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| Dancer and choreographer Amanda Morgan, photo @ Jessamy Lennon |
Last week Amanda Morgan was tapping her heart out in the
Pacific Northwest Ballet production of Justin Peck’s sneaker ballet, The
Times Are Racing. This weekend, Morgan is at the helm of a new show she’s
producing under the auspices of her own venture, The Seattle Project.
The show, truth be told, includes three dance films and three live dances,
including a duet Morgan created for Marco Farroni and her PNB colleague,
apprentice Zsilas Michael Hughes.
Morgan launched The Seattle Project at the end of 2019, just
before the pandemic hit. She wanted to provide a creative outlet for her own
work, and for that of other BIPOC and Queer artists. Although the Project isn’t
limited to dance, Morgan cheerfully admits that, as a dance artist, she
gravitates to the art form.
Morgan describes her latest choreographic effort as “more experimental” than work she’s made in the past. This new duet is literally split in two: Hughes and Farroni spend 2/3 of the performance separated from one another, on the different stages--one a platform built directly over the main floor, accessible only via a steep wooden ladder.
Farroni, an experienced performer (including
work with Spectrum Dance Theatre and choreographer Dani Tirrell) starts on the
upper level, while Hughes first appears directly below Farroni, seated on a
stool. Eventually, the two dancers join forces, and when they do, their
distinctly different movements converge as well.
This weekend’s show also features
work by Akoiya Harris, Devin Munoz, Christopher D’Ariano, Leah Terada and the Seattle
premier of a film by Nia-Amina Minor, called Without Ever Leaving the Ground
(She Flew).
Because Morgan holds down a demanding day job with PNB, she
doesn’t schedule Seattle Project performances very far in advance. Look for her this
summer on the Seattle waterfront, and presenting work with the Art in the Parks
program. Morgan says audiences should expect the unexpected when it comes to
her choreography. She’s always eager to try something new, even if it falls short
of her imagination.
“At least I made stuff,” Morgan says. “At least I used my
voice.”
The Seattle Project’s truth be told debuts at the
Northwest Film Forum on Saturday, April 2 and repeats Sunday, April 3.
"one a platform built directly over the main floor, accessible only via a steep wooden ladder." What is it about the NWFF space -- Paige Barnes made a multi-level thing there as well a few years ago. It's like bunk beds...
ReplyDeleteAmanda Morgan is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Seattle-based contemporary dance company, the Cornish Dance. She's also the Artistic and Executive Director of The Seattle Project, a new performance project for Seattle-area contemporary dance artists that aims to "present, promote, and support the creation of new performing arts works and audience experiences." such as the best writer does excellent LinkedIn profile writing services in Dubai. Last week Amanda Morgan was tapping her heart out in the Pacific Northwest Ballet production of Justin Peck's sneaker ballet, The Times Are Racing. This weekend, Morgan is at the helm of a new show she's producing under the auspices of her own venture, The Seattle Project.
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