Izzi and Kate Eberstadt of Delune premiere a new site-specific concept video “Pierrot and the Reverie,” blending music with theater, dance, animation, multimedia, and AI. Underscored by excerpts from the sisters’ upcoming debut concept album Pierrot, this piece will be created on-site at National Sawdust, one year after so many performing arts spaces closed their doors. The composer-singer duo’s ethereal vocals and haunting electronic beats scaffold this amorous epic. Glamour says, “Delune will be your next music obsession.” 

The piece opens in a dream-like trance: a performer wakes up alone in National Sawdust to find the venue abandoned and in disarray. He moves through winding back corridors in search of someone, or something, he can connect to. Suddenly, he finds himself alone on the main stage: what will he do? A love story to live performance, “Pierrot and the Reverie” provides an intimate insight into the relationship between a performer and the empty space.

A truly collaborative ode to performance, the piece incorporates many artistic disciplines that explore not only the stage, but all of the architectural flourishes that make the building unique. Direction and multimedia design by Obie award winner Jared Mezzocchi. Starring Robert Rubama. Choreography by Helen Hayes award winners Colette Krogol and Matt Reeves. Script supervision by poet & playwright Taylor Steele. Cinematography and editing by Stephanie Gaweda. Production design by Sadah Espii Proctor. Hand-drawn animations by Russian Hungarian Alexandra Hohner. AI sound design by Icelandic composer Davið Brynjar Franzson. Lighting by Dan Kent. Michael Hojnacki grip. BTS Filming / Gimbal Operator Ben Duff. Performer ensemble: London Brison, Robin Brown, Tiffanie Carson, Alexus Crooms, Greg David, Laurie Dodge, Atlas Hill, Jonathan Hsu, Abby Farina, Angad Kalsi, Colette Krogol, Chris Law, Mariama Law, Shanice Mason, Brandon Washington, and Mei Yamanaka.

Bios:

Formed by Izzi & Kate Eberstadt, the sister duo Delune are composers, vocalists, songwriters, and performers. Born in Washington, D.C., they grew up playing pretend in their shared bedroom. Trained in sacred choral music, the sisters are known for their ethereal harmonies, story-driven lyrics, and earcandy melodies. They compose music for theater, most recently premiering an original musical in Almaty, Kazakhstan. They also facilitate songwriting workshops across communities; from refugee camps to foster care and detention centers, including in Rikers’ Island Prison. Their work has been featured in ELLE, Glamour, PopSugar, Hollywood Life and more. @deluneofficial

Jared Mezzocchi (Director/Multimedia Designer) is an Obie Award winning multimedia director and designer. He received the Lucille Lortel and Henry Hewes Awards for his projection design on Qui Nguyen's Vietgone at Manhattan Theater Club (2016). He has directed and designed in theaters all over the country, and toured with Big Art Group between 2009-2012.  He was featured in the 2013 Design Week (Milan, IT) for collaborating with Guilio Cappellini on the room designed for World Bank and Alcantara. In December 2020, The New York Times highlighted his multimedia efforts during the pandemic on a list of 5 national artists making an impact during this time. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, where he created the MFA Curriculum for Projections and Multimedia Design, and is the Producing Artistic Director of Andy's Summer Playhouse, an innovative children's theater in New Hampshire that produces new work between children and professional artists from all over the world. He is a 2012 Princess Grace Award winner and a 2-time fellow of Macdowell Colony, where he recently went to work on his book, A Multimedia Designer's Method to Theatrical Storytelling, which will be released in Winter 2021/22 through Routledge Publishers. Currently, Jared is creating new work through his mini-commission at The Vineyard Theater in NYC (On The Beauty of Loss, 2021) and The Geffen Playhouse in L.A. (Someone Else's House, 2021).  Website

Robert Rubama (Performer) (They/He) is a Brooklyn-based dancer & choreographer. They graduated from George Mason University with a BFA in Dance and is currently pursuing a BA in Social Media Management from Point Park University. He has been able to work with dance companies such as Agora Dance, Haus of Bambi, Groundworks Dance Theater, PrioreDance, Carolyn Dorfman Dance, LaneCo Arts, and Orange Grove Dance. They are the Founder & Artistic Director of Terre Dance Collective. Robert is also a collaborator with his partner Jonathan