"“Janis Brenner is a one-woman argument for
the seasoned gifts of mature performers.”"
-- Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times
Photos by Julie Lemberger
Photo credit: Julie Lemberger
"Janis Brenner’s 5 Decades II not only bridges the gaps between generations of choreographers; it also makes a good case for bridging the divide between those who love dance and those who have yet to make that wonderful leap of faith."
---Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Infinite Body
Janis Brenner & Dancers is an acclaimed NY company known for its "meticulous artistry" (Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice). They have performed throughout the U.S., Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe for more than twenty years and been presented by leading NY organizations and festivals including Danspace Project, Dance Theater Workshop, The Whitney Museum of American Art, Madison Square Garden Theater, Symphony Space, Joyce SoHo, The 92nd StY Harkness Dance Festival, DanceNow, Battery Park Dance Festival, Dance In the Square, Fiorello Festival, and the screening of the Dancing In Absentia video at The Joyce Theater. The company has appeared at many festivals including ones in Russia, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, France, Switzerland, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the American Dance Festival, New Moves Festival, Huntington Arts Festival, and many others. Ms. Brenner's project for JB&D, A “"Peace"“ For Women , premiered in September, 2000 at Madison Square Garden Theater for 5,600 people on the "Celebration for Peace" Concert in honor of the United Nations Millennium Summit Conference in New York. In November ‘04 the company had its second performance at the UN sponsored by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
JB&D is known for its wide range of residency activities in dance technique, composition, improvisation, repertory, Yoga, and personal fitness training and is hailed for the caliber of its dancers and its “emotionally authentic” and musically diverse work. Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times has referred to Brenner's dances as being full of both "free-wheeling motion and rooted emotional intensity". Anna Kisselgoff (New York Times) writes: "Rarely has a choreographer invited an audience to identify so strongly with her dancers as Ms. Brenner did here with creative flair." Brenner explores the passion, humor, depth and emotional power of our relationships to others, to ourselves and to the world around us. Her work has the uncanny ability to encompass "clownesque humor and grotesque tragedy" simultaneously. "The audiences' laughter sticks in the throat or hangs in the air." (Basel, Switzerland) The work is an on-going exploration into the power of movement to inform our spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical states of being and to search for a state of balance.
Ms. Brenner's works range from the virtuosic and musical heartSTRINGS , to the solo tour-de-force Solo For Janis by Richard Siegal, to her characteristically intense and "emotionally authentic" dances such as Lost, Found, Lost and A "Peace" For Women , to her vocal/movement collaborations with Meredith Monk, her multidisciplinary, intergenerational The Memory Project , and the "profoundly moving" (Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Infinite Body) movement/improv/text 2011 premiere, The Mind-Stuff Variations.
The company's last three NY concert seasons -- 2007, 2009, 2011 -- have been major, critically acclaimed events in the dance community, encompassing work from Ms. Brenner's twenty-five year choreographic journey as well as works of major creative forces and mentors such as Murray Louis, Meredith Monk, Annabelle Gamson, Mary Wigman and collaborators Mitchell Bogard, Richard Siegal, Theo Bleckmann and Michael Moschen.
"Brenner's fierce, liquid voice is commanding... a witty, winsome performer, adept at teasing out the ambiguities of any given moment."
-- Claudia La Rocco, THE NEW YORK TIMES, New York 2009
JANIS BRENNER is an award-winning dancer/choreographer/singer/teacher and is Artistic Director of Janis Brenner & Dancers in N.Y. She has toured in 33 countries and is recognized as a "singular performer" (Eye On Dance) with a multifaceted artistic range. Ms.Brenner's awards include a 1997 NY Dance and Performance Award (a "Bessie") for “Outstanding Creative Achievement” in Meredith Monk's work The Politics of Quiet, a 1999 "Bessie" nomination for her performance in Solo for Janis choreographed by Richard Siegal, a 1996 Lester Horton Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Choreography” in L.A., the 2010 Copperfoot Award for Lost, Found, Lost at Wayne State University, a 1993 Leach Fellowship for “Outstanding Achievement in the Performing Arts” from Empire State College and a NY Dance On Camera Festival award (1986).
