Performance details:
Saturday November 30, 2024
8:00p
Arts On Site
12 St Mark’s Place
3rd floor
New York, NY 10003
Tickets: $30
The Lost Colony of the Argonauts is inspired by Greek mythology, the “Lost Colony” of British settlers who came to North Carolina in the late 1500’s, the Wright Brothers, climate science, and 80’s jazz dance. This dance theater piece borrows from ballet, flamenco and musical theater, using video, props, and costumes to explore themes of scientific inquiry, imperialism, and the desire to leave everything behind to pursue the promise of adventure and riches.
The Lost Colony of the Argonauts is performed in four brief acts that run just under an hour. The cast of six dancers/actors play multiple roles in the overlapping narratives. Inverting the traditions of ancient Greek theater, here all of the parts are played by women. The music is drawn from ancient and modern Greek composers, as well as Renaissance chamber music, and American minimalism. Excerpts and earlier versions of the piece have been presented at the Scarsdale Library, 514 Broadway, the Clio Art Fair, Putnam County Dance Project and NACHMO.
A quote from the director, Christy Walsh:
“After the pandemic, I felt compelled to return to the stage. I am coming back to the place where I started, but I am bringing with me the things I have learned on the way -I am grateful for the opportunity to share my new work in a place that I think of as home.”
Christy Walsh is a multidisciplinary artist who started her performance career as a child, singing, acting and dancing with her grandmother’s musical theater company, Norfolk Musical Theater. Walsh went on to a career with regional companies and independent choreographers – all while studying photography and art. Currently, Walsh works in many media: dance, video, photography, painting, drawing and sculpture – often inspired by philosophy of mind, metaphysics, fiction and poetry. Walsh’s dance-theater works include evening length and site-specific pieces produced in various places in New York, Texas, Virginia, and in Chios, Greece. Her art and award-winning films and videos have been presented in galleries and festivals all over the world.
Choreography and direction: Christy Walsh
Production: Spyros Stefanou and Christy Walsh
Music: Arnold Dreyblatt, Panos Stefos, Petros Tabouris, Tsev and Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer.
Dancers: Rachel Caron, Livia England, Helen Greider, Dafni Mari, Vanessa Martínez de Baños, Sayuri Tanabe
Costumes: Sally Lesser, Christy Walsh, Alice Wamsley
Props: Christy Walsh
Video: Spyros Stefanou and Christy Walsh
Graphic design: Brittany Guerra
Still from Treasure Hunt, from The Lost Colony of the Argonauts.
The Lost Colony of the Argonauts is a multidisciplinary performance inspired by Greek mythology, the “Lost Colony” of British settlers who came to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the late 1500’s as well as their imagined descendants, the Wright Brothers, and scientists drawn to the area to study climate change. The opening is set in a future in which the descendants of the Argonauts are scientists descended from the Lost Colonists who are working to understand climate change. Told through a combination of dance, theater, video, props, and costumes, the narrative sees the characters developing relationships and transforming through a non-linear relationship with time that allows for flexibility in story-telling, as well as humor. The story explores scientific inquiry, imperialism, and the drive to leave everything behind for the promise of adventure and riches.
Performance details:
Saturday November 30, 2024
8:00p
Arts On Site
12 St Mark’s Place
3rd floor
New York, NY 10003
Tickets: $30
The St. Patrick’s Day show at 514 Broadway was the culmination of years of work developing the choreography and narrative for “The Lost Colony of the Argonauts”, which will premiere as a full-length multi-media production in 2024. I had a great time performing with Rachel Caron, Tori Hey, Vanessa Martinez de Banos, Elizabeth Andrews – Szendrody, and Sayuri Tanabe.
Following is a collection of excerpts from the dances – more to follow!
Excerpts from the Lost Colony of the Argonauts (youtube.com)
The Lost Colony of the Argonauts received a Support for Artists grant
from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support Walsh’s creative
work. Sponsored by Fractured Atlas, this award will fund The Lost Colony of the Argonauts.
Through New York State’s continued investment in arts and culture, NYSCA has
awarded over $80 million since Spring 2023 to over 1,500 artists and organizations
across the state.
Governor Kathy Hochul said, “Research confirms what we’ve always known here in
New York: arts and culture are a powerhouse, with a staggering return on investment
for our economy and our communities. Nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their
audiences generated $151.7 billion in economic activity nationwide in 2022 and New
York’s unparalleled arts and culture sector is leading the way to benefit our residents,
our students and our visitors every day. I commend these grantees on their
achievements and look forward to their contributions in the coming year.”