UPDATE: THIS EVENT IS NOW INDOORS DUE TO THE RAIN
This evening consists of four pieces of work indoors and outdoors (in no particular order):
– Kimono (dance excerpt)
– Four Scenes (dance excerpt)
– New Beginning (full duet)
– #FreeBelarus (film)
– excerpts from 4 Scenes (film)
This event is an evening of dance and film showcasing the work of Artistic Director, Olga Rabestkaya and her collaborators in OR Projects. These works are inspired by Olga’s experiences in her home country, Belarus.
In Olga’s work, she asks what it means to her to be a woman, the burdens and responsibilities that women carry, and what happens when people begin to live from their impulses and desires rather than doing what they are supposed to do.
Featured pieces include excerpts from Olga’s first work entitled Four Scenes, a trio made in collaboration with Anna Gichan (a deaf dancer) and Fern Katz, Kimono, and a new duet with Sierra Hendrix, with the working title New Beginning, which communicates the pain of being uprooted from home (Belarus), injected into a new reality (U.S.) and healing from trauma. In this piece, beauty works as a healing agent. Although one can’t bring justice to the whole world, everyone has the power to let in more beauty and light. Additionally, there will be excerpts of film including her internationally-renowned work, #FreeBelarus, created as a response to the most recent election in Belarus. The falsified results spurred massive peaceful uprisings in Belarus- protests that were met with violence and brutality from the police.
Performing artists include Anna Gichan, Sierra Hendrix, Fern Katz, Olga Rabetskaya, and Brandon Woods.
This work is funded in part by the Greenfield Local Cultural Council.
COVID-19 Guidelines: In order to offer our patrons the safest and most enjoyable experience possible, social distance policies will be in effect through the 2021 season. All guests must wear their masks for the duration of the event.
(All outdoor events are rain or shine; no refunds)
TICKETS:
$20 – General Admission: Chairs in pods of two socially distanced 6-feet from surrounding pods
Doors/ Bar Open: 6:30PM
Performers:
Anna Gichan graduated from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts in 2017 with a BFA in dance. She studied abroad for a year, learning Gaga at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in Israel and, upon graduating, worked with Rioult Dance as a teaching artist, practicing and teaching their style derived from Graham. Anna grew up as a competitive gymnast, avid rock climber, and ballet dancer. Her style is inspired by her other movement-based activities (i.e. skateboarding, climbing, gymnastics, riding motorcycles) and combines those diverse movement styles with her dance training most notably contact improvisation and floorwork.Currently Anna is dancing with Olga Rabetskaya and co-choreographed a film #freebelarus which has been presented at Rollout Dance film festival, IMARP Mostra Internacional de danca, Dance@30FPS, Festival DANZENICA, Quinzena de Danca de Almada. Anna is also in the midst of choreographing a seven part dance series about depression with Amy Buchwald which will premiere in the summer of 2021.
Fern Katz is a contemporary dancer living and working in Western MA and NYC. She is a certified Pilates instructor, with a BA in Dance and Birth Studies from Goddard College and a professional certification in contemporary dance from Gibney Dance Center. She has had the honor of dancing on various stages and landscapes, from Jacob’s Pillow and Lincoln Center, to Centenary University, the amphitheater at TurnPark Art Space, and more. Fern has studied extensively with VIM/VIGOR Dance Company, Compañia Sharon Fridman, GAGA instructors/Ohad Naharin and is currently creating work under the coaching of Isadora Wolfe. Fern is a co-founder, performer, and choreographer with VEER Company (MA), as well as manager and performer with OR Projects in NYC. Her most recent collaboration with OR Projects won the Director’s Choice Award from Spoke the Hub in Brooklyn. Most importantly, Fern’s curiosity about anatomy, physical expression, human interconnectedness, and stretching the limits of the body and spirit drive her work.
Olga Rabetskaya graduated from the BSU in 2012 (Minsk, Belarus). She has danced in SKVO’s Dance Company since 2010 and as a soloist in the Contemporary dance troupe of the State Youth Theatre of Belarus in 2014-2019. She has danced for Olga Skvortsova, Irina Shirokaya, Inna Aslamova, Marina Lashkina, Ricardo Ambrozio and others. Artist in the Residence for Young Choreographers in Moscow (winter-spring 2018). Laureate of the festivals such as IFMC (Vitebsk), JulaFestival (Munich), New Baltic Dance (Vilnius), TEART (Minsk), Plastforma (Minsk), Martcontakt (Mogilev), Belaia Veza (Brest). Teaching contemporary dance workshops on national and international festivals in Belarus, Poland, Austria and Russia.
Olga is a director and choreographer whose work spans across film, choreography and photography, multimedia production. Her piece called “4 scenes” was performed on international festivals in Poland, Belgium, Portugal and Belarus. In November 2019 with the duet version of “4 scenes” took 3rd prize on International Festival of Modern Choreography in Vitebsk (Belarus). Her dance films “#FreeBelarus“and “4 scenes” were presented on Rollout Dance film festival (Macao, China), IMARP (Sao Paolo, Brasil), DANCE@30FPS (Ohio, USA), Festival DANZÉNICA (La Paz, Bolivia), Quinzena de Dança de Almada (Almada, Portugal).
Brandon Woods, BFA from UNC School of the Arts, in original works created by Eric Oberdorff, Zane Booker, Juel Lane and more. Featured in the October 2012’s issue of U.S. Airways magazine. Performed with the Theatre of West Virginia and the West Virginia Dance Company featuring Doug Varone and performed leading and supporting roles for Shenandoah Ballet and Winston Salem Festival Ballet. Received the William R. Kenan Fellowship and co-created “Skin-Deep”, at the Lincoln Center. Performed with Ballet-Inc and interned with New York Live Arts. Most recent credits include dancing principal role in After Midnight featuring Melba Moore, tv/films including HBO’s the Deuce and The Premiere. More recent collaboration include dances with StubbornMVMT, Entertainment X, and now Variety Pack Collective.
Sierra Hendrix is a dance and visual artist from Oregon. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College. She has presented choreography and film work at the PNW at BASE: Experimental Arts + Space, On The Boards, Tacoma Art Museum, and TUFF Festival. She is currently an apprentice with GALLIM.