Velocity Dance Center

// EVENTS ARCHIVE //

2019

2018

MERCE 100

Presented as part of the Merce Cunningham Centennial

DEC 13 – 16
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

DEC 13: Merce Movie Night at Arts Love / Love City Love / 4-PM
DEC 14: Composer / Choreographer Mixer / Velocity / 6:30PM
DEC 14: Merce 100 Performance / Velocity / 7:30PM
DEC 15: Silas Riener Workshop / Velocity / 2-5PM
DEC 15: Velocity Artistic Director Plaque Unveiling + Champagne Toast / Velocity / 6:30PM
DEC 15: Merce 100 Performance / Velocity / 7:30PM
DEC 16: Merce 100 Performances / Velocity / 7:30PM

A week-long celebration of Merce Cunningham, a Washington native and one of the most important choreographersof the 20th Century. Featuring workshops, screenings, cocktail mixers, and brand new performances by some of Seattle’s brightest dance stars. 

MERCE 100 PERFORMANCES: SEATTLE ARTISTS RESPOND TO MERCE
DEC 14-16 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

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This once-in-a-lifetime performance series will run nightly at 7:30PM at Velocity as part of Merce 100. All three nights will feature performances created by: DONALD BYRD / KATE WALLICH / THOMAS HOUSE w/ KAYLA CASHETTA / CHRISTIANA AXELSEN / MAYA SONENBERG / AMY J. LAMBERT / DUSTIN + ELLA MAHLER / DANIEL ROBERTS + DR. VICTORIA WATTS / LOUIS GERVAIS with MOLLY SIDES. 

ers of the 20th Century. Featuring workshops, screenings, cocktail mixers, and brand new performances by some of Seattle’s brightest dance stars.

SILAS RIENER WORKSHOP: MERCE CUNNINGHAM CHANCE PROCEDURES
*OPEN TO ALL*

DEC 15 / 2-5PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$15 at the door / $12 Friend-MVP Member

An interdisciplinary workshop for non-dancers and dancers alike providing a first-hand experience of some of Cunningham’s pioneering approaches to art making and performance, taught by Cunningham Company Member Silas Riener.

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MOVIE NIGHT: VARIATIONS 5
DEC 13 / 4-6PM 
Love City Love  1406 E Pike Street
FREE!
MORE INFO>>

As part of Capitol Hill Art Walk, Velocity will be screening excerpts of Merce Cunningham’s Variations 5, a daring and ground-breaking multimedia piece that weaves together improvisational dance, sound, and film. Variations 5 is one of Cunningham’s most well-known projects that engaged chance and interdisciplinary collaborations in unprecedented ways. This screening will feature

CO-PRODUCTION: HYPERNOVA

NOV 8-11 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

Bitter Suites mixes fact and fantasy in a coming of age story that celebrates the nostalgia of growing up. Imaginative movement, music, text, and visual design intersect in a dreamy, pastel landscape. This bittersweet story follows five performers as they examine their own memories surrounding the inevitable transition from childhood innocence to self-aware adulthood. Iconic imagery and references from late 20th century pop culture heavily influence the costume, lighting, and set design. The original score meshes classical structure with instrumentation prevalent in the 80’s and 90’s.

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CO-PRODUCTION: BETH TERWILLEGER, the gray

OCT 19-21 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

THE MIDSUMMER is a storytelling piece based on the four lovers and puck from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The episode explores the emotional and psychological development that could have transpired had each character been left uninhibited and completely open to self-indulgence.  The main focus of the work is on the involvement of the audience in an emotional and relatable experience through the art of dance storytelling.

THE FALL KICK OFF!

SEP 28-30 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
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Re-live the best moments of 2018 and preview what’s to come in 2019. Celebrate with ACCLAIMED DANCE WORKS, MICRO-PERFORMANCES and micro-brews at the official kick-off to the Seattle Dance Season!

YC2
New Dances II

SEP 20-23 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

Featuring the dancers of YC2 in a triple bill with new works from local choreographer Kate Wallich and former Batsheva dancer Tom Weinberger as well as award winning choreographer Sidra Bell’s piece Beyond the Edge of the Frame set by Lillian Barbeito of LA-Based BODYTRAFFIC.

SPEAKEASY: Interdisciplinary Activities to Build Trust

SEP 16 / 4-6PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + Open to all

Part of the Seattle Design Festival

What are our tools for building trust across difference? We will experience collaborative activities from dance and design that help build trust among teams by activating curiosity, opening communication and fostering empathy.  Facilitated by George Zatloka. Design consultant, DesignArt and Technology Studio and Velocity’s Tonya Lockyer.

MOVIE NIGHT

AUG 27 / 10PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Free for Velocity MVPs (soon to be Friends Program), or $5-10 suggested donation.

Join us for our dance film night! Watch and discuss films while munching on popcorn and sipping on cocktails and tallboys. Then help choose the theme for next month!

Films TBD.

VDC TRANSITION FORUM, PT 1: OVERVIEW AND Q&A

AUG 29 / 5-7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + Open to all

Join us for a Q&A about our upcoming search for a new Executive Director. This will be the first in-person meeting, open to all who feel invested in Velocity’s future.

THE BRIDGE PROJECT: SUMMER 2018

AUG 23-26 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

Three of Seattle’s most promising choreographers create new works in the pressure cooker of just three weeks at Velocity’s Summer Bridge Project. The performances feature cutting-edge new work by emerging Seattle artists Angel “Moonyeka” Alviar, Timothy Johnson, and Allison Burke. The Bridge Project is Velocity’s three-week program for movement-based artists who have been making work in Seattle for three years or less.

SEATTLE FESTIVAL OF DANCE IMPROVISATION (SFDI) 2018
25TH ANNIVERSARY

JUL 29–AUG 5
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Regular Pricing: register by July 30, 12:01am

DANCE INNOVATORS PERFORMANCE
$20 full day ($15 drop-in)

“The leading convening of practitioners in dance improvisation in the United States,” SFDI is a week of master classes, discussions, performances, and other activities with international dance innovators. SFDI curators, a multiracial group gathered annually by Velocity’s director Tonya Lockyer, cultivate a diverse curriculum honoring many styles of dance improvisation with influences from pop culture, political activism, indigenous ritual, mixed abilities, gender exploration, hip-hop, butoh, and more.

STRICTLY SEATTLE PERFORMANCES

FRI JUL 27 / 8:00PM
SAT JUL 28 / 2:00PM + 8:00PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway, Seattle
$20 ($25 at door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

Super-charged new works by Heather Kravas, Jody Kuehner, Zoe Scofield, Marlo Ariz, Daniel Costa, Jaret Hughes, and Maya Soto + films from KT Niehoff’s Film Track students.

STRICTLY SEATTLE 2018

INTENSIVE: JUL 8–28
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Early Bird Pricing: register by April 21
Regular Pricing: register by July 9, 12:01am

PERFORMANCES: JUL 27–28
FRI JUL 27 / 8PM
SAT JUL 28 / 2PM + 8PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway, Seattle
$20 ($25 at door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

One of our flagship summer festivals, Strictly Seattle is complete immersion into the Seattle dance scene. Five adult programs inspire beginning-through-professional level dancers with rigorous physical and compositional training in a challenging, invigorating environment. Strictly Seattle is a supportive community of open experimentation and camaraderie where dancers form alliances for future collaborations. Participants also work with a Seattle choreographer to create a new work, culminating in a professionally produced performance. / Photo by Kelly O

STRICTLY OUTSIDE

SAT JUL 14
Freeway Park 700 Seneca St
FREE + open to all

This site-specific work—by choreographer Jody Kuehner with participants from the Strictly Seattle Professional/Advanced Session—will use Freeway Park as a stage for performance. The park is a landmark of urban landscaping created by Lawrence Halprin in collaboration with his wife, the famous international dance innovator Anna Halprin, and this work will highlight the park as a safe space; rejuvenating and reclaiming it from its history as a place that has inspired fear due to a series of physical assaults that took place there. In partnership with The Freeway Park Association, with community partner First Hill Improvement Association

SERIES: CUNNINGHAM TECHNIQUE with THOMAS HOUSE

WEDS MAY 23–JUN 27 / 6PM–7:30PM
$60 Full Series // Drop-in $12 MVP Member ($15 regular)

Immerse in the technique and educational philosophy of Merce Cunningham. Cunningham technique challenges a dancer’s ability to change direction within the body and in space. Class starts with a back warm-up and move through a series of exercises such as pliés and tendus, progressing toward large sequences that move through space. Bring your thinking caps! 

ACCESS VELOCITY: THE END AND THEN… ?

SAT JUN 23 / 7PM
$20

Jay Hamilton, generally known as a composer/musician/performer will present 7 stories 5 with movement (dance) 2 with accompanying cello solos.  Event should last a bit more than an hour.

PNW DANCE PLATFORM 
JUN 11 / 1:00PM – 5:15PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE

Inspired by the Pacific Northwest Platform presented each Winter in NYC by Velocity + OtB, American Dance Abroad hosts American Dance Recon on June 11 at Velocity, an intensive symposium that brings international programmers to U.S. cities with a strong and vibrant dance scene. Programmers engage with the local community through attendance at performances, visits to company rehearsals, focus groups and discussions, and conversations with local dance leaders.

HAPPY HOUR TOWN HALL 
JUN 11 / 5:30PM-7PM
10 Degrees 1312 E Union St
FREE

Happy Hour Gathering with presenters at 10 Degrees, hosted by Artist Trust. A group of international dance programmers will discuss their curatorial practice, their views on American dance and their experience visiting the West Coast, in a discussion moderated by American Dance Abroad.

