On Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 2:00pm, members of MM2 Modern Dance company will be participating in the 4th Annual SoLow Festival with “3 – MM2 = 1” or in Italian, in preparation for their upcoming summer tour in Italy, “Tre meno emme emme 2 e’uguale a uno”. This impromptu performance will occur at The Porch at 30th Street Station, weather permitting.
4th Annual SoLow is dedicated to new, experimental work focusing on solo performance with low-maintenance and low-stress. SoLow Festival was created by Philadelphia performance artists Thomas Choinacky and Amanda Grove. Seeking a way to present their own solo work, with minimal expense, they developed the idea to get other people involved. Now in its fourth year SoLow is excited to experiment with the theme of Loners and Rebels and continue its use of non-traditional locations and venues inspiring artists and audiences alike to challenge the norm of theatre and making and seeing art that may otherwise never be created.
Six company members from MM2 Modern Dance will premiere solos – Jessica Bryan, Katelyn Capato, Jenna Faye Eugenides, Heather Fleischman, Brianne Scott and Matthew Varvar.
The SoLow Festival offers company members a welcome relief from six hour rehearsal days as they do last minute preparations for their tour in Italy during the month of July. Company member Jessica Bryan adds that she is very excited to be working on a solo – “This will be my first solo I have worked on strictly for myself in about two years. I want to show a very vulnerable side of myself. Hopefully creating an intimate experience for the audience.”
For Brianne Scott, SoLow Festival allows her to “show my own self through my choreography”. Her solo is “about stopping and taking a minute to look at yourself and your own qualities and deciding whether you like who you’ve become, or if you need to change some things.”
By offering the performance free to the public at The Porch at 30th Street, the group hopes to expose more of the Philadelphia community not only to their work but to arts and dance as a whole in the region.
MM2 Modern Dance Company
MM2 Modern Dance Company, under the direction of Steven Weisz, has established itself as an incubator, providing support, space and opportunities for new emerging dance artists, who wish to explore the choreographic process, in order to cultivate and introduce new work to new audiences. MM2 recognizes the inherent value in nurturing developing artists as well as the collaborative spirit to foster creativity, while pushing boundaries and forward-thinking. While MM2 is artist-driven, it is also community-centered, recognizing the need to educate, advocate, support and promote artistic vitality in the region.
The Porch at 30th Street Station
In November 2011, University City District with significant support from the William Penn Foundation opened The Porch at 30th Street Station, a transformative new urban open space. Adjacent to the second busiest train station in the country, between two magnificent historic buildings and within a short walk of over 16,000 jobs, The Porch is a key gateway to the region. Once a congested parking lane and bland, barren sidewalk, The Porch has quickly become one of the most animated public places in Philadelphia, with amenities such as abundant seating, vibrant seasonal plantings, ongoing performances, fitness classes and a variety of special events.
3 – MM2 = 1
SoLow Festival
Sunday, June 23 at 2:00 pm
The Porch at 30th Street Station
FREE! Weather Permitting.
THE PROGRAM
Heather Fleischman
Endless Peace
Music – Skin & Bones by David J. Roch
Brianne Scott
Slow Growth
Music – North by Phoenix
Matthew Varvar
Steal
Music – Time Goes By – by Blackmill
Jessica Bryan
Nervous Innocence
Music – Time Flies by Likke Li
Jenna Faye Eugenides
Inadequate
Music – Elijah by The String Cheese Incident
Katelyn Capato
Called
Music – Briony by Dario Marianelli; With My Own Eyes
by Dario Marianelli and The Call by Regina Spektor