SHANA SIMMONS DANCE
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REGISTER FOR TICKETS HERE

THE VIRTUAL DANCE EXCHANGE PROJECT
​(VDEP)
​Instagram: @vdeppgh

The Virtual Dance Exchange Project (VDEP) is a collective of artists that come together through Shana Simmons Dance with XRconnectED using innovative ways of using technology to create new art. In conjunction with new productions, VDEP also hosts public dialogues.  VDEP helps facilitate rotating movement artists to produce work through a variety of technology mediums while addressing social topics relevant to dance.

For Year One, the collective is aiming to help encourage a wider perspective of what professional dance looks like and centering talks around racial equity in the Pittsburgh dance community. The original Virtual Dance Exchange Project collective involved SSD, XRC, Chrisala Brown(CB), and Bianca Johnson & Dancers(BJD) to create three new works in 2021 (photo to the right) and filmed in 360-degree technology by Jaehee Cho. This collective is also producing a public online speaker series generating conversation about race and dance, education and dance post-pandemic, and the intersection of technology and the arts through the lens of accessibility.
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VDEP will continue an ongoing exchange to bring external unique dance companies to work with Pittsburgh dancers. VDEP also facilitates educational opportunities for dancers and performing artists to help boost knowledge of the advances of technology and how this can intersect with the arts.
​

This project is made possible by New Sun Rising and the Arts. Equity. Reimagined. Fund.

Special thanks: 
Mill 19 & RIDC of Southwestern PA
Center for Civic Arts

The Borough of Wilkinsburg
DONATE TO THIS PROJECT
FAQ'S

PRESS:

PROMO VIDEO:

LINK TO DANCE CURRENTS REVIEW
LINK TO CONFLUENCE NPR RADIO INTERVIEW
Radio interview begins at timestamp 13:10
LINK TO BROADWAY WORLD ARTICLE
LINK TO PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE ARTICLE

EVENTS:

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ONLINE PERFORMANCE: FEATURING WORKS BY SHANA SIMMONS DANCE, CHRISALA BROWN, AND BIANCA JOHNSON + DANCERS

Tickets on sale:
September 24-November 20

Access anytime online after ticket registration through December 1

Experience new works by Shana Simmons, Chrisala Brown, and Bianca Johnson. Each piece was filmed in a different location in Pittsburgh that speaks to renewal, renovation, and honoring the past. Each work was filmed with 360-degree technology to create a immersive experience for the viewer.

For the true immersive experience (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) purchase your own VDEP cardboard headset to use with your phone and be able to move your head around as the performances unfold.


No headset? No problem! You will be able to use your phone, tablet or computer to manually scroll the scene. You can also hold your phone up and physically move it around to see the entire environment.

Tickets:
Online Experience (no headset): Pay-What-You-Will, suggested $15/person
​1 Headset Virtual Experience: $25 donation, VDEP cardboard headset shipped directly to you to use with your phone
2 Headsets Virtual Experience: $40 donation, VDEP cardboard headsets shipped directly to you to use with your phone

​Ticket sales end November 20, but you can access the performances through December 1!

REGISTER FOR ONLINE PERFORMANCE AND VDEP SYMPOSIUM HERE

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THE VDEP SYMPOSIUM: a series of dialogues between leaders in the arts, technology, and education
The Virtual Dance Exchange Project Talks Tech, Creativity, Equity, and Sustainability
This series is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
​
Dates:
Tuesdays- October 5, October 26, November 16, 7pm





Full List Of Panelists: Celeste Smith (Pgh Foundation), Randal Miller (Pgh Cultural Trust/Dance Council), Audrey Russo (Pgh Tech Council), Erin Perry (Legacy Arts, Pgh), Max Dennison(Digital Equity & Inclusion Manager, City of Pgh), Aileen Barry(National Dance Institute, NYC), Kendra Dennard/Vie Boheme(Former August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble, multi-media artist, Texas), Jaehee Cho(Orta Interactive, Pgh), Lauren Ruffin (Crux/Fractured Atlas, NYC), Kate Fisher (Safety Third Productions, LA), Lee Erdman (Immersive Experience Expert and Film, VR/XR Theatre Professional, Canada)

Tuesday, October 5, 7pm
Small Arts Futures in "Roboburgh" and Beyond
Speakers:
 Celeste Smith, Randal Miller, Erin Perry, Audrey Russo
With a growing tech company community here in Pittsburgh, how can these companies help expand the thriving arts community?
Talk #1 will focus on prominent arts and tech leaders in Pittsburgh discussing Pittsburgh's development, how arts and diverse culture helps makes cities thrive, and how tech companies play a role in this development. What does it take to build an artistic organization? Comparing other cities to Pittsburgh, what are we missing? What helps encourage a city's overall reputation and how can we elevate Pittsburgh?

