The first six weeks of the Festival consist of works-in-progress by three artists, developed during their residencies. In July and August, with the exception of the piece by Cynthia Hopkins, all the works are finished. While there’s an emphasis on dance, the offerings are “fully multi-disciplinary,” Pokoik said. Well-represented is the second generation of the avant-garde theater and dance scene that flourished in New York beginning in the 1970s. Jim Findlay – whose piece, Dream of the Red Chamber: a piece for a sleeping audience, will be performed on July 7 – and Hopkins were both associated with the Wooster Group. Clarinda Mac Low is the daughter of Jackson Mac Low, whose book of cryptic performance instructions was developed for dancers of the Judson School, centered in a Manhattan church. Her performance, titled The Pronouns (Experiment #2), kicks off the Festival this Saturday, June 9 at 8 p.m. and melds dance movements with literature and conceptual performance. It also marks the 50th anniversary of the Judson School.
The Festival evolved organically. Pokoik and Vandenbroucke curate “out of our curiosity and interests as artists. Most people we invite are part of our community and people we’re having conservations with.” Some of the pieces are developed at MTA in partnership with other distinguished organizations, such as Danspace Project in New York City.
Also on the schedule are a reading, hosted by Brooklyn Arts Press publisher Joe Pan, of poets-in-residence, followed by a question-and-answer session related to small presses, on August 3; IRUKA and July 13, 1987 by Kota Yamazaki, who draws on his background in Butoh to choreograph mesmerizing pieces that have received accolades from the dance press, on August 4; Elegy for Graveyards, a sound piece by Kohji Sethoh, a member of the artist collective flow, on August 10; and on August 11, Self Made Man Man Made Land, a dance piece by Ursula Eagly in collaboration with Setoh and dancer Abby Block, consisting of a construction project built by two dancers and a musician, which was developed in partnership with the Chocolate Factory Theatre in Long Island City. (Eagly, according to The New York Times, resembles “a creature out of Blake’s fantastical engravings.”)
From June 9 through August 12, MTA will also display an exhibit called “Meeting Point,” which investigates the concept of performance through videos, photography, sound pieces, text and visual artworks. The opening on Saturday, July 14 will feature performances and videos by Charles Atlas, Xavier Cha, Jen Rosenblit with Spencer Yeh and Jacques Louis Vidal.
Pokoik said that about half of the audience travels up from the City. “We’re a small space with a huge marketing reach. Shandaken is so dependent on tourism. I really believe in the vision of the Catskills as a chain of interlinked small businesses. The economy of the region could be much more prosperous than it is.”
Some performances are free, while others cost $15. The Friday performances are followed by a barbecue dinner in which participants share insights with the artists as well as produce from the on-site vegetable garden. Fleisher’s Grass-fed & Organic Meats supplies the meats. Chef Richard Krause wrote the original menu for Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois restaurant in 1983 and served as executive chef at several legendary New York eateries. A season ticket for all 12 performances and MTA events costs $95; visit www.smarttix.com or call (877) 238-5596. For more information on MTA, visit www.mounttremperarts.org.
