Thursdays at 7pm, April 1-April 22 Premiering On Metro, Metro Art and Union Station Facebook and Union Station YouTube channels
Metro Art Presents Moving Through, a monthlong series of dance and movement for times of change, in collaboration with Pieter Performance Space.
The series, filmed at Union Station, launches Thursday, April 1, at 7 p.m. on Metro’s Facebook, Metro Art’s Facebook, and Union Station’s Facebook and YouTube channels and will continue April 8, 15 and 22.
Four teaching artists from the non-profit dance platform and community will bring their approaches to movement practice to different corners of Union Station. Each program features a connection to transit, ranging from the practical (meditative movement to bring calm during a hurried commute) to the abstract (through Cunningham Technique, a systems-based dance form developed by distinguished choreographer Merce Cunningham) to the historical (House Dance’s relationship to the subway system in Chicago and New York).The culminating program—the premiere of BAGGAGE, a theatrical dance work for film— was developed on-site in Union Station’s historic Ticketing Hall by acclaimed dancer and choreographer Jay Carlon with musician Alex Wand.
4/1 Movement of Stillness with Joy Alegria Joy offers a sequence of breath, stretching, and meditation practices to bring our awareness to the present, even while in transit.
4/8 Cunningham Technique® with Chard Gonzalez Chard, joined by dancers Tamsin Carlson, Julie Opiel, and Heather Seybolt, shares exercises from the dance technique that Merce Cunningham developed, exploring how the spine and limbs can move independently from one another and in concert.
4/15 House Dance: Dance Happens Everywhere with Emiko Sugiyama Emiko, joined by dancers Andrea Lomelin and Juliet Mendoza, breaks down some foundational steps for House Dance and then puts them all together in a dynamic sequence that will bring the club to anywhere you are!
4/22 BAGGAGE, A New Dance Film by Jay Carlon with Musician Alex Wand BAGGAGE celebrates origin stories and embodies the many histories of arrivals and departures at the station and in our lives. A personal family narrative is unpacked through music, dance, and memory inside the Union Station Ticketing Hall.
Metro Art Presents showcases an exciting year-round array of arts and cultural events at historic Union Station—and beyond. From music and dance performances, film screenings and poetry readings to experimental and mixed-media presentations, the programs creatively activate downtown’s primary transportation hub for all ages. For more information about how Metro enriches the transit experience through innovative, multifaceted arts and cultural programs, visit metro.net/art, Instagram and Facebook.
Pieter Performance Space was founded at a studio in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles by Jmy James Kidd in 2010. A unique and expansive art community grew over the following decade, centered around an ethos of non-monetary exchange and reciprocity of generosity. Having left the studio in August 2020 amidst the pandemic, Pieter is currently an entirely virtual platform for classes, workshops and events led by dancers, healers and activists offering a multitude of approaches to body-based practice. www.pieterpasd.com // @pieterperformancespace