2/10/23 @7:30pm | 2/11/23 @ 2pm | 2/11/23 @ 7:30pm
We’re thrilled to return to the Amsterdam Bar & Hall to present RadioBody: Radiohead Danced and Played in Jazz, a stage show driven by the toil and triumph embedded in the music of pioneering alt-electronic band Radiohead. Featuring live and screen dance to original jazz renditions of Radiohead tunes played live by a quartet of excellent local jazz musicians, as well projection designs, this show is the culmination of over seven years of dreaming in the mind of a jazz music + Radiohead + dance freak (RS A/ED Erinn Liebhard).
REMINDERS:
- There will be a 10 minute intermission.
- Food and Drink: Excellent food and drink will be on sale in the Amsterdam Bar area – please feel free to hop up at any time during the show, and especially at intermission, to order!
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NOTE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ERINN LIEBHARD
Welcome, Friends 🙂
Whether it was the live jazz music or the dancing or the Radiohead . . . ness that brought you here, we are glad you have joined us! RadioBody is a collaboration with local composer and fellow Radiohead lover Mike Lauer exploring the jazz sensibilities found in the band’s work. Together, Lauer and Liebhard selected one song from each major Radiohead album for the show, for which Lauer has created original compositions that will be played live during the show by a jazz quartet he’ll lead.
While this project was initially meant to be a stage show like what you’ll see here, Covid-necessitated pivoting caused the first iteration of this concept to find itself in the form of a three-section screendance, marking the first time the company explored this medium. It was rich and satisfying, and produced some pretty damn cool art, which is included in the show you are about to see! Additionally, local multidisciplinary artist Dawn Schot has created projection designs that round out the visual element of the production and bring it into a whole.
As a dance artist whose primary inspiration has become jazz and jazz-related music, I’ve been surprised that Radiohead has long-remained my favorite band. I’ve wanted to create a project driven by their music for a LONG time (click these links for more on my why, including why it’s so personal for me). As I began to dig into this possibility, I began to understand a deep connection between Radiohead and jazz. Thanks to their rich, multilayered rhythms, unique harmonies and long-form jams, their songs are often covered by jazz composers and are conducive to jazz styling. In listening to more and more jazz renditions of Radiohead tunes, I felt really compelled to explore these connections through movement.
I hope experiencing RadioBody may allow you to grapple with your own toils and triumphs on this cold Winter day, putting into music, movement and visuals some of what can go on inside.
FEATURED TUNES:
Anyone Can Play Guitar (Pablo Honey – 1992)
High & Dry (The Bends – 1995)
Airbag (OK Computer – 1998)
Everything in its Right Place (Kid A – 2000)*
Knives Out (Amnesiac – 2001)
INTERMISSION (10 min)
There, There (Hail to the Thief – 2003)
Jigsaw Falling Into Place (In Rainbows – 2007)
Lotus Flower (King of Limbs – 2011)
Burn the Witch (A Moon Shaped Pool – 2016)
*Everything in its Right Place is dedicated to the memory of Eva Shrank, who helped develop and performed this piece in 2019 for the Dance Theatre program at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls.”
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SPECIAL THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
To the Minnesota State Arts Board and the St. Paul Cultural STAR Foundation, as well as our donors for funding that helped make this possible, donor Dave Wallraff for making possible an educational opportunity connected to the show for partner Hopewell Music North, Brenda and the folks at Amsterdam Bar & Hall for being long-time collaborators and believers in dance in the bar space, to Jeff and Mary Joyer for sharing their land in Lino Lakes with us to film the screen dances you see in the show, Advisory Panel members Luther Bell, Brian J. Evans, Hannah Elias, Kristine Frank Elias and Kristoffer Olson for all their work behind the scenes helping make dance magic happen, and the dancers for their vibrant choreographic and improvised contributions that being that magic to LIFE!
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
This activity is supported, in part, by the City of Saint Paul Cultural Sales Tax Revitalization Program.
We acknowledge that our work occurs on the traditional lands of the Dakota people, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other indigenous nations. We also acknowledge that as a company built around jazz and American social dances, forms with African diasporic roots and branches, anti-racism and intersectional justice efforts must also be central in our work. We view bettering these efforts as an ongoing journey, and welcome you to read more about this at our Anti-Racism page.
