collaborators
Chris Becker
(http://www.beckermusic.com; http://blogs.houstonpress.com/author.php?author_id=2420)
Chris Becker's music is equally inspired by rock and roll language, avant-garde jazz, dub compositional strategies, and musique concrète. His work includes compositions for dance, film, chamber ensembles, and mixed-media installations. Becker has received grants and awards from The Louisiana Division of the Arts, Meet The Composer, the American Music Center and The American Society of Composers and Publishers. His music has been featured on WNYC's New Sounds hosted by John Schaffer and Overnight Music hosted by Helga Davis. Becker has composed music for New York choreographers Sasha Soreff (The Other Shoe, Ailey Citigroup Theater, 2009), Adrian Jevicki (La Spectra, The Tank, 2009), and Rachel Cohen and Racoco Productions. In 2006 Becker released his CD Saints & Devils -10 tracks inspired by Southern music, history, and iconography. Becker lives in Houston, TX. He currently performs with vocalist Alexandra Marculewicz Adshead and accompanying contemporary silent films. He is a member of Lepers of Melancholy with cornet player Paul Watson and guitarist Lynn Wright. Becker writes about modern art and music for the Houston Press blog Art Attack and contributes to the classical music website Sequenza21. He also works for the new music presenting organization Musiqa.
www.beckermusic.com
Karen Garrett de Luna
Photographer Karen Garrett de Luna is a graduate of the University of Washington, Seattle (Dance 1995, Mathematics 2000). She has performed with Racoco Productions as a dancer, and is also a belly dancer, photographer, web designer and computer nerd.
www.delunatic.net
Jeff Morris/ Kotorino
Jeff got together some friends, some family and some people he never met before to make music. Music for people, new music, but music familiar. In this case that happened to include Jeff Morris on guitar, pump organ, vocals, his wife Amy on backing vocals, claves and charm, Molly White on vocals and violin, brother Jerome Morris on the batterie required, Caroline on musical saw and luau, Liz Prince on tuba and invasive procedures, Mike on upstanding bass, Stefan Zeniuk on reeds and rites, Jesse Selengut on trumpets, and Nicki Pfoutz on the accordionaire.
Sometimes a show may consist of the full band squeezing onto a tiny stage at the back of a bar —or maybe saw, banjo and violin for the 8th Annual Saw Festival, another time it might be tuba, pump organ and vocals playing for a trapeze review. Its always fun, always interesting.
www.kotorino.com/
Olek
Olek graduated from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland with a degree in cultural studies. In New York, she has designed sets and costumes for dance, theater, and film, including for Mary Anthony Dance Theater, Shua Group, racoco productions, Anita Cheng, Kelly Kocinski, Ariane Anthony and Company, The Construction Company, overconfident wannabe productions, NasaDiva Productions, Virginia Valdes (video), Layard Thomson, and Sacura Shimada.
Her unique crocheted wearable sculptures premiered at the Williamsburg Arts and Historical Society's Surrealist Fashion Show in October 2003. In July 2004, her work was exhibited at the 5BE Gallery in Manhattan ("a tour de force" The New York Times. Her crocheted installations have also been presented at the 2004 Toronto Fringe Festival, life arts festival in Philadelphia, and metropolitan pavilion (PROJECT, July 2004). She has a new installation opening at the Transformer Gallery in Washington D.C. in February. In 2004 Agata received the Ruth Mellon award for sculpture from the National Art Club. She has taught costume design workshops for Materials for the Arts (www.mfta.org), the source of inspiration for many of Rachel and Agata's collaborations.
www.agataolek.com
performers
Carolina Antunes
Carolina Antunes began her dance training in 1990 at Musika! Centro de Estudos (Goiânia, Brazil). Where participate of many Royal Academy of Dancing Examinations with good results. She danced in important Brazilian Companies, such as, Balé do Estado de Goiás (Ballet Company of the State of Goiás - Brazil) with direction of Gisela Vaz, Ateliê Coreográfico Cia. de Dança (Choreographic Atelier Dance Company – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) directed by Regina Miranda and Quasar Cia de Dança (Quasar Dance Company) under the direction of Henrique Rodovalho. She also participated in the Opera "Sansão e Dalila" (Samson and Delilah), in the "Theatro Municipal de São Paulo" (Theater of the City of São Paulo") with coreography of Luiz Fernando Bongiovanni.
She performed in important Festivals in Brazil, Colombia, Spain and Germany, where danced in the Movimentos 2010 Festival in Wolfsburg. Since she moved to New York (July 2012) she did the GAGA Summer Intensive Workshop (August-2011), the Forsythe Technique workshop with Elisabeth Corbett (October-2011), the GAGA Winter Intensive Workshop, classes of Gaga with Danielle Agami and Ariel Freedman, Contemporary with Jana Hicks, Marijke Eliasberg, Ballet with David Howard, among others. She did the work/study program with Jennifer Muller Company (September to December 2011 - New York), she participated in a project with The Next Stage Project Company (January 2012- New York).