ACCESS VELOCITY : CLEAR

JUN 8-9 / 7:30 PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 general / $15 students/seniors/working artists
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CLEAR is a real-time composition exploring the wholly uncomplicated practice of co-creation. In the urban environment life becomes increasingly complex by the day, posing new challenges and requiring complex decision at what can be an overwhelming pace. For an hour, settle with us into a state of attunement where intuition becomes reality, a wish can manifest in an instant, and all the beauty we create will arise, live, and vanish from our experience without hesitation. CLEAR is a unique opportunity to witness how very human we can be.

TOM WEINBERGER: FAMILIAR FOREIGN BODY

Presented in partnership with Velocity Dance Center and Studio Kate Wallich.

MAY 31-JUN 3 / 8 PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at the door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron
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Former Batsheva dancer and internationally acclaimed teacher and choreographer Tom Weinberger premieres his work for the first time in Seattle at Velocity Dance Center. The Isreali native now based in Seattle is joined by dance artists Lavinia Vago and David Harvey alongside SF based dancer Courtney Mazeika in this new evening-length dance work. Known for his complex musicality and striking physicality, Tom works with the most subtle nuances celebrating the body as an instrument played to its fullest expressive potential — creating a coherent world where dynamics, textures and structures are ever changing. / Photo by Calvin Chase

ACCESS VELOCITY: CONVERGE DANCE FESTIVAL 2018
Produced by Sapience Dance Collective, an organization fiscally sponsored by Shunpike / Artistic Director and Producer: Angelica DeLashmette

MAY 25–26 / 8PM (FRI MAY 25) / 5PM + 8PM (SAT MAY 26)
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 general ($15 working artist)

This annual festival serves as a resource for emerging to mid-career artists and features choreographers Abigail Zimmerman, Angelica DeLashmette, Emily Curtiss, Hope Goldman, Jordan MacIntosh-Hougham, Jordan Rohrs, Stephanie Golden Crawford, and Warren Woo.

WORKSHOP/AUDITION: CHRISTIN CALL/CORIOLIS DANCE 

SAT MAY 19 / 2PM-4:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

1:45PM – Registration
2PM-2:30PM—Embodied warm-up
2:30-4:30PM – Improvisational exercises and scores

Come experience Co-Artistic Director Christin Call’s artistic process for the creation of interdisciplinary performance work and audition for a performance opportunity through the Coriolis company. We will experiment with sensation, breath, text, and improvisational scores to develop movement-based narratives.

WORKSHOP: WHAT WILL YOUR BODY SAY WHEN IT’S FREE?
A free movement and writing workshop for free people
facilitated by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha and Neve Kamilah Mazique-Bianco and sponsored by Sins Invalid!

SAT MAY 19 / 1:30PM–5:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE but pre-registration is required because space is limited and we wish to prioritize participation of disabled/sick/neurodivergent/mad/Deaf/blind people of color.
Are you interested in being in an access and Black and brown centered space where you can create work exploring how our bodies dream freedom? In this free, disability justice informed workshop for People of Color (Black, Native, Indigenous, Brown, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Arab, North African, Mixed, Biracial, Hapa, etc), we will use movement, dance and writing exercises to create pieces naming and claiming the ways we find and make freedom.

DANIEL ROBERTS: TEMPORARY LANDSCAPES

MAY 18–20 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at the door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

A former member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Daniel Roberts and dancers bring a program to Velocity of three works that consider landscape; the dancers exemplify Roberts’ unique vocabulary, branching musicality, virtuosity, and complex spatial pathways. The program features the premiere of Night Cloud, a collaboration with mixed media artist SangjunYoo. / Photo by Liz White

MASTER CLASS SERIES: ELENA VALLS
WED MAY 16 / 6PM–7:30PM
Drop-in $15 ($12 Velocity MVP Member)

Elena’s class consists of human research. Constantly embracing and researching the human anatomy. Starting with a lubrication of the joints and mind. Constantly playing with your own creativity to expand your muscles to new limits. Re focusing your brain to connect with your whole body. This all leads to floor work phrases that brings you to endless circles and awareness of the floor and sky. Leading to cardio and contemporary across the floor to a new phrase in creating. Letting go with an open mind to leave with constant inspirations.

ACCESS VELOCITY : HOOKED UP
a cabaret about hookup culture

MAY 11-13
FRI MAY 11 – 7:30 PM / SAT MAY 12 – 7:30 + 10:00 PM / SUN MAY 13 – 7:30 PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 general / $15 reduced / $25 generous
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Comedian, Performance Artist, and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Peter Donnelly premieres ‘hooked up,’ a cabaret about his experiences in hookup culture, set against the bewildering backdrop of dating in Seattle.

TRANS + ALLY DANCE CLASS…TERRIFIED BEGINNERS WELCOME!

with transgender choreographer Sean Dorsey and dancers from their company

SAT MAY 5 / 2PM–3:30PM

Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Drop-in $15 ($12 Velocity MVP Member)

This welcoming, super-friendly dance class—led by award-winning transgender dancer/choreographer Sean Dorsey and dancers from their company—will include breathing and relaxation, simple stretches, beginner movement exercises, and space for conversation. Everyone, especially terrified beginners, is welcome. Please arrive early to register, change clothes, etc. / Photo by Kegan Marling

GUEST ARTIST SERIES: SEAN DORSEY
THE MISSING GENERATION

MAY 3–6 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at the door) / $17 Velocity + TDBC Members / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

In partnership with Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival, Velocity presents Sean Dorsey Dance’s THE MISSING GENERATION, a dance-theater work giving voice to longtime survivors of the early AIDS epidemic. It is “a love letter to a forgotten generation of survivors—those who witnessed and experienced the loss of part of an entire generation of gay and transgender people to AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s.”

DANCE YOUR STORY: MOVEMENT + SELF-EXPRESSION WORKSHOP
with transgender choreographer Sean Dorsey

WED MAY 2 / 4PM–6PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE

Always wanted to dance but didn’t feel comfortable because you are trans / transgender / nonbinary / gender fabulous / queer? This free, all-levels dance and self-expression workshop for trans/nonbinary/LGBTQ people and friends will be led by award-winning transgender dancer/choreographer Sean Dorsey. They will lead us through mindful breathing, meditation, a gentle warmup, and movement exercises, culminating with creative self-expression through movement. This workshop is especially welcoming to beginners, but open to creators of all skill levels. / Photo by Lydia Daniller

WORKSHOP: TAMALPA LIFE/ART PROCESS: THE FOREST AND THE TREES
DANCE-BASED EXPRESSIVE ARTS with Lucie Baker

SATS APR 7–28 / 2–5PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
1st class drop-in: $30 / $85 full series

This creative practice workshop series, based on the Tamalpa Life/Art Process®, fosters the development of connection, communication, and personal awareness. Inspired by the imagery of trees, we will improvise dances, create drawings, and develop creative writings that help identify ourselves within our greater ecosystems. All abilities and backgrounds welcome. No experience necessary.

ACCESS VELOCITY: FULL TILT

APR 27–28 / 7PM + 9PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$18 advance ($25 door) / $18 students/seniors / $15 working artists

Join Evoke Productions for their twelfth annual production of Full Tilt, an evening of new independent dance works. Evoke Productions produces five new works from local choreographers; Marlo Ariz (Martin), Jeremy Cline, Tyra Kopf, Melissa Sanderson, and Hayley Shannon with dancers selected from an open casting audition.

ACCESS VELOCITY: NOT A SIMULATION—A CELEBRATION OF IMPROVISATIONAL INQUIRY

SAT APR 21 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Suggested Donation: $25

This events launches the fundraising efforts for Kris Wheeler’s project: HERE // HEAR (to be performed June 22–24 at Burien Actors Theatre). Enjoy performances by Sheri Cohen, Ivory Smith (singer), Calie Swedberg, Katherine Cook and guest, Christian Swenson (Human Jazz), Vanessa DeWolf, Kris Wheeler Dance & Co (with preview of HERE //HEAR) + more

SPEAKEASY: IMPROVISATION IN DANCE, MUSIC, AND THEATRE
with Kris Wheeler, Christian Swenson, and Jim Knapp

SAT APR 21 / 6PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Kris Wheeler facilitates a discussion with guests Christian Swenson (HumanJazz, movement + theatre) and Jim Knapp (renowned musician, composer) in this rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of Seattle’s rich history of dance, music, and theater improvisation. Considerations include: How does a good improvisation differ from a good composition? What are the qualities of a good improviser? + more

WORKSHOP: RUBBERBAND METHOD

FRI APR 20 / 3PM
SAT APR 21 / 5PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$40 for both days / $25 single day drop-in

Led by dance artist, educator, and performer Lavinia Vago, this workshop outlines the methods developed by Victor Quijada. Basic principles to be addressed include: the distribution of weight outside of the plum-line axis of the upright skeletal structure; the agility in hand, elbow, and shoulder inversions; and the use of the body and all its surfaces as three-dimensional and multi-directional carving tools. Participants are introduced to a movement hybrid that is influenced by urban and contemporary dance vocabulary, while emphasizing interpretation, decision-making, use of rhythmic variations, and partnering.

VELOCITY’S ANNUAL BENEFIT BASH: BETTER TOGETHER

THU APR 12 / 6:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$75 Artists/ $150 General / $250 VIP

Join community leaders, artists, and friends who support Velocity and the Seattle dance community for our biggest benefit party of the year. We’ll be honoring Jim Kelly (Executive Director, 4Culture), celebrating his support of Velocity and 25 years of advocacy for public investment in the arts. Enjoy performances, seasonal hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, decadent desserts, and more.