Ms. Brenner's work and company have been honored with numerous grants including ten from the Harkness Foundation for Dance, the NY Foundation for the Arts, the Asian Cultural Council, the U.S. State Department, The Fund for US Artists at International Festivals, The Trust for Mutual Understanding, Foundation for Contemporary Performance Art, Dance Magazine, Meet The Composer, Vogelstein Foundation, Manhattan Community Arts Fund, Grand Marnier Foundation, and a commission for the interdisciplinary work, The Memory of All That from the Whitney Museum of American Art. Most recently, she and the company were awarded a major grant from the O'Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation for the premiere of their new work, The Mind-Stuff Variations, at Danspace Project, NYC in April 2011, with a commissioned score by Jerome Begin and his Ensemble. Her work has been commissioned/restaged on more than 45 companies and colleges in Germany, Sweden, France, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Russia and throughout the U.S., such as CloudGate 2 Company and Dance Forum Taipei (Taiwan), Dance Ensemble Singapore, DanceM (Siberia), Ririe Woodbury Dance Company (Utah), Pacific Dance Ensemble (LA), Atrek Contemporary Dance (St. Louis), TanzForum (Cologne, Gr.), Balettakademien (Stockholm), University of Utah _ Salt Lake City (work chosen for the 1998 National American College Dance Festival at The Kennedy Center), UCLA (7 works), California State U_ Long Beach, Hofstra, Adelphi and Roger Williams Universities, University of Illinois _ Champaign-Urbana, University of Massachusetts _ Amherst, Wayne State Univ. in Detroit, LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in NYC and many others. Her version of "heartSTRINGS" for 18 dancers premiered at Juilliard in November 2004 and was restaged in 2008 for the NC School of the Arts. She is a sought-after master teacher conducting workshops in technique, improvisation, composition, repertory and vocal work.
Ms. Brenner performed with Meredith Monk and the Vocal Ensemble from 1990 - 2005 (recording on ECM Records) and performs an acclaimed vocal suite from Monk's Songs from the Hill in concert. She and composer/vocalist Theo Bleckmann have recorded their work Mars Cantata available on CD at Brenner’s website. She has been co-choreographer for Michael Moschen (1988-92: BAM's Next Wave Festival, US tours and PBS' Great Performances), a soloist with Annabelle Gamson' s company (1984-87) performing historic repertory of Mary Wigman, Duncan and others, and a soloist with the Murray Louis Dance Company (1977-84) working with Rudolf Nureyev, Placido Domingo, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Joseph Papp, Bat Sheva Dance Company in Israel and Alwin Nikolais. She has restaged Louis’ repertory throughout the world, most recently through an National Endowment of the Arts "American Masterpieces" grant to stage Porcelain Dialogues at the Univ. of Hawaii_ Manoa, 2011.
In 1998 Ms. Brenner had her first two memoir essays published by DanceView Magazine in Washington, DC. In 1997 BUZZ Magazine in LA wrote, "Dancer, choreographer, singer - Brenner is that rare contemporary performer who can do it all." She was on the Board of The Gender Project in NY, which sought to empower women in dance, and is on the Advisory Board of The Yard in Chilmark, MA. In May 2006, she was inducted into the Farmingdale High School" Wall of Fame" on Long Island as an honored alumni.
In February 2007, "Janis Brenner & Guests: A 25th Anniversary Celebration" was presented by Danspace Project in NY, receiving great critical acclaim and the opportunity for Brenner to thank and perform with the numerous, outstanding artists who have enriched her career and work. (See "Reviews") In November 2009, Joyce SoHo presented the company in "5 Decades"; 5 works including Meredith Monk's seminal solo Break from 1964 revived and performed by Brenner, solos from Murray Louis' acclaimed 1978 work Figura performed by JB&D company members, and 3 of Brenner's works, one each from 1985, '95, and the premiere of Dancing In Absentia: An Homage to the artists lost to the AIDS Epidemic. (See "Reviews"). In April 2011, the company presented "5 Decades II", again to critical acclaim, premiering The Mind-Stuff Variations with a commissioned score by Jerome Begin ("...profoundly moving", Eva Yaa Asantewaa, INFINITE BODY). Ms. Brenner opened the concert performing 2 of the Wigman solos she first danced in the mid-'80's, as well as presenting the revival of Louis' Duet from Cleopatra, and Brenner's Duet from Pieces of Trust and signature work heartSTRINGS (See "Reviews").
