(HIGHLAND PARK, NJ) -- 10 Hairy Legs, the all-male repertory dance company extends its footprint during its sixth season of performances and educational programming, appearing in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Vermont, as well as in its home state of New Jersey.
Artistic Director Randy James noted, “We are pleased to have had such a positive and wide-reaching response from our presenting partners across the county to our vision of exploring the artistry of the male dancer. With more than 23 works in our repertory including 14 commissioned works, we bring a wealth of ways to investigate and illuminate the male role in dance today and to display the tremendous versatility of our company members while inviting interesting conversations about gender roles.”
The season begins with a guest appearance at the Choregus International Dance Festival Gala in Tulsa, OK on July 29. The company first appeared there during its inaugural festival in July 2016 and will return in October 2018 as part of its fall dance season. Founder Ken Tracy noted, “You were truly the hardest working and most agreeable company we hosted for the entire festival. I hope this is the start of a long term relationship.” The company will perform its 2014 Commission by Manuel Vignoulle entitled Together We Stand.
The tour continues with the company’s debuts at The UAlbany PAC as part of its In The Raw series in October, The Kravis Center in January, at Washington DC’s prestigious home for modern dance Dance Place and Baltimore Theatre Project in February. Kim Engle, Assistant Director noted, "The UAlbany Performing Arts Center is proud to host 10 Hairy Legs as one of the ten companies in the Dance in Albany series in 2017-18. The company's physical prowess and subtle sensitivity are a perfect match for our venue's 'In the Raw' format. We are excited to introduce our audiences to this fresh, young company."
Our appearance at Dance Place marks the final season of programming by Founding Director (1980) Carla Perlo,who retired in June 2017. The company returns to Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, NY in October to perform Randy James’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as part of its family time series. 10HL has been in residence there for past two years prior to our New York City seasons.
Residencies, Master Classes and other educational programming will take place at University of Rochester and SUNY Fredonia in NY, University of Vermont, PATHS School and Bowdoin College in Maine, CityDance in Washington, DC, Maryland Youth Ballet and Towson University in Maryland, Sanford School in Delaware, North Carolina School of the Arts, Salem College and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC and Boston Conservatory bring the male dance perspective into university and conservatory settings.
In New Jersey, the company will debut at That Which Connects Dance Festival, Rutgers University, Camden in August, for the third consecutive year atDance on the Lawn in September, debut at The Jim Wise Theatre, NJIT in Newark presented by Rutgers’ University’s Clement A. Price Institute on Ethnicity, Culture & the Modern Experience in October and the Stockton Performing Arts Center in Galloway in November, and continue its educational partnerships with Mason Gross School of the Arts, Raritan Valley Community College and Newark School of the Arts as well as K-12 schools throughout the state and in partnerships with Morris Arts and Young Audiences of NJ/Eastern PA.
About 10 Hairy Legs
10 Hairy Legs is an all-male repertory dance company performing existing and newly commissioned works. Since our founding in 2012 we have commissioned 14 works from choreographers Doug Varone, Doug Elkins, Tiffany Mills, Manuel Vignoulle, Julie Bour, Megan Williams, Al Blackstone, Raja Feather Kelly and founder Randy James. We have served more than 75,000 patrons, students, artists and educators throughout the NY/NJ region, in NYC at BAM Fisher/Fishman Space, New York Live Arts, The 92nd Street Y, Brooklyn Dance Festival, Modern Dance at Bryant Park, Dixon Place, Gibney Dance, Joe’s Pub, West End Theatre, Fire Island for the DRA Benefit Week End, Dance at Socrates; on tour to the Koresh Come Together Festival in Philadelphia, PA, Choregus Dance Festival in Tulsa, OK, Seattle, WA, The Cayman Islands, New England and Rhode Island; broadcast nationally and internationally on NJTV’s State of the Arts, The Meredith Vieira Show and Nick Cannon’s Red Nose Dancathon, and in residence at the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. In December 2016 we were the only American dance company appearing at the Cape Town (South Africa) International Dance Festival. We provide a wide range of education programs for all ages focusing on the many facets of maleness as expressed through dance, serving more than 6,500 students and educators each year.
“…since its formation in 2012, its rapid growth has been astonishing…The diversity of this programming is a treat for audiences…this company has also become a welcome source of choreographic commissions.” – Robert Johnson, 2014.
In 2015 10 Hairy Legs launched 10 HL Projects, which includes women for specific productions outside of the all male company. The first of these was a new full-length work based upon C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, choreographed by James that had its World Premiere at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in January 2016.
Our Artistic Collaborators are choreographers Al Blackstone, Julie Bour, Seàn Curran, David Dorfman, Dan Froot, Doug Elkins, Raja Feather Kelly, Heidi Latsky, Cleo Mack, Tiffany Mills, David Parker, Stephen Petronio, Claire Porter, Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor, Doug Varone, Manuel Vignoulle, Christopher Williams and Megan Williams; musicians Tigger Benford, Sarah Biber, Jane Chung, Lachlan Glen, Kyle Olson, Robert Maggio, Bryan Strimpel, Michael Wall, Dorian Wallace and Peter Whitehead; and designers Abraham Cruz, Oana Botez, Cindy Capraro, Benjamin Heller, John Lasiter,Naomi Luppescu, Mary Kokie McNaugher, Dennis O’Leary-Gullo, Lauren Parrish, Amanda Ringger, Amanda Shafran, Ken Tabatchnik, Olivier Theyskens, Asa Thornton and Tuce Yasak. In addition to their work with 10 Hairy Legs, our company members are currently featured artists with The Bang Group, Stephen Petronio Company and Zvi Dance, among others.
Leadership funding for the company has been provided by The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Music USA’s Live Music for Dance Program, The Frank & Lydia Bergen Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The O'Donnell Green Music & Dance Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, Johnson & Johnson, Magyar Bank Foundation, Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, with assistance provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Dept. of State, the Rutgers Research Council, The Hyde & Watson Foundation and the generous contributors to the Rita & Philip Levy New Works Fund.
PHOTOS BY Rachel Neville