AUDITION: KT NIEHOFF

THU APR 5 / 1–3PM or 6–8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

Choreographer KT Niehoff is seeking three dancers with professional ethics, quick study, movement generators, and positive studio energy for a performance on June 9. Strong Port de Bras technique and hypermobile shoulders a plus. Hover board and/or roller skating experience also a plus. Rehearsals will be held between mid-April and first week of June; exact schedule to be settled with the chosen cast. Expect weekly daytime rehearsals. This is a paid position for both rehearsals and performance. / Photo by Laurent Ziegler

SH*T GOLD: THE DEEP END

SUN APR 1 / 6–10PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

It’s a SH*T GOLD marathon! We’re opening up the floor for long-form performance events up to 20 minutes in length. Like at any SH*T GOLD, your performance may be at any point in its development and in any live medium. We encourage raw works-in-progress, presented in the spirit of experimentation and risk. Dive into The Deep End as a resource for your creative development.

GUEST ARTIST SERIES: ANNA MARTINE WHITEHEAD
Notes on Territory

SAT MAR 31 / 4PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$10

What are the architectural linkages between cathedrals, prisons, castles, and public housing, and how do brown, black, and feminized bodies find freedom within them? This performance talk is equal parts intimate performance lecture and conversation. Anna Martine Whitehead’s Notes on Territory is a multimedia movement project in the guise of a lecture on the history of containment architecture. / Photo by Ryan Bach

MADE IN SEATTLE: KIM LUSK
A Dance for Dark Horses
World Premiere

MAR 8–11 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at the door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

The first evening-length work by this fast-rising choreographer, A Dance for Dark Horses is packed with Lusk’s signature “gut-busting parody”, dry humor, and physical virtuosity.  With an original score inspired by 90s pop beats, Lusk promises to tell stories about failure, success, and the power of group magic. / Photo by Ryan Hume

THE BRIDGE PROJECT: WINTER 2018

JAN 25–28 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at the door) / $17 MVP Member / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

The Bridge Project is Velocity’s four-week program for movement-based artists who have been making work in Seattle for three years or less. The performances feature cutting-edge new work by emerging Seattle artists Hope Goldman, Leslie Kraus, Michael “Majinn” O’Neal, and Jordan MacIntosh-Hougham. / Photo by Tim Summers

PACIFIC NORTHWEST PLATFORM AT APAP

JANUARY 13, 2018 / 1PM
JANUARY 14, 2018 / 11AM
Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center 280 Broadway (Enter at 53A Chambers) New York, NY 10003
RSVPs appreciated.

PNW Platform 2018, curated by the artistic directors of Velocity (Tonya Lockyer) and On the Boards (Betsey Brock), is a showcase of some of the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer. This year’s artists include: Kate Wallich + The YC; Jody Kuehner; Alice Gosti; zoe | juniper; Dayna Hanson; Dani Tirrell; Kim Lusk; Mark Haim; Peggy Piacenza; and Ezra Dickinson.

2017

AUDITION: BRIDGE PROJECT

SAT DEC 16, 2017 / 5:30PM-8PM (Check-in at 5PM)
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

Velocity is seeking dancers for its Winter 2018 Bridge Project program. The Bridge Project is Velocity’s four-week program for movement-based artists new to making work in Seattle, or who have been making work in Seattle for three years or less. Dancers must be available for the following dates: January 1-19, 2018 for rehearsals; January 22-25, 2018 for tech week; and January 25-28, 2018 for the performances at Velocity. / Photo by Tim Summers

DANCER AUDITION: YC2

FRI DEC 15 / 2:30PM-5:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

Kate Wallich and the YC invite dancers of all gender identities and body types to audition for YC2, founded by Kate Wallich in January 2017 in partnership with Velocity Dance Center. YC2 is a platform for dancers to exercise artistic agency while receiving consistent training, rehearsal and performance opportunities, and is currently the company in residency at Velocity.

NEXT DANCE CINEMA

DEC 4 / 7PM + 8:30PM
Velocity at Northwest Film Forum 1515 12th Ave
$10 (one screening) / $15 (both screenings)

Next Dance Cinema features the best in local + international dance on screen. One night only, two unique screenings. Featuring films from Daniel Costa, Christin Call, KT Niehoff, Syniva Whitney, and more.

NEXT FEST NW: DISRUPTION

DEC 1-3 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at the door) / $17 MVP / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

Next Fest NW celebrates what’s happening at the pushing edge of contemporary dance + dance cinema, curated by Syniva Whitney, Babette DeLafayette, Kim Lusk, and Tonya Lockyer. New works by Seattle-based innovators Michael “Majinn” O’Neal Jr. and Angel “Moonyeka” Alviar, Taryn McGovern, Sarah Hogland, Alicia Mullikin, Alisa Popova, Sean Rosado, and Seth Sexton will be presented.

GUEST ARTIST SERIES: JOANNA KOTZE (NYC) / KIM LUSK (Seattle)
It Happened It Had Happened It Is Happening It Will Happen by Joanna Kotze in a special split-bill with Seattle’s Kim Lusk

NOV 3-5 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 ($25 at the door) / $17 MVP / $15 under 25 (w/ ID) / $50 Patron

Award-winning New York choreographer Joanna Kotze will be joined in this special split-bill Guest Artist Series performance with rising choreographer and local favorite Kim Lusk.

MASTER CLASS SERIES: JOANNA KOTZE + NETTA YERUSHALMY

SAT NOV 4
12:15PM-1:45PM Technique Laboratory with Joanna Kotze
2PM-4PM Creative Process with Netta Yerushalmy
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Drop-in: $25 (both classes) / $15/$12 MVP (per class)

Join Joanna Kotze for a contemporary technique master class in which she will delve into the body’s architecture and teach repertory movement from her piece It Happened It Had Happened It Is Happening It Will Happen. Netta Yerushalmy, who performs with Kotze in It Happened… will also lead a creative process workshop based on her work as a choreographer and performer.

SPEAKEASY SERIES: DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE

SUN NOV 5 / 5PM-6:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

This conversation will illuminate how we as humans are constantly affected by the surroundings we pass through and by the architecture we build, and how this relates to choreographer Joanna Kotze’s process and performance. / With: Joanna Kotze, Kim Lusk, and architect Ben Maestas

ACCESS VELOCITY: EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL 
IVAN ARTEAGA’S CMD (COMPUTERS, MUSIC, DANCE)

FRI OCT 27 / 8PM
SAT OCT 28 / 8PM

Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$18 adult / $16 Earshot members and seniors / $10 students and military

CMD—a collaboration between saxophonist Ivan Arteaga, digital artist Marcin Pączkowski, and Seattle choreographer Allison Burke—explores movement and sound through the use of live music and artists wearing accelerometer sensors. With Greg Sinibaldi (sax), Ray Larsen (trumpet), Carmen Rothwell (bass), Katie Jacobson (vocals), Chris Icasiano (drums), and dancers Khadijah Lindo and Fenja Abrams.

MASTER CLASS SERIES: CUNNINGHAM TECHNIQUE™

FRI OCT 13, 2017 / 4PM-6PM
SAT OCT 14, 2017 / 4PM-6PM
SUN OCT 15, 2017 / 5PM-7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$30 Full Series // Drop-in $15/$12 MVP

Immerse yourself in the technique and educational philosophy of Merce Cunningham—a driving force in modern dance for more than 50 years. Starting in Seattle, Cunningham changed the field of dance internationally.

WORKSHOP SERIES / AUDITION: AJnC Dance-Theater


SUN OCT 8, 2017 / 6:30PM-9PM

Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Drop-in $20 / $17 MVP

Led by director/choreographer Amy J Lambert, this workshop will feature an introduction to the company’s rehearsal and choreographic process, style of technique, and tools to develop personality and theatricality in performance. The workshop will serve as an audition for AJnC Dance-Theater’s next evening-length work, Young Manic.

GUEST ARTIST SERIES: BECCA BLACKWELL
They, Themself and Schmerm

SEPT 22 + 23, 2017 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

Part classic standup comedy special, part teen zine vomit confessional, They, Themself and Schmerm is Becca’s disturbingly hilarious personal tale of being adopted into a Midwestern religious family, trained to be a girl, molested, and plagued by the question, “How do I become a man and do I even want that?” You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll question what bathroom to use.

THE FALL KICK-OFF 2017
Dance-a-thon

SEPT 15, 2017 / 7:30PM
Century Ballroom

Seattle Dance Showcases
SEPT 16-17, 2017 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

Celebrate the kick-off to the Seattle Dance Season. Each night some of Seattle’s most gifted and charismatic artists come together to celebrate the talent and innovation of the PNW contemporary dance scene.

SPEAKEASY SERIES: DANCER COFFEE TALK

SEPT 10 + 13, 2017 / 11:30AM-12:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

As part of our commitment as artists supporting local artist, Velocity invites you to two lunch-time conversations Sept 10 + 13 focused on professional development topics. Velocity staff and established artists share tips on better grant-writing and dancer resources. Part of our annual Fall Kick-Off.

Writing Stronger Applications for Grants + Festivals
SUN SEPT 10, 2017 / 11:30AM-12:15PM / Velocity

Join Tonya and Erin (Velocity Programs) for an open discussion. In this session we will workshop the application process, and how to communicate effectively about your work to funding and producing organizations. Bring your questions and your Next Fest NW application / work-sample for tips before the deadline on Sept 18. We’ll provide coffee and bagels.

Dancer Resources
WED SEPT 13, 2017 / 11:30-12:15PM / Velocity

Learn about resources available to you for funding, low-income housing and health care, reduced-fare Orca Cards and more. Please bring ideas and resources to share. We’ll provide coffee and bagels.

THE SUMMER BRIDGE PROJECT 2017

AUG 25-27, 2017 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

Three of Seattle’s most promising choreographers create three new works in the pressure cooker of just three weeks at Velocity’s Summer Bridge Project — turning Velocity into an intense hive of urgency, excitement and dedication. Cutting edge new work by emerging Seattle artists Cameo Lethem, Anna Krupp, and Ethan Rome.

