NEW YORK – The Lost Colony of the Argonauts, with choreography and direction by Christy Walsh, will be performed on Saturday, November 30, 8 PM, at Arts On Site, 12 St Mark’s Place, 3rd floor, in New York City’s East Village.
Inspired by Greek mythology, the ‘Lost Colony’ of British settlers who came to North Carolina in the late 1500s, the Wright Brothers, climate science, and 80s jazz dance, this dance theater piece borrows from ballet, flamenco and musical theater, using video, props, and costumes to explore themes of scientific inquiry, imperialism, and the desire to leave everything behind to pursue the promise of adventure and riches.
The Lost Colony of the Argonauts is performed in four brief acts that run just under an hour. The cast of six dancers/actors play multiple roles in the overlapping narratives. Inverting the traditions of ancient Greek theater, here all of the parts are played by women. The music is drawn from ancient and modern Greek composers, as well as Renaissance chamber music, and American minimalism. Excerpts and earlier versions of the piece have been presented at the Scarsdale Library, 514 Broadway, the Clio Art Fair, Putnam County Dance Project and NACHMO.
Director Christy Walsh said: “After the pandemic, I felt compelled to return to the stage. I am coming back to the place where I started, but I am bringing with me the things I have learned on the way – I am grateful for the opportunity to share my new work in a place that I think of as home.”
Walsh is a multidisciplinary artist who started her performance career as a child, singing, acting and dancing with her grandmother’s musical theater company, Norfolk Musical Theater. Walsh went on to a career with regional companies and independent choreographers – all while studying photography and art. Currently, Walsh works in many media: dance, video, photography, painting, drawing, and sculpture – often inspired by philosophy of mind, metaphysics, fiction and poetry. Walsh’s dance-theater works include evening length and site-specific pieces produced in various places in New York, Texas, Virginia, and in Chios, Greece. Her art and award-winning films and videos have been presented in galleries and festivals all over the world.
The Lost Colony of the Argonauts
Choreography and direction: Christy Walsh
Production: Spyros Stefanou and Christy Walsh
Music: Arnold Dreyblatt, Panos Stefos, Petros Tabouris, Tsev and Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer. Dancers: Rachel Caron, Livia England, Helen Greider, Dafni Mari, Vanessa Martínez de Baños, Sayuri Tanabe
Costumes: Sally Lesser, Christy Walsh, Alice Wamsley
Props: Christy Walsh
Video: Spyros Stefanou and Christy Walsh
Graphic design: Brittany Guerra
The Lost Colony of the Argonauts received a Support for Artists grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).
Tickets are $30, available online: https://www.artsonsite.org/shows.
More information is available online: https://shorturl.at/QYqVv.