PEOPLE:
Nieya Amezquita (Dancer – Screen Dances)
Nieya graduated from the University of Georgia with a BFA in dance and a BS in psychology. Dance has given Nieya the opportunity to perform nationally and internationally and create commissioned works for Alternative Motion Project, Threads Dance Project and Ballet CoLaboratory. She currently works with Threads Dance project, Rhythmically Speaking and Alexandra Bodnarchuk Dance Projects. She hopes to continue to be a part of works that generate conversations about the social, racial and psychological state of our society today.
Chris Bates (Bassist)
Chris Bates, bassist / composer. Solo releases: Red 5 ‘New Hope’ & Good Vibes Trio. Member of McKnight Performer Fellowship winning Atlantis Quartet (’15) & winner of McKnight Composer Fellowship (’99). Red Planet, Joyann Parker Band, Framework. New duo album Nathan Hanson / Chris Bates ‘Weights and Measures’ out January ‘23. Learn more about Chris at doublebates.com and chrisbates.bandcamp.com.
Bill Cameron (Photographer)
Bill Cameron is a Minneapolis photographer loves photographing people. He specializes in working with local dance companies and their wonderful dancers.
Shane Donahue (Lighting Designer | Technical Director)
Shane has been lighting up the Twin Cities music scene for the past 8 years. You can find him illuminating places such as the Fine Line, First Avenue, the Palace Theater, and internationally on tour with the band Low. He is glad to be back working with Rhythmically Speaking for another fun-filled show!
Ben Erlich (Drummer)
Ben Ehrlich is a drummer, educator and composer based in Minneapolis, MN. After graduating from the University of North Texas in 2018, Ben moved back to his home state and quickly became one of the top call drummers in the Twin Cities jazz scene. Recognized for his versatility, Ben has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Kurt Elling, Javier Santiago, Russ Johnson, the JazzMN Orchestra, Omar Abdulkarim, Leslie Vincent, and many others, as well as blues, indie and country artists from around the country.
Cully Gallahger (Director of Photography, Color Correction and Grading for Screen Dances)
Cully is a video producer and cinematographer based in Minneapolis. He founded Flywheel Media Productions to collaborate with organizations on their education, arts, and global development projects, and is no stranger to the Twin Cities dance scene! flywheelmediaproductions.com.
Doug Hooker (Dancer – Live and Screen Dances)
Doug has been dancing with Rhythmically Speaking since 2017. Having graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelors in Dance, he has had a variety of professional touring opportunities both nationally and internationally, including with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps and with Broadway show Blast!. He has danced in past projects with Dancing People Company (OR), ARENA DANCES, Paula Mann, The Minnesota Opera, Threads Dance Project, Shapiro & Smith, Collide Theatrical Dance, and will be performing with Concerto Dance in the coming months! You can learn more about Doug by going to his website.
Amy Jones (Dancer – Live and Screen Dances)
Amy graduated from Luther College with degrees in Theatre/Dance and Management. She has performed concert and commercial work in Minneapolis and NYC and has worked with Noemie LaFrance, Alternative Motion Project, Stuart Pimsler, Morgan Thorson, The Mystic Dancers (Herb Johnson), among others. She is the Listings Manager at Dance Media and is a pilates instructor and aerial fitness teacher-trainer.
Sara Karimi (Dancer – Live and Screen Dances)
Sara Karimi is a dance artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A graduate of the University of Iowa (BFA in Dance Performance, BA in English), her professional dance career has taken her around the globe touring nationally and internationally. She has danced with 10,000 Feet Dance Company (Colorado), Kayle + Co. (Los Angeles), The Architects (NYC & Philadelphia), Borealis Dance Theatre (Minneapolis, MN) and with freelance artists Salia Sanou (Burkina Faso/France), Valerie Madonia (ABT and Joffrey Ballet), Caroline Richardson (National Ballet of Canada), and Pat Taylor (Jazz Antiqua/LA), among others. She is a founding member of Concerto Dance and is currently a company member with Threads Dance Project (since 2015) and Rhythmically Speaking (since 2018).
Mike Lauer (Music Lead | Arranger | Guitarist)
Mike is a Minneapolis-based guitarist, arranger, composer and band leader with a degree in jazz guitar from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Lauer is one part of G.L Berg-represented duo String Showdown, an interactive dueling musicians show that tours the country. He also serves as the Director of Music at Central Lutheran Church in Elk River, can be seen playing live with Justin Ploof and the Throwbacks, the Monday Night Jazz Group and with various other accomplished artists in the Twin Cities area, and brews beer for Bobbing Bobber Brewing Company.