ACCESS VELOCITY: AFTERDANCE

SUN AUG 6, 2017 / 7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

A one-night-only show at the conclusion of SFDI, Afterdance is an evening of works-in-development wrought in the forge of off-hours rehearsals and dance all-nighters. Afterdance embodies the poetry of exquisite sensitivity, offers a singular glimpse into the future of performance improvisation, and will propel the unfurling of SEA/BUS’s new work into two evening-length events set to premier in Columbus, OH in October of 2017, in Seattle 2018, and beyond.

SFDI: PARTICIPANT PERFORMANCE
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

SAT AUG 5, 2017 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Performances by SFDI participants.

SFDI: UNDERSCORE
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

FRI AUG 4, 2017 / 7:30PM-11PM
Century Ballroom 915 E Pine St
FREE + open to all

A long-form open improvisation structure for practicing and examining dance improvisation. If you’re never attended an Underscore, be sure to attend the talk with Katherine Cook at Velocity on Thursday from 5:30PM-6:30PM.

SFDI PERFORMANCE: HISTORY OF CONTACT IMPROVISATION THROUGH THE BODY
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

THURS AUG 3, 2017 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

A lecture demonstration and conversation facilitated by SFDI 2017 faculty.

SFDI: DANCE INNOVATORS IN PERFORMANCE
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

THURS AUG 3, 2017 / 12PM-6:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Erickson Theater 1524 Harvard Ave
$20 full day advance / $10 per performance at the door / FREE for SFDI participants

Part of the 23rd Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation, Dance Innovators in Performance is a day of research in performance and conversations featuring a critical mass of exciting artists who have been dancing everywhere but in the mainstream.

SFDI: CONVERSATION:LIGHTNING TALKS + ROUND-TABLE
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

WED AUG 2, 2017 / 6-8:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

In this popular evening of performance, presentations, and community dialogue, SFDI intensive faculty share what’s currently driving their research and practice.

STRICTLY SEATTLE PERFORMANCES 2017

JULY 28, 2017 / 8PM
JULY 29, 2017 / 2PM + 8PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway
$20 / $25 at the door / $18 Under 25 w/ ID / $17 MVP / $50 Patron

Super-charged new works by Alice Gosti, Kate Wallich, Mark Haim, Stephanie Liapis, Maya Soto, Jaret Hughes, and films from KT Niehoff’s Film Track students.

STRICTLY SEATTLE PARTICIPANT SHOWING

JULY 22, 2017 / 7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Strictly Seattle 2017 participants share work + works in progress in this informal showing.

SH*T GOLD: THE DEEP END

JULY 16, 2017 / 6PM-10PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

The annual marathon of our celebrated open-mic performance night. Raw works-in-progress in the spirit of experimentation and risk.

INVISIBLE WOMXN

JULY 16, 2017 / 11AM-2PM
FREE + open to all

Strictly Seattle links arms with womxn + equity advocates to celebrate the histories of womxn on Capitol Hill. Invisible Womxn is a three-hour outdoor event co-created by local womxn’s groups and community leaders, musicians, poets, dancers, directed by Alice Gosti.

KATE WALLICH + THE YC AND MADBOOTS DANCE
World premiere

JUNE 29, 30 + JULY 2, 2017 / 8PM
JULY 1, 2017 / 7:30PM + 10PM

Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 / $25 at the door / $18 Under 25 w/ ID / $17 MVP / $50 Patron

Kate Wallich + The YC and MADBOOTS DANCE join forces in SPLIT BILL, a raw premiere of two new works co-presented with Velocity Dance Center. SPLIT BILL is the beginning of a cross-country dialogue between the two companies, offering audiences in Seattle, New York and beyond a rare opportunity to engage with the works in a liminal state.

VELOCITY + NWFF MOVIE NIGHT: OSCILLATE

JUNE 23, 2017 / 7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + Open to all

Join us for the premiere of Oscillate, created by June Zandona + Daniel Costa through Northwest Film Forum + Velocity Dance Center‘s V2 Dance Film Residency last winter. Then stick around for a second film TBD—vote by tally in Velocity’s lobby!

We’ll pull out the cushions, fire up the popcorn-makers, and watch these full-length works from celebrated local and international choreographers right here on the Founders big screen.

The Dance Film Challenge and V2 Film Residency is a partnership between Northwest Film Forum and Velocity Dance Center, in collaboration with V2, an initiative of the Capitol Hill Art District managed by Velocity Dance Center.

2016

NANCY STARK SMITH GLIMPSE 3 PERFORMANCE INSTALLATIONS

DEC 16 + 17, 2016 / 5PM-7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$15 / $12 MVP

Step into a living world—somewhere between a 3D moving art installation, a visit to the zoo, and your living room. An international group of dancers (and one musician) share the results of their research into the potentials of the Underscore through a live improvised composition.

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NEXT FEST NW 2016: pastFORWARD

DEC 9-11, 2016 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

$20 / $25 at the door / $18 Under 25 w/ ID / $17 MVP / $50 Patron

Next Fest NW celebrates what’s happening at the pushing edge of contemporary dance + dance cinema. New work by Seattle-based innovators: Ethan Folk + Ty Wardwell, Syniva Whitney (Gender Tender), Quinn Hallenbeck, Sabina Moe, Alisa Popova, and Hayley Shannon.

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LAST DANCE V2 FAREWELL PERFORMANCE PARTY

DEC 10, 2016 / 9:30PM
Velocity: V2 1525 11th Ave
$5 minimum donation at the door
All proceeds help keep community art space on the Hill

The Seattle Dance Community says good-bye to V2 with a special one-night-only performance party. Dance will take over the ground floor of V2. Join the send-off.

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NEXT DANCE CINEMA 2016

DEC 5, 2016 / 7PM + 8:30PM
Northwest Film Forum 1515 12th Ave
$10 (one screening) / $15 (both screenings)

Next Dance Cinema features the best in local + international dance on screen. One night only, two unique screenings. Presented by Velocity in partnership with Northwest Film Forum.

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ACCESS VELOCITY: CORNISH COLLEGE OF THE ARTS DANCE DEPT PRESENTS NEW MOVES CONCERT

DEC 2, 2016 / 8PM
DEC 3 / 3PM + 8PM

Featuring choreography and performances by students. Proceeds from this event provide core funding to Cornish student scholarships which means that your ticket purchase today directly benefits the arts education of our Cornish.

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ACCESS VELOCITY: ALANA O ROGERS DANCE CO PRESENTS INTO ICE

NOV 11-12 + 18-19, 2016 / 8PM

Into Ice explores an icy landscape and its snow-laden inhabitants in three parts: Into Ice, Kingdom, and Home. The dance promises a sensory feast of ice and light, illuminating the Arctic through stories of adventure and survival, coldness, and the desire for home and hearth.

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A LIFE IN DANCE: RESOURCES FOR THOSE ON STAGE AT EVERY STAGE

Hosted by Velocity, Spectrum Dance Theater, +The Actors Fund, in partnership with the American Guild of Musical Artists.

MON NOV 7, 2016 / 5PM-6PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all with RSVP

 A dancers’ resource session for professional dancers, dance artists, college students, pre-professional dancers, those considering or experiencing career transition, and anyone interested in learning about what The Actors Fund offers. Come learn how the Actors Fund serves the dance community. They will answer questions and want to hear from dance artists to learn what they need, and the specific challenges of being a dancer in Seattle.

Mary Sheldon Scott, surrounded by a selection of her paintings, shares some of the ideas driving her new choreographic work, The SOLO(s) Project, in a group dialogue reflecting on the work’s Nov 3-6 premiere. Drop-by, bring your questions, stay for the conversation. Refreshments provided.

BEBE MILLER COMPANY OPEN REHEARSAL

WED AUG 10, 2016 / 6PM-8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Bebe Miller Company’s latest project, Dances from The Making Room, will be in residence at Velocity this August. “We’re looking at the syntax of movement (think David Foster Wallace) and how we absorb meaning (think Toni Morrison and Gertrude Stein).” Join SFDI faculty Bebe Miller and Darrell Jones and dancer Trébien Pollard for an open rehearsal, sprinkled with some talking and a bit of audience back-and-forth.

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THE PLEASURE PROJECT / luciana achugar
A public intervention
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) / presented at Seattle Art Fair

FRI AUG 5, 2016 / 10AM-11AM
Occidental Square 117 S Washington St
FREE + open to all

2016 SFDI faculty member + choreographer luciana achugar will lead an intensive work period in Seattle, based on the research of The Pleasure Project, with a group of local and international dance artists. Velocity will host achugar in residence as part of SFDI, which will culminate in a durational public performance on Friday morning of Seattle Art Fair in Occidental Park. This project is curated by Velocity Artistic Director Tonya Lockyer.

DUET PIECE OF STRING / BEBE MILLER + DARRELL JONES
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) / presented at Seattle Art Fair

FRI AUG 5, 2016 / 4PM
Union Station 401 S Jackson St
FREE + open to all

In the Union Station site—activated everyday by commuters and tourists visiting from around the globe, moving through its transit hub—2016 SFDI faculty Bebe Miller + Darrell Jones’ performance will highlight how choreography is everywhere, always in everything. Through their deeply physical approach to improvised movement, they will brings awareness to the body of the viewer in the context of the art fair, revealing how we don’t just see art, we feel it and gain knowledge and experience through motion. This project is curated by Velocity Artistic Director Tonya Lockyer.

SFDI 2016: DANCE INNOVATORS IN PERFORMANCE
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

THURS AUG 4, 2016 / 8PM
Erickson Theatre Off Broadway 1524 Harvard Ave
$12 / $15 at the door (FREE WITH SFDI PASS)

A critical mass of exciting artists who have been dancing everywhere but in the mainstream. Featuring inter/national SFDI 2016 faculty.

