To Begin The World Over Again
June 9 - 18, 2010 at 8PM
To Begin The World Over Again explores the writings of Thomas Paine and his spirited advocacy for freedom and democracy. Fusing the vision of composer Joseph C. Phillips Jr. and his ensemble Numinous, and choreographer Edisa Weeks and her company Delirious Dances, To Begin The World Over Again eloquently explores: how are freedom and democracy packaged and promoted in America, what is the promise of America that Paine so fervently believed in and wrote about, and is America living up to that promise?
To Begin The World Over Again is commissioned by the American Music Center Live Music for Dance Program.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Numinous, an unique ensemble consisting of some of New York City's finest wind, brass, string, and percussion musicians, seeks to generate emotions in the listener that resonate with mystery, wonder, and beauty. Deftly and organically transmuting inspiration from contemporary classical, jazz, world, and popular music as well as literature, science, and cinema, composer and conductor Joseph C. Phillips’s “sonic poetry” is a distinctive and individual voice that draws listeners into its own musical universe in order to challenge, enlighten, and refresh. www.numinousmusic.com
Described in the New York Times as having "A lot of imagination and a gift for simple but striking visual effects," DELIRIOUS DANCES merges theater with dance to create works that are physically dynamic, visually evocative and explore the beauty and complexity of life. Finding inspiration from newspaper articles, history, music, literature, art and the idiosyncrasies of society, DELIRIOUS and choreographer Edisa Weeks seek to delve into our deepest desires and darkest fears so we can process and perhaps understand them. www.deliriousdances.com
BIOS
Edisa Weeks is the director and choreographer for DELIRIOUS Dances. Her work has been performed in a variety of venues including swimming pools, storefront windows, senior centers and living rooms, as well as at Chashama Theater, Emory University, Jacob's Pillow, The Guggenheim Museum, Harlem Stage, The Kennedy Center, The Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, The Mermaid Parade, The National Black Arts Festival, and Summerstages Dance Festival. Her work has also been performed in Canada, England, Italy, Japan and Spain. Most recently DELIRIOUS performed in living rooms in Berlin, Germany, as part of Haus der Kulturen der Welts 50th anniversary celebration. Edisa has received several awards including choreographic residencies at Joyce SoHo in New York and The Yard in Martha's Vineyard; a New York Foundation for the Arts BUILD grant, a Mondo Cane grant from Dixon Place as well as grants from the Brooklyn Arts Council, the Puffin Foundation and United States Artist International.
Joseph C. Phillips Jr.’s compositions may be classified as classical to some, jazz to others. But his ensemble Numinous – whose second recording Vipassana was released by innova recordings in April 2009 – defies any classic genre definitions. Rather, the music moves fluidly between genres to create a sense of wonder, mystery, and beauty. Phillips’ unique style has attracted plenty of attention so far. He was awarded a Meet the Composers grant, an American Music Center MAP grant, two Live Music for Dance commission grants, was a member of the prestigious BMI Jazz Composers Workshop where he was a finalist for the BMI Foundation Charlie Parker Composition Award, and also a finalist for a Sundance Film Composers Lab Fellowship. In addition to the worldwide performances of his works, including the 2003 Steve Reich Festival at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands, several new works have been commissioned by Simone Dinnerstein and the Neighborhood Concert Series, Dave Douglas and the Festival of New Trumpet Music, the St. Olaf Band and Jazz Band, the University of Maryland Wind Ensemble, Face the Music, Edisa Weeks and the Delirious Dance Company, Take Dance Company, Maffei Dance Company, and violinist Ana Milosavljevic. In addition to his composing, Phillips also founded Pulse, a federation of six award-winning composers that defies easy categorization. Indeed, Phillips continues to define himself without any clear definition. That’s exactly how he likes it.
To Begin The World Over Again
June 9 - 18, 2010 at 8PM