REVYouth with Dwayne Sheuneman: REVolutions Dance + REVyouth
In Partnership with New College of Florida’s Integrated Dance Series, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Virtual Tickets Only
Dates: April 17th, 2021 @ 1:00 PM & 7:30 PM LIVE Stream
Tickets: FREE (donations are welcomed to support arts education)

REVolutions Dance’s performance will highlight both its professional performers and it’s REVyouth performers. Their REVyouth program is in its tenth year and features young dancers of all abilities. The REVyouth ensemble has performed at many community events and local theaters. Through the REVyouth program, these talented young performers have  and have had the opportunity to work with and learn from a variety of professional dancers from around the world, including Sidiki Conde from Africa, Liu Yan from China and Hanna Harchakova from Belarus. 

For fifteen years, REVolutions Dance’s professional company has been entertaining audiences with their signature style of partnering and collaboration between dancers from diverse physical and cultural backgrounds. The REVdancers have performed throughout the country and around the world including international tours innRussia, China and Poland.  Experiencing a REVolutions Dance performance will surely broaden one’s perspective of the artistic and physical contributions disabled dancers offer the dance community and delight and surprise audience members. 

SCD In-Studio Performance featuring Zoe Austin: Nor Cast Before Swine
May 20th – 21st, 2021

In – Person Tickets:
Dates: May 20st & 21nd, 2021 @ 7:00 PM
Masks are required. Seating is limited at half capacity. Please book in advance to secure a seat.
Tickets: $20

Virtual Tickets
Dates: May 20th, 2021 @ 7:00 PM LIVE Stream & May 21st, 2021 @ 7:00 PM Broadcast Recording
Tickets: Choose What You Pay $5, $10, $15

I originally had the idea for this piece back in 2014 when I was attending New World School of the Arts. I then continued to re-create and expand my idea and bring it to the stage for the “Voices” show with Sarasota Contemporary Dance in 2019. During the process of choreographing both pieces, I was extremely fascinated with contrast and how two things can be so strikingly different yet coincide so well. I continued to keep that concept in the “Voices” show and throughout that process, I was able to add another layer to the piece by developing characters and creating a narrative between the dancers and the props that were being used. It created a different texture and storyline then was originally done that provoked the audience to have contrast and emotions as well, which I quite love. I believe that this play on the audiences emotions is why the piece was received so well and why I was chosen to create another work for the in studio performances. I still feel as though this piece hasn’t made its final stamp just yet, which is why I’ve decided to expand even further. I believe there’s still a lot to be said within the dancers characters in the story line that has been created. The piece is just the middle chunk of a story and it’s missing the past and future, which I plan to fill in, in this final version.

Zoe Austin was born in Montreal, Canada and raised in Sarasota, FL. She attended New World School of the Arts where she humbly graduated as valedictorian with a BFA. She is trained in ballet, Horton, Limón, and Graham techniques and was honored to perform works by Michael Foley, Robert Battle, Bill T. Jones, Sean Curran, and Darshan Singh Bhuller while also creating and performing works of her own. In the summer of 2015, she received the Rosie Herrera full tuition scholarship to attend the American Dance Festival, working with artists Jennifer Nugent, Pamela Pietro, and Sara Procopio. Zoe is currently residing in her hometown of Sarasota, FL, where she has started a family of her own and gained a new family in SCD. This is her second season with the company and she is beyond blessed and excited to continue her journey and growth as an artist.

For more information, visit www.sarasotacontemporarydance.org.