Hi All!

We’ve just finished updating the site with all the incredible that’s been happening over on our YouTube channel – if you’re not subscribed to us yet, you’ve been missing out! Our current project, Geeksdanz Online, is a set of five distinct video dance series taking place on our YouTube channel, and in all the excitement, sometimes we forget to post here as well. So our Current Project page is now updated, and there are now handy links in the sidebar that will take you directly to those YouTube playlists. Have fun browsing our crazy – we’re particularly proud of our most recent piece, affectionately referred to as “Blame Pachelbel”!

Hello Geeks!

It’s been quiet around the website lately, but that doesn’t mean it’s been quiet in the studio! We’ve been working on expanding our online short-form dance repertoire, continuing our long-running Art Assignment Response series, adding more Momentum120 timed-creation pieces, and even starting a new series we call “Vault,” where we dig deep into the dusty corners of the Geeksdanz vault to give an old piece a new spin. Check out the sample below, which we created as a tribute to David Bowie, and then head on over to our YouTube channel to see everything we’ve been working on!

In other news, Artistic Director Ellen will once again be presenting three panels at Tekkoshocon Japanese Culture Convention. Come chat about the ‘Video Games-As-Art’ debate, get a primer on some good Artsy Anime series, and rock out with Ellen in her Para Para Fitness class! Exact dates and times are TBA, but the convention runs from April 7 – 10 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Stay tuned for details as they are announced!

Hi fellow geeks!

Big news! Our Indie Go Go campaign has just gone LIVE! We’ve got a bigger goal this time, so we can use all the help we can get. Check out our campaign video!

And remember, too – since we’re officially a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, all your donations from now on are TAX DEDUCTIBLE! Check out our awesome perks and help us make John Green proud!

We’ve also got more promotional images going up on the Current Projects page over the next few weeks, so be sure to check those out!

Finding Margo, Losing Gus comes to the Monroeville Library in August! Visit the project page for full info and email us to reserve your spot today!

Thanks to everyone who braved the awful weather and came out to see our first Mad Libs show – it went really well, and we’re expecting an even bigger crowd this month when the weather will hopefully cooperate more! Our next show is on March 15th at 8 pm, and we’ll have a special guest with us, in the form of past Geeksdanzer Jamie Campbell! We’re excited to perform with her again, so come out – you won’t want to miss this!

In addition, Ellen and the danzers will be presenting a workshop, Movement for the Improviser, on March 15th from 2 to 5 pm. Registration is limited, so head over to the Steel City Improv Theater workshop page to sign up!

And finally, a sneak peek of the antics that went on during our promotional photo shoot last weekend. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the big announcement!

Bring it! from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

Hi All!

Thank you to everyone who came out and had their pants scared off by us at Manifestations – we had a great crowd and it was an amazing experience!

The first video footage of the show is up now; many thanks to Steel City Improv Theater for giving us the opportunity to perform in a theater space again!

Excerpt from Manifestations: “The One-Eyed Ghost” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

You can now officially visit the newly-created Manifestations main page via the link in the sidebar!

Hi all!

Again, the danzers and I want to thank everyone who came to the show on April 19th – we had a great crowd and a great reception to our work!

If you missed it, don’t despair – we’ll have the DVD up for sale just as soon as I can get the video files all put together. In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt of the opening two movements:

Stay tuned for updates on our next projects!

Hi everyone!

Another big announcement on the heels of the Indie GoGo campaign: we are pleased to announce that we will be LIVE STREAMING the show on April 19th! If you don’t live in the Pittsburgh area, you can tune in to the website at 6:30 pm on April 19th to watch the show live, and even participate in the Q&A afterwards via the “Social Stream” chatroom! Stay tuned for details as we get closer to the show.

~Ellen

Hi Everyone!

Today is National Dance Day, and to celebrate, I’m digging back up one of my old Thing-A-Weeks so that you all can participate! Spend a few minutes today being creative with The Name Game!

Thing-A-Week 12: “The Name Game” from Ellen Deutsch on Vimeo.

Well, it’s here!

Over the past month or so, I’ve been collaborating with Ben Peoples of Trinculo’s Attic, who’s got something really cool: a wireless lighting controller. This is a little tiny doohickey that synchs up to a light board to run light cues, and is portable enough to attach to nearly anything, including a dancer. Check it out:

There’s also a nifty behind-the-scenes video right here, and a detailed blog post from Ben about how the technology works right here.

Forgoing the use of sight gags and blackouts that are so common to these sorts of dances, Progressive Assembly uses the lighting technology to highlight and emphasize the quality of the movements themselves. Spirals of light on the limbs and torso highlight the three-dimensionality of the dancer and draw attention to the full contours of the movements, while pinpoint-bright LED’s mark out pulse-points and emphasize the spatial arrangement and rearrangement of the individual parts.

This is just the beginning–we’ve got lots of ideas for very cool places this collaboration could go! Stay tuned for some more exciting developments!