Ms. Brenner received her MFA degree from the Hollins University/ADF graduate program in 2009. She is currently on the faculty of The Juilliard School serving as Choreographic Mentor for the Choreographers & Composers course as well as "Creative Process" instructor. She also serves at Director of Choreography for Regional Dance America's "Craft of Choreography" Summer Intensive, 2010, 2011.
AARON SELISSEN has been performing with Janis Brenner and Dancers since his debut with the company in 2007. Originally from Green Bay, WI, he received his B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Butler University. In 2002, he joined David Hochoy’s Dance Kaleidoscope of Indianapolis. During his time with Dance Kaleidoscope, he enjoyed annual residencies at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He also performed with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, Ballet Internationale, Peoria Ballet, and the Indianapolis Opera. In 2005, Mr. Selissen moved to NYC and was invited to dance with the Martha Graham Ensemble. He later joined the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, Isabel Gotzkowsky and Friends, and David Shen Dance Group. He co-founded BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT, a collaborative endeavor with partner Kyla Barkin, in 2008. His choreography has been presented at such venues as the Staller Center for the Arts Main Stage at Stony Brook University, Ailey/Citigroup Theater, Sam Houston State University, the Cunningham Theater, Grand Space in Brooklyn, HATCH at Jennifer Muller, The Works Studio, Flushing Town Hall, John Ryan Theater, City Center Studios, Manhattan Movement Arts Center, and more. In addition to JB&D and B/S P, Aaron is a current member of the Jose Limon Dance Company and is also an independent yoga teacher/fitness professional. www.barkinselissenproject.com
CHEN ZIELINSKI was born and raised in Rishon Le-Zion, Israel. From 2001-2005 she attended the Thelma-Yellin High School of the Arts where she gained a strong base in ballet and modern techniques. She then continued her training at Ballet Divertimento while working with Cas Public Dance Company in Montreal, Canada. In fall 2006 Chen began her BFA studies at The Juilliard School under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. At Juilliard she had the privilege to work with the nurturing faculty and perform the works of Ohad Naharin, Aszure Barton, Johannes Wieland, Jose Limon and Paul Taylor. After graduation Chen performed with The Juilliard Ensemble at the Chicago Dance Festival, worked with Julie Bour on The Next Stage Project at City Center Studios, the Award Show at Joyce SoHo and Luca Veggetti at the Miller Theater. Chen has recently joined Janis Brenner & Dancers.
CHRISTOPHER RALPH was born and raised in Long Island, N.Y. He began his dance training at Holy Trinity High School, were he was accepted into the theater/dance program lead by Cathy Murphy and James Whore. While training at school he simultaneously attended classes at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway with teachers such as Peter Schabel, Dorrit Koppel, Frank Hatchett and Chio Yamada. In 2005 Christopher attended SUNY Purchase College to complete his B.F.A in Dance. He has performed works by Lauri Stallings, Nick Ross, Yung-li Chen and Doug Varone. He works with the dash ensemble, CorbinDances, Aszure Barton and Artists, and BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT. Christopher has performed in many spaces in NY including Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Reverb Festival, DRA events, Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, The Joyce Theater and Joyce SoHo. He joined Janis Brenner & Dancers in January, 2011.
ESME BOYCE is a graduate of The Juilliard School under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. She is from Los Angeles where she studied with Meredith Baylis and Glenn Edgerton. Esmé participated in summer programs at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Montreal Springboard Dance II, the Scholarship Program at Lou Conte Dance Studio, Ballet British Columbia, Perry-Mansfield, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Martha Graham School, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet and BalletMet.
While at Juilliard Esmé performed the works of Laura Careless, Ohad Naharin, Larry Keigwin, Lar Lubovitch, José Limon, Nicolo Fonte, Susan Marshall, Matthew Neenan and Adam Weinert. Esmé has also performed the works of Jin Ju Song-Begin, Helen Lee, Kristopher Weinstein Storey, Mica Bernas, Charlotte Bydwell, Carlye Eckert and Yara Travieso.
Esmé's choreography has been presented as part of DanceNow's Raw Festival, Tisch Studios, New York University, 2010; at Fertile Grounds, Green Space Studio, Long Island City, 2010; and as part of the Thang Dao Dance Company 2009 Contemporary Dance Festival at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. While at Juilliard, Esmé was one of six seniors chosen to have her choreography presented as part of the 2009 Juilliard School Senior Dance Productions. Esmé also presented her work as part of the 2007 Choreographers and Composers Concert and the 2007 Choreographic Honors Presentation, both at The Peter Jay Sharp Theater.
