Washington Ensemble Theatre presents a new Dance Series — reSET

Choreographers and dancers don’t often have opportunities to utilize complex or fully-realized sets. With this in mind, The Ensemble is thrilled to present reSET, which lets dancers perform on its theatrical sets. Curated by Mark Haim, Babette Pendleton, and Ensemble Co-Artistic Director Ali el-Gasseir, The Ensemble will continue this program in tandem with its future 12th Avenue Arts mainstage productions.

In the series’ inaugural production, choreographers Veronica Lee-Baik of The Three Yells and Jody Kuehner aka Cherdonna Shinatra will create new dance works on the dirt-filled, multi-tiered set of The Ensemble’s current production, The Tall Girls, which is designed by Cameron Irwin.

Wednesday, May 20 at 8:00pm
Thursday, May 21 at 10:00pm

Tickets – $10

About the Artists:

JODY KUEHNER- artist, director, drag queen Cherdonna Shinatra, 2015 Stranger Genius Award Nominee and 2010 Spotlight Award winner. Has been presented at On The Boards, Velocity Dance Center, Bumbershoot, CityArtsFest, Northwest Film Forum, Century Ballroom, Methow Arts, Seattle International Dance Festival, PNW Dance Platform, The Award’s Show, Joyce SoHo (NYC), Risk/Reward (PDX), New Grounds Festival (FL), and the Meanings and Makings of Queer Dance conference Ann Arbor, MI. She is in her eighth year dancing for Pat Graney Co. and assisted with Graney’s KTF prison project. Kuehner has been working with Mark Haim for the past 5 years and has also worked as Dayna Hanson’s Production Coordinator and Assistant to the Director for Hanson’s feature length film Improvement Club. She is also Hanson’s Assistant Director for the most recent work The Clay Duke. Jody as Cherdonna Shinatra performs regularly with DeLouRue Productions and NARK Magazine. Kuehner was Velocity’s 2014 Artist in Residence and Made In Seattle Artist, she holds a residency with KT Neihoff’s 10 Degrees; and has been granted residency support from On The Boards for her upcoming Cherdonna project. From 2003-2009, she was a member of d9 Dance Collective and has also performing works by Nugent & Matteson, Keith Johnson, Daniel Cheron, KT Niehoff, Wade Madsen, Salt Horse and Amy O’Neal. Kuehner teaches Professional Contemporary Dance at Velocity and is Resident Choreographer for the LGBTQ youth choir Diverse Harmony. Kuehner will be choreographing a new glam rock spectacle, Wham Bam Glitter Glam, Fall 2016 presented by The Triple Door in collaboration with PaulaNow Productions.

VERONICA LEE-BAIK- The Three Yells performance company was founded by Veronica Lee-Baik to explore and translate modern dance through choreography, performance, and education. Lee-Baik’s varied experiences and background are reflected in her work, envisioning Western avant-garde styles through the prism of Asian aesthetics and traditions. Veronica Lee-Baik is originally from Singapore, where she studied dance and art at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She has also professionally trained at the Royal Academy of Dance (London), the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance (New York), and the Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle), where she received her BFA in dance. Lee-Baik taught ballet, modern, and choreography in various dance institutions in Singapore and Seattle. She co-founded and co-directed Exit Space School of Dance in Seattle. Lee-Baik’s work has been produced at Velocity Dance Center (Seattle), On The Boards (Seattle), Northwest Asian American Theatre (Seattle), Soil Gallery (Seattle), Bumbershoot (Seattle), Seattle University (Seattle), Conduit (Portland), and Victoria Theatre (Singapore). The Three Yells performance company has been a part of Afest, 12 Mins Max, Northwest New Works, and Bumbershoot.Lee-Baik will be premiering her latest evening length work, Her Name Is Isaac, in Spring 2016. She will also be choreographing for Cornish Dance Theatre (CDT) this Fall.