Gesel Mason:

 CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATER PRESENTS

Cincinnati, Ohio: GESEL MASON’S “NO BOUNDARIES: Dancing the Visions of Contemporary Black Choreographers” celebrates the rich depth and wide variety of styles present in the field of modern dance. As part of this exciting and ambitious project, Gesel Mason will perform selected works by several of the nation’s leading contemporary African American choreographers; her repertoire includes pieces by Bebe Miller, Donald McKayle, Reggie Wilson, Andrea Woods, David Roussève, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar.  Mason has also created pieces for the project, which encompasses almost seventy years of choreographic imagination and expertise. Mason’s performance brings these artists together to show the diversity of work by, for and about African-Americans; her expression of their visions pushes Black Dance in America beyond stereotypes and color boundaries.

Mason crafted “NO BOUNDARIES” in part to challenge conventional notions of Black Dance as based in the Alvin Ailey tradition or Horton technique, as African dance, or as Negro Spirituals. By exposing audiences to the work of regionally and nationally significant artists, NO BOUNDARIES showcases the work of several choreographers in one evening.  Mason weaves video interviews between solos, providing historical referents through individual artists’ descriptions of the creative process, cultural influences, and perspectives on Black Dance. Mason’s combination of documentary footage and live performance highlights these important artists and makes their visionary work perhaps even more accessible to audiences than in traditional presentations.

                    photo by Paul Emerson                  photo by Enoch Chan

Described as “young, black and brilliant” by Philadelphia’s City Paper, Mason is the co-founder and artistic director of the Washington, D.C.-based Mason/Rhynes Productions and artistic director for Gesel Mason Performance Projects.

Gesel Mason’s performance is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the National Performance Network. 

The National Performance Network is a group of cultural organizers and artists facilitating the practice and public experience of the performing arts in the United States. The NPN serves artists, arts organizers, and a broad range of audiences and communities across the country through commissions, residencies, culture-centered community projects and other artistic activities. For more information: www.npnweb.org.

 Contemporary Dance Theater's 2008-2009 Season is sponsored by:

 CELEBRATING ITS 36TH SEASON!