BIODANCE presented Thin Ice at (Un)Doing Balance as a benefit for Mission Improvable in Buffalo at the Alt Theater on Sat. Dec. 2 at 8pm.  Natalia Lisina and Nanako Horikawa Mandrino performed in this excerpted work from Labyrinth, with music by Michael Wall, used with permission.

Save the Date to celebrate BIODANCE’s 12th Anniversary at Geva Theatre Center’s Fielding Stage on May 17-20, 2018.

SPECIAL VIP PRE-SALE TICKETS on sale now for BIODANCE friends! Follow this link for the best prices and seats for the BIODANCE 12th Anniversary Season at Geva Theatre Center’s Fielding Stage May 17-19, 2018! BIODANCE celebrates with highlights from its dozen years as a Rochester community-based company. Repertory will include a BIODANCE premiere by Missy Pfohl Smith with motion capture imaging by W. Michelle Harris and music composed by Garret Reynolds, a reprise of excerpts of “Solo/Countersolo” by NYC-based choreographer Heidi Latsky, “Possible Side Effects” by local choreographer and BIODANCER Jeanne Schickler Compisi, and other favorites from the company’s repertory.

On Thursday, Oct. 19, BIODANCE is honored to perform for a Benefit entitled The Art of Lawyering at Village Gate in Rochester, NY.  This event also holds a silent auction to benefit Volunteer Legal Services Project. The group was created to supplement the efforts of the two legal service agencies in the community: Monroe County Legal Assistance Corporation and the Legal Aid Society of Rochester. The two agencies had never been able to fully meet the needs of the low-income community for free legal assistance and VLSP was created to call upon members of the private bar in Monroe County for pro bono work to help people in need of legal assistance.

BIODANCE Sold Out the Premiere of the All-New Show “Labyrinth” at Strasenburgh Planetarium

“The highly anticipated Sunday night premiere of “Labyrinth” at RMSC’s Strasenburgh Planetarium did not disappoint.”

— Rochester City News Review by Rebecca Rafferty here.

ROCHESTER, NY— Choreographer Missy Pfohl Smith, director of BIODANCE, and video artist W. Michelle Harris return to the Rochester Museum & Science Center’s Strasenburgh Planetarium for an all new work, “Labyrinth,” created for the 2017 KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival. The same artistic collaboration produced the sold-out phenomenon “Anomaly,” presented at the Planetarium as part of the Rochester Fringe Festival in 2013 and 2016, called ” …a brilliantly crafted world of beauty, melody and calmness” by City News. Labyrinth is not your typical dance or music concert, nor is it your typical visit to the planetarium, it is something entirely new, imaginative and immersive.

Photo by W. Michelle Harris

Joining the expressive performers of BIODANCE, including Jeanne Schickler Compisi, Sarah Dearstyne, Sarah Johnson, Natalia Lisina, Nanako Horikawa Mandrino, Laura M. Regna, Julie Schlafer Rossette, Jean Michael Rubingu, and Missy Pfohl Smith, is W. Michelle Harris with live cinematic mix. Live music performance by Emlyn Johnson (flute), Zach Stern (saxophone(s)) and Henry Myers (cello), with advising from conductor Eric Laprade, all from Eastman School of Music, and the young vocal talent of Lyric Voices under the direction of Vince Salvadge will round out this large scale collaboration. Stanzi Vaubel, the site-specific visual and performance artist who is also an accomplished cellist, is joining the team of creatives, alongside costume designer Jennifer Rubens.
Pfohl Smith says “The Planetarium has nooks and crannies yet to be explored. The scale of this collaboration is thrilling for all of us, and this coming together of different perspectives is what makes hope possible in the maze of our world. I am astounded by the new ways in which we have been able to play in one of the most intriguing venues in Rochester.”

Photo by W. Michelle Harris

“Missy and Michelle consider the Planetarium environment with fresh eyes and ears and create work that makes the Star Theater’s unique capabilities an integral part of the artistic product,” says Steve Fentress, Planetarium Director at RMSC. “An innovative and highly professional production like this keeps Rochester’s Planetarium on the cutting edge. We are proud to be a part of this new creation for 2017.”

BIODANCE sold out four of the five performances (with only 20 seats left for the entire run) of “Labyrinth,” Sunday, September 17 through Thursday, September 21 at 6pm each day.  Tickets were $12, available at http://rochesterfringe.com/tickets-and-shows/labyrinth.

