A FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE

JANUARY 8-10, 2010, ABRONS ARTS CENTER

REALNESS: A slang term born from the LGBT community defined by the ability of a drag queen, transgender or other LGBT person to look like or pass as the opposite gender.

AMERICAN REALNESS: An expansion of REALNESS beyond gender roles into style, ways of life and art making.

American Realness presents and highlights the work of eight contemporary choreographers during APAP 2010; the Annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference, January 8-15, 2010, to debunk stilted perceptions of American dance and give way to a new notion of American contemporary performance.

At a time when international perspectives of American dance hang onto Merce Cunningham and Trisha Brown, and too many American performing arts presenters are afraid of dance that traverses the heritage of lights and tights, American Realness commands attention to the proliferation of choreographic practices transcending the traditions and expanding the definition of American dance and performance.

“But virtually every great modern dance company was founded more than 40 years ago. Where is the current, not to mention next, generation of great modern dance companies to carry the torch?” – Michael Kaiser, The Huffington Post

American Realness is here to shock such quandaries into the contemporary moment. Witness American Realness and feel the pulse of performance.

American Realness is loud, queer, disturbing, hilarious, critically engaged, beyond post-modern and undeniably present. American Realness is ready to take on its next stage.