CHOP SHOP Dance Festival Reveals The 2020 Festival Artists

CHOP SHOP: Bodies of Work returns to Meydenbauer Center Theatre February 15 & 16, 2020, serving up a unique sampling of contemporary dance work by leading local and national artists. In its 13th annual edition, CHOP SHOP proudly presents the work of:

Chien-Ying Wang & Paul Ocampo / OcampoWang Dance (New Jersey) - Seattle premiere

Adam Barruch / Daniel Costa Dance (Seattle & New York City) - world premiere

Eva Stone / The Stone Dance Collective (The Eastside) - world premiere

Omar Román De Jesús / Boca Tuya (New York City) - world premiere

Seda Aybay / Kybele Dance Theater (Los Angeles) - Seattle premiere

Nicole von Arx / NVA & Guests (New York City) - Seattle premiere

Donald Byrd / Spectrum Dance Theater (Seattle) - TBD

Ramona Sekulovic (Brooklyn) - Seattle premiere

"This year's festival gives audiences an opportunity to experience contemporary dance work from a diverse and unique collection of artists," explains festival founder, producer, and curator Eva Stone. "This is what I love most about forming this weekend of dance. These dancemakers offer a range of ages, personal histories, and life experiences and all of them are presented together on one stage. It makes for remarkable and compelling viewing."

Of the eight dance works comprising the CHOP SHOP 2020 festival program, three are world premieres and four are Seattle premieres. Festival performances will be held Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 3:00 p.m., at Meydenbauer Center Theatre in Bellevue, Wash. Both performances present the same program. Tickets for the festival are on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets (chopshop2020.bpt.me).

Adam Barruch (New York City) / Daniel Costa Dance (Seattle)

Daniel Costa Dance (DCD) was informally founded in 2015 by Daniel Costa upon completing his BFA in dance at Rutgers University and moving to Seattle. DCD experienced a significant launch 2017-18 thanks to the James Ray Residency Project. DCD has presented work at 12 Minutes Max, BOOST Dance Festival, SeattleDances DanceCrush, and the Seattle International Dance Festival, among others. DCD has received grant support from 4Culture and residency through James Ray, Spectrum Dance Theatre, Velocity Dance Center, Northwest Film Forum, 10 Degrees and most recently the Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance thanks to the support of Case van Rij.

Adam Barruch began his career as a young actor, performing professionally on Broadway and in film and television, and received dance training at LaGuardia High School for Music & Art and Performing Arts and The Juilliard School. Based in Brooklyn, Adam currently creates and performs work under the epithet of his own company, Anatomiae Occultii. He has also created works for companies such as Whim W'Him, The Limón Company, Ailey II, Keigwin + Company, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, River North Dance Chicago, BalletX, Graham II, GroundWorks Dance Theater, Minnesota Dance Theatre, The Gibney Dance Company, and 10 Hairy Legs.

CHOP SHOP presents the world premiere of Adam Barruch's open / shut, performed by Daniel Costa Dance. The work meets two people who interplay with the physicality of the organic world of our origin and the mechanical world of our future, exploring the disconnect that human beings face as the world becomes more isolated in the digital age.

Learn more about Adam Barruch at anatomiaeoccultii.com and Daniel Costa Dance at danielcostadance.com.

Chien-Ying Wang & Paul Ocampo / OcampoWang Dance (New Jersey)

Chien-Ying Wang and Paul Ocampo are the Co-Artistic Directors of OcampoWang Dance and have been making dances and dancing together since 2001. Their works have been presented in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States.

Chien-Ying Wang received her MFA from Ohio State University, and has danced professionally with Utah's Repertory Dance Theatre and was a Bogliasco Fellowship finalist. She performed solo roles in several classical ballets, plus contemporary works by Zvi Gotheiner, Gideon Obarzanek, Susan Hadley, Stephen Koester, Molissa Fenley, Douglas Nielsen, Shapiro & Smith, and many others. Chien-Ying's choreographic works have been presented by Ballet Philippines, Lustig Dance Theatre, Repertory Dance Theatre, Ohio State University, Boston Conservatory, National Taiwan University of Arts, Beijing Normal University, Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Judson Memorial Church, 92nd Street Y, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, amongst others.

