“Fall down seven times, get up eight.” – Japanese proverb
Projects & Events
Future
7:30pm, Friday, April 19 – Neuhoff Complex, 1319 Adams St, Nashville, Tennessee 37208 – $10 suggested donation - FALL’s artistic director, Rebekah Hampton, will present a piece in Company Rose‘s newest show One, an evening of solo dance performances. In a collaboration with Company Rose director, Marsha Barsky, this piece is a reworking of a solo Rebekah performed in 2012 as part of the larger piece “40,000 FT”.
Present/Ongoing
abrasiveMedia fundraising for multi-genre art space – All art needs a home. In collaboration with abrasiveMedia, we are working to create a location that will function as a multi-genre art space in order to gives lots of Nashville based artists (FALL included) a place to house, practice and create our art (in other words, to allow us to move out of our living rooms). It will include a dance (and aerial) rehearsal space, sound-proofed recording & rehearsal areas for musicians, studio space for visual artists, and anything else we can think of. This space will be for everyone. A place for artists to hone their skills, experiment, and collaborate with each other, as well as a place for the community at large to take classes, see unique performances, and share in a full range of artistic experiences. But we need your help. There are three ways you can contribute: 1) Donate directly to abrasiveMedia’s Paypal account (abrasiveMedia is a 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible). 2) Contribute through in-kind donations. For a complete list of items we can use, send an email to info@abrasivemedia.org. 3) Spread the word! Blog about us, post about us on your facebook, tweet about us. We need your help to make this happen!
New Choreographers Showcase – FALL is working with abrasiveMedia to present a New Choreographers Showcase which will involve an evening of modern dance, created by several Nashville based, up and coming choreographers. It will be a works-in-progress show, specifically for choreographers with strong ties to the Nashville arts and dance communities, but who are currently limited in their opportunities to show their work. Each piece will be created through a workshop process of one month of intensive rehearsals, culminating in a full evening of exciting new dance works. The goal of this process is to allow for experimentation within the medium of modern dance, to increase the artistic diversity of the genre within Nashville, and to give a platform for new voices within the Nashville community of choreographers. To find out how to be involved or for more information, send an email to rebekah@falldance.org or audra@abrasivemedia.org
FALL Photo Project – The goal of this photo project is not to just make us look like pretty dancers, but for it to be a true collaboration with the photographer in order to create visually stunning and compositionally sound images. Our first installation (by Nashville’s Justin Harvey) was kind of a trial run in exploring various interpretations of what it means to fall, and/or to go against gravity. We definitely just barely scratched the surface, so be looking for lots more images to come as we delve deeper into the endless possibilities of fall.
Past
2012
Shelby Park Centennial Celebration – October 13, 2012, Nashville, TN - FALL was honored and privileged to participate, along with 4 other prominent Nashville based dance companies (Nashville Ballet 2, Company Rose, Blue Moves, and the Chinese Arts Alliance), in a site-specific performance commemorating the centennial of Shelby Park. Using historic photos of the park as inspiration, each choreographer created work specific to the location. FALL was accompanied by the brilliant sounds of instrumentalists Roger Wiesmeyer, and Robbie Lynn Huntsinger (as well as the rushing of wind & cacophony of acorns thundering down around us) as we performed a long-form improvisation with 5 dancers on 3 aerial fabrics rigged in 2 large trees at the top of a hill.
“Broken Cymbals & 40,000 FT” at the SIDESHOW Fringe Festival – August 3 & 4, 2012, Nashville, TN - We were thrilled to once again participate in this festival that showcases so many amazing artists. And we were even more excited to be able to use it as an opportunity to produce out first full length concert.
The performance included a repeat presentation of Broken Cymbals, featuring music by local composer Andrew Collins. This piece explores movement created through a blending of genres and disciplines, while looking into the potential that lies in allowing limitations to fuel creativity. The concert’s 2nd half was a collection of works entitled 40,000 FT. These pieces all deal with different aspects of how we internalize stress and then attempt to function. The concept was inspired by the artistry of spoken word duo & fellow abrasiveMedia resident artist, fearisnowhere (comprised of Herb Bailey & The Tavius), and the evening culminated in an experimental collaboration between the poets and the dancers.
3rd Semi-Annual In Galleries Art Show – June 15, 2012, Nashville, TN - The evening featured the work of 9 In Galleries resident visual artists, musical performances, and a special performance by FALL on a new incarnation of our invented apparatus.
The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville “Arts Immersion” - June 13, 2012, Nashville, TN - Along with a plethora of other artists, FALL partnered with the Arts and Business Council, to participate in Arts Immersion, celebrating the convergence of Nashville’s creative and business sectors.
Aerial dance class student showcase at the AfterCrawl - May 5, 2012, Nashville, TN - For Brick Factory’s popular “After Crawl” art event (the unofficial after party of the Nashville Art Crawl), FALL presented a structured improv on our invented apparatus that highlighted the work of some of our amazing aerial dance students.
