The pandemic may have slowed dance artists down, but it has not defeated them. If anything, this period has sparked imaginations and opened new avenues for many artists around here in Los Angeles and around the globe. The Gold Collective, which was founded in 2018 and is known for addressing current and on-going social and racial issues, as well as ever-changing ideas and themes of what all things gold represents to them. They, too, are among the artists who refuse to let their creativity stop due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
In response to these challenging times the Collective’s Gold Series No. 3 is going virtual with a gathering and a live-stream event on Friday, December 4, 2020 at 7:00 PM (PST) and Saturday, December 5, 2020 at 5:99 PM (PST). New works will be presented by the Gold Collective artists Madison Clark, Sarah Leddy, Carol McDowell, Daniel Miramontes, alexx shilling, and Taso Papadakis. Works by guest artist Laurel Jenkins, Keith Johnson, Justin Morris // Steve Rosa, and d.v. wickremesinghe will also be featured on the program. Gold Series No. 3 will include live-stream performances, prerecorded work, and live interactive conversations with artists.
Gold Film Composite – (top row) Daniel Miramontes, alexx shilling, Madison Clark – (bottom row) Sarah Leddy, Carol McDowell – Courtesy of the Gold Collective
Gold Series No. 3 is produced with Taso Papadakis (Executive Director) and the collective states that “we recognize the mischievous double entendre gold presents, embracing ideas of value and violence, excellence and falsehood, potential and power, digging for treasure, and going for the gold in our lives and work today”. – Press Release 11/19/20
The evening performances are comprised of five dance works, conversations with the artists and a new Gold Collective film by Taso Papadakis and alexx shilling with Clark, Leddy, McDowell, and Miramontes.
Laurel Jenkins in Expanded Body – Photo by Peter Sergay
Expanded Body by Laurel Jenkins is a new choreography that interacts with technology to expand the interiority of the dancing body. The collaborating team of artists includes choreographer, Laurel Jenkins, multidisciplinary artist, Jesse Fleming, and composer, Lewis Pesacov.
Justin Morris & Steve Rosa – Photo by Elizabeth Villalobos
The work by Justin Morris // Steve Rosa (as yet untitled) examines the intersections of the digital and analog body. We kiki together, mourn and celebrate with our community, honor the land and time and seek to thrive in between the binary; male/female, simple/complex, micro/macro. Justin Morris began his dance training at Riverside City College in multiple genres including modern, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. Justin has performed in numerous choreographic works presented in the Inland Empire, the greater Los Angeles area, and nationally. Steve Rosa completed his Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of California, Irvine in 2015. His emphasis was in Dance and Technology, and he created works that centered around issues of diversity and equality.
Spencer Jensen – Photo by Chelsea Roquero
Boat by Keith Johnson (Keith Johnson/Dancers) is a duet performed by Daniel Miramontes and Spencer Jensen exploring ideas of isolation, change, and rescue.
“in the upper room,” a live-streaming dance score to be performed on ZOOM by d.v. wickremesinghe, asks, “there is a place, a space, a creation of home when all others fall away, a state of mind lovingly designed, a place to pack up and move to. what is luxury? where can my body actually live? how can i dance down the stairs of the mansion of my mind when the ground beneath me is constantly quaking, exploding, going up in flames?”
d.v. wickremesinghe – photo: InstitutIDGAF
To visit the website or Facebook page of Madison Clark, click HERE. Sarah Leddy click HERE. Carol McDowell click HERE. Daniel Miramontes click HERE. Alexx Shilling click HERE. Taso Papadakis, click HERE.
WHAT: Gold Series No. 3
WHEN: Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5
TIME: 12/4 at 7:00 pm (PST), and 12/5 at 5:00 pm (PST)
LOCATION: Gold Collective Virtual Studio on Core to Coeur and click “count me in!”
COST: Suggested sliding scale donation $0-20
For more information about how to view Gold Series No. 3 and join the virtual gathering, Click HERE. Or send an email to: goldseriesla@gmail.com
You can also follow the Gold Collective on Instagram and join the Facebook event HERE.
By Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Laurel Jenkins in Expanded Body – Photo by Peter Sergay
