Frame Recursion
Join us for Frame Recursion featuring members of Urbanity's professional company and guest performers on Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22 at 6:30pm, 7:30pm, and 8:30pm at Midway Artists Studios (15 Channel Center Street) for limited capacity audiences. $20 per ticket.
The world premiere performances explore theories of self-concept and identity by researcher John Hattie, as well as connected historical theories developed by philosopher William James and sociologist Charles Cooley. Frame Recursion explores the conceptualization of oneself as it is affected by changing social realities and demonstrates a movement towards hope, reflection, and connection.
Created by choreographer and Urbanity Dance Artistic Associate Meg Anderson in collaboration with multimedia artist Jeremy Stewart and the dancers, Frame Recursion explores each dancer’s evolving self concept, drawing on their personal experiences during the pandemic. Self-concept and growth are further explored through multi-channel video projections, created from recordings of each dancer.
Frame Recursion is made possible in part through the support of MASARY Studios and William Neely.
About the Artists
Meg Anderson is a dancer and choreographer living in Worcester. She has been a member of the Urbanity Dance Professional Company, a Boston-based contemporary dance company, since 2012. During her time at Urbanity, she has choreographed original works, and worked with a large variety of notable choreographers, including Camille A Brown, Doug Varone, Marcus Schulkind, Mike Esperanza, Andy and Dionne Noble, Carl Flink, and many more.
Jeremy Stewart is a multimedia artist and researcher specializing in artificial intelligence software, networked and distributed systems, wearable hardware, software development, and interactive video artworks. He has a long history of collaborating with dance, including collaborations with Boston-based Urbanity Dance and the Houston-based NobleMotion Dance. Stewart holds a PhD in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where his dissertation research focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies in real-time performance settings. Stewart is currently the technical director and a contributing artist at MASARY Studios, a Boston-based public art studio
Anderson and Stewart began collaborating in 2014 and have worked on dance and performance projects that incorporate interactive video projection, electrical nerve stimulation, wearable electronics (including motion sensors, vibrational motors, etc.), and artificial intelligence. Most recently, Anderson and Stewart together developed Refractive Choreographies, a guerilla-style pop-up video projection series that took place in summer 2020 around the city of Boston that incorporated dance and AI-generated video. They have performed and presented work together and individually at venues including ICA/Boston, The Hobby Center (Houston, TX), CCRMA (Stanford University), EMPAC (Troy, NY), CMMAS (Morelia, Mexico), Medialab Prado (Madrid, Spain), University of Limerick (Ireland), New York Live Arts (New York City, NY), Alvin Ailey Theater (New York City, NY), Jordan Hall (Boston, MA), John Hancock Hall (Boston, MA), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, MA), and many more.
Anderson and Stewart create and develop performance and installation artworks that bring together live performance, dance, and movement with cutting edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, wearable hardware, and real-time interactive video. Together, they investigate the ways that technology can affect, interact with, and alter an individual’s agency, perception, and autonomy.
About the Dancers
Haissan Booth
Haissan Booth (Massachusetts) is a performer, choreographer and entertainer.Haissan began his classical training at the Boston Arts Academy performing arts high school where his true passion for the dance evolved over the years. Haissan is trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, West African, and Hip-Hop genres. Upon graduating High school Haissan decided to further his dance training at University of Hartford Hartt School dance program majoring in Dance Performance Emphasis training in Ballet, modern, contemporary and improvisation. During his time there he became knowledgeable in music theory, choreographic composition, and Laban movement. Haissan later went on to working with various dance companies and programs such as BoSoma Dance Company, Anna Myers and Dancers, Mystique Illusions Dance Theater, and Deborah Abel dance company, Contemporarily Out of Order Dance Co.
