Creative Work
What's Next...
Body of Letters, brings to life the personal accounts and stories of participants by providing them with a framework to use as a vehicle to organize and tell their story-in-motion. Taking inspiration from NPR’s Story Corps, Body of Letters approaches the art of storytelling through the body dynamically moving through space and time.
Our intent is to produce a hybrid (both live and pre-recorded), multi-media performance at SMUSH Gallery that pushes the boundaries of storytelling, and presents a diverse cross section of life in Jersey City, expertly woven into a cohesive tapestry of communal and individual identity.
An immersive, site-specific event, inspired by an enduring Victorian Gothic, literary classic, set in an iconic Rochester Goth nightclub. “The Raven | Vertex”, is a multi-disciplinary experience, traversing space and time, which offers a vessel for contemplation on the universal themes of love, loss, grief, and reconciliation.
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After losing the love of his life, a man hoping to imbibe consolation at the local pub, descends into madness as he confronts the demons both imaginary and real, that circle his scathed soul.
In the cities in which we live, space is defined by those in power; by politicians, developers, and property owners. This capitalist deference to the wealthy and powerful too often results in municipalities designed and defined by a select few, at the expense of the many who live, work, and play in the city.
In part, an act of rebellion to combat this unbalanced paradigm, this collaborative project between Bard High School Early College Newark and KineoLab, a not-for-profit dance company, seeks to empower those not in power as it offers students the opportunity to define a public space through collective movement creation and performance.
Choreography
Originally created as a culmination of my work in grad school at the University of Maryland, College Park, Invoking Justice was recently re-worked and premiered at Geva Theatre Center during the 2018 Rochester Fringe Festival.
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More can be read about the process of bringing the show to Fringe, here: https://gevajournal.wordpress.com/2018/09/10/the-road-to-fringe-invoking-justice/
Invoking Justice (excerpts)
Choreography by: Curtis Stedge
Invoking Justice, an interactive, performative work of dance-theater, is a social commentary, both on the failure of the American justice system to balance the scales, and on our individual and collective failings to balance our communities, and ourselves, while recognizing our inherent unity and interconnectedness. The show was performed on March 10th and 11th, 2016 in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Conceived, Written, Directed, and Choreographed by: Curtis Stedge
Set Design: Katie Sullivan
Lighting Design: Brandi Martin
Costume Design: Jeannette Christensen
Projections Design: Alexandra Kelly Colburn
Sound Design: Jeff Dorfman
Commissioned Score: Rogue Collective
Photo Credit: Zachary Handler
Careful What You Conjure - 2015
Choreography by: Curtis Stedge
Part of an intended larger work yet to be choreographed, ‘Careful What You Conjure playfully explores the magic and power of intentionality and the consequences of toying with the forbidden.
Lotus Unfurling - 2014
Choreography by: Curtis Stedge
Lotus Unfurling is a meditation on progression and change. Like the petals of a blossoming flower, the work builds gradually through thematic repetition. In all, the work is a reminder that change is inevitable and though we resist it, and oftentimes actively fight against it, the only way around is through.
These works were created on undergraduate students at the University of Maryland, College Park, while I was an MFA student at the same institution. UMDs undergrad program is an open program that doesn’t require that students audition for admission. That being said, though these dancers worked hard and danced beautifully for their level of experience, this version of the work lacks the temporal and dynamic nuance that my choreography requires from performers.
Injustice For All - 2014
Choreography by: Curtis Stedge
Injustice For All is the product of a creative round robin between my cohort at the University of Maryland. It is a seed that will eventually grow into a larger work, a political commentary on US imperialism and the steady decline of democracy.
Chronology of Work
The Raven | Vertex – Site specific work at Vertex Nightclub – Rochester, NY - In Process
Invoking Justice (re-envisioned/re-staged) Geva Theatre Center – Rochester, NY - 2018
Invoking the Wild Man – Solo – Premiered at MuCCC Dances Festival - Rochester, NY - 2017
Invoking Justice – Evening Length Work for Seven performers – University of Maryland - 2016
‘Careful What You Conjure – Sextet – Premiered at the University of Maryland - 2015
Lotus Unfurling – Quintet – Premiered at the University of Maryland - 2014
Sans Illusion – Solo – Premiered at TEDx Buffalo – Buffalo, NY - 2013
Drawing Down –Trio – Premiered at TEDx Buffalo – Buffalo, NY - 2013
Wallflowers (Co-Choreographer) – Quintet – Premiered at Geva Theatre Center - 2009
Never Give a Sword to a Man Who Can’t Dance – Solo – Premiered at ARTWalk - 2006
Five Incarnations of Hell: Act I, Scene II – Trio - Premiered at SUNY Potsdam - 2004
Organic Decay – Solo – Premiered at SUNY Potsdam - 2003
Foolish Attachments – Octet – Premiered at SUNY Potsdam - 2003
Spirit, Stone, and Sinew – Trio – Premiered at SUNY Potsdam - 2002