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BODIES OF WATER

JULY 16, 2016 / 5PM-10PM
Seattle Waterfront Park 1401 Alaskan Way
FREE + open to all

Friends of Waterfront Seattle presents Bodies of Water, a site-specific performance by Alice Gosti, produced by Velocity Dance Center. A five-hour durational performance spectacle celebrating Seattle and the complex relationship the city has with its waters.

 

 

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SH*T GOLD: The Deep End

SUN JULY 17, 2016 / 4PM-10PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

It’s a SH*T GOLD marathon! We’re opening up the floor for long-form performance events up to 20 minutes in length.

MOVIE NIGHT: WILLIAM FORSYTHE + MEG STUART/PHILIPP GEHMACHER

THURS JUN 30, 2016 / 7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Join us for an informal screening of William Forsythe’s I don’t believe in outer space (2008) and Meg Stuart & Philipp Gehmacher’s Maybe Forever (2008). We’ll pull out the cushions, fire up the popcorn-makers and watch full-length works from celebrated international choreographers right here on the NEW Founders Big Screen. This evening focuses on American artists making work in Europe and pushing boundaries in dance theatre. Movie Nights are curated by Tonya Lockyer and Petra Zanki.

A Party to celebrate Black LBGTQI communities and families in a safe and supportive environment. Pop up performances, Dj sets by Riz Rollins and Stas the Boss, youth activities, and dancing.

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ACCESS VELOCITY: THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE PROJECT PRESENTS THE WAY WEST!

SAT JAN 23, 2016 / 8PM

 

 

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A PACIFIC NORTHWEST PERFORMANCE PLATFORM

JAN 15, 2016 / 2:30PM-3:30PM
JAN 17, 2016 / 4:30PM-5:30PM
Gibney Dance Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center | Studio H
280 Broadway (Enter at 53A Chambers) | New York, NY 10003

For the first time, Velocity, On the Boards, + SQUID MGMT join together to bring a united voice of Seattle/Portland dance to NYC during APAP | NYC 2016. Bringing quintessential voices of our vibrant PNW dance scene to New York including: zoe | juniper, Jody Kuehner aka Cherdonna Shinatra, KT Niehoff, Amy O’Neal, Kate Wallich, Allie Hankins, Ezra Dickinson + Markeith Wiley.

2015

NEXT FEST NW 2015: UTOPIA
DEC 11-13, 2015 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

$20 / $25 at the door / $15 Students + Seniors / $17 MVP / $50 Patron

Next Fest NW, celebrates what’s happening at the pushing edge of contemporary dance + dance cinema. Featuring new work by Laura Aschoff, Elby Brosch, Daniel Costa, Randy Ford, Imana Gunawan, and Julia Sloane + JuJu Kusanagi.

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MADE IN SEATTLE: ANNA CONNER + CO / BABETTE DELAFAYETTE + JOHN MARC POWELL

OCT 9-11, 2015 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 / $25 at the door / $15 Students + Seniors / $17 MVP / $50 Patron

Anna Conner + CO and Babette DeLafayette + John Marc Powell present a series of events + a weekend of live performances investigating themes of separation and connection in our digitally-enhanced world.

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: EVERYTHING IS MATERIAL: AN INSIDER LOOK AT EUROPEAN DANCE TODAY
Hosted by Erica Badgeley

OCT 9, 2015 / 12PM-1:30PM
Velocity  1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Erica Badgeley has spent the last year creating and performing work by up-and-coming choreographers in Europe, a generation birthed from companies and schools like Rosas, Sasha Waltz, Akram Kahn, P.A.R.T.S., SNDO and SEAD. Erica will share her unique view of current European Dance Trends: the history the choreographers bring from their experience as dancers, combined with the new ways they choose to evolve that history.

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THE FALL KICK-OFF / PNW DANCE PLATFORM + BIG BANG!
SEPT 24-27, 2015

PNW DANCE PLATFORM
SEPT 24-26, 2015 / 7PM

BIG BANG!
SEPT 27, 2015 / 6-10PM

Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 / $25 at the door / $15 student + senior / $17 MVP / $10 BIG BANG!
All Access Pass $50

Celebrate the kick-off to the Seattle dance season. Each night some of Seattle’s most gifted and charismatic artists come together to celebrate the talent and innovation of the PNW contemporary dance scene.

From Thursday through Saturday, relive the best performance moments of 2015 + preview what’s to come in 2016 in the PNW Dance Platform! Back by popular demand, Sunday’s BIG BANG! has Velocity bursting at the seams with an explosive party of  performance happenings – dance, theater, sound, new media, installations + more! Each night is a one-of-a-kind showcase. A benefit for Velocity’s 2015-2016 programming. This year, Velocity is also delighted to partner with CD FORUM.

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: DANCER’S SURVIVAL FAIR

SUN SEPT 20 / 5:30-8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Professional development sessions designed specifically for dancers covering a variety of topics including budgeting, marketing, goal-setting + touring, followed by a networking happy hour.

 

 

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: ART IN PRISONS

SUN SEPT 13, 2015 / 5PM-7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Hosted by Leigh Sugar with Pat Graney, Lillian Hewko, Eli Hastings, Aaron Counts, + Daemond Arrindell. The arts have a transformative impact on people who are incarcerated in America, and the artists who work with them. This Speakeasy focuses on cultural workers creating and collaborating inside of America’s prisons and juvenile detention centers. / (Artwork by Guillermo Willie)

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MaximumVELOCITY at BUMBERSHOOT

SEPT 5 + 6, 2015 / 7:30PM-8:30PM
Seattle Center Pavilion 305 Harrison Street

A showcase offering a vibrant snapshot of the nationally celebrated Seattle dance scene. Performances by Kate Wallich, Kim Lusk, Dani Tirrell with original music by Jaymz Nylon, and Anna Conner + Co + new music by Bret Gardin of Newaxeyes.

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GUEST ARTIST SERIES: PEGGY PIACENZA
Touch Me Here
Encore Performance

SEPT 3 + 4, 2015 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$18 / $20 at door / $12 students + seniors / $15 MVP

An evening length solo performance created and performed by Seattle-based choreographer Peggy Piacenza, with an original live score performed by cellist Scott Bell.

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SUNDAY SUNSET CONCERT WITH ERIN JORGENSEN

AUG 23, 2015 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
Suggested Donation $5

Musician Erin Jorgensen plays a series of intimate concerts in Velocity’s Kawasaki Studio as the sun sets and the week ends.

 

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UNDERSCORE TALK WITH KATHERINE COOK

FRI JULY 31, 2015 / 5:30PM-6:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave

If you’ve never attended an Underscore, be sure to attend this talk with Katherine Cook in the Founders Studio beforehand!

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SFDI: UNDERSCORE
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation(SFDI)

FRI JULY 31, 2015 / 7:30PM-11PM
Century Ballroom 915 E Pine St
$5

A long-form open improvisation structure for practicing and examining dance improvisation. If you’ve never attended an Underscore before, be sure to attend the talk with Katherine Cook beforehand in Founders Studio, 5:30PM-6:30PM.

 

 

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SFDI: JENNIFER MONSON: DANCING THE SYSTEMS + SCORES OF LOCAL URBAN ECOLOGIES
Public Participation + Observation
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

SAT AUG 1, 2015 / 9AM-11AM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Experience Jennifer Monson’s process by participating in the last day of this site-specific intensive. Monson brings her award-winning methodology to investigate the rapidly changing urban ecology of Capitol Hill.

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: HISTORY OF CONTACT IMPROVISATION THROUGH THE BODY

THURS JULY 30, 2015 / 1:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

A lecture demonstration and conversation facilitated by Karen Nelson with Andrew de Lotbinère Harwood, Ronja Ver, and Katherine Cook.

 

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SFDI: DANCE INNOVATORS IN PERFORMANCE
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)

THURS JULY 30, 2015 / 8PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway
$12 / $15 at the door (free with SFDI pass)

A critical mass of exciting artists who have been dancing everywhere but in the mainstream. Featuring inter/national SFDI 2015 faculty.

 

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: LIGHTNING TALKS

WED JULY 29, 2015 / 6PM-8:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

In this popular evening of performance, presentations, and community dialogue, Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI) intensive faculty share what’s currently driving their research and practice.

 

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SFDI: NIGHT WALK WITH JENNIFER MONSON

TUES JULY 28, 2015 / 9PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Experience alternative ways of orienting our sense of place. This work builds concentration, resilience and adaptability and understands the dancing body as a highly specialized perceptual apparatus. From this, experimental choreographic possibilities emerge and persist.

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STRICTLY SEATTLE PERFORMANCES 2015

JULY 24, 2015 / 8PM
JULY 25, 2015 / 2PM + 8PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway
$18 / $12 students + seniors / $15 MVP

Super-charged new works by Zoe Scofield, Pat Graney, Kate Wallich, Anna Conner, Shannon Stewart, Kaitlin McCarthy + Bryon Carr created during the three-week Strictly Seattle Summer Dance Intensive + New shorts from KT Niehoff’s Dance Film Track.

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SH*T GOLD: THE DEEP END

SUN JULY 12, 2015 / 4PM-10PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

It’s a SH*T GOLD marathon! We’re opening up the floor for long-form performance events up to 30 minutes in length.

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GUEST ARTIST SERIES: DANIELLE AGAMI / ATE9 + A NEW WORK BY MATT DREWS

mouth to mouth
Plus The Weltgeist, a new work by Matt Drews (Seattle)
JUNE 19-21 / 7:00PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
$18 / $20 at the door / $12 student + senior / $15 MVP / $50 Patron

Velocity brings Danielle Agami / Ate9’s triumphant return to Seattle, and two compelling new works by Agami and Seattle dance superstar Matt Drews.