Haley Day
Haley Day grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. After training for several years as a competitive gymnast, Haley found ballet and began her exploration of the dance world. She graduated from the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance in 2013 with a BFA in Dance Performance with a dual emphasis in ballet and modern techniques. During college, Haley had the pleasure of dancing as a guest artist in the corps of Kansas City Ballet’s Nutcracker; she was also a guest artist for Western Oklahoma Ballet Theater and a dancer in Owen/Cox Contemporary Dance Group in Kansas City. Since joining Urbanity’s professional company in 2013, Haley has had the pleasure of performing in works by Betsi Graves, Marcus Schulkind, Lorraine Chapman, Andy and Dionne Noble, Carl Flink, Mike Esperanza, Jackie Nowicki, Camille Brown, Doug Varrone, Jaclyn Walsh, and Shura Baryshnikov. Haley has also enjoyed choreographing for Urbanity; her most recent project was “Soul House,” composed by Robert Honstein and played by Hub New Music, which premiered in December 2018 at the Peabody Essex Museum.
Katie Grenier
Katie Grenier is originally from Central Massachusetts where she grew up training at a local studio. She received her BA in Dance Performance and Choreography with a minor in Psychology from Dean College. Katie received in-depth training in ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, and tap techniques. Katie is currently dancing with professional contemporary dance company, Urbanity Dance, in Boston. She has had the pleasure of working closely with choreographers and artists such Betsi Graves, Mike Esperanza, Teddy Forance, Jaci Royal, Andy Noble, Hollis and Nattie Bartlett, Jenna Pollack, and Chantal Doucett. Katie guest teaches all around Massachusetts and is on full-time faculty at studios in Wellesley, MA and on Cape Cod. Katie is also the program assistant for Urbanity Dance’s Summer Intensive alongside Meg Anderson. Katie’s choreography has been recognized and recipient of awards at various competitions. She is extremely passionate about dance and is continuously fueled and inspired by this art form, her fellow dancers, and her students.
Miranda Lawson
Miranda Lawson (she/her) has been dancing since she was three years old. Most of her training comes from The Studio Dance Complex in Revere, MA under the instruction of Kis Testa. Miranda has studied many styles of dance including tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, acrobatics, modern, and contemporary. Miranda competed in regional and national level dance competitions for over ten years before deciding to study dance at the collegiate level. Miranda has been involved in programs such as Boston University's REACH dance program, Bates Dance Festival, Urbanity Dance’s Summer intensive, American Dance Festival and a residency with TU Dance at Mount Holyoke College. She spent three years training and performing with Contemporarily Out of Order Co. under the direction of Wendy O’Byrne. She is currently pursuing a BA in dance and psychology from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA. Miranda has recently returned to The Studio Dance Complex as an instructor.
Kendall Niblett
Kendall Niblett, a native of Morris, Alabama, obtained his BA in dance and creative writing from the University of Alabama. Kendall has many years of extensive dance training through programs such as the University of Alabama, Broadway Dance Center Professional Semester, and Acting for Dancers Intensives. Kendall has performed/choreographed for Yonder Contemporary Dance Company at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he received a four star rating for his choreography. He traveled to Toulouse, France to perform with Jellybean Dance Collective at the International Fitzgerald Conference. He has also performed with, and assisted many renowned choreographers including Talia Favia, Matthew Fata, Chaz Buzan, Matt Cady, Phil Orsano, Lane Napper and Tom Richardson. Kendall has been featured in numerous festivals such as CREATE, Alabama Dance Festival, Koresh Come Together Festival, Young Choreographers Festival, Dance Alabama, Alabama Repertory Dance Theater, and Dance Alabama Film Festival. Kendall is excited to begin his first year with Urbanity Contemporary Dance Company.
Mindy Phung
Mindy Phung is a dancer currently based in Jamaica Plain. She studied at the Houston Ballet Academy and Stanford University, the latter at which she focused on Cunningham technique. As a product design engineer by day, her work has taken her around the globe, where she has had the opportunity to perform in cities from San Francisco to Cape Town. She has had the privilege of working with choreographers such as Diane Frank, Pat Catterson, Alex Ketley, Robert Moses, Rachel Linsky, and Bobbi Jean Smith. Her movement is rooted in the belief that dance is an embodied, abstract, yet universal form of expression, and when we explore its inherent energy, rhythm, and impetus, it has deeply connective properties.