Barnstorm showcases the vibrancy of dance in Houston and provides audiences with an exciting sampling of dance genres. The festival includes three unique programs, including 19 live performance works and 9 dance films by dancemakers from our city, region, and across the country. Highlighting the emerging and established dancemakers working in a wide range of styles and featuring both newcomers and audience favorites, each program will be presented twice during the festival. This year’s Barnstorm programs were curated by Lavanya Rajagopalan, Armando Silva, and Jennifer Sommers.

Schedule:

Tuesday, June 6 

10-11:30am: Movement, Memory, Migration: A Cultural Dance Experience – Led by Stacey Allen

Rising Stars Academy

Gathering cultural knowledge from a multitude of experiences such as technique classes rooted in Afro-Modern dance, praise dance traditions across the Diaspora, and somatic practices, Movement, Memory, Migration will pull from our archival memories in our bodies and create new memories. This class will flow seamlessly from breathing techniques to jubilant ring shout choreography. Keeping the traditions of Alvin Ailey’s mantra that dance should be delivered back to the people, this class is open to ALL.

Program A - Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston

7:30 PM

Jennifer Salter
John Beasant III
Justin Curry
Kaylah Alexander
Keeley Dunnam
Mark Freeman
Matty Owens
Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective
Terrill D. Mitchell
Uwazi Zamani

Wednesday, June 7

10-11:30am: Contemporary Technique – Led by John Beasant III

Hunter Dance Center

This contemporary dance class will begin with a quick warmup to jump-start the mind and body. Exercises then help facilitate a more expansive approach to moving through space, involving sequences that focus on the articulation of the spine, building strength through the core and legs, culminating into phrase-work that unearths empowerment and joy with one’s dancing. (Intermediate/Advanced)

Program B - Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston

7:30 PM followed by Artist Talk
Aileen Li
Anna Bauer & Jairus Carr
Helanius J. Wilkins
Jessie Ferguson
Katie Nicole Harmon
LaKesha Sowell
Loren Holmes
Stacey Allen
Travis Lake

Thursday, June 8 

10-11:30am: Mommy & Me  – Led by Loren Holmes

Institute for Contemporary Dance

This Mommy and Me workshop, presented my Dance Source Houston AIR Loren Holmes, is open to all mothers and their children. We begin the time together by sharing our thoughts on motherhood and our young ones. That will be followed by a movement class format that will include a warm up, impromptu exercises and choreography. The goal of this workshop is to introduce moms to each other, have a good time with our young ones and just be present in the space, together.

Framework: A Contemporary Technique Practice – Led by Helanius J. Wilkins

Program C - Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston
7:30 PM followed by Artist Talk

Chathuri Nirosha
Jen Passios & Jacob Regan
Jennifer Akalina Petuch and Annali Rose
Jennifer Scully-Thurston
Lauren Serrano
NobleMotion Dance
Quinton Brooks
Tempest McLendon

Friday, June 9

10-11:30am: TranScend Motion | Sarah Tran

Houston MET Dance

Framework: A Contemporary Technique Practice is an evolving and rigorous practice by Helanius J. Wilkins that transforms technique class into a laboratory for examining, exploring, and discovering bodily movements in real time. Informed by architectural concepts, the joy of daring dance is experienced through the activity of framing and re-framing structures where individual and collective discoveries can be made. By assembling structures for students to inhabit, the goal of Framework is to question communication, refine technical ability and artistry, and interrogate one’s interior material.

Program A - Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston

7:30 PM followed by Artist Talk

Jennifer Salter
John Beasant III
Justin Curry
Kaylah Alexander
Keeley Dunnam
Mark Freeman
Matty Owens
Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective
Terrill D. Mitchell
Uwazi Zamani

Saturday, June 10

10-11:30am: Hip Hop – Led by Sarah Tran

Hunter Dance Center

This class provides diverse experiences in Hip-Hop Dance. Emphasis will be placed on experiencing and understanding the roles of performer, choreographer, and improviser within the context of urban Hip-Hop dance form. Students will deepen their study of Hip-Hop fundamentals through the performance of movement sequences, deepen awareness of somatic principles as expressive tools, and participate in improvisation experiences pertinent to Hip-Hop.

Program B - Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston

June 10 at 5:00 PM

Aileen Li
Anna Bauer & Jairus Carr
Helanius J. Wilkins
Jessie Ferguson
Katie Nicole Harmon
LaKesha Sowell
Loren Holmes
Stacey Allen
Travis Lake

Program C - Midtown Arts & Theatre Center Houston

June 10 at 7:30 PM

Chathuri Nirosha
Jen Passios & Jacob Regan
Jennifer Akalina Petuch and Annali Rose
Jennifer Scully-Thurston
Lauren Serrano
NobleMotion Dance
Quinton Brooks
Tempest McLendon
TranScend Motion | Sarah Tran

Tickets:
Single program $25* (on sale beginning May 4)
3 program pass $70
*DSH members receive $5 off single program tickets
All festival pass (includes 3 programs and SPARK ticket) $115 – Only available through May 3

Date:  June, 6-10, 2023

Time: 10.00am

Locatiion: Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston - 3400 Main Street Houston, TX 77002

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