Artist Statement
When Theodore Bale recently wrote in Dance Magazine that "the performers are like a thicket of trees subsisting on the same soil, light, and water, but each expressing its response to those elements with irrefutable distinction", it echoed a much older quote from Tobi Tobias in the Village Voice when she stated that "Latsky personifies that state every dancer aspires to-in which intent and execution are one."
Both quotes reflect my mission to make work that honors and underscores the beauty and the complex phenomenon of difference with virtuosity, passion, intensity and a range of dynamics; my fascination with different body types and distinctive ways of moving; my system of "movement portraits" that captures each performer at a given moment of time and expresses through dance their personality, emotions, etc… i.e. mining the unique attributes of each performer.
From my work with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, through my partnership with Lawrence Goldhuber (who is much heavier than a typical dancer) and my work for twenty years coaching actors in movement, there has been this common thread of creating work with unexpected bodies.
GIMP, my latest project, takes my interest to an even more significant level. GIMP features four trained dancers and four performers who have physical disabilities. The show is accompanied by a new and evolving outreach program. It is providing a strong focus for the company and myself that is vital. It is also providing a strong impetus to create a sustainable infrastructure. This body of work has been developing over the past two years and will continue to evolve over the next 5-10 years.
Organizational Mission
HEIDI LATSKY DANCE (HLD) is a dance company that supports the educational, artistic, and outreach projects of Heidi Latsky.
The mission is to bring contemporary dance to a broad audience in a visceral and emotional way with performers whose unique attributes, physical and otherwise, are honored and utilized in highly dynamic, virtuosic and provocative ways; and to expose people to alternative ways of looking at their lives through community programs that emphasize discourse, experiential risk-taking and body work.
Organizational Vision
HLD envisions a society where:
- all bodies are recognized as viable, fascinating and expressive instruments;
- difference is upheld, not feared;
- increased understanding and communication take the place of isolation, alienation and lack of contact;
- people learn to "live in" their own skin and do not detach from their bodies because of external and internally assimilated judgments and conventional standards;
- one is encouraged to "own" one's body, value it and use it to be expressive and truthful in ways that are empowering, enriching and unique;
- a strong work ethic is valued and implemented;
- and a high standard of excellence is not only desired but is achieved through sustained work and focus.
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For Booking and more information Ivan SygodaDirector of Pentacle (DanceWorks, Inc.) |