Playdate 2024!
A COLLABORATIVE RESIDENCY PROGRAM FOR AAPINH ARTISTS:
APPLY BY APRIL 1, 2024 11:59 P.M.
PLAYDATE is an innovative two-week dance residency program funded by the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts that aims to address the lack of visibility of AAPINH artists in the dance field. In its second year, this collaborative program brings together four talented and diverse Asian American Pacific Islander Native Hawaiian identifying choreographers to create new work and investigate with how to empower AAPINH artists through dance. Each choreographer will bring a group (2 minimum, 10 maximum) of professional, diverse dancers to join them in improvisation and discourse with the cohort, ultimately sharing collaborative works in progress or other public format. Awardees are granted $2000 each.
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Photo Courtesy of Angel Origgi
Overview:
Blue13 is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the second annual Playdate Dance Residency, a two-week dance residency program that aims to amplify the voices and visibility of AAPINH artists in the dance field. This program will bring together four talented and diverse Asian American Pacific Islander Native Hawaiian-identifying choreographers to create new work and investigate how to empower AAPINH artists through dance. The residency will take place at Pieter Performance Space in Los Angeles from June 17-27, and the public performances will be held on June 28 & 29. No activities will be scheduled on Juneteenth 6/19.
Purpose:
The purpose of this RFP is to provide a forum to enter into discourse with other AAPINH artists, provide physical space, a monetary award, time resources for makers, performance opportunities, and networking opportunities. The goal is to build allies and create a larger and more diverse network, while also supporting AAPINH artists as major artistic voices in their respective communities. The program is designed to promote community building, explore issues of othering and belonging in the dance sector, encourage artistic communication across genres, and elevate AAPINH artists.
Eligibility:
This RFP is open to all choreographers, dance companies, or collectives with 2-10 dancers, who have three or more years of professional experience, and are legally eligible to work in the United States. Participants must be 18 years or older.
Scope of Work:
The program is designed to bring together four AAPINH choreographers and their respective ensembles of contrasting dance practices. To broaden artistic perspectives, each dance maker is paired with one partner choreographer who practices and creates in a contrasting genre. The residency will be 10 days long, and culminates in two public sharings of the works in the format chosen by the participants. Rehearsals, workshops, and discussions with thought leaders will be held throughout the residency.
Dance makers will each be paid a $2000 stipend. Travel and lodging expenses are not paid.
Location:
Pieter Performance Space
2701 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Deadline for Submission: April 1, 2024, 11:59pm PST. Awardees will be notified via e-mail by mid April.
"A nurturing and supportive space for AAPI(NH) choreographers to explore their artistic visions, collaborating with one another and taking risks."
- The Los Angeles TIMEs, 2023
2023 RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHERS
JAINIL MEHTA
Jainil is a 23-year-old dancer and choreographer from Mumbai, India, began his dance journey at age five. Formerly with Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, he now teaches, creates, and performs in the United States, primarily in New York City. With over 270k Instagram followers, he is known for breaking gender barriers with #Meninskirts. Featured in national newspapers and platforms like BBC News and Good Morning America, Jainil trained for thirteen years at Shiamak Davar International before graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. In the future, he aims to establish the first-ever accredited higher education dance program in India, fostering unique artistic identities.
BARKHA PATEL
Barkha Patel is a kathak dancer, choreographer, educator, NAC Artist Fellow, and the Artistic Director of Barkha Dance Company based in New York City. She, along with her company dancers and young students will present various technical and abhinaya (expression based) works. A touring artist, Barkha has performed solo, and ensemble works at dance festivals in In-dia and the U.S. Her work has had the opportunity to present at venues such as Dance Theatre Harlem, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, 92NY and Little Island Dance Festival among others. She is currently in residence with Movement Research in NYC and a 2023 Jerome Hill Artist Finalist (Jerome Foundation).
TOKIE WANG
Tokie Wang, a Chinese choreographer, director, and visual artist, is currently based in L.A. Known for her work in the commercial field, Tokie has collaborated with companies in China and the U.S. including Flower Knows Cosmetics, Hong Kong NetEase Interactive Entertainment Ltd., and LACMA. With an MFA from California Institute of the Arts and a BFA from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, in recent years Tokie has worked as a choreographer at LOOKwhat Studio in Hangzhou, China, an assistant choreographer at California Institute of the Arts, and production manager at LACMA/CALARTS. Her recent works include “Because You’re Worth It” (2022), a 50-minute immersive theater experience incorporating dance, toy theater and installations, and “Somewhere, Elsewhere, Nowhere, Los Angeles” (2021), an 8-minute improvisational piece based on dancers daily gestures, using each other’s body to recreate their favorite space.
RAMITA RAVI
Ramita Ravi is a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator signed with Bloc Talent Agency NY/LA. As the first South Asian featured on So You Think You Can Dance (Season 14), she has performed in various productions including Spinning Gold, Last Week Tonight, Bhangin’ It, NYFW with Hermès, and Mystic India: The World Tour. Ramita has also choreographed for Coachella 2022, Miss America 2021, Raveena, KSHMR, and more. With an extensive teaching background at renowned institutions like Broadway Dance Center and Alvin Ailey Extension, she co-founded Artswrk, a startup challenging the starving artist stigma. Ramita is dedicated to representation, equity, and innovation in the arts.