Connecting the issues to the community, connecting the community to hope, and connecting hope to help.
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For representation in North America:
Jessica Marino, Artist Manager JAMpress Management [email protected] TEL: (484) 599.0252 www.jamdancer.com |
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PRESS:
“...a virtually seamless outpouring of movement, empathy and, surprisingly, a real beauty that immersed the audience in many ways... the serious intent...ultimately gave it a sweet clarity of purpose, something that should transfer well on tour.” --Jane Vranish, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 2018
"...The Missing Peace combines and expands on the original trio of diverse dance projects about identity, Alzheimer’s disease and suicide to create a multimedia contemporary dance work that is unified by messages of struggle, hope and resilience." --Steve Sucato, Pittsburgh City Paper Preview, 2018
"...each piece aims to raise awareness about an issue and offer hope and comfort that there are support networks, be it a relative, friend or professional help." --Sara Bauknecht, Pittsburgh Post Gazette Preview, 2018
"...The Missing Peace combines and expands on the original trio of diverse dance projects about identity, Alzheimer’s disease and suicide to create a multimedia contemporary dance work that is unified by messages of struggle, hope and resilience." --Steve Sucato, Pittsburgh City Paper Preview, 2018
"...each piece aims to raise awareness about an issue and offer hope and comfort that there are support networks, be it a relative, friend or professional help." --Sara Bauknecht, Pittsburgh Post Gazette Preview, 2018
the project
The Missing Peace is a performance event highlighting three Pittsburgh choreographers: Brady Sanders, Jamie Erin Murphy, and Shana Simmons. Each choreographer has developed an already existing short work into a twenty minute piece individually surrounding issues of Alzheimer's Disease, suicide/depression, and self-identity struggles. Through this production and incorporating outside organizations to take part in the event, we hope to bring encouragement and support to those struggling with any of these issues, spreading awareness about them, and demonstrating how powerful and necessary the arts and dance are to make an impact in our community.
The inspiration for this project came from the trio presenting these works in New York City in January 2017 as part of the Internationally renowned APAP Conference. Sanders, Murphy and Simmons feel very strongly that outreach towards these causes is necessary at this time due to the emotional dynamics in our society and the change in political power that has created uncertainty within our communities. Each piece was created by the choreographer in their own style, voice and strategies, starting with the seed idea from the previously performed work.
Organizations with involvement were The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Pittsburgh Chapter, The Alzheimer's Association, and local life coaches that support people struggling with their identities. Through volunteering with these organizations, the dance company was able to incorporate hands-on interaction and learn about the causes. This interactive process helped guide the works and shape each choreographer's perspective. Each organization was represented at the performances through their volunteers and tables and patrons were more willing to speak with them after watching the show.
This project is made possible through the Heinz Small Arts Initiative and our generous supporters.
Pre-show video:
THE CHOREOGRAPHERS
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Over the course of three years dancing together and developing their relationships, this trio of choreographers are establishing their own voices in different and unique ways. The initial works were presented by the choreographers at different times completely separate from each other.
Simmons created STOP in February 2016 in response to a friend committing suicide. After realizing how many people this affects in our world (on average there are 121 suicides per day), she feels passionately about raising awareness for this cause, speaking emotionally to those in the audience who have been affected by suicide, and creating a positive message for those struggling with depression. Sanders was inspired to create WHAT REMAINS in December 2016 by his firsthand experience with Alzheimer's Disease. Millions of people worldwide are impacted by Alzheimer's Disease and related Dementia (a new case is diagnosed every 3.2 seconds). WHAT REMAINS embodies not only Sanders' own hopes and fears for the future, but also personal experiences of caregivers and others living with the disease, told through one on one interviews directly incorporated into the work. Murphy began creating Me vs. ... (formerly Words on Lost) in 2016 after struggling to re-identify herself as an individual artist after being established in a collaborative setting. She became incredibly fascinated with how and why people deal with issues of identity and how those ideas structure not only the people we are, but the people we connect with, and even choosing the areas we live in. When one loses a sense of who they are, the journey to rediscovering self and group identity can be a psychological and physiological struggle. In the creation process, Murphy will work with multiple Pittsburgh support groups whose focus entails racial, sexual, gender and self esteem issues, depending on the cast of dancers. |
THE DANCERS:
Corey Bourbonniere, Carmella Cuomo, JoAnna Dehler, Allegra Golembiewski, Emily Jaikaran, Taylor Knight, Jamie Erin Murphy, Brady Sanders, Shana Simmons, Sara Spizzichini
Early development collaborator: Eric Lobenberg
Early development collaborator: Eric Lobenberg
VIDEO
Christopher Padgett graduated with a BFA in Film and Video from Columbia College of Chicago. Since then he has worked as a photojournalist, wedding photographer, illustrator and filmmaker. His upcoming film project is based around stories of people and their cities in process, which will be found at humancityfilms.com in the fall. He lives in Beaver, PA and loves raising his beautiful little girl, Annette. https://vimeo.com/humancity
Louis Cappa (Director, Producer, Editor) is a videographer and editor based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His work focuses on short-form documentary, promotional content, and live event performance. Currently he is a video producer at Carnegie Mellon University and moonlights as a film projectionist at the Carnegie Museum of Art. He holds a B.A. in Film Studies and English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh.
Cappa is a previous collaborator with SSD, and has documented this process beginning August 2017. Through sit-down interviews and an observational camera, Cappa has produced short videos highlighting the original seeds of The Missing Peace and where it is going. You can see Cappa's work with The Missing Peace and prior collaborations at: https://vimeo.com/louiscappa
Cappa is a previous collaborator with SSD, and has documented this process beginning August 2017. Through sit-down interviews and an observational camera, Cappa has produced short videos highlighting the original seeds of The Missing Peace and where it is going. You can see Cappa's work with The Missing Peace and prior collaborations at: https://vimeo.com/louiscappa