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“Once you feel your mind
holding your feet back, you should already be on the move.”
–Kazuo Ohno
Starter Set is not a collection of
music videos, but a sampling of new dance and music created
for the camera. Instead of the dancing being an accessory
to the music, the choreography in Starter Set is
of equal focus.
Curated by Katie Eastburn, the Starter Set
DVD features new dance by members of Leg and Pants Dans Theeatre,
Hysterica Dance Co, 4 Hard Gulps Theater Company and
new music from members of Young People, Vaz, Liars, New Collapse
and Emily Manzo.
Dance might be a less familiar art form than
music, but have no fear: “I know it’s good
if it makes me laugh, because that means I’m surprised,”
says Eastburn. “Everyone is going to see a different
story. We string together moves that make us laugh or
cringe or sweat, and the whole becomes something else.”
Katie Eastburn began dancing when her parents
enrolled her in an after-school hula class in kindergarten.
Intermittent study in ballet, modern, jazz, West African,
butoh and hip-hop followed. She started writing music
to dance to, which lead to the formation of the band Young
People. Eastburn met Jane Paik (aka Janet Pants, founder
of Janet Pants Dans Theeatre) upon moving to LA and they immediately
began dancing together. With the addition of like-minded
actress and choreographer Lindsay Beamish, their troupe was
solidified.
Perhaps you’ve already seen Janet Pants
Dans Theeatre (now known as Leg and Pants Dans Theeatre) defy
all your previous notions of ho hum club-band-audience, when
they’ve played with Deerhoof, Erase Errata, Mirah, the
Blow or Numbers? “The kind of dance we do doesn’t
require the relentless dedication of a traditional dance company,”
says Paik, “Instead it reflects
the combination of using other talents and faculties to sort
of cut and blend things to create something new, yet still
retain this foundation of dance.”
In addition to the ladies of Leg and Pants,
Starter Set showcases the work of Katie’s other
longtime collaborators, including Ryan Heffington of Hysterica
Dance Company (LA) and Dana Edell of 4 Hard Gulps and the
ViBe Theater Experience (NYC). “Most of my closest
dance and music collaborators of the past 10 years are on
this DVD,” says Eastburn. “This is
our first take-home show.”
Shows and events on both coasts in support of
Starter Set are in the works. In the meantime,
be on the lookout for projects by all of the individual artists.
Katie is making a music and dance video for the band Telepathe
in collaboration with Mighty Robot in Brooklyn. Her
band, Young People recently signed to Too Pure and has a new
album coming out in early 2006, following an EP this fall.
She recently produced the first LP from Hot Fire, a band of
New York City high school girls and indie rock goddesses.
Jane is working on other dance films, music
and a new solo show. She’s looking to release
the live Janet Pants Dans Theeatre shows on DVD. Lindsay
recently finished filming Short Bus, a new movie
by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch),
due out next year. You can also catch Dana Edell directing
a music video for Vaz, to be released with their new album;
as well as Ryan Heffington’s ongoing choreography and
appearances for stage, camera, and Hysterica Dance Co.
“My most inspiring teachers have and
will dance to the grave. We don’t abide by rigidities
about what it means to be a dancer, what you have to look like,
what your days and nights are like,” says Katie. “In
other words, we do a lot of other stuff, too.” The
Starter Set collaborations bring indie rock stars,
dance and video artists together in an unprecedented way.
Rest assured, Eastburn’s wish list for Volume 2 is already
in the works.
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