Peter Stathas Dance presents Leaving and Coming Back at Danspace Project

Peter Stathas Dance
presents
Leaving and Coming Back
June 20-22, 2019 at 8pm at Danspace Project

Peter Stathas Dance presents Leaving and Coming Back fromThursday-Saturday, June 20-22, 2019 at 8pm at Danspace Project, located inside St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery at 131 E. 10th Street, NYC. Tickets are $22 ($15 for Danspace Project members) and are available at
http://www.danspaceproject.org/calendar/peter-stathas-dance/. Pending availability, tickets can be purchased at the door for $25, cash only.

Leaving and Coming Back is a collection of works that Peter Stathas has created throughout his dance career. Peter left dance in May of 1985 to pursue a career in physical therapy. His love of dance and passion for creating new works brought him back to dance, and he premiered his first new work in 2016. Peter’s decision to combine old works with new allows audiences to experience his choreography as it has evolved over the years.

Saturday Mornings tells the very personal story of Peter’s relationship with his grandfather, who was a welterweight champion boxer. Five Studies for a Waiter and a Business Woman (1985) and Assuage (2018) will be presented as well as the  Premiere of Conundrum, which was conceived with the idea of specific spaces being used to represent others’ perceptions. As each new dancer is added, the “space” expands to allow the dancers to shed those perceptions and to be their authentic selves.

Leaving and Coming Back is performed by Joe Fransee, Selina Hack, Una Ludviksen, Mary McGrath, Andrew McShea, Jesse Obremski and Lauren Twomley with Lighting Design by Kryssy Wright, Stage Management by Louise Brownsberger and Costume Design by Leslie Vaglica.

This performance is presented through Danspace Project’s Community ACCESS program, which provides subsidized off-season rental opportunities for Danspace Project community members.

About Peter Sathas Dance
Peter Stathas began his dance training at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the mid 70’s, and continued his training at SUNY Purchase. He moved to New York City to continue his education and studied with dance luminaries such as Maggie Black, Geri Houlihan, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris, Marjorie Mussman, Ernie Pagnano, Zena Rommentt, and Mel Wong. Peter is grateful to these teachers, past and present, for their knowledge and training which continues to influence his work today. In 1979, he became a member of the Jose Limon Dance Company and soon after joined Marta Renzi and Dancers. As a part of Marta Renzi’s company, he danced many roles and toured extensively before finding his passion for choreography, which lead him to begin creating his own works. In 1986, Peter became interested in physical therapy as a way to combine his knowledge and love of dance with the awareness of proper physical alignment, so he enrolled at University of Massachusetts Lowell School for Physical Therapy. For 26 years, he focused solely on building his physical therapy practice and business, Freedom Physical Therapy Services. In 2016, he was inspired to return to dance and created two new pieces of work, which were featured in his first live performance in 30 years. In 2018, Peter was selected for the choreographic mentorship program DOVA with Doug Varone and Dancers. His new duet Assauge premiered at Gibney Dance Theatre in August of 2018. Peter Stathas Dance was created to give dancers a forum to unleash their creativity and individuality through a collaborative process with the choreographer to generate innovative movement. New works will be developed and performed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, New York City and other cities across the country.
www.peterstathasdance.com

About Danspace Project
Danspace Project presents new work in dance, supports a diverse range of choreographers in developing their work, encourages experimentation, and connects artists to audiences. For over 40 years, Danspace Project has supported a vital community of contemporary dance artists in an environment unlike any other in the United States. Located in the historic St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, Danspace shares its facility with the Church, The Poetry Project, and New York Theatre Ballet. Danspace Project’s Commissioning Initiative has commissioned over 570 new works since its inception in 1994. Danspace Project’s Choreographic Center Without Walls (CW²) provides context for audiences and increased support for artists. Our public programs (including Danspace Presents, Platforms, Food for Thought, DraftWork), Commissioning Initiative, residencies, guest artist curators, and contextualizing activities and materials are core components of CW² offering a responsive framework for artists’ works. Since 2010, we have produced twelve Platforms, published twelve print catalogues and five e-books, launched the Conversations Without Walls discussion series, and explored models for public discourse and residencies. www.danspaceproject.org