ARTISTS IN ResiDANCE
WE ARE COMMITTED TO DIVERSITY AND EXCELLENCE, THUS WE INTERMITTENTLY CURATE OUTSIDE CREATIVES TO JOIN OUR TEAM SEASONALLY. OUR ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM DELIVERS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHOREOGRAPHERS AND DIRECTORS TO CREATE ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING HERE IN THE DESERT.
Mathew and his company ARENA DANCES will be visiting Palm Springs from Minneapolis with their snowBIRD creative residency in January to undergo a week-long incubator resulting in a work-in-process studio showing and audience dialog with the director.
ARENA DANCES is an internationally-renowned contemporary dance company founded in 1995 by artistic director and choreographer Mathew Janczewski. Over the past 28+ years, Janczewski has created over 35 works for ARENA performed nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. ARENA has toured extensively throughout the US including presentations at the Skirball Theater of NYU, City Center, and the Joyce SoHo in New York, The Repertory Project of Cleveland, and the SCUBA network in Philadelphia among others.
Adam was born in Nairobi, Kenya and lived in other African cities for 14 years before moving to the United States (Maryland). In Blantyre, Malawi, he attended a British Boarding School, packed with international students , beginning a bonding to other cultures, foods, and people. After moving to the United States, Adam did gymnastics, studied languages and computer programming, all in the hopes of being able to travel and visit his friends from all over the globe. He worked happily as a computer programmer and accountant in Georgetown, Washington D.C., until one day, his sister asked him to drive a friend to dance class. When they arrived, he heard the music, saw the dancers and was hooked. He started taking dance class at 26 years old and has been in the performing arts industry as a dancer, choreographer, producer and artistic director. Always curious,
Adam recently acquired his FAA sUAS Drone Pilot's license, to further expand his choreographic reach. Adam continues to grow and expand his art, through travel, education and interaction.
Shea New is the founder and Artistic Director of The McCallum Theatre Institutes Choreographic Festival. The nationally known festival has awarded over a half million dollars directly to choreographers, presenting over 600 choreographers since its inception. Lifetime Achievement Awards have been presented to Savion Glover, Nigel Lythgoe, Daniel Ezralow, Suzanne Farrell, Jacques D'Amboise, Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen, Donald McKayle, Lula Washington, Joe Tremaine, Carmen de Lavallade, Marc Breaux, Dee Dee Wood, George Chakiris, Rudy Perez, Julie McDonald, Alan Johnson, Lois Greenfield, Grover Dale, Glen Tetley and Eugene Loring.
She got involved with us to star as the lead in our feature dance film The Anniversary and following her collaboration as an artist with The Palm Springs Dance Project Shea joined our board!
Deborah Brockus has been labeled ‘the single most important person in Southland dance” an “impresario”, ‘ the mother superior of LA dance” and ”tireless” by the Los Angles Times for her involvement in establishing the local dance scene as a producer, choreographer, teacher. “Followers of L.A.’s modern-dance scene know that, when it comes to talent Deborah Brockus is a big name, with a great company (Brockus Project Dance Company) and a keen eye for talent” City Beat.
She has been on the judging panel for the Fosse Scholarship Awards, Festival Under the Stars in Palm Springs, and the Imagination Celebration of OPAC. She has received awards for teaching, choreography and producing. Brockus has served on the board of the Dance Resource Center, and Jazz Dance LA Foundation where she was instrumental in helping produce shows for two seasons.