Dance & Theater Performance Projects

Rehearsal Calendar

Laura Schandelmeier
Stephen Clapp
3311 Rhode Island Ave #305
Mount Rainer, MD 20712
www.danceboxtheater.org

Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp

Dance & Theater Performance Projects

Performance Projects Available for Tour

We Are Here (working title) marks the seventh collaboration between Dance Box Theater's Co-Artisitc Directors, Stephen Clapp and Laura Schandelmeier. The work features an original score by Stephen Clapp. We Are Here is scheduled to premeier at Dance Place is Washington, DC on March 31 and April 1, 2012.

Commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of the 2010 Local Dance Commissioning Project, Affectations is a multi-media movement/theater performance created and performed by Dance Box Theater Co-Artistic Directors Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp with dance artist Ilana Faye Silverstein. Through dynamic choreography and intricate partnering developed over the course of a year and half, Affectations offers the human body as metaphor for contemporary culture. Performed by Clapp, Schandelmeier, and Silverstein, this full-evening work is the bravest, most innovative and original production that Dance Box Theater has created to date. Composer James Harkins created the music score as an audio synthesis algorithmic composition. The audio component for Affectations was developed on the SuperCollider platform in collaboration with Robotics Engineer, Lorne Covington who created the environment within which the music was triggered by the dancers. The result is a seamless and intriguing sonic environment, perfectly fitted to the dance.

The Loving Project: E-Race explores interracial marriages and nontraditional partnerships in historical and present-day perspectives. Through reflections on racism, sexism, and gender bias, The Loving Project: E-Race highlights aspects of partnership that make possible the union of individuals contrary to a dominant status quo. The work weaves together a tapestry of stories that include: the case of Loving vs. Virginia, which in 1967 overturned the law against interracial marriage in Virginia; and the marriage between Russian Inventor Leon Theremin and dancer with the American Negro Ballet, Lavinia Williams. Schandelmeier & Clapp's fifth evening length work, The Loving Project: E-Race celebrates distinctive partnerships and the rare gifts they bring to the world. For more information about The Loving Project: E-Race please Click Here.

Haunted unearths local lore and ghost stories of the diverse community in which Schandelmeier and Clapp live and work - Mount Rainer, Maryland, where some say the story behind "The Exorcist" took place. Set to an original score by vocal duo Leah and Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia, and percussionist/performer Kofi Dennis, Haunted draws from acts of possession, ghost stories, and rituals to create an enthralling motion narrative. Created in conjunction with Haunted/The Open Door Project. Haunted premiered on May 31 & June 1, 2008 at Dance Place, Washington, DC. Joe's Movement Emporium presented the work October 24- November 1, 2008 and Haunted was presented again at the State of the Nation Festival in New Orleans in March 2009. Haunted will be presented by Dance Base in Edinburgh, UK during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2010. For more information about Haunted Click Here.

Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp’s third full-evening duet, Portals, offers a magical glimpse into the celebrations, rituals and intimate moments shared between two people. Examining the transformative process of evolution, and the five major rites of passage, Portals features an original score by Clapp, lighting by award-winning designer Catherine Eliot, set design by Bill Harris and costumes by Richmond painter, Eleanor Rufty. Created in conjunction with Schandelmeier & Clapp's Portals/The Open Door Project, the work was commissioned by the Creative Communities Fund of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and premiered at Dance Place in June 2007. Portals was also presented by The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in March 2008. For more information about Portals Click Here.

Combining mythical iconography of dragons with contemporary, pop culture and counter-culture personifications of warriors, damsels and demons, The Dragons Project: Power Play is a movement based fairy tale acknowledging the dragons in our midst as well as those we hold within. Exploring power dynamics and relationship possibilities, Schandelmeier & Clapp are confronted by outside forces and faced with the challenges of breaking down assumptions and working together. By examining the power dynamics between a man and a woman in isolation, a mirror to the world and the human condition is revealed. With original music by Stephen Clapp and text by playwright Christopher Greybill, The Dragons Project: Power Play was presented by Dance Place in 2006, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2007, and excerpted for performances throughout the region. For more information about The Dragons Project: Power Play Click Here.