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SPEAKEASY SERIES:THE BLINDNESS THAT OCCURS WHEN I’M NO LONGER ABLE TO SEE WHAT I’M CREATING

SAT JUNE 6, 2015 / 1PM-3PM
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, Movement Studio 4408 Delridge Way SW, 98106
FREE + open to all

Hosts: Dayna Hanson, Heather Kravas, Peggy Piacenza

New projects by Dayna Hanson and Peggy Piacenza are a springboard for conversation about blindness, clarity, and perception in the choreographer’s creative process. The audience will have unique opportunities to engage with each artist’s work and to join the conversation. This Speakeasy is made possible in partnership with the Youngstown Space Program.

 

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: ARTISTS RAISING KIDS

SUN MAY 10, 2015 / 6:30PM-8:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Join us on Mother’s Day to celebrate artists raising kids. Meet other working artist parents, share challenges and inspiration.  All families and kids welcome. Hosted by Maya Soto, Karin Stevens + Laura Rodriguez.

 

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GiveBIG TO VELOCITY!

MAY 5, 2015 / 12:00AM-11:59PM

The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG is a one-day, online charitable giving event to inspire people to give generously to nonprofit organizations who make our region a stronger, more vibrant community for all. This year’s GiveBIG will take place on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 and it’s going to be a true “Day of Champions.” Be a #DanceChampion + #GiveBIG to Velocity!

 

 

 

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AUDIENCE LAB WITH ALICE GOSTI

MAY 3, 2015 / 5PM-7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Audience labs demystify Velocity performances with equal emphasis on presentation, participation, and social connection. Gosti shares video clips of artists who inspired her immersive performance practice, including Britain’s DV8 Physical Theater and Flemish legend Jan Fabre; takes participants through an experience of the ideas driving her new work, How to become a partisan; followed by a group dialogue reflecting on the April 25 premiere.

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MADE IN SEATTLE: ALICE GOSTI
WORLD PREMIERE
How to become a partisan

APRIL 25, 2015 / 4PM-9PM
Velocity at Saint Mark’s Cathedral 1245 10th Ave E
$18 / $20 at the door / $12 student + senior / $15 MVP / $50 Patron

3:30PM-4PM / Community Procession beginning at Velocity
4PM-9PM / Performance at Saint Mark’s Cathedral

This five-hour, come-and-go, immersive performance by choreographer, Alice Gosti, in collaboration with Hanna Benn, is commissioned, developed and produced through Velocity’s Made in Seattle new dance development program.

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GUEST ARTIST SERIES: MONICA BILL BARNES & COMPANY
Happy Hour
Preview Performance

APR 16, 2015 / 7:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$18 / $20 at the door / $12 student + senior / $15 MVP

Happy Hour mixes dance, theater, and one card trick all set to a sound score of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Journey, and Nat King Cole. Come after work, first drink’s on us.

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INFORMATION SESSION: NATIONAL DANCE PROJECT (NDP)

APR 19, 2015 / 3PM-4:30PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Are you a dancer, choreographer, producer, or presenter in the Seattle area? Learn more about the National Dance Project (NDP) + how it supports you and nonprofit organizations in the creation and touring of contemporary dance. Join NDP staff + artist grantees for a free, informal info session on NDP grants!

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COMMUNITY GATHERING
How to become a partisan

APR 19, 2015 / 5PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Want to participate in the community procession on April 25 that sets off How to become a partisan? You’re invited into the process as Gosti talks about the work, sharing an open dialogue focused on key themes including self-organization, the spiritual/political body, and collective resistance.

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: STORIES OF COLLECTIVE RESISTANCE

APR 19 / 6PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Join us and share your perspective in this intergenerational community conversation on how we move towards action.

 

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: DELFOS DANZA CONTEMPORANEA DANCE COMPANY

APR 8, 2015 / 12PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Join this conversation with the co-director of DELFOS DANZA CONTEMPORANEA, Claudia Lavista, and Seattle dance icon PAT GRANEY. Lavista and Graney will discuss contemporary dance in Mexico/Seattle; + how they, and other artists, are impacted by what is happening their countries artistically, politically, + economically.

DELFOS DANZA CONTEMPORANEA was founded in 1992 by Mexican choreographers/dancers Claudia Lavista and Victor Manuel Ruiz in Mexico City. In 1996, they moved to Mazatlán, México with the vision of creating dynamic new works as well as developing a professional training program for contemporary dancers. The company is a unique collective of artists whose creative vision is characterized by fluid physicality and poetic narratives.

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VELOCITY’S SPRING FETE

THUR MAR 12, 2015
5:30PM VIP Reception / 6:30PM doors
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$250 VIP / $150

A benefit to celebrate Velocity as a visionary national beacon for dance.

 

 

 

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GUEST ARTIST SERIES: THE DANCE CARTEL
Velocity + The Dance Cartel present ONTHEFLOOR featuring special guest appearances by Reggie Watts, Amy O’Neal, Hypernova, Georgia Sanford + DJ WD4D

MAR 6 + 7, 2015 / 8:30PM doors
MAR 8, 2015 / 7:30PM doors
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$20 / $25 at the door / $15 student + senior / $17 MVP

The critically-acclaimed DANCE CARTEL makes its West Coast premiere of immersive dance experience ONTHEFLOOR, with a starry roster of special guests at Velocity Dance Center.

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: A CONVERSATION WITH BANDALOOP

FEB 26, 2015 / 7PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Join a performance/conversation with the artists of Bandaloop, a pioneer in vertical dance performance whose work has been presented in theaters and museums, on skyscrapers, bridges, billboards and historical sites, in atriums and convention halls, in nature on cliffs, and on screen. Join Rachael Lincoln (Assistant Artistic Director, Dancer) and dancers Melecio Estrella + Roel Seeber, hosted by Velocity’s Artistic Director, Tonya Lockyer.

This Speakeasy Series is presented through The Velocity Sessions, a partnership with UW World Series.

 

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THE BRIDGE PROJECT

JAN 30–FEB 1, 2015 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$18 / $12 student + senior / $15 MVP / $50 Patron

Post-show conversation with the artists after the Friday and Saturday performance.

Featuring new works by Adriana Hernandez, Coleman Pester, Hannah Simmons, and Dylan Ward. The Bridge Project is Velocity’s new works series that challenges four of Seattle’s most promising emerging choreographers to create four new works in the pressure cooker of four weeks.

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SPEAKEASY SERIES: PARTICIPATE IN PROCESS

SAT JAN 24, 2015 / 6PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to all

Bridge Project 2015 artists present what is fueling their current work and creative process in a series of lightning talks followed by an open community conversation.

 

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MARK HAIM + JESSE ZARITT INFORMAL PERFORMANCE

JAN 10, 2015 / 6PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
$8

New solos and duets created + performed by Mark Haim + Jesse Zaritt. See the new work developed in their Velocity workshop + residency!

 

2014

 

NEXT FEST NW 2014: NEW WEST
DEC 12 + 13 + 14 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS $18 / $12 student + senior / $15 MVP

Velocity’s annual December festival, Next Fest NW celebrates what’s happening at the pushing edge of contemporary dance and dance cinema. For NEW WEST, artists from across the PNW respond to the vibrant culture of the evolving 21st century American West. New works by Ariana Bird, Anna Conner, Luke Gutgsell, Carl Lawrence, Kim Lusk, Alexandra Maricich + Mariah Martens and Colleen McNeary.

 

NEXT DANCE CINEMA
DEC 8 + 9 / 7PM + DEC 13 / 11AM + 2PM
Northwest Film Forum 1515 12th Ave
TICKETS $11 / $8 student + senior / $6 NWFF members + MVP

Next Dance Cinema features the best in local and international dance on screen. This popular local film festival, founded in 2006 by Velocity to feature local dance filmmakers, expands this year to include three days of dance films and to feature some of the best in new dance cinema from around the globe.

Presented by Velocity in partnership with Northwest Film Forum.

OPEN FOR(U)M: TERE O’CONNOR
IRRECONCILIBILITY
NOV 16-23
A partnership between Velocity and On the Boards

November 16: O’Connor Workshop Making Dances, Velocity, 12pm-4pm
November 17: O’Connor Happy Hour Book Club, Hosted by Velocity at OtB, 6:30pm
November 20 – 21: performance of BLEED, OtB, 8pm
November 22: reading, Claudia Larocco, The Best Most Useless Dress, OtB, 6pm
November 22: performance of poem and Secret Mary, OtB, 8pm
November 23: performance of Sister followed by O’Connor Community Forum, Velocity, 5:30pm

SISTER followed by O’Connor Community Forum
Velocity Founders Theater / 1621 12^th Ave
NOV 23 / 5:30PM
TICKETS $12 / $9 MVP

Performed by fearless and unparalleled NYC dancers (David Thomson and Cynthia Oliver), Sister weaves various dance vocabularies into an intimate, complex, yet often playful tapestry, creating an unexpected universe.

MADE IN SEATTLE:
JODY KUEHNER AKA CHERDONNA SHINATRA
World Premiere THE CHERDONNA SHOW: WORTH MY SALT
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
OCT 17-19 + OCT 24-26, 2014 / 8PM
ADDED PERFORMANCE DUE TO DEMAND: OCTOBER 24TH @ 10PM!
Post Show Conversation + Cocktails / OCT 18 + 25 with Seattle celebs

TICKETS $20 / $25 at the door / $15 student + senior / $17 MVP

This fall, Jody Kuehner aka Cherdonna Shinatra, an icon in the LGBTQ, burlesque and drag communities, premieres her first evening-length solo show/art project, Worth my Salt — a one-of-a-kind dance spectacular commissioned, produced and presented by Velocity’s Made In Seattle dance development program. More info >>

SPEAKEASY SERIES: THE ART OF POLITICS AND THE POLITICS OF QUEER PART II
OCT 5 / 6PM
Velocity Dance Center / 1621 12th Ave
FREE and open to all

Jody Kuehner AKA Cherdonna Shinatra and celebrated designer Mark Mitchell share their work, discussing the queer politics of art-making. The audience is invited into the conversation over canapés and cocktails.