Erinn Liebhard (RS Artistic and Executive Director | Producer | Choreographer | Dancer – Live and Screen Dances)
Erinn Liebhard (MFA University of Colorado Boulder, BFA University of Minnesota) is a dance artist making opportunities for people to experience the reflective and connective power of groove through performance and education. Currently, in performance, she makes and performs new staged works and presents those of others through her company Rhythmically Speaking and plays as “Nerdette” for St. Paul Saints Baseball, in addition to making new works for professional companies, colleges and high schools. Her creative works emphasize groove, interaction and improvisation, are inspired by both social and concert dance movement, and are often driven by contemporary jazz music. In education, she works as a Teaching Artist for the Cowles Center and serves on their Advisory Council, is on faculty at several area art high schools and universities, conducts educational outreach through her company and is an active writer and conference presenter. She’s driven to help connect people to themselves, one another and the moment through rooted and innovative embodiment of groove. erinnliebhard.com.
Andrew Long (Saxophonist)
Andrew is a woodwind instrumentalist living in Saint Paul. He pursued classical saxophone studies as an undergraduate and is now expanding his musical vocabulary to the ends of the earth.
Ben McGinley (Performance Videographer)
Kelli Miles (Dancer – Live and Screen Dances)
Kelli has been dancing with Rhythmically Speaking since 2019! She is a Minneapolis-based dancer, choreographer, and teacher having graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in the Spring of 2018 with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Leadership. Kelli has danced across the globe, from New York City and San Francisco to Barcelona and Israel. Locally, she has had the pleasure of performing works by Berit Ahlgren, Helen Hatch, Karen Charles, Joanie Smith, and Carl Flink. As a company member for the past three years, Kelli finds joy and passion moving with Rhythmically Speaking and exploring themes of life through the vocabulary and rhythms of jazz. Beyond the studio, Kelli is a part of the Consulting team at Artspace – a national organization creating, fostering, and preserving affordable and sustainable space for artists and arts and cultural organizations. Learn more about Kelli at her website.
Javan Mngrezzo (Dancer – Live Dances)
Javan has been dancing with Rhythmically Speaking since 2022! Javan Mngrezzo (he/him) relocated to Minnesota in 2021 by way of Portland, OR. He graduated from Western Oregon University in three years, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Dance and Sociology. At present, he dances with Rhythmically Speaking, Hatch Dance, Black Label Movement, and Collide Theatrical. He has previously been a company dancer with Threads Dance Project and BodyVox. He has also had the privilege of performing as a guest artist for numerous companies such as Analog Dance Works, ARENA Dances, Ballet Co.Laboratory, Heidi Duckler Dance, Cynthia Gutierrez’s Company Movimiento, and Dar Vejon Jones Dance Ensemble. Javan is a certified instructor of The Ellové Technique® and is teaching at a few local studios. He is super jazzed about dancing within the Rhythmically Speaking Cohort!
Jake Nehrbass (Dancer – Live Dances)
Jake has been dancing with Rhythmically Speaking since 2022! Born and raised in Minnesota, Jake is a teacher and performing artist in the Twin Cities. Having tap danced since the age of three, and being trained in ballroom dance, modern dance, as well as having an interest in physical therapy, Jake graduated from St. Olaf College with degrees in Dance and Exercise Science. Along side being a member of Rhytmically Speaking, Jake has danced with Black Label Movement, Threads Dance Project, Flying Foot Forum, Katha Dance Theatre, Eau Claire Dance, Stephan Koplowitz’s Northfield Experience, and has danced in Au, a Live at the Shed work with Hatch Dance and Honey Works. Jake also teaches tap dance at Praire School of Dance as well as Ballare Teatro Performing Arts Center.
Kristoffer Olson (Production Assistant – Screen Dances, RS Advisory Panel Member)
Kristoffer Olson is an Analytics Consultant with DataDrive, performs as a comedian/magician and emcee for corporate events around the Midwest, and can also be seen entertaining baseball fans at St. Paul Saints games as The Nerd. As a Rhythmically Speaking board member and husband to Erinn Liebhard, he was excited to be more involved in a hands-on way for this project!