In December 2004, Dance Place presented the premiere of Rappaccini's Daughter, inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s gothic love tale. Created and performed by Laura Schandelmeier in collaboration with Stephen Clapp the work is a trio for two dancers and a life-size sculptured figure by visual artist Eleanor Rufty. Performed to Toby Twining’s Chrysalid Requiem, this full-length, multi-discipline performance work brings to light Hawthorn’s contemporary creation myth - pondering life and death, good and evil, and ultimate omnipotence. For more information about Rappaccini's Daughter Click Here.

Other Performance Projects

Paint it Blue is a collaborative work by Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp created in partnership with Jonathan Morris. The work features original film footage by Ray Schandelmeier. Invited by the Source Theater Festival to create this new work, Schandelmeier, Clapp and Morris explore surveillance in 1970 and asks the question, �Who�s watching us now?� Paint it Blue premiered at the Source Theater Festival as part of the experimental "Mash-Up" performances on July 5 & 6, 2008. Click here to read Jonathan Morris' blog about the work.

Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp have been commissioned by the IN Series to create and perform the roles of Monteverdi’s doomed lovers in Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, a mini opera featuring a soprano, tenor, baritone and string quartet. The work premiered at the ATLAS Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC January 19 & 20 and 26 & 27, 2008. For more information about the IN Series, Click Here

July July/Two Duets premiered at the Goose Route Dance Festival in Shepheardstown, WV in 2004 and was toured in Maryland at the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts as part of Joe's Movement Emporium's Gala benefit concert. July July/Two Duets also toured to New York as part of the DanceNow/NYC festival in 2004.

For information about upcoming performances, workshops or for booking information, please Contact Us.