The SideShowcase – Apr. 28, 2012, Nashville, TN - FALL headlined this new monthly fringe/variety arts show presented by the SIDESHOW Fringe Festival. We presented the debut of a full length work entitled Broken Cymbals, that explores movement creation through a blending of genres and disciplines, and looks into the potential that lies in allowing limitations to fuel creativity. It was also a step further in our desire to collaborate with other artists, and featured music by local composer Andrew Collins, make-up design by Nichole Marie Lim, and a guest performance by martial artist Justin Harvey.
Centennial Celebration of John Cage – Apr. 1, 2012, Nashville, TN - Rebekah Hampton, Audra Harvey & Jessica Cavender of FALL performed with Company Rose in Fads And Fancies In The Academy, a historic reworking of this “lost” piece by the legendary composer. The concert was in collaboration with Blair School of Music and the VORTEX percussion ensemble, and featured some of Cage’s most famous pieces, as well as a performance by former members of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
abrasiveMedia Artist Showcase: Works In Progress – Mar. 16, 2012, Nashville, TN - This showcase featured exhibitions of new, old, and in progress works by all of abrasiveMedia’s resident artists. FALL presented a repeat performance of Unraveled, a re-working of Inflammation of the Brain (originally performed by Perpetual Motion Dance in 2009), and the debut of elements for a larger piece entitled Broken Cymbals, set to a brilliant score composed by fellow aM artist Andrew Collins. The event culminated in a multi-genre presentation combining illustration, dance, live music.
Aerialists of the Southeast Collective Concert Performance - Feb. 18, 2012, Chattanooga, TN - We were thrilled to be able to represent Nashville in the showcase performance sponsored by Chattanooga Aerials as part of the Food For Play aerial dance workshop. It was an honor to share the stage with brilliant performers from Chattanooga, Atlanta, Athens, Birmingham & Asheville.
Museum & Menagerie: A Circus Celebration From Past to Present – Jan. 12, 2012, Nashville, TN: FALL was privileged to perform for this beautiful event to benefit the Safe Haven Family Shelter, which included exhibits from the Ringling Museum as well as behind-the-scenes circus photography by Allen Clark.
2011
Dance As Visual Art - October 22, 2011, Nashville, TN: FALL was once again featured at the Artisan Fair, and performed a series of long-form improvs throughout the afternoon, outside in the breezeway of Edgehill Village. Working with our new apparatus, the dancers bodies intertwined with the sculpture to create a living work of art.
Untitled’s Annual Glow Show - October 7, 2011, Nashville, TN: FALL’s performance for the Untitled Artists’ annual glow-in-the-dark art exhibition turned out to be one of our most ambitious (and collaborative) undertakings to date. In a gallery surrounded by other self-lit & black light art pieces, we performed on our new aerial apparatus designed and constructed by Untitled artist Robert Cortner, to the music of local composer Kent Smith, and featured a guest performance by local poet, The Tavius.
SIDESHOW Fringe Festival - September 30-October 2, 2011, Nashville, TN: FALL was honored to take part in the inaugural year of this amazing festival, put on by The Actors Bridge & the Sideshow Ensemble, to celebrate all of the unique art forms that sometimes fall outside the lines of the mainstream. Audra Harvey (of abrasiveMedia) & FALL’s artistic director Rebekah Hampton participated in What’s New Nashville, a panel discussion between community leaders & emerging artists on Nashville’s future in fringe art, overall artist retention, & project funding. We also presented the debut of Fighting With Windmills, a new aerial work that included the unveiling of a brand new aerial apparatus, to a packed house.
Company Rose & Andy Warhol - August 25, 2011, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN: Audra Harvey, Jessica Cavender & Rebekah Hampton of FALL performed in Serendipity 3 with Company Rose at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts as part of the Warhol LIVE exhibit.
“Unraveled” debut - May 20, 2011, Nashville, TN: FALL debuted a new aerial fabric sling piece entitled Unraveled to great enthusiasm and excitement from the crowd at Exit/In. Set to the infectious sounds of Matt & Kim, this piece featured a fun collaboration with artist David Landry, as we turned performer Rebekah Hampton into a living painting (a first for both artist and subject).
“Vadoma” debut - February 13, 2011, Nashville, TN: Rebekah Hampton of FALL performed an aerial fabric piece at Exit/In as part of the Panty Raid Burlesque Valentine’s Day Show. The elegant and mysterious choreography was loosely inspired by the life and story of Dutch courtesan and accused spy Mata Hari. Vadoma is a traditional name used by the Romani people which means “to know”.
2010
Human Art Installation - October 23, 2010, Nashville, TN: As part of the Edgehill Village Artisan Fair, FALL performed a series of improvs in the midst of the other artwork being displayed. Working with the idea that the dancers + the apparatus were a living art installation piece, each improv was performed in complete silence, as if we were indeed hanging in a gallery.