Kathleen Pender (Dancer – Live and Screen Dances)
Kathleen is a performer, dance educator, arts administrator, and massage therapist with a B.A. in Dance from St. Olaf College and an Associate of Applied Science in Massage Therapy from Northwestern Health Sciences University. She teaches with Young Dance, where she also works as Program Manager, and practices massage with TC Fit at Motion St. Paul, a physical therapy clinic. She has performed in works by choreographers Erinn Liebhard, Suzanne Costello, Gretchen Pick, Julie Warder, Taja Will, Kathleen Doherty, Laura Ann Smyth, and Pat Taylor/JazzAntiqua, among others. She has performed in several Rhythmically Speaking productions since 2013 and has been a member of the Cohort since 2019. Kathleen is passionate about community and relationships cultivated through movement exploration, education, and performance.
Betsy Schaefer Roob (Dancer – Live Dances)
Betsy was born and raised in Elm Grove, WI. Now based in Minneapolis for over a decade, she has worked with ARENA DANCES, Rhythmically Speaking, Threads Dance Project, Dance & Other Behaviors, as well as nationally and internationally based choreographers Sasha Kleinplatz, A.T. Moffett, Salia Sanou, and Pat Taylor among others. Her own work with faux pas, a duo with Julie Marie Muskat, has been presented as part of CANDY BOX Dance Festival at the Southern Theater. Prior to landing in Minnesota, Betsy lived and studied in Michigan, Oregon, and El Salvador. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a self-designed Bachelor of Individualized Studies in English, Dance, and Sustainability Studies. Alongside her dance career, she is a certified practitioner of The Roll Model® Method and manages the Children’s Literacy Program for Hennepin Healthcare System. She also enjoys many moments dancing around her living room with her toddler daughter.
Dawn Schot (Visuals Lead)
Dawn is the Visuals Lead for this project. In addition to creative, personal projects, Dawn is currently working as full-time lecturer of media production at the University of Minnesota in the Communication Studies department. Also teaches a Sound course, part-time at the College of Art and Design. Creative pursuits include documentary filmmaking, explorations of time in recorded mediums, and storytelling in time-based media.
Crissy Seim (Dancer – Live Dances)
Crissy has been dancing with Rhythmically Speaking since 2016! She has worked with numerous Twin Cities companies and artists such as Rhythmically Speaking, Alternative Motion Project, Loom Lab, Borealis Dance, Pedro Pablo and Laura Selle Virtucio. She is also a founding member of Painting the Room, a Minneapolis based music/dance/text improvisation group. Her performance has been highlighted by the Star Tribune: “She commanded such presence… articulating emotions with precision …downright terrifying”. Off the stage, she’s co-produced and directed three shows for the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Crissy holds a BFA in Dance from George Mason University, recently went to Amsterdam to study improvisation composition under Katie Duck, and also works in UX design as an Experience Architect at Bottle Rocket.
John Surber (Dancer – Screen Dances)
John Surber is a professional dance artist and teacher out of the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area who graduated Cum Laude from Gustavus Adolphus College with a B.A. in Dance in May of 2017. John started dancing in college, training primarily in modern, and dabbling in the areas of jazz and hip hop. John has performed with Rhythmically Speaking, Arbeit Opera Theatre, 16 Feet, Kinetic Evolutions and the Christopher Watson Dance Company and 8:20 Dance Company. johnsurber.wixsite.com/johnsurber.
Crissy Tolson (Dancer – Live Dances)
Crissy Tolson has worked with numerous Twin Cities companies and artists such as Rhythmically Speaking, Alternative Motion Project, Loom Lab, Borealis Dance, Pedro Pablo and Laura Selle Virtucio. She is also a founding member of Painting the Room, a Minneapolis based music/dance/text improvisation group. Her performance has been highlighted by the Star Tribune: “She commanded such presence… articulating emotions with precision …downright terrifying”. Off the stage, she’s co-produced and directed three shows for the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Crissy holds a BFA in Dance from George Mason University and recently went to Amsterdam to study improvisation composition under Katie Duck.
TJ Tronson (Drone Operator and Additional Videography – Screen Dances)
TJ works for North Metro TV, covering special events in and around their service area, as well as running shoots, making documentaries and short films, and creating scripts and graphics for them. When Cully Gallagher needs a second camera op packing a drone, TJ is his first call 🙂
:: Click HERE if you’d like to support us beyond the price of your ticket ::
:: Follow Us!: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | eNews ::
:: Take our Audience Survey – this information helps us improve our inclusivity efforts and secure funding that helps these shows happen! ::
Thank you for attending RadioBody!
Rhythmically Speaking 