Phone: (585)-201-1002

BIODANCE Social Media: facebook.com/BIODANCE1 and Twitter: @BIODANCE1

NOTE TO MEDIA: Interviews and photos are available upon request.

BIODANCE is a Rochester-based repertory dance company under the direction of Missy Pfohl Smith, who also directs the Program of Dance and Movement at University of Rochester. BIODANCE collaborates with multi-disciplinary artists, such at W. Michelle Harris, an Associate Professor in Interactive Games and Media at RIT. BIODANCE made their debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2017 to sold out houses, and has shared its work nationally and internationally. Visit Biodance.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo and Instagram.

Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) includes the Science Museum, Strasenburgh Planetarium and Cumming Nature Center. Offering experiences at the Museum with more than 200 interactive exhibits, Planetarium with a 65-foot dome and Nature Center on 900 acres, the RMSC stimulates community interest in exploration. In addition, the more than 1.2 million RMSC collection items tell the story of Rochester’s past including its rich history of innovation and invention. RMSC receives major funding from Monroe County, where it is one of the top three most visited attractions serving children and families. For more information about RMSC, visit RMSC.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. 

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Labyrinth Email PDF

Missy Pfohl Smith and Bridget Kinneary shared Bach Without Boundaries at the Senior Center at Community Place of Greater Rochester on July 19, giving the seniors a sneak peek at what will take place at Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s 70th Anniversary on Aug. 17 and 19, 2017 at Gallery 23 in Edinburgh, Scotland!

TOTAL SELL OUT!!!

Missy Pfohl Smith (BIODANCE) and Bridget Kinneary (violist) brought their Bach Without Boundaries to  Edinburgh, Scotland Aug. 17 and 19, 2017 at Gallery 23 at 12:30pm, WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED SELL-OUT of both shows for their first appearance in the 70th Anniversary of Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The relationship between musician and dancer is turned on its head during this unique, intimate gallery performance of Bach Cello Suite No 4 by violist Bridget Kinneary and dancer/choreographer Missy Pfohl Smith (BIODANCE). Experience this classical work like never before, embodied by both performers and the audience alike. The show also features a premiere of Candle Dances with music by California composer Alan Terricciano, interspersed with playful stories of the development of the work and the relationship of the artists. New York, USA.

Gallery 23 is located on 23 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH3 8HQ.

Tickets and information are available here:  https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bach-without-boundaries

Bach Without Boundaries first premiered in 2016 in the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival in Rochester, NY, marking the first iteration of this ongoing collaboration between Missy and Bridget.  It has also been performed at the Eastman School of Music and the Elwanger Estate.  The artists are thrilled to be premiering a new work, Candle Dances, in Edinburgh Fringe 2017, alongside Bach’s Cell Suite #4.

Photo by Ralph A. Thompson

BIODANCE shared Jeanne Schickler Compisi’s “Possible Side Effects” at National Dance Week’s Atrium Concert at City Hall, Rochester, on Wednesday April 26th at 7pm.  The FREE concert was open to all in the community and also included various dance groups, dance studios and artists from Rochester, including Pam Schickler Compisi’s 25North.

Possible Side Effects

Join BIODANCE and the Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Conductor Eric Laprade on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017 at 8pm for a FREE collaborative performance!  With 18 musicians and 12 dancers, Darius Milhaud’s La creation du monde will come to life with a new interpretation of this seminal work.

The piece will be repeated on Wed. Feb. 8 at 2pm in the new Eastman Wing, in EEW-415 on the 4th floor above the RPO Box Office.  The Wed. performance will feature digital media projection by W. MICHELLE HARRIS that is not to be missed.

Both shows are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Eastman Wind Ensemble Explores Artistic Collaboration in Works of Milhaud, Etezady, and Corigliano

Celebrating another year of dancing with the seniors at Community Place of Greater Rochester at 145 Parcels Ave, BIODANCE brought their BIO/DANCE & Social Justice performance to the Senior Center to share three works – Katherine Kramer’s “The Hand We’re Dealt,” Jeanne Schickler Compisi’s “Possible Side Effects” and Missy Pfohl Smith’s “Tiny Parts of a Whole.”  The seniors also performed one of their favorite dances from our weekly classes and vibrant discussion was shared!