JULY 4 Program:
Total runtime: 70 min.

Sheldon Raymore & Tony Enos: Two-Spirit (Dance-Music)
Traditional and contemporary worlds are merged in this musical and dancing honoring of past, present, and future Two-Spirit people from all Nations.

Elena Notkina & Tamara Leigh: Sister (Dance)
Balletic grace and modern-comtemporary power combine in this moving duo, reflecting Notkina's experience in choreographing theatrical productions.

Oxana Chi & Layla Zami: I Step On Air (Dance-Live-Music-Theater)
A lively and meditative piece blending mesmerizing dance moves, socially-conscious spoken words, and atmospheric live-music (saxophone, kalimba, sounds). I Step On Air is dedicated to the Ghanian-German poet, activist and performer May Ayim, also known as the "Afro-German Audre Lorde."

Kerry Downey + Kaveri Raina: K.2 (Exhibition in the theater gallery)
Co-curated by Anne Patsch.

About the artists:

SHELDON RAYMORE is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation. He is a multidisciplinary performance artist, actor, choreographer, cultural consultant, costume designer, fashion designer, visual artist, and an award -winning grass dancer. The New York City Native just finished touring with Ibex Puppetry's "Ajijaak on Turtle Island" 2019 theatre production. Captivating and moving, Sheldon also starred in ABC’s television series Born to Explore, “Legend of Dance” with Richard Weiss, where he was the featured grass dancer at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. The Sioux performer was recently awarded the 2019 First Peoples Fund "Cultural Capital" Fellowship. Ever the consummate keeper of tradition, he continues to cultivate his artistry, letting the love for his culture shine through in all that he does.
Web: Sheldon Raymore

TONY ENOS Hailed as "the most exciting performer to come out of Philadelphia since Patti LaBelle" by gbmnews.com, 2018 Native American Music Awards Nominated artist Tony Enos celebrates a near decade as a singer/songwriter/producer, electrifying live stage entertainer, and activist. Always encouraging love wherever he goes, and fighting for our youth, the Philadelphia native was voted 2017 Native Trailblazer Indie Music Awards "Artist To Watch" for his single "Two Spirit" which has become the Two-Spirit movements anthem. His ability to bring audiences from all walks of life together and make each person feel as though they're the only person in the room is reminiscent of the instincts and talent of the music icons that the world loves so much.
Web: Tony Enos

ELENA NOTKINA is a Russian born dancer and choreographer. She graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory with Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in dance performance and choreography. Elena has performed with various dance companies in Russia and the United States. She has choreographed numerous dance pieces as well as musicals, theater shows and gala events. Her works were presented in festivals including Making Moves Dance Festival, WAXworks showcase (NYC), NimbusPRESENTS: Offline (Jersey City, NJ), Dance Canvas Performance Series (Atlanta, GA) and others. Elena was recently featured in the Off-Broadway show Raskolnikov and The Pawnbroker. A Love Story. She also received awards such as Fyodor Lopukhov Choreography Competition and Youth Festival of Modern Choreography “Runway”.
Web: Elena Notkina

OXANA CHI is a German-Nigerian choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, curator, organizer, mentor and author. Listed in the A to Z of "People Who Power the Dance World" (The Dance Enthusiast, NYC, 2018), she draws inspiration from her travels to and study in 40+ countries in Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas. Chi developed her own Fusion performing language, which blends such diverse styles as German expressionist dance, African Total theater, ballet and raks sharki. Performance and residency history includes Abrons Arts Center AIRspace Grant for Performing Artists, NYU Jack Crystal Theater, University of Toronto, Dixon Place, MR@Judson Church. Oxana Chi was honored as an Ambassador of Peace at DOSHIMA (Jakarta, 2016) for her art. She is currently Co-Curator of Dance at the International Human Rights Art Festival.
Web: Oxana Chi Dance Art

LAYLA ZAMI is an innovative artist and academic working at the intersection between memory, diaspora, gender and performance. As a Resident Artist with Oxana Chi Dance Art, she creates and performs live-music, spoken words, physical theater in dialogue with the choreography. Together with Oxana Chi, Layla Zami performed across NYC and across the globe. She was born in Paris, France, of Jewish-German-Russian and Afro-Indian-Caribbean descent. Based in Brooklyn, Dr. Zami is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Performance and Performance Studies MFA at Pratt Institute.
Web: Layla Zami

Oxana Chi and Layla Zami are a German-French duo collaborating since 2010 in the fields of performing arts, visual arts, higher education and event curation. They moved from Berlin, Germany to New York City and are appreciated internationally for their inspiring creativity and uplifting energy.

KERRY DOWNEY is an interdisciplinary artist and educator at MoMA in New York City. Downey’s work explores relationality through the multitude of ways we inhabit our bodies and access forms of power. Downey works primarily in video with a practice that includes printmaking, drawing, writing, and performance. They have exhibited at the Queens Museum, the Hessel Museum at Bard College, The Drawing Center, Cooper Cole, Toronto, and Taylor Macklin, Zurich. Recent solo/duo shows: Cave, Knowckdown Center, 20|20 Gallery. Downey is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Emerging Artist Grant and Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant. Their work has been in Artforum, The Brooklyn Rail, The Washington Post, and Lookie-Lookie. Downey holds a BA from Bard College and an MFA from Hunter College.
Web: Kerry Downey

KAVERI RAINA is a painter living and working in Brooklyn, NY. She was born and raised in New Delhi, India and moved to the States at the age of eleven. She received her MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016 and her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2011. Raina has received awards and fellowships including the James Nelson Raymond fellowship, Fred and Joanna Lazarus Scholarship, amongst others. She was recently nominated for the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors grant. Raina’s work has been exhibited in the US, India and Germany. Raina attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture summer of 2017.
Web: Kaveri Raina