“The work is gutsy. Kotze and company looks you straight in the eye and holds its gaze.”
–– Karen Hildebrand, Fjord Review, January 2023

PAST PERFORMANCES:
May 9, 10, 11, 2024
UtahPresents in partnership with the University of Utah School of Dance 
Salt Lake City, Utah

June 20–22, 2023
American Dance Festival in Durham, NC
as part of the 90th anniversary season

January 15–16 2023
New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th St., New York, NY
as part of Live Artery

World Premiere presented by Irondale
February 9–12, 2022
All performances took place live, at The Space at Irondale, 85 South Oxford St., Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY

Full length video from the premiere at The Space at Irondale

An evening-length dance performance that responds to collective and personal loss and isolation and draws attention to the human body’s potential for persistence, resistance, and power. ‘lectric Eye uses the connection between music and movement to push physical and sonic limits, both as a collective and as individuals.

Choreography by Joanna Kotze in collaboration with the performers
Featuring dancers Wendell Gray II, Molly Heller, Symara Johnson, Joanna Kotze, and composer/musician Ryan Seaton, with Mary Lyn Graves, Ani Javian, Ariel Lembeck, Jordan Lloyd (February 2022), Jennifer Nugent, Devin Oshiro, Ambika Raina, Ariana Speight, Marion Spencer, Hsiao-jou Tang and Lex Vautrin (January 2023)

Music composed and performed by Ryan Seaton
Original song ‘Black Fly’ by Circuit des Yeux
Lighting design by Kathy Kaufmann
Costumes by Christian Joy

Download artists bios here

Thursday, February 10 included a screening of Nothing’s changed except for everything, a short film by Joanna Kotze, cinematographer Chris Cameron, and composer/musician Ryan Seaton, immediately following the performance of ‘lectric Eye. The film runs just under 10 minutes. More information here.

Photos by Maria Baranova

Video by Milan Misko with jb burkland

Video from UtahPresent at the University of Utah’s Marriott Center for Dance, Salt Lake City
Performances took place May 9-11, 2024
Video by Benjamin Sandberg
Featuring dancers Wendell Gray II, Molly Heller, Symara Johnson, Joanna Kotze, and composer/musician Ryan Seaton, with Salt Lake City cast - Constance Anderson, Natalie Desch, Katrina Drigman, Brian Gerke, Makiya Green, Lily Hammons, Pam Geber Handman, Irishia Hubbard, Tara McArthur, Christine McMillan, Sara Pickett, Bashaun Williams.

Understudies: Haley DeCamara, Devin Etcitty, Emily Marsh

Video from American Dance Festival as part of the 90th anniversary season, Durham, North Carolina
Performances took place June 21–23, 2023
Video by Caroline Williford and the ADF archive department
Featuring dancers Wendell Gray II, Molly Heller, Symara Johnson, Joanna Kotze, and composer/musician Ryan Seaton, with North Carolina cast - Kristin Clotfelter, Kaitlin Fox, Laura Grant, Taryn Griggs, Gregory Hamilton, Katie Milani, Alyssa Noble, Allie Pfeffer, Londs Reuter, and Adie San Diego

Recap of residency at Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC) in December 2021.
Video by Chris Cameron.

Work in progress trailer from Mt. Tremper Arts residency, May 2021

Work-in-progress excerpt experiment at Movement Research at Judson Church, January 2020

'lectric Eye premiered in February 2022 at The Space at Irondale in Brooklyn. The performances during Live Artery 2023 were supported in part by New York Live Arts and the Foundation for Contemporary Art Emergency Grant. The development of ‘lectric Eye was made possible by The Bogliasco Foundation, The Yard, EtM Choreographer + Composer Residency, Loghaven Artist Residency, Dance Programme Malmö, the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at Florida State University, Mount Tremper Arts through funding from the Alan M. Kriegsman Creative Residency at Dance Place, and the Resident Artist Program at Movement Research supported by the Rosin Fund, and The Nathan M. Clark Foundation. 

Special thanks to all our Kickstarter backers for their support!

Movement research contributions by Leslie Cuyjet, Maya Lee-Parritz, Devin Oshiro, and Anna Thérèse Witenberg (who performed in the excerpt experiment at Judson).