Paul C. Ocampo received his MFA from Ohio State University. He choreographed and performed with Ballet Philippines and Singapore Dance Theatre, and has worked with Susan Hadley, Victoria Uris, Bebe Miller, Douglas Nielsen, Zvi Gotheiner, Graham Lustig, Jean Paul Commelin, Leigh Warren, Norman Walker, Alice Reyes, Gener Caringal, Agnes Locsin, Edna Vida, Anthony Then, and Goh Soo Khim. His works have been presented in Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the United States. Paul has been awarded the Utah Arts Council Individual Artist Project Grant and a Fulbright Fellowship, and was an Associate Professor at Southern Utah University before joining the faculty of Rutgers University.

CHOP SHOP shares the Seattle premiere of Chien-Ying Wang and Paul C. Ocampo's Equanimity, a work that investigates the different phases of love: marriage, friendship, and partnership - how we create beauty amidst misfortunes and disagreements, and the eternal tension between duty & desire, good & evil, wants & needs, the Yin & Yang of life.

Learn more about OcampoWang Dance at wixsite.com/chienyingwang.

Donald Byrd / Spectrum Dance Theater (Seattle)

Under Donald Byrd's artistic leadership since 2002, Spectrum Dance Theater has become the foremost contemporary modern dance organization in the Pacific Northwest, gaining recognition nationally and abroad. For over thirty years, Spectrum Dance Theater has brought dance of the highest merit to a diverse community working to make dance accessible to all through contemporary dance performances and high quality dance training in a variety of dance styles. With Donald Byrd's visionary artistic leadership, the organization has embarked on an exhilarating transformation that has attracted world-class dancers, produced some of the most ambitious works in contemporary dance, and generated local and national praise.

Donald Byrd is a Tony-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer. He has been the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle since December 2002 and was formerly Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company. He has created dance works for many leading companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, The Joffrey Ballet, The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), and Dance Theater of Harlem, among others, and worked extensively in theater and opera, including at Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, The New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, Intiman, and CenterStage. His many awards, prizes, and fellowships include the Doris Duke Artist Award; Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Cornish College of the Arts; Masters of Choreography Award, The Kennedy Center; Fellow at The American Academy of Jerusalem; James Baldwin Fellow of United States Artists; Resident Fellow of The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center; Fellow at the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, Harvard University; and the Mayor's Arts Award for his sustained contributions to the City of Seattle. Byrd's solo museum exhibition Donald Byrd: The America That Is To Be, currently at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, is the culmination of his 2016 James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award, which is funded by the Raynier Institute & Foundation through the Frye Art Museum | Artist Trust Consortium.

Learn more about Spectrum Dance Theater at spectrumdance.org.

Eva Stone / The Stone Dance Collective (Seattle / The Eastside)

The Stone Dance Collective began in London, England in 1993 and relocated to Seattle in 1995. Artistic Director Eva Stone has created over 50 original new works which have been presented both in the U.S. and abroad to outstanding critical acclaim. Now project based, The Stone Dance Collective is based in both Seattle and on the Eastside and considers CHOP SHOP its one true home.

Eva Stone is a choreographer, artistic director, teaching artist, lecturer, and curator. She has been based in Seattle for the past 25 years, and her work has been performed by everyone from high school musical theatre kids and regional dance companies to Pacific Northwest Ballet. Eva believes dance is a language and never underestimates how lucky she is to be immersed in an art form that, in theory, would never have her. This only drives her tenacious approach in exploring choreography and its ultimate communicative intent.

CHOP SHOP shares the world premiere of Eva Stone's Janus: in the world of movement contronyms, one physical moment can share two opposite meanings.

Learn more about Eva Stone at evastonedance.com.

Nicole von Arx / NVA & Guests (New York City)

Founded in 2014, NVA & Guests is a platform created to produce and spread the work of the performer/choreographer Nicole von Arx. The company aims to produce and present work worldwide creating bridges between people and cultures, consequently giving the opportunity for an exchange of emotions and thoughts. Nicole has presented her work internationally at the BFM, TanzFest, Fête de la Musique ADC, and Flux in Switzerland, and Reykjavík Culture Night in Iceland. In the United States, her choreography appeared at the Museum of Moving Image, Center for Performance Research, Judson Church, Sam Houston State University, Battery Dance Festival, Wild Project, 14th Street Y, and Ailey Citigroup Theatre.

Born in England and raised in Switzerland, Nicole von Arx is a freelance dancer/choreographer based between Brooklyn and Geneva. As a performer, she was a soloist at the Royal Opera House & Chicago Lyric Opera while working with Jasmin Vardimon. She has worked for Carte Blanche under the directorship of Bruno Heynderickx, Romeo Castellucci in Democracy in America, and Company XIV. In 2013, she participated in The 6th Copenhagen International Choreography Competition while dancing for Bryan Arias, winning 1st place and the Audience Choice Award. Since 2014, she has been a close collaborator, choreographer assistant, and performer for Loni Landon Dance Projects.