Esmé apprenticed with Stephen Petronio Company from the winter of 2009 to the spring of 2010. This summer she will be dancing in the Ensemble for the Bessie Schönberg Choreographers’ Residency 2010 at The Yard in Martha’s Vineyard. Esmé joined Janis Brenner & Dancers in 2010.
KENDRA SAMSON/ Affiliate Artist, is a Filipino dancer based in New York. She graduated from the Philippine High School for the Arts and moved to New York City to receive her BFA on full scholarship from The Juilliard School in 2009. Her dance credits at Juilliard include working with choreographers Harumi Terayama, Esmé Boyce, Ohad Naharin, Lar Lubovitch, Larry Keigwin, Anthony Tudor, Nicolo Fonte, Susan Marshall, Matthew Neenan and Janis Brenner. Kendra participated in summer programs at Springboard Danse Montreal and San Francisco Conservatory of Dance.She is delighted and honored to have recently performed in Sidra Bell Dance NY’s premiere of POOL at the Dance Theatre Workshop and Jordan Morley|Little Riots, Ritsuko Sato and Leonides Arpon’s choreography at Baryshinikov Arts Center. Kendra is happy to be an affiliate artist of Janis Brenner & Dancers and a collaborator with Esmé Boyce Dance and with Lane & Co.
KYLA BARKIN, raised in Tempe, AZ., studied with "La Mariquilla" at the Academia de Ballet Flamenco in Granada, Spain. At the age of sixteen, she attended the University of Granada and Arizona State University, then received her B.A. in Dance from UCLA. Ms. Barkin is the recipient of the Jean Irwin Award for talent, merit, and potential. In 2008, she and her partner, Aaron Selissen created BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT, a collaborative endeavor which continues to grow. Her choreography has been shown at venues such as The Staller Center for Performing Arts Mainstage, The Merce Cunningham Theatre, Dixon Place, The Moveable Feast, Dance NOW, American Dance Guild, Flushing Town Hall, Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, DUMBO Dance Festival, WAVE RISING series, The Dance Gallery Festival, Sam Houston State University Performing Arts Center, Joyce SOHO, The Flea Theater, and more. Ms. Barkin was commissioned to create Differential Cohomology, a dance based on a mathematical theory to accompany the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics International Workshop on Differential Cohomology and Twisted K theory. The piece premiered in January, 2011, and was featured in Business Insider, Math Digest, and Three Village Patch. Ms. Barkin was named as an Artist in Residence at The Field, where Differential Cohomology was created, in part. Kyla has been working with Janis Brenner & Dancers since 1998, with whom she has toured to countries such as Indonesia, Russia, and Taiwan as well as teaching and setting works at universities and conservatories such as NCSA, The Juilliard School, Wayne State University, Temple University, and more. Ms. Barkin has also danced with Isabel Gotzkowsky, The Carolyn Dorfman Dance Co., The Doug Elkins Dance Company, Tamar Rogoff Performance Projects, Kun-Yang Lin, Naomi Goldberg, and others. She has been on faculty at USDAN Center for Performing Arts and teaches classes, private lessons and workshops internationally. Over the last 20 years, Kyla has been a Fitness Professional, a Medical Exercise Specialist, a Yoga Teacher/Therapist, has been published in DANCE Magazine, and was one of the original producers of The Moveable Feast, a "pARTy” on the move with an ever-changing menu. She has also appeared on the Ricki Lake Show’s Couples Yoga Special, and was recently featured in GURHAN Magazine and Genetics, the Song Book, by Agua Trip. Ms. Barkin is proud to be a part of the Foundation For a Just Society, addressing social justice globally. BARKINSELISSENPROJECT.COM
LUKE MURPHY/ Affiliate Artist, Originally from Cork City, Ireland, Luke trained at the Legat School in East Sussex, Point Park University in Pittsburgh and the American Dance Festival in Durham. Luke has performed with Punchdrunk in award-winning productions of “Sleep No More” in Boston ('09-'10) and New York ('11-'12), with Martha Clarke in “Angel Reapers” ('10-'11) and John Kelly in the 2010 revival of “Pass The Blutwurst Bitte”. In addition Luke has danced with Janis Brenner & Dancers, Heidi Latsky Dance, Erick Hawkins Dance Company and in projects with Sean Curran, Douglas Dunn and Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. His own work has been presented throughout New York, Pittsburgh, Ireland and Germany and has been supported by residencies and commissions from The Duo Multicultural Arts Center, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, DanceIreland, Dragon's Egg, Kelly Strayhorn Theatre and the Arts Council of Ireland. Luke is currently dancing with Kate Weare Company, Pavel Zustiak's Pallissimo and working on his first film project “7Dances” directed by Alan Brown and choreographed by Jonah Bokaer.
SUMAYA JACKSON, a native New Yorker, began her training at age six with The Ailey School. Upon graduating from The Dwight School, Sumaya continued her training at The Juilliard School where she has performed works by Robert Battle, Janis Brenner, Eliot Feld, Susan Marshall, Ohad Naharin, Anthony Tudor, and Doug Varone. She received her BFA in May 2008 from Juilliard, and has since danced with Kyle Abraham and currently with Errol Grimes. This is her third season with Janis Brenner & Dancers.
LINKS
JEROME BEGIN / musician and composer
THEO BLECKMAN / composer
MURRAY LOUIS
MEREDITH MONK
RICHARD SIEGAL/ dancer and choreographer
MITCHELL BOGARD has been designing the lighting for Janis Brenner’s repertory and touring with the company since the 1980’s. His work has also been seen in the repertories of Martha Graham, Laura Dean, Susan Marshall, Richard Siegal, Douglas Dunn, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and Memphis Ballet to name a few. A sampling of television credits includes Late Show With David Letterman, Sesame Street (Emmy Nomination), Between The Lions (Emmy Award), Ghostwriter, The Chris Rock Show and The Rachael Ray Show. Theatrical credits include productions directed by Mike Nichols, Elizabeth Swados and Robert Morse as well as national touring companies of Grease and Oh! Calcutta! His lighting can also be seen in the Carnegie Hall concert footage of Wim Wenders film, The Buena Vista Social Club. Mitchell received his Masters Degree in theatrical design from the State University of New York at Buffalo and is a member of United Scenic Artists.
Photo Credit: Tom Caravaglia
NYC - Saturdays, January 14 and 21, 2012
Janis conducts acclaimed Movement/Voice Improvisation Workshops at HB Studio
Open to Dancers, Actors, Singers, all Interdisciplinary Performers
Click here for class Info and to Register!
PHILADELPHIA, PA Novermber 2 - December 11, 2011
November 2: Temple University Master Class and Audition for "extras" for JB&D's Dec. 11th performance in Philadelphia
November 11: Drexel University Master Class
November 12: Movement/Voice Improvisation Workshop at CHI MAC, hosted by Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers www.kunyanglin.org
November 27: Janis performs Songs From The Hill at Andrea Clearfield's music Salon
www.andreaclearfield.com
December 6: Ursinus University Lecture
December 10: Movement/Voice Improvisation Workshop at CHI MAC, hosted by Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers www.kunyanglin.org
December 11: JB&D perform at Chi Movement Arts Center Hosted by Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers
Sunday December 4, 2011
SETAUKET, LI
JB&D at Jefferson's Ferry
Friday December 2- Saturday December 3, 2011
New York City, NY
Julliard: The Willson Theater, Choreographers and Composers Collaboration -
4 Performances
Wednesday October 19, 2011
LONG ISLAND, NY
Master Classes at Stonybrook University LI, NY in Dance Improvisation, Movement/Voice Integration, and Technique/Repertory
Monday, September 19, 2011
NEW YORK CITY, NY
JB&D perform at Chapel Theater, Trinity School Manhattan
Monday, August 01, 2011 - Friday, August 05, 2011
NEW YORK CITY
Janis teaches Improvistion for the first time during The Juilliard School's Summer Intensive for young dancers.
Sunday, July 17, 2011 - Friday, July 29, 2011
WINSTON-SALEM, NC
Janis again serves as Director of Choreography for the annual, national "Craft of Choreography" Intensive sponsored and produced by RDA--Regional Dance America. Rob Wood serves as Director of Music. 11 Emerging and 3 Project Tier Choreographers, along with 68 young dancers, were chosen from their highly competitive, regional festivals to create work with Janis and Rob. Gary Taylor, Director of the Intensive. Gretchen Voglezang, Director of RDA
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - Tuesday, July 05, 2011
INDONESIA