GUEST ARTIST SERIES: TAHNI HOLT (PDX)
World PremiereDUET LOVE
SEPT 4 / 7PM + SEPT 5-6 / 10PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS $20 / $25 at the door / $15 student + senior / $17 MVP

Celebrated Portland choreographer Tahni Holt and a stellar Pacific Northwest artistic team draw from iconic photographs of famous couples as a driving force to disrupt and question how gendered bodies are portrayed in performance. More info>>>

SPECIAL AUDIENCE LAB – TAHNI HOLT Duet Love
SEPT 4 / 5:30-8:30PM
LAB $30 / $25 MVP / Includes ticket to THUR performance

Audience Labs aim to demystify dance through an equal emphasis on conversation, presentation, participation and social interaction. Facilitated by Velocity Artistic Director Tonya Lockyer, this audience lab focuses on Tahni Holt’s Duet Love. The Audience Lab includes a ticket to the performance, refreshments and a post-show conversation with the artist.

THE FALL KICK-OFF 2014
SEATTLE DANCE SHOWCASES
SEPT 5-7, 2014
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS $20 / $25 at the door / $15 student + senior / $17 MVP / $50 All Access Pass

The official kick-off to the Seattle dance season, the 12th annual Fall Kick-Off celebrates the talent and imagination of the PNW’s contemporary dance scene. Re-live the best performance moments of 2014 and preview what’s to come in 2015. The all-star line up features Markeith Wiley, zoe|juniper, Kate Wallich + The YC, Heather Kravas, ilvs strauss, Alice Gosti, Cherdonna Shinatra, Anna Conner + Co, The Pendleton House, Coriolis Dance, Dayna Hanson, Jim Kent + Dylan Ward, Gender Tender, Mark Haim + more!A benefit for Velocity’s 2014-2015 programming. More info

CREATIVE RESIDENT PROGRAM:
ELIA MRAK: THE SAMURAI PROJECT SHOWING
AUGUST 22 / 8PM + 10PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS / $12 / $9 MVP

In their three-city tour connecting Buenos Aires, Seattle and Mexico City, Velocity SCUBA 2014 Artist Elia Mrak, Viko Hernandez (Mexico) and Martin Piliponsky (Argentina) debut their own powerful trio and create a new work on three Seattle dancers. More info>>>

DANCE INNOVATORS IN PERFORMANCE
Part of the Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)
JULY 31 / 8PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway
TICKETS $12

A critical mass of exciting artists who have been dancing everywhere but in the mainstream. More info >>

 

 

THE GATHERING
AUG 2 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS $18 / $12 students + seniors / $15 MVP

Internationally celebrated dance artists and improvisers, Michael Schumacher, Kirstie Simson, Darrell Jones, Mark Haim, and musician Thomas Schumacher come together for The Gathering, a powerful evening of virtuosic improvisation in Velocity’s Founders Theater.

 

STRICTLY SEATTLE PERFORMANCES 2014
JULY 25 / 8PM
JULY 26 / 2PM + 8PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway
TICKETS $18 / $12 students + seniors / $15 MVP

STRICTLY SEATTLE SPECIAL TICKET!
PATRON TICKET $50
JULY 25 Patron ticket holders are invited to a sparkling, pre-show party at 6:30PM. Nibble on delicious macaroons, sip champagne, and get to know Strictly Seattle dancers, choreographers, and faculty!

Super-charged new works by zoe | juniper, Pat Graney, Bennyroyce Royon, Jody Kuehner, Shannon Stewart, Rosa Vissers + Bryon Carr created during the three-week Strictly Seattle Summer Dance Intensive + New shorts from KT Niehoff’s Dance Film Track. More info >>

GUEST ARTIST SERIES:
SARA SHELTON MANN (SF)
THE EYE OF LEO SHOWING
MAY 25 / 7PM WITH POST-SHOWING CONVERSATION
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS $12 / $9 MVP

 

Legendary San Francisco iconoclast choreographer Sara Shelton Mann crafts solos for three of Seattle’s most provocative dance artists — Alia Swersky, Alice Gosti + Beth Graczyk. More info>>

 

 

SCUBA 2014
APR 25-27 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12^th Ave
TICKETS $18 / $20 at the door / $12 students + seniors / $15 MVP

“A kind of Whitney Biennial of dance, this mobile showcase taps the country’s best emerging talent . . . and sends them on the road.” — Minnesota Monthly

A weekend of critically acclaimed performances by four nationally emerging talents in contemporary dance. Featuring a new work by Seattle’s Elia Mrak + Erica Badgeley, with Seattle premieres by Nichole Canuso Dance Company (Philadelphia), NAKA Dance Theater (San Francisco) and SuperGroup (Minneapolis). More info >>

ARTISTS AS ACTIVISTS: SCUBA SPEAKEASY LIGHTING TALKS 
THURS APR 24 / 7PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
FREE

SCUBA artists NAKA Dance Theater, Elia Mrak + Erica Badgeley, Nichole Canuso, and SuperGroup present what is fuelling their current work and creative process in a series of lightning talks followed by an open community conversation. More info >>

VELOCITY’S ANNUAL BASH:
MADE IN SEATTLE
THURSDAY APRIL 10
5:30PM VIP RECEPTION / 6:30PM DOORS OPEN
AXIS Pioneer Square 308 1st Avenue South
TICKETS $250 VIP / $120

Delicious Seasonal Dinner ♥ Dessert by The Kingfish Cafe ♥ Craft Cocktails ♥ Open Bar

GUESTS OF HONOR | Mark Haim + The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation

Velocity celebrates Seattle as a radiator of risk + innovation in an evening to support our groundbreaking work and Made in Seattle new dance development artists. Join us for performances by celebrated Made in Seattle artists Amy O’Neal, Ezra Dickinson, Kate Wallich + Matt Drews and Jody Kuehner (Cherdonna Shinatra), live and silent auctions and a raucous raise the paddle — followed by a DJ’d dance party. More info >>

SPEAKEASY SERIES EVENT:
DANCE ARTIST K.J. HOLMES + POET JULIE CARR IN PERFORMANCE
Co-presented with 10 degrees, Studio Current + On the Boards
MAR 1 / 5:30PM
10 degrees 1312 E Union St 
Suggested donation $5

An evening of viewing videos of collaborations between poets + dancers from the late 1970s to now (including Steve Paxton + Lisa Nelson, Margaret Jenkins, Contraband, Ralph Lemon + others) followed by an excerpt of K.J. Holmes’ new piece with Julie Carr, Q+A and conversation. More info >>

MADE IN SEATTLE:
Kate Wallich + The YC with Andrew Bartee
World premiere: Super Eagle
FEB 13-16 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS $20 / $25 at the door / $15 students + seniors / $17 MVP

Seattle choreographer Kate Wallich/The YC and Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer/choreographer Andrew Bartee join forces to collaborate and create their first evening length work Super Eagle with Wallich’s company The YC, premiering as part of Velocity’s Made in Seattle dance development program. More info >>

SPEAKEASY SERIES:
SUPER EAGLE: THE GUTS + GLORY OF COLLABORATION
SUN FEB 9 / 7PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
Pay-what-you-can

Join us for a screening of the film Super Eagle: The Overture, a visual prelude to the world premiere of Kate Wallich + The YC with Andrew Bartee’sSuper Eagle February 13-16, followed by a conversation demystifying the art of collaboration and the challenges of translation. The YC’s stellar company shares their process from conception to co-creation. More info >>

THE BRIDGE PROJECT 2014
JAN 31 – FEB 2 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12^th Ave
TICKETS $18 / $20 at the door / $12 students + seniors / $15 MVP

Featuring new work by Shannon Stewart, Babette McGeady, Anna Conner and Colleen McNeary. The Bridge Project is Velocity’s new works series that challenges 4 of Seattle’s most promising emerging choreographers to create 4 new works in the pressure cooker of just 3 weeks. More info >>

SPEAKEASY SERIES:
CONFLUENCE + REBELLION WITH TORBEN ULRICH, BETH BRACZYK + ANGELINA BALDOZ
THURS JAN 16 / 7PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
FREE + open to the public

Join us for an experiential evening with renowned director Torben Ulrich, dancer Beth Graczyk and musician Angelina Baldoz as they share elements of their project Cacophony for 8 Players, and generate discussion around the nature of influence, inspiration and collaboration. More info >>

 

2013 events

 

NEXT FEST NW 2013 + NEXT DANCE CINEMA
DEC 9-15

NEXT FEST NW PERFORMANCES // DEC 13-15 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS $18 / $12 students + seniors / MVP $15

NEXT DANCE CINEMA // DEC 9-10 / 7PM
Northwest Film Forum 1515 12th Ave
TICKETS $11 / $8 student + senior / $6 NWFF member + MVP
Tickets available through Northwest Film Forum

Next Fest NW is Velocity’s new works series celebrating what’s happening in contemporary dance, movement-based performance and dance cinema in the Northwest. Next Dance Cinema features the best in local and international dance on screen. This popular local film festival, founded in 2006 by Velocity to feature local dance filmmakers, expands this year to include two nights and to feature some of the best in new dance cinema from around the globe. Presented by Velocity in partnership with Northwest Film Forum. More info >>

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT…
With choreographer/filmmaker Dayna Hanson (2013 A.I.R.)
NOV 10 / 6:30-9:30PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
FREE

Artists and attendees engage in constructive dialogue facilitated by choreographer/filmmaker Dayna Hanson (Velocity 2013 A.I.R.) with hosts Zoe Scofield (zoe | juniper) + Tonya Lockyer.More info >>

 

DANCE LECTURE SERIES
Contemporary Dance in Africa: A Public Conversation with Gregory Maqoma

OCT 22 / 11:30AM – 12:30PM 
Velocity Dance Center 1621 12th Ave

FREE

Join Gregory Maqoma for a public conversation with Velocity Executive/Artistic Director Tonya Lockyer directly after his Master Class. Maqoma will talk about his work and dance history, the electrifying creative fomentation happening in African dance today, and the complexities of a contemporary ‘African identity’. More info >>

 

SPEAKEASY SERIES:
BOOM POW! COMICS, GENDER + MOVEMENT
Velocity Speakeasy Panel + Conversation
OCT 10 / 6:30PM
Velocity 1621 12^th Ave
FREE

A panel talk + community conversation exploring gender stereotypes and the body. From small press zines through mainstream comic superheroes, dance performance and “nerdlesque”, hear from some of the most engaged local artists + publishers on the topic. Come share your view on how these perceptions of embodiment influence pop culture — or is it the other way around?