CHOP SHOP presents the Seattle premiere of Nicole von Arx's Rive: between the emotional ride of rising and falling, the dancers melt, repel, and intermingle with the beating rhythm of their bodies.

Learn more about Nicole von Arx at nvonarx.com.

Omar Román De Jesús / Boca Tuya (New York City)

Boca Tuya celebrates the construction of socially conscious work. Founded in 2018 by Artistic Director and choreographer Omar Román De Jesús, Boca Tuya stemmed from his eye-opening experiences working with autistic children. Boca Tuya has had the opportunity to collaborate with renowned photographers, cinematographers, composers, brands such as Apple, and dance venue Bridge for Dance.

Born in Puerto Rico, Omar Román De Jesús has toured nationally and internationally with Yin Yue Dance Company, Ballet Hispánico, Parsons Dance, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, and Balleteatro Nacional de Puerto Rico. Omar's choreography is recognized for its originality and and he has been praised for his ability to craft an emotional arc. His work Daniel premiered at The Joyce Theater as part of David's Parsons' GenerationNOW Fellowship, and he's been commissioned twice by Instituto de Cultura de Puerto Rico for the International Dance Festival of Puerto Rico, where he was awarded the Ambassador of Dance medal. He has also created works for Whim W'Him, Jacob Jonas The Company, The Ailey School, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and The Joffrey Academy in Chicago.

CHOP SHOP presents the world premiere of Omar Román De Jesús' Like Those Playground Kids at Midnight, an excerpt of a longer work that will premiere in New York City in summer 2020. Through the lens of sexuality, this duet examines the electrifying, profound, meaningful, and uncommon connection among humans, revealing the relationship between undeniable chemistry and the action of caring sincerely for one another.

To learn more about Omar Román De Jesús and Boca Tuya, visit bocatuya.com.

Ramona Sekulovic (Brooklyn)

Born and raised in Germany, Ramona Sekulovic is a dancer and choreographer based in Brooklyn, New York. She currently strives to incorporate the experience, sensation, and perception of one's own body as well as its individual anatomical aesthetics into choreographic practice. Her work has been produced by the Austin Dance Festival, MR @ Judson Church, Gibney, WestFest, Green Space Studio, Dixon Place, Joyce Soho, the Dumbo Dance Festival, and SoloDuo Festival among many others. Ramona is a guild certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. She holds a MA in Visual Anthropology from the Freie Universität in Berlin and a BA in Anthropology from Columbia University.

CHOP SHOP shares the Seattle premiere of Ramona Sekulovic's Untitled No. 1, an abstract, minimal, and emotional work influenced by the Feldenkrais Method and intuitive responses to music.

Learn more about Ramona Sekulovic at ramonasekulovic.org.

Seda Aybay / Kybele Dance Theater (Los Angeles)

Kybele Dance Theater (KDT) was founded by Artistic Director and choreographer Seda Aybay in 2003 in Los Angeles. Since then, KDT has toured extensively, presenting full evening works at The Broad Stage, Highways, Kabbaz Theatre, The Muck, and Temecula and Clark County Las Vegas Libraries, and sharing works at festivals and showcases in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Palm Springs, and in four half-time performances at The Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles. KDT and Seda's choreography have been awarded by the McCallum Choreography Festival, Front and Main Festival, MAD BAD Festival, Dance Under the Stars Festival, and RAW 2011.

Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Seda Aybay is the founder, Artistic Director, and Choreographer of Kybele Dance Theater. She has received multiple awards including the Marcus Residency at Washington University in St. Louis and the New Movement Residency at USC. In addition to master classes in Greater California and for New York University, Seda is an Adjunct Professor at Santa Monica College. She positively impacts young dancers through her choreography and coaching for college dance auditions and competitions, with these young dancers earning placement in prestigious programs and companies such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Nederlands Dans Theater. Seda was named a 2019 LA Cultural Ambassador.

CHOP SHOP shares the Seattle premiere of Seda Aybay's Sonsuz. Meaning "infinite" in Turkish, Sonsuz portrays eternal love beyond physical existence, whispered through vignettes reflecting the remnants of memories and emotions.

Learn more about Seda Aybay and Kybele Dance Theater at kybeledance.com.