French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) in NYC and Les Subsistances in Lyon, France have co-commissioned Big Dance Theater to create an original work that will have its American premiere at FIAF's Crossing the Line Festival in the fall of 2009. The company will create the work in a month-long residency at Les Subsistances in Lyon during the Summer 0f 2008, and will present the new work there in April 2009.

Big Dance Theater's new work entitled, COMME TOUJOURS HERE I STAND will re-invent Agnes Varda's classic New Wave film, CLEO FROM 5 TO 7, for the stage. Shot in Paris in 1961 during the last years of the Algerian War, the film tracks, in real time, 2 hours in the life of a marginally talented pop singer as she waits to hear if she has terminal cancer. Treating its subject matter with subtlety and humor, Varda's film
creates an intimate portrait of a woman and a society shadowed by death while caught up in the breezy pleasures of the day - shopping, visiting, strolling.

BDT will team up with video artist Jeff Larson to make Cleo's activities come alive via the intersection of three rolling walls and decidedly low-budget video, fracturing space to capture the flexible quality of film. As the seconds tick by on an ever-present clock, BDT’s innovative use of dance as staging will collide the fear of death, the minutiae of everyday life, and the beauty of a city. The work will feature co-direction by Annie-B Parson & Paul Lazar, choreography by Annie-B Parson, and original songs by Robyn Hitchcock.

In addition to the performances at FIAF NYC and Les Subsistance in Lyon, engagements include performances at the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe (Fall 2009), the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (2010). Advanced previews can be seen in New York at The New Museum in January 2009 during the annual APAP conference.

The creative team is anchored by veteran company members Molly Hickok and Tymberly Canale, BDT associates, Chris Giarmo and Kourtney Rutherford (performers) and special guest performer Ryutaro Mishima. The design team consists of BDT's long-time collaborators, Jane Shaw (sound), Claudia Stephens (costumes), Joanne Howard (set design).

Direction and Choreography
Annie-B Parson

Co-Direction
Paul Lazar

Original Songs
Robyn Hitchcock

Sound
Jane Shaw

Set
Joanne Howard

Costumes
Claudia Stephens

Video
Jeff Larson

Executive Project Producer
Barbara Hogue

Performers

Tymberly Canale, Chris Giarmo, Molly Hickok, Kourtney Rutherford and Ryutaro Mishima.

For more information please contact:
Barbara Hogue, ARTwork
barbara@artworkprojects.com
T: + 1 215 501 7878

Big Dance Theater is currently seeking
additional commissioning partners and
scheduling touring engagements for the
2009/ 2010 season.

Click here to view and download the project description.

Click here to download Big Dance Theater's full press kit.