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In Alex Rix & Meg Madorin’s “fumblerumble”, two performers encounter the intimate nature of antagonism through a variety of relationships, allowing for different volumes and intensities to come into play. In looking for connection, and sometimes finding it they think they know what’s happening and also have no idea.

Andersmith’s “Canon” explores truth-making and collective belief through deconstructed sermon and speech-making. Blending dynamic movement with original and found text, the work asks about the nature of truth and the power of language to both reflect and shape our understanding of the world.

Conjuring the energy, empowerment, as well as struggles of the ‘Second Wave’ of the feminist movement, Taylor Donofrio/Donofrio Dance Co.’s “BETTY”, connects feminist ideals of our current time to this significant historical period. Paying homage to the housewives, activists, and young women of the 1960’s, BETTY, contemplates gender equality and its place in 2024.

Tsiambwom M. Akuchu’s “Alpha.Sigma.Alpha” explores identity; specifically at the intersection of race and gender. It dives into contemporary ideas of masculinity and interpersonal male relationships; and what it means to be a man and a person of color. It aims to be a historical, social, and personal dissection of gender as it is constructed in popular American culture and ethnic sub-cultures within the United States while deconstructing how those ideas show up in street dances and their vocabulary, primarily bboy.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Alex Rix is a freelance movement artist and massage therapist originally from Western Massachusetts and currently based out of Los Angeles. Alex is interested in exploring how the nuances of life translate into the body and to movement. The body is a constant well of inspiration and curiosity for both her dance and bodywork practices - discovering how to navigate each moment and movement with care in our ever-changing environment. Currently Alex is dancing with Summation Dance/LA, Rebecca Lemme // Acts of Matter, Gianna Burright, as well as producing and creating her own work in the greater LA area. Show 'N Tell, a Long Beach performance series Rix and her partner created, will have its second season in May. As a collaborator, dancer, bodyworker, and producer, Rix is inspired by the radical act of caring for self and thus caring for others. Rix received their BFA in Dance and BA option in Dance Science from Cal State Long Beach and their Bodywork and Healing Arts Certification from Panacea Holistic Institute. They offer sliding scale bodywork for the dance community in Long Beach and Alhambra. @heyalexxrixx. www.heyalexxrixx.com

Meg Madorin is a performing artist, movement educator and Craniosacral Therapist based in Los Angeles, CA. She received her MFA in Dance & Choreography from the University of Colorado Boulder, a Postgraduate Certificate in Performance from the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD), and a BFA from New York University. Meg performed with the Trisha Brown Dance Company from 2012-2014 and has been a freelance performer with Rebecca Lemme // Acts of Matter, Milka Djordjevich, Christopher Williams, Tara O’Con, Alexandra Beller, Gerald Casel and Diego Gil. Her choreographic work has been invited to the Performática Festival in Mexico, the Unseen Festival at Counterpath, Floorspace Studio, the Hi Solo performance series at Pieter Performance Space, and the Dance Initiative. Her current research focus is on somatic orientations to mental health in dance education spaces–guided by the MA program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Saybrook University. @megrosemadorin

Andersmith is an LA-based multidisciplinary collaboration that brings together movement, theater, and music to create work that deals with the quotidian and the extraordinary, the body and effort, and the blurred lines between what is real and the absurd. Led by Arletta Anderson and Adam Smith, they have presented their work nationally. www.andersmith.co

Taylor Donofrio / Donofrio Dance creates delicate and intricate dance works for the screen, stage, and for public spaces. Donofrio’s approach to dance incorporates a psychoanalytic perspective, exploring one’s inner landscape and how it connects to our relationships and understanding of the world. Taylor examines new approaches to performance through artistic exchanges, her work informed by collaborators from various disciplines. Currently based in Los Angeles, where she received her MFA in Choreography from California Institute of the Arts, Donofrio has worked as a choreographer in NYC for the past decade. She founded her own Contemporary Dance Company, Donofrio Dance Company in 2010 in Brooklyn, NY. Since, Donofrio’s work has been presented at Triskelion Arts, CPR, FLICfest, INSITU Site-Specific Dance Festival, 92Y, WestFest, Gibney Dance, Jacob Burns Film Center, Red Rock Screen Dance Film Festival, Governor’s Island, Heidi Duckler’s Ebb & Flow, and FACT/SF's Summer Dance Festival. @donofriodanceco www.donofriodanceco.com

Tsiambwom M. Akuchu is a street dance and theatre artist whose work has been presented on stages like the Kennedy Center and Joe's Pub at The Public. He often creates work for concert dance that stages hip-hop and street dance fused with physical theater to create a unique performance experience. He has been working for the past several years as a solo artist. He's been creating new work, performing his repertoire, and performing in stage plays for festivals and shows like the Arts On Site NYC, DANCE NOW New York Festival, TEDx Providence, Big Sky Summer Theatre Festival, Atlanta Spring for Spring Festival, and most recently SoloDuo Dance Festival in New York. Tsiambwom received his BA in Theatre from Georgia Southern University and his MFA in Theatre from the University of Montana. He’s taught at Colby College and is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at CSULB. www.akuchu.com