Panelists: Charles “Zan” Christensen, Jennifer K. Stuller, Jo Jo Stiletto, Maya Soto, Kelly Froh + Eroyn Franklin. More info >>

An Arts Crush Featured Event. Curated by Melinda Fox (geek/activist/nonprofit strategist).

SPEAKEASY SERIES:
THE ENGENDERING PROJECT: EVER BETWEENING
OCT 6 / 5-6:30PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12^th Avenue
FREE

Join director/performer Joan Laage (Kogut Butoh), collaborators Kaoru Okumura and Jackie An, with artists Douglas Ridings, Tanja Woloshen and Velocity co-founder Michele Miller in a roundtable discussion focused on gender fluidity and transformation in the creative arts. More info >>

 

THE FALL KICK-OFF + BIG BANG! PERFORMANCE PARTY
SEPT 26-29

BIG BANG! // SEPT 26 / 7:30-11:30PM
SEATTLE DANCE SHOWCASES // SEPT 27 + 28 + 29 / 8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
TICKETS BIG BANG! $10-$500 / Showcases $20 or $50

Celebrate the kick-off to the Seattle Dance Season. The annual Fall Kick-Off is one of Velocity’s most high-energy weekends of dance. Each night brings Seattle’s gifted and charismatic artists together to benefit Velocity and celebrate the talent and imagination of Seattle’s dance scene.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday Seattle Dance Showcases re-live the best performance moments of the last season and preview what’s to come. Thursday’s BIG BANG! has Velocity bursting at the seams with live music, dance, film and spectacle 7:30 – 11:30PM. Each night is one-of-a-kind and not to be missed. A benefit for Velocity’s 2014 Programming. More info >>

VELOCITY OPEN FORUM: THE GOOD LIFE
SEPT 5-14, 2013
All events free unless otherwise noted.

A week of multidisciplinary art, book clubs, workshops, Speakeasy Events and conversations takes place alongside Guest Artist Daniel Linehan’s performances Not About Everything + The Karaoke Dialogues: Seattle Trial with a focus on what it means to take an ethical approach to life and art. Velocity Open Forums invite one-and-all into open, free-wheeling conversations on issues in contemporary art and society. More info >>

 

GUEST ARTIST SERIES:
DANIEL LINEHAN (WA/Belgium)
Not About Everything + The Karaoke Dialogues: Seattle Trial
PERFORMANCES: SEPT 12-14 / 8PM
OPEN FORUM SEPT 5-14
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12^th Avenue
TICKETS $18 / $12 students + seniors / MVP $15

Velocity presents a homecoming for Washington State native and emerging international superstar, Daniel Linehan. Linehan performs his critically acclaimed Not About Everything and leads a 6-day Residency with a cast of Seattle guest artists to create the latest installment of The Karaoke Dialogues. More info >>

DANCE INNOVATORS IN PERFORMANCE
Part of the 20th Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation (SFDI)
AUG 1 / 8PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway
TICKETS $12 general
POST-SHOW TALK / 10PM  Velocity

A critical mass of exciting artists who have been dancing everywhere but in the mainstream. Performances by John Jasperse, Sara Shelton Mann, Chris Aiken, Jill Sigman, Louis Gervais, Salt Horse, Karen Nelson + more! More info >>

STRICTLY SEATTLE PERFORMANCES 2013
JULY 26 / 8PM
JULY 27 / 2PM + 8PM
Broadway Performance Hall 1625 Broadway
TICKETS $18 general / $12 students + seniors / $15 MVP

Super-charged new works by zoe | juniper +  KT Niehoff + Marlo Martin + Mark Haim + Ellie Sandstrom + Ricki Mason created during the three-week Strictly Seattle Summer Dance Intensive. More info >>

 

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT. . .
STRICTLY SEATTLE EDITION WITH PAT GRANEY
July 21 / 6:30-9:30PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave
FREE

In this special Strictly Seattle edition of WWT@WWT@, Strictly Seattle students and attendees engage in constructive dialogue facilitated by Seattle dance legend Pat Graney and hosts Zoe Scofield (zoe | juniper) + Velocity. Created in collaboration with Velocity 2013 A.I.R. zoe | juniper.More info >>

CREATIVE RESIDENT: ZOE | JUNIPER
No one to witness and adjust #4
Open Performance Research + Process
MAY 23-24 / 12-9PM
Velocity Steward Studio 1621 12th Ave
Post-show Q+A with Jeremy M. Barker (NYC)
FREE

Audiences watch zoe | juniper’s research process from the unique perspective of the floor, lying down for an intimate 30 minute experience, surrounded by movement and video. Part of an ongoing series of chamber studies reframing the development process of zoe | juniper’s BeginAgain, commissioned by On the Boards. More info >>

MADE IN SEATTLE: EZRA DICKINSON
Mother for you I made this
MAY 6-19 / 7pm Daily
Various Downtown Locations
TICKETS $18 / $12 students + seniors

Part performance and part activism, Ezra Dickinson‘s Mother for you I made this is aimed at activating a conversation about the failed mental health care system in America through memories of Dickinson’s childhood as he lived with and unknowingly cared for his schizophrenic mother. More info >>

SEATTLE YOUTH DANCE COLLECTIVE (SYDC) SHOWING
MAY 11 / 4PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12^th Ave
Suggested Donation $5

Check out new choreographic and collaborative works created by the young members of Seattle Youth Dance Collective with mentorship by SYDC faculty Amy O’Neal and Maya Soto, and guest mentors Tonya Lockyer and KT Niehoff.
More info >>

SCUBA 2013
APR 26-28 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12^th Ave
TICKETS $18 / $15 MVP / $12 students + seniors

“A kind of Whitney Biennial of dance, this mobile showcase taps the country’s best emerging talent . . . and sends them on the road.” – Minnesota Monthly

A weekend of critically acclaimed performances by three nationally emerging talents in contemporary dance including a world premiere by Maureen Whiting, Seattle’s own Shannon Stewart and Philadelphia’s Green Chair Dance Group. More info >>

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT. . . WITH MANDY GREER
APR 14 / 6:30-9:30PM
Velocity Founders Studio 1621 12th Ave
FREE

Artists and attendees will engage in constructive dialogue moderated by multidisciplinary artist Mandy Greer, Zoe Scofield of zoe|juniper and Velocity’s Artistic Director Tonya Lockyer. Created in collaboration with 2012 Artist-in-Residence zoe|juniper. More info >>

 

LIFE+ART: LIVING WITH THE MENTALLY ILL
SPEAKEASY CONVERSATION WITH EZRA DICKINSON
APR 14 / 2PM
Velocity Steward Studio 1621 12^th Ave
FREE

Ezra Dickinson shares his experience creating solos as gifts for his schizophrenic mother and invites an open community conversation about mental health care and how it impacts our families and society. In conjunction with his upcoming Velocity Made in Seattle premiere Mother for you I made this. More info >>

THE RITE OF SPRING: VELOCITY’S ANNUAL BASH
Avant-garde Glamour | Dinner + Apéritifs | Performance
FRIDAY APR 5 / 6:30PM
415 Westlake 415 Westlake Ave N

Velocity’s annual fundraising event to benefit Seattle’s epicenter of contemporary dance. This year’s theme is an elegant and immersive evening celebrating the revolutionary spirit of experimentation and collaboration of the Ballets Russes (1909-1929) and the Centennial of Nijinsky’s “crime against grace” Le Sacre du Printemps (1913). More info >>

GUEST ARTIST SERIES:
JEREMY WADE (BERLIN/NYC)
Fountain
FEB 15 + 16 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12th Ave on Capitol Hill

In his solo Fountain, Bessie Award-winning Jeremy Wade assumes the role of preacher, shaman, and fool, by offering himself as a medium to receive and transform the energy of the theater space taking the audience on an emotional and alchemical journey. Wade’s choreographic technique is a unique encounter of aesthetic, sociological, and neurological dimensions. More info >>

THE BRIDGE PROJECT 2013
FEB 1-3 / 8PM
Velocity Founders Theater 1621 12^th Ave

New works by Amy Johnson, Britt Karhoff, Chris McCallister and Elia Mrak

The Bridge Project is Velocity’s new works series that challenges 4 of Seattle’s most promising emerging choreographers to create 4 new works in the pressure cooker of just 3 weeks. More info >>

 

SERVICE + PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
PLANT YOUR ROOTS: ARTISTS’ FIRST-TIME HOME BUYING

JAN 10 / 6-8PM
Velocity 1621 12th Ave
REGISTER $8 for Artist Trust Members / $10 for non-Artist Trust Members

Dream about owning your own home someday? It might be easier than you think. Presenters Wendy Ceccherelli (Arthaven), Randy Engstrom (Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs), Garbo Grossman (Homestead Community Land Trust) + Michelle Taul (Directors Mortgage) will walk you through working with a real estate broker, finding property, credit, and alternative means of borrowing money. Presented in partnership with Artist Trust.