Casting Call for Real People
LIVE THEATER PRODUCTION: BEFORE WE FLEW LIKE BIRDS WE FLEW LIKE CLOUDS (FLC)
SEEKING THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS:
A. Working Astronaut
B. Transgender Young Adult
C. Professional or Olympic Level Athlete
D. Professional Dancer Age 70+
E. Survivor of a Grave Illness
F. Differently Abled Person
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Director and Choreographer KT Niehoff is seeking people to take part in the creation of her new performance, Before We Flew Like Birds, We Flew Like Clouds (FLC). Each person’s unique story centered on “what it is like to be in their body” will help to form the narrative of the live theater project.
We are seeking individuals with the following attributes:
1. A willingness to share their unique story in an open, honest and articulate way.
2. An interest in allowing their story to create the backbone of a live performance, as seen fit by the director.
3. The ability to work with the director to create personal movement, be the subject of a short, virtual reality film using the movement and assist in translating their movement to other performers. (contributors do NOT need to be dancers or have any dance training).
4. Be available for a total of 5 days between October 2016 and February 2017, to be scheduled between the contributor and the director.
Contributors will participate in the following ways:
1. Participate in an audio interview with the director focusing on the question, “what is it like to be in your body?” Interviews will be used in the final score of the work as well as turned into individual pod casts.
2. Work with the director to create a short physical solo dance based on your experience in your body. This dance will be performed by one of the show’s main dancers and filmed for exhibition in live show.
3. Assist the director in translating the solo dance to be performed by professional dancers live in the final performance.
FINAL SHOW:
FLC will take place at 12th Avenue Arts in March, 2017 and is being commissioned by Velocity Dance Center for their 20th Anniversary. Real life cast members do not need to be present for the performance but are encouraged to attend.
To Apply please submit the following to:
We want to hear your story and why you are interested in participating. Tell us in the way that is most comfortable for you.
Option 1) Write a statement and send along with a photo.
Option 2) Take a quick little video on your phone.
Please submit either option to ktniehoffcasting@gmail.com
Deadline for submission:
Friday, September 30th , 2016
Compensation:
Each selected contributor will receive a cash honorarium of $200 + 2 comp tickets to a performance.
Short description of the performance
Before We Flew Like Birds We Flew Like Clouds (FLC) is an immersive work of dance, music, and environment honoring and illuminating the experiences of six guest contributors with unique and powerful connections to their bodies: an astronaut, professional athlete, transgender young adult, senior professional dancer, a survivor of a grave illness, and a differently abled person.
An interactive, planetarium-like environment contains these stories, inspired by the idea that the matter of all our bodies originated from the same stardust. The audience sits in swivel chairs throughout the space, amidst 50 specially designed floating helium sculptures. They are invited to interact with the sculptures and dancers in ways that create tangible connections between the bodies in the room and the stories of the 6 guests as told through music and dance.
KT Niehoff Biography
KT Niehoff is an entrepreneurial generative artist, performer and producer working in the field of immersive performance. Her disciplines include choreography, music, film, space, design and building communities programs. She holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
In the early 90’s she moved to Seattle, WA to perform with the Pat Graney Company and in 1996 co-founder the Seattle based arts space, Velocity Dance Center, Michele Miller, where she instituted the SCUBA National Touring Dance Alliance. In 2006 she left her post at Velocity to pursue her immersive performance work full time.
Notable fellowships, awards, articles and grants include:
New Filmmakers NYC Official Selection (’15), Miami Short Film Festival Official Selection, (14’), MAP Fund recipient (’12-’13), Cover Feature City Arts Magazine (’13), Cover Feature Dance Teacher Magazine (’12), Artist in Residence ACT Theatre, Seattle (’10, ’12 and ‘15), San Francisco International Dance Film Festival Official Selection (’10), The National Performance Network (’06-’12), Dance Magazine’s “International Women in Dance” featured artist (’08), MANCC Fellow (’06), The Stranger Genius Award for Velocity Dance Center (’05), The National Endowment for the Arts (’05, ’06), The National Dance Project Creation Award(’05), The National Dance Project Production Award (’03), Arts International (’03), Artist Trust Fellow (’01), Meet the Composer (’99) and multiple awards from King County’s 4culture, Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture and The Bossak/Heilbron Foundation.
Currently KT is working on an immersive performance set to premiere in March 2017 titled Before We Flew Like Birds, We Flew Like Clouds, commissioned for Velocity’s 20th year anniversary season. She also owns 10 degrees, her art+event space – a commerce driven venture that supports the philanthropic artistic mission of the space through private event rentals.