Ching-I Chang
Ching-I Chang is originally from Taiwan where she started her dance training mostly. At the young age, she has performed in the major cities both in Taiwan and America. She received her BFA in Modern Dance from University of Utah in 2009. She has worked with Gesel Mason Performing Project (Mason/Rhynes Productions), Punchdrunk, Loco 7, HT Chen&Dancers, and other projects around New York City. She's also the artistic director of Tipsy Point Project with Kuan-Yu Chen. And she loves bananas.
http://tipsypointproject.yolasite.com/
Patricia Chen
Patty graduated from Princeton University where she majored in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology with a certificate in African Studies and a certificate in Dance. She has been priviliged to perform work by Marianela Boan, Zvi Gotheiner, Rebecca Lazier, Mark Morris, Deganit Shemy, and Take Ueyama. Patty studies Japanese taiko drumming in Brooklyn with the artist Kaoru Watanabe (www.taikonyc.com/). Patty is extremely excited to be working with Rachel and her fellow Racoco artists!
http://pattychen.wordpress.com/
Alisa Fendley
Thanks to the endless support of her parents, Alisa was lucky enough to be raised on ballet, aerial dance and a slew of other dance styles at New Mexico Ballet Company, Dance Theatre of the Southwest, and under the instruction of Rosalinda Rojas. She has attended training programs at Alonzo Kings LINES Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School, and Virginia School of the Arts. Alisa just graduated with a B.F.A. in dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts after creating seven pieces during her time there. Her work has been presented at The Raw Festival DanceNOW[NYC], The Hatch Presenting Series, The Rover Soho, Triskelion Arts Comedy in Dance Festival, The Tank, and Marie-Christine Giordano's Dance Salon. She is currently developing her choreography through Alisa Fendley's Fingerprints Projects and is excited to be performing with Racoco Productions and Grounded Aerial. Check out for more info.
www.wix.com/fingerprintsprojects/fingerprintsprojects
Ashley Ford
Ashley graduated from The Stella Adler Professional Conservatory where she studied movement under master teacher Joan Evans, as well as performing with S.O.M.A.D, part of Stella Adler's Movement and Dance Company. Her movement journey began at Douglas College & Tooba Physical Theatre Center in Vancouver, Canada where she studied Acting & Physical Theatre; a unique blend of Corporeal Mime, Mask, Clown, Bio-Kinetics and both Grotowski & Michael Chekhov techniques. In Vancouver, Ashley was Artistic Director of Enlightenment Theatre and taught movement & voice with Theatre Terrific. In NYC, Ashley has appeared Off-Off Broadway in "Mayan Mask" at The Looking Glass Theatre, "The Scarf" at The Chatterton Play Lab, and in the dramatic musical "Before God Was Invented" at Theater for the New City where she will appear again this spring in a new play "Satan's Whore" as American Feminist, Victoria Woodhull.
http://ashley-ford.com/
Jordan Gehley
Jordan Gehley graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2009 with a B.A. in Philosophy and a Minor in Dance. Jordan has been extremely lucky to perform in works by Andy Blankenbuehler, Ashley Anderson, Keira Hart, Ruth Andrien, and Jose Limon, as well as work with members of Paul Taylor Dance Company and Shen Wei Dance Arts through the American Dance Festival. She has also had the opportunity to work with Carnival Cruise Lines, UpRooted Dance, DC Dance Is The Answer, The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, 1st Stage Tysons Corner, Mayzsoul, Kelley Donovan & Dancers, and now Racoco Productions. She is currently pursuing performance and choreography in New York City.
Jessica Goldstein
Jessica hails all the way from London, Ontario, Canada where from a very young age has immersed herself in the performance arts including dance, theatre and voice. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a BA in drama, she moved to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts conservatory acting program. Throughout her training, she has studied many different styles of movement including modern dance, clown, physical theatre, commedia and improvisation. She loves living in NYC and has performed with many respected theatre companies with some Off-Broadway productions and independent films along the way. She has a passion for the arts and is very excited to be working with Racoco Productions! Check out my work on
www.jessgoldstein.com/
Remi Harris
A native of Brooklyn, Remi Harris is a dancer that has been performing with dance companies, musicians and video artists around the country for years. She is now a choreographer, teacher and performance artist based in New York City. She continues to teach in private studios and after school programs in New York City as well as traveling the country as a guest artist. Ms. Harris recently performed as a featured dancer for the upcoming independent short film "Funf and Twist" and as a guest artist with Rebekah Windmiller, Lorena Egan Dance, and Dance Catalyst! all based in New York. She hopes to continue her passion for all things creative, blending different styles of dance with multi-media, fashion, and a sense of humor!
