Home > Around Town > Artists at Fort Wayne Fringe

Artists at Fort Wayne Fringe

By Eddie Torres

Fort Wayne Reader

2013-01-21

dAnce.Kontemporary

Founded in 2012 by Kara Wilson and Alison Gerardot (hence the highlighted A and K in the name), dAnce.Kontemporary will be performing pieces from their inaugural season “Cupcakes and Heartache.” This season represents the arc of a romantic relationship, from the sweet and sugary cupcake phase through heartache and everything in-between.

dAnce.Kontemporary is a professional dance company located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which features original, contemporary and experimental dance works that communicate through movement by exploring the human condition. It is the goal of dAnce.Kontemporary to continue to encourage the involvement of all aspiring dancers in the community who desire a professional dance experience post high school graduation. Furthermore, it is the goal of the company to bridge the gap between the commercial and concert dance communities for a greater appreciation of both.

DK is currently comprised of 14 local dancers and embraces all dance styles including but not limited to: jazz, contemporary, hip hop and performance art. (Performances: 7:30pm on Thursday, 1/31. 4:30 pm on Sunday, 2/3)

The Hand Inside You

Chicago-based artist Joshua Kent’s new work “The hand inside you,” is a performance piece which mines the structures and techniques of group ritual practices in order to achieve a generalized sense of transcendence and hope. Using his own history as well as the collective histories of those present, Mr. Kent — who attended the School of Art Institute of Chicago — works with movement and simple object manipulation to construct images which the audience becomes a part of. The piece seeks to move viewers from a sedentary position of watching, into a more embodied place, existing in tandem with the performance. Thereby hopefully leading to a change in state beyond the moment of the live work. (Performances: 8:45 pm on Thursday, 1/31. 8:14 pm on Friday, 2/1)


Identity Cubed

Hailing from Ann Arbor, Identity Cubed (I3) is a dynamic percussion trio whose focus is to expose new and exciting works that transcend the standard percussion ensemble. The group continues to reach diverse venues as well as engage in educational concerts. I3 seeks to change the way that percussion music is perceived by performing for audiences who otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience the idiosyncrasy of percussion music. (Performances: 7:00 pm on Friday, 2/1. 4:30 pm on Saturday, 2/2)

All’s Fair in Jewels and Dresses

A one-act play by Atlanta-based playwright Amina S. McIntyre is a spy-versus-spy comedy about two women, Tangie and Esmerelda, both working to get a precious ring to take back to their agency. The ring, however, can’t just be stolen. It is a precious heirloom passed down many generations in Dennis’ family. They pursue Dennis romantically only to find that he has known about their game the entire time. Now, he has a mission of his own, and Tangie and Esmeralda must race against the clock — and each other — to get possession of the ring.

Amina S. McIntyre is a playwright from Atlanta, GA, who has had productions and readings of her plays with Working Title Playwrights at On Stage Atlanta, TipMyCup Productions at the Roy Arias Theater in New York, Wabash College, Colby College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Spalding University, Indiana Theater Association ITWorks 2008, West Side Community CME Church, and the Hickory Museum of Art. Amina received a BA in Anthropology at Colby College, a MA in African American and African Diaspora Studies from IndianaUniversity, Bloomington and a MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. She is a member of The Dramatist’s Guild, Inc, Working Title Playwrights. Amina was the 2011 Visiting Playwright in Residence at Lenoir-RhyneUniversity, a featured presenter at Isothermal Community College Writing Workshop and a finalist for the New York Theater Workshop’s Emerging Artist of Color Fellowship. (Performances: 9:30 pm on Friday, 2/1. 2:00 pm on Saturday, 2/2)


Hunting For Mushrooms

Fort Wayne artist Kurt Roemble’s multi-media piece “Hunting For Mushrooms” originally started as an homage to John Cage’s score for a Jackson MacLow play called The Marrying Maiden. “The play was comprised of dialogue written using chance methods like the I Ching,” Roemble explains. “Cage took the tape recordings of the play’s rehearsals and used a series of chance methods to cut up, rearrange and manipulate the tape. Imagine watching a play in which the dialogue makes no logical sense and the background music is manipulated dialogue. It is in this vein that I created Hunting for Mushrooms.” (Performances: 3:15 on Saturday, 2/2. 3:15 pm on Sunday, 2/3).


The Traveling Tap Dance Supershow

Experience a tap dance show unlike any that you have seen before. The Traveling Tap Dance Super Show — featuring The Tapmen and The Condescending Heroes (Who Died For World Peace) — capture the range and versatility of tap dance. The Tapmen is collaborative effort between three of Chicago’s brightest tap stars: Marty Bronson (Chicago Tap Theater); Tristan Bruns (MADD Rhythms); and Zada Cheeks (Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s BAM!).

Sharing the stage is the one-of-a-kind tap and guitar duo, The Condescending Heroes (Who Died For World Peace), featuring Tristan Bruns, director of the Tapmen, and Joshua Lemli on guitar. By combining tap and guitar along with keyboards and various percussive instruments, The Condescending Heroes will take you on a musical odyssey from the experimental, to classic ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll and maybe a few Nintendo favorites. (Performances: 5:45 pm on Saturday, 2/2. 12:45 pm on Sunday, 2/3)

Hope Arthur

Singer/songwriter and pianist Hope Arthur debuts music from her upcoming album at Fort Wayne’s first annual Fringe Festival. An eclectic mix of classical pianism, quirky accordion and the sounds of the orchestra set this act apart. Don’t miss this blend of original “music with a twist.” (Performances: 10:00 pm on Thursday, 1/31. 8:15 pm on Sunday, 2/3)


Pyroscope Entertainment

Fire troupe Pyroscope Entertainment and Twin Flames Productions present “The Elements,” a visually and musically enticing exploration of the four classical elements. A collaboration between local fire performers and musicians, “The Elements” encompasses the essence of air, water, earth and fire through a combination of fluid movement, fire manipulation, ambience and artistic expression. Traverse the earth, feel the air, float on the water and warm up to the fire as organic music accompanies visual artists as they synchronize their bodies with fire and LED props.(Performances: 7:00 pm on Saturday, 2/2. 7:00 pm on Sunday, 2/3)


GreatBIGworld

greatBIGworld is a one woman cabaret that explores the complexities of solitude. This interdisciplinary work comments on how a person acts in his/her personal space and how identity, emotion and choice making is specifically experienced in this private sphere. Through dance, song and storytelling, Melinda Jean Myers transitions in and out of fear, silliness, anxiety and the simple joys of being alone. (Performances: 8:15 pm on Saturday, 2/2. 5:45 pm on Sunday, 2/3)

OG Productions

The motto of this Columbus, Ohio-based theater troupe is “Chaos Is Guaranteed,” and for Fort Wayne Fringe they’ll be performing four short plays featuring goats, jack o’ lanterns, birthday parties, babymaking, “and the chaos that inevitably ensues.” (Performances: 9:30 pm on Saturday, 2/2. 2:00 pm on Sunday, 2/3).