Frogtown

July 18, 2015

Hosted by Women's Center for Creative Work

Artists: Allison Wyper, Sophia Stoller, Constance Strickland, Soyoung Shin, Emily Marchand, Samantha Mohr, Filipa Valente, Amy Von Harrington

Post Performance discussion with John Tain and Carol Cheh on Performance Now, KCHUNG

Virtual Reality Video by Kevin Tsukii at Vrideo

Dance and performance made in response to the home of Women's Center for Creative Work adjoining the LA River.

"It came unexpectedly and I had not planned for the impact it had upon my being. To witness unknown bodies reacting to an unfamiliar space-to see them speak, move, or exist in this space was exciting. It was full of magic, full of possibilities and the chance to see one and oneself to go beyond their familiar. The first three years have just been building blocks to all the ways in which a story can be told. In these next three years I have no doubt HomeLA will stretch itself into new spaces--spaces they had not been aware possible-it will dig itself into uncomfortable and forgotten spaces and continue to show us just what it means to BE." -Constance Strickland, artist

"Before working with Rebecca Bruno and the artists involved with homeLA // Frogtown, I didn’t have much of a relationship with dance. I had admired it from afar, but hadn’t thought much about what goes into making one and never felt fully confident about how to watch, what I was looking for in performances. This is something I often run into working in contemporary art as well, work can feel inaccessible to those without specialized knowledge. Besides being all around amazing and lovely to work with, having the homeLA performers in the space through the early rehearsals, a public open rehearsal, and the performance, was this incredible lesson in watching dance. You see the process and have the opportunity to witness and discuss what goes into making a performance. The art becomes more and more approachable through witnessing the labor and dialogue between the dancers, choreographers and organizers. Being privy to this process works to teach you how to watch dance, how to look for technique, and process, the logic of the movements, the relationship to space, the engagement (or not) of the audience. Hosting a homeLA was an incredible opportunity for Women’s Center for Creative Work, and is a testament to the power of relational projects across the arts." - Sarah Williams, host