VIDEO RECORDING OF DIALOGUE #1
Tuesday, October 26, 7pm
Equity and Cultural Diversity in Dance Education
Speakers: Max Dennison, Aileen Barry, Kendra Dennard/Vie Boheme

How does educational development (in all stages of life) and exposure to the arts and technology play a role in our development as humans and societies? How does black arts education and accessibility affect the Cultural Institutions in Pittsburgh? How does educational institutions in other cities compare to Pittsburgh's and what are our needs? We will hear from working professionals that have danced in Pittsburgh and other places, educational leaders in Pittsburgh's community, and hear from NYC arts leader Aileen Barry to compare strengths and weaknesses.
VIDEO RECORDING OF DIALOGUE #2
Tuesday, November 16, 7pm
Tech Strategies for Small Performing Arts Companies: What Is Possible Now?
Speakers: Lee Erdman, Jaehee Cho, Lauren Ruffin, Kate Fisher

What is currently being done in VR and the arts? How does filming in 360-degrees differ from live performance? Is racial equity an issue in both the tech world and the arts world?
​Talk #3 will broaden awareness of how tech has influenced the dance scene up until this point, what can one expect when working with film and new technologies and discuss possible futures for arts performance and technology.
READ MORE ABOUT DIALOGUE 3

MILL 19: BIANCA JOHNSON + DANCERS 

WILKINSBURG MURAL: CHRISALA BROWN

CENTER FOR CIVIC ARTS: SHANA SIMMONS DANCE

YEAR ONE:

Shana Simmons Dance (SSD) in collaboration with Chrisala Brown, XRconnectED (Karen Alexander) and Bianca Johnson & Dancers (BJ&D), is proud to announce a $100,000 award from the Arts | Equity | Reimagined Fund for The Virtual Dance Exchange Project (VDEP), a collective designed to explore race and age diversity in dance, the impact of COVID-19 on the dance world, and differences between dance community structures in New York City and Pittsburgh. 
​
VDEP will develop original choreography filmed in 360-degree video format putting the viewer at the center of the performance, giving them agency to look around at the environment at will, creating a completely immersive dance experience filmed by Jaehee Cho. This virtual performance will premiere online in the Fall of 2021 along with a series of educational online group discussions addressing systemic racism and how it continues to sustain inequities in the arts community.

CONTACT US & JOIN THE SSD FAMILY!


Telephone

412-303-6406

Email

[email protected]
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  • Welcome
  • Upcoming
    • Spring MISHMOSH
  • About SSD
    • OUR PEOPLE
    • DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
    • PRESS >
      • VIDEO
      • IMAGES
    • Contact
    • JOB OPPORTUNITIES
  • Pittsburgh International Dance Film Festival
    • PIDFF FAQ
    • PRESS ABOUT CONSTRUCTED SIGHT
    • OPENING NIGHT PROGRAM
  • PROJECTS
    • Bonfire Triptych Program
    • IN/BEtween >
      • IN/BEtween Program
    • LIVING LANDSCAPES
    • VIRTUAL DANCE EXCHANGE PROJECT >
      • VDEP Symposium: Dialogue 1, Oct 5
      • VDEP SYMPOSIUM: DIALOGUE 2, OCT 26
      • VDEP SYMPOSIUM: DIALOGUE 3, NOV 16
      • FAQ'S
    • ELEVATE: a triple bill of female choreographers
    • THE MISSING PEACE (2018) >
      • THE MISSING PEACE BLOG
      • The HOPE Series
    • OBJECTIVE I (2015)
    • PASSENGER (2014)
    • RELATIVE POSITIONS (2012)
    • COLLABORATIONS
    • CHOREOGRAPHY >
      • RED ROVER, RED ROVER
      • GROUNDED IN THE SOIL
      • OF ELEPHANTS AND ASSES
      • DANCING SOLO
      • QUIRKE
      • BITS... PIECES...
      • RESONANT PASSINGS
      • TEA PARTY
      • A-PART
      • WHAT IS YOUR...?
      • CRUNCH
  • DONATE
  • TEACHING
    • Creative Performance Workshop
  • FUTURE BUILDING
  • Community
    • NACHMO FAQ