Elinor Harrison
Elinor Harrison is a Brooklyn-based performer who currently dances with Jane Comfort and Company and Thomas/Ortiz and is excited to join Racoco. She has also danced in the companies of Nancy Meehan, Carlos Orta, Mary Seidman, and Noemie LaFrance, as well as in several theatrical productions including the international tour of "A Chorus Line". Her own work has been presented at BAX, DNA, The Field, Movement Research, and in the Dumbo Dance Festival. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, she has degrees in French Literature and Dance.
www.ellieharrison.net/www.ellieharrison.net/Welcome.html
Holly Heidt
Holly Heidt is from Bloomington, Indiana where she grew up doing ballet with the Indiana University Pre-College Program. She studied literature and dance at Oberlin College and after graduating in 2010 cofounded In Noon Dance with her fellow alumni Katherine Anderson and
Jan Trumbauer. In New York, she has worked with Andy Byers and Jonathan Peck on their film Harvest, is a member of Ella Rosewood Dance, and will be presenting choreography at The Tank in April. Holly is thankful for the opportunity to perform with Racoco.
Shang-Ho Huang
Shang moved to New York to attend the Columbia University MFA Acting Program, where he has had the opportunity to work with a number of amazing artists. He encountered the characters Soliloquy and Sonnet in Voice & Shakespeare with Kristin Linklater, and fooled around in Movement and Commedia with Niky Wolcz; all through his personal lens of tradition Asian techniques and training. Over the course of this journey, he began to discover who he is as a person and an artist, and why he loves acting. In 2009, Shang was invited by Robert Wilson to attend the International Summer Program at the Watermill Center. While there, he worked with fellow participants Tom Waits and Martin McDonagh, workshopping upcoming projects. Shang is an energetic, physical, comedic, and generous actor, genuinely thrilled by the honor of performing.
http://shanghohuang.com/
Adrian Jevicki
Adrian Jevicki is a graduate of Brown University where he studied theater, speech, dance, and business economics. He spent three years in Kyoto, Japan with the Kyoryukan Theater Company. He's the founder and artistic director of Movementpants Dance.
http://movementpantsdance.blogspot.com/
Carissa Jocétt Toro
Carissa Jocétt Toro is an alumni of Marymount Manhattan College. She has been acting in NYC theatre since 2005 in various Off-Broadway productions but made her TV debut as Valerie Martin on Law & Order: SVU. She is also company member of The American Mime Theatre and is currently performing lead at Repetorio Español. Other credits include film, commercials, music videos, and print work. Carissa is inspired by Racoco/Rx and thankful to be a part of the company.
Rebecca Ketchum
Rebecca studied Dance and French at Goucher College. She has since taught dance and performance in Chicago, Thailand, Maine, and the Bronx. In 2005, Rebecca earned a M.Ed. in Arts in Education from Harvard University where she first saw a Racoco piece and immediately feel in love with it; she has been a proud company member ever since. She also works with Movementpants Dance, and Children's Progress. Rebecca is lucky enough to teach yoga around NYC. Come take her class at Loom Studios, Namaste, and New York Yoga. Please visit her website for more info.
www.ketchumyoga.com/
Masumi Kishimoto
Masumi Kishimoto is a native of Tokyo, Japan, who moved to New York City and entered the intensive training at the Ailey School and graduated from its certificate program. Since then, she has choreographed pieces that combine Classical Mime, Physical Comedy and Dance for performances at the Puffin Room, Movement Research at Judson Church, Studio b.p.m., Theater for the New City and The Ailey Studio Theater, etc. She also performed mime with Gregg Goldston in a five-member ensemble pieces. As a dancer, she worked with Ayako Kurakake, Asami Morita and Nichole Arvin, Yana Schnitzler, Daria Fain in NY, Pennsylvania, Germany and Japan. Recently she worked as a movement designer with "Crane Story". She is an Artist-in-Residence at Center for Remembering & Sharing in NYC. She joined Racoco Productions in 2010.
http://masumikishimoto.com/home
Kelly Kocinski
Kelly Kocinski likes to dance and subject herself to punishment, as proven by her current status as a second year law student at Brooklyn Law. She is also a certified Pilates instructor (contact her at kocinska@yahoo.com for an appointment), so subjecting others to punishment is a hobby as well. She is thrilled to continue the journey with Rachel (over 3 years now!) and to work with this amazing bunch of people on this project. Love to all who help me keep living la vida loca (you know who you are).
