The Path
Dancers: 10
Run time: 44:00
Premiered: The Flea Theater (2023)
Choreography: Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Music & Projections: Erica “Twelve45” Blunt
The Path: “I’m going to be real with you,” says Rea-Fisher, “There’s a romanticized sense of the artist as some sort of magician but, most often, the reality is simply about doing the work. That may not sound especially sexy, but it’s true. Epiphanies are easy but they are hardly reliable. If you do the work everyday, your unfettered creativity is revealed rather than forced. This is what The Path means to me: proceeding with greater and greater trust in myself, in my company, and in our future.” The Path marks the culmination of a six-year partnership between Rea-Fisher and EMERGE125's Sound and Music Coordinator Erica "Twelve45" Blunt. Many of the audio elements in The Path were conceived during the 2022 John Brown Lives! Fellowship for Activists and Artists, where Blunt and Rea-Fisher participated as part of the fellowship's inaugural cohort. As both a composer and remixer, Blunt brings a diverse ear and artist-forward soundtrack to her unique contributions with the company.
Behavioral Synchrony
Dancers: 5
Run time: 9:56
Premiered: The Flea Theater (2022)
Choreography: Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Music: The Halluci Nation
The genesis of Behavioral Synchrony comes from a 2020 article published in the Neuroscience Journal. “Drumming in a group,” the article contends, “stimulates behavioral and physiological synchronization, which contributes to the formation of social bonds and the ability to cooperate.” This presented an intriguing means of reconnection for the company after our separation during the pandemic. We began with the beat of a drum to provide a metronome for our actions, then asking the dancers to throw themselves— spiritually, mentally, creatively, physically— into the work and to use the percussion as a foundation. The Ontario based duo now called Halluci Nation were very excited to collaborate on this piece. I recognize the origins of this music and that there is a sacred element. That is one of the many reasons you will find no traditional dance movements in this piece. My hope is that you are able to enjoy this work in the spirit in which it was created.
John Brown Lives
Dancers: 3
Runtime: 8:52
Premiered: The Flea Theater (2022)
Choreography: Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Music: Erica “Twelve45” Blunt
Voices: Tiffany Rea-Fisher & Erica “Twelve45” Blunt
John Brown Lives: In the summer of 2020 Rea-Fisher was invited to come to the family farm of abolitionist John Brown who was hung for treason after raiding the U.S. Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. After creating a dance film about the farm and participating in several events at the Farm related to the Black Lives Memorial installation created by artist Karen Davidson Seward, Rea- Fisher wanted to bring this inspiration back to the city and share it with her NYC family.
Poly String Theory
Dancers: 8
Premiered: The Flea Theater (2024)
Runtime: 21:35
Choreography: Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Music: Kaiser Quartett
Poly String Theory: Rea-Fisher fell in love with the music of the Kaiser Quartett and felt impassioned to try to make a movement piece that was as frenetic and visceral as the music. Inspired by her dancers' dedication, motivation, determination, and strength, this study in applied pressure has become a favorite piece of repertoire within the company.
Rights of Renaissance
Dancers: 9
Runtime: 10:20
Premiered: Chelsea Factory (2023)
Choreography: Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Music: Organized by Erica “Twelve45” Blunt
Voices in order of appearance: Tracy Dunbar, Mikayla Klein, Alisa Gregory, Daniela Funicello, Caitlyn Morgan, Jenny Hegarty-Freeman, & Madelyn LaLonde
Rights of Renaissance: This work began when Rea-Fisher stumbled across audio footage from her 2020 Harlem Stage dance film commission about the Harlem Renaissance. Dancers in the company were given a Time Magazine article to read written by Ibram X. Kendi which they then discussed with a partner.
“At no point does any dancer show up on stage while their voice is being featured. I think it is important for those not having a specific lived experience to sit with, understand, and actually care about what others are experiencing whether that is their lived experience or not. I believe that is how empathy is built.”
-Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Artistic Director EMERGE125
Spirit Celestial
Dancers: 2
Runtime: 9:28
Premiered: Section 1: The Flea Theater (2022), Section 2: Lake Placid Center for the Arts (2018)
Choreography: Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Music: Kevin Keller
Spirit Celestial was commissioned by the Lake Placid Center for the Arts in 2018 and was Rea-Fisher’s physical response to visual artist Sarah Yomen’s beautiful work featuring crows. This piece was created as a gift for Jon Donk who brought the two artists together. The creation started with the ending solo which Rea-Fisher began in 2017 however she always saw this piece as a trilogy so for the 2022 season Rea-Fisher created a duet that serves as the middle section of the work and will create the final section starting in 2023 that will serve as the works opening.
Memphis Hesitation
Dancers: 6
Runtime: 4:15
Premiered: The James Lumber Center for the Arts, Illinois (2019)
Excerpt of a larger work entitled Emerge Does Brubeck which is a joyous fusion of music and dance featuring Brubeck standards such as Blue Rondo, Unsquare Dance, Take Five, and Memphis Hesitation.
Tilted Arc
Dancers: 8
Runtime: 21:36
Premiered: Summer Streets (2017)
Commissioned by the Department of Transportation as part of their 2017 Summer Streets event, Tilted Arc references the sculpture by Richard Serra - the most notorious public sculpture controversy in the history of art law, removed from Foley Square in 1989 because of its "obstruction" to the pathway. Eight dancers perform a piece tracing the location of the once celebrated sculpture and investigating themes of immigration and obstruction of pathways.