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Home Artist Notes Dance Projects Resources Workshops Artist Bios Press Support Videos Music Links E-Newsletters Contact Us Rehearsal Calendar Laura Schandelmeier Stephen Clapp 3311 Rhode Island Ave #305 Mount Rainer, MD 20712 www.danceboxtheater.org	Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp Dance & Theater Performance Projects Performance Projects Available for Tour
We Are Here (working title) marks the seventh collaboration between Dance Box Theater's Co-Artisitc Directors, Stephen Clapp and Laura Schandelmeier. The work features an original score by Stephen Clapp. We Are Here is scheduled to premeier at Dance Place is Washington, DC on March 31 and April 1, 2012. Commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of the 2010 Local Dance Commissioning Project, Affectations is a multi-media movement/theater performance created and performed by Dance Box Theater Co-Artistic Directors Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp with dance artist Ilana Faye Silverstein. Through dynamic choreography and intricate partnering developed over the course of a year and half, Affectations offers the human body as metaphor for contemporary culture. Performed by Clapp, Schandelmeier, and Silverstein, this full-evening work is the bravest, most innovative and original production that Dance Box Theater has created to date. Composer James Harkins created the music score as an audio synthesis algorithmic composition. The audio component for Affectations was developed on the SuperCollider platform in collaboration with Robotics Engineer, Lorne Covington who created the environment within which the music was triggered by the dancers. The result is a seamless and intriguing sonic environment, perfectly fitted to the dance. The Loving Project: E-Race explores interracial marriages and nontraditional partnerships in historical and present-day perspectives. Through reflections on racism, sexism, and gender bias, The Loving Project: E-Race highlights aspects of partnership that make possible the union of individuals contrary to a dominant status quo. The work weaves together a tapestry of stories that include: the case of Loving vs. Virginia, which in 1967 overturned the law against interracial marriage in Virginia; and the marriage between Russian Inventor Leon Theremin and dancer with the American Negro Ballet, Lavinia Williams. Schandelmeier & Clapp's fifth evening length work, The Loving Project: E-Race celebrates distinctive partnerships and the rare gifts they bring to the world. For more information about The Loving Project: E-Race please Click Here. Haunted unearths local lore and ghost stories of the diverse community in which Schandelmeier and Clapp live and work - Mount Rainer, Maryland, where some say the story behind "The Exorcist" took place. Set to an original score by vocal duo Leah and Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia, and percussionist/performer Kofi Dennis, Haunted draws from acts of possession, ghost stories, and rituals to create an enthralling motion narrative. Created in conjunction with Haunted/The Open Door Project. Haunted premiered on May 31 & June 1, 2008 at Dance Place, Washington, DC. Joe's Movement Emporium presented the work October 24- November 1, 2008 and Haunted was presented again at the State of the Nation Festival in New Orleans in March 2009. Haunted will be presented by Dance Base in Edinburgh, UK during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2010. For more information about Haunted Click Here.
Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp’s third full-evening duet, Portals, offers a magical glimpse into the celebrations, rituals and intimate moments shared between two people. Examining the transformative process of evolution, and the five major rites of passage, Portals features an original score by Clapp, lighting by award-winning designer Catherine Eliot, set design by Bill Harris and costumes by Richmond painter, Eleanor Rufty. Created in conjunction with Schandelmeier & Clapp's Portals/The Open Door Project, the work was commissioned by the Creative Communities Fund of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and premiered at Dance Place in June 2007. Portals was also presented by The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in March 2008. For more information about Portals Click Here.
Combining mythical iconography of dragons with contemporary, pop culture and counter-culture personifications of warriors, damsels and demons, The Dragons Project: Power Play is a movement based fairy tale acknowledging the dragons in our midst as well as those we hold within. Exploring power dynamics and relationship possibilities, Schandelmeier & Clapp are confronted by outside forces and faced with the challenges of breaking down assumptions and working together. By examining the power dynamics between a man and a woman in isolation, a mirror to the world and the human condition is revealed. With original music by Stephen Clapp and text by playwright Christopher Greybill, The Dragons Project: Power Play was presented by Dance Place in 2006, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2007, and excerpted for performances throughout the region. For more information about The Dragons Project: Power Play Click Here.
In December 2004, Dance Place presented the premiere of Rappaccini's Daughter, inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s gothic love tale. Created and performed by Laura Schandelmeier in collaboration with Stephen Clapp the work is a trio for two dancers and a life-size sculptured figure by visual artist Eleanor Rufty. Performed to Toby Twining’s Chrysalid Requiem, this full-length, multi-discipline performance work brings to light Hawthorn’s contemporary creation myth - pondering life and death, good and evil, and ultimate omnipotence. For more information about Rappaccini's Daughter Click Here.
Other Performance Projects Paint it Blue is a collaborative work by Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp created in partnership with Jonathan Morris. The work features original film footage by Ray Schandelmeier. Invited by the Source Theater Festival to create this new work, Schandelmeier, Clapp and Morris explore surveillance in 1970 and asks the question, �Who�s watching us now?� Paint it Blue premiered at the Source Theater Festival as part of the experimental "Mash-Up" performances on July 5 & 6, 2008. Click here to read Jonathan Morris' blog about the work.
< Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp have been commissioned by the IN Series to create and perform the roles of Monteverdi’s doomed lovers in Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, a mini opera featuring a soprano, tenor, baritone and string quartet. The work premiered at the ATLAS Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC January 19 & 20 and 26 & 27, 2008. For more information about the IN Series, Click Here
July July/Two Duets premiered at the Goose Route Dance Festival in Shepheardstown, WV in 2004 and was toured in Maryland at the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts as part of Joe's Movement Emporium's Gala benefit concert. July July/Two Duets also toured to New York as part of the DanceNow/NYC festival in 2004. For information about upcoming performances, workshops or for booking information, please Contact Us. Home Artist Notes Dance Projects Workshops Resources Artist Bios Press Quotes Support Videos Music Links E-Newsletters Contact Us Website Design by Stephen Clapp