Katie Rose McLaughlin
Katie Rose McLaughlin is a performer/choreographer with extensive experience in performance ranging from the Joffrey Ballet School to clown school in Switzerland to performing in a Walker Arts Center-commissioned post-post modern dance exploration of death to starring as Esmeralda in Redmoon Theater's puppet and mask infused "Hunchback" off-Broadway. In addition to her work as a movement designer for various theatrical productions, her choreography work has been presented as part of the 9x22 Dancelab Choreography Series (Minneapolis, MN), the CATCH Series (Brooklyn, NY), the Dixon Place (New York, NY), the Red Eye Works-in-Progress Series (Minneapolis, MN), newMoves Choreography Festival (Pittsburgh, PA) this spring at the Tank (New York, NY) and Movement Research at Judson Church (New York, NY). Visit her at
http://katierosemclaughlin.com/KR/Welcome.html
Olgierd Minkiewicz
Olgierd Minkiewicz is originally from Poland where he has worked as an actor, choreographer, dancer, composer and lyricist. He appeared in London at the Cockpit Theater in The Legend of Beowulf in the role of Grendel. Since coming to the United States he has studied at the New York Film Academy and worked as a choreographer with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on Jane Austen's "Emma". Other credits in New York include: Antigone and Miss Julie at Columbia University, various short films, voice-over work and other jobs where his choreography and his performing as a dancer were used extensively. He is most currently working on a new short film based on a novel of Dostoyevsky entitled "Notes from the Underground" in which he plays the leading role. Olgierd is a member of the International Actors Theater.
www.youtube.com/olgsvideos
Julie Petrusak
Julie Petrusak began her training with the Maryland Youth Ballet and later earned her degree from the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. in dance program. She has performed works by Karen L. Arceneaux, Daniel Gwirtzman, Alvin Ailey, Ronald K. Brown, Sarah Skaggs and Adam Barruch. Currently she is dancing with Millennium Dance Company, Genesis Dance Company, and is happy to be in her first season working with Racoco Productions. When not dancing, Julie works as a licensed real estate agent with Manhattan Modern Management and teaches Graham technique at the Perry Studios in Harlem.
Alex Rodabaugh
Alex Rodabaugh was born in Lima, Ohio and began dancing at local studios. He continued his training at Vassar College, where he graduated with a degree in Computer Science. He has studied many places including Ballet Austin, Dancebase in Edinburgh and at the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York City. Alex has performed works by choreographers such as Merce Cunningham, Anita Cheng, Doris Humphrey, Steve Rooks, and David Berkey. He is excited to join Racoco Productions and is incredibly thankful for his very supportive family!
Susan Steinman
Having danced and acted casually since childhood, Susan decided to pursue performance more seriously two and a half years ago. Thanks to her teachers at New Haven Ballet, The Limon Center, and Yale, and to the many artists, movers, scientists and strangers who encouraged her along the way, Susan has since had the opportunity to perform across NY, DC, and CT, and she is delighted now to be a part of Racoco. Also a singer, Susan was most recently heard at Carnegie Hall and as a cantor in Altoona, PA.
Susan researches children with cochlear implants at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Kara Zacconi
Kara Zacconi was raised in Orlando, fl, where she trained at Orlando Ballet under the late Fernando Bujones. After graduating from OBT, she was accepted into Florida State Univeristy's Dance program where she studied under Dan Wagner,Jawole Zollar, and Gerri Houlihan. Kara graduated Deans List with a BFA in Dance Performance in December 2008. She purchased a one-way ticket to NYC and moved in January 2009.Upon arrival to NYC, Kara trained at the Martha Graham School on scholarship for the Spring term. With an itch to get out and dance,Kara jumped head first into the dance scene, and began working with many up and coming and established choreographers such as Marianna Bekerman Dance, Roschman Dance, Flash Mob America LLC and The Dance Cartel. Kara is currently working with Sky Silver Records as a back up dancer, and is actively auditioning. Kara is very excited to be a part of Racoco/Rx and is looking forward to creating new work with the company!
rehearsal consultant
Francisco Ruvalcaba
A native of San Diego, California, Francisco Ruvalcaba has toured with the Lincoln Center Institute, El Festival Nacional é Internacional de Danza en México, Ballet de Camara de la Frontera and the Innsbrook Festival of Ancient Music. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Mr. Ruvalcaba has performed works by José Limón, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Jirí Kylián, Donald Mckayle, Lar Lubovitch, Benjamin Harkarvy and Agnes De Mille. He joined the Limón Company in 1996 and has taught the Limón technique and its repertory extensively throughout the country.
www.limon.org
© 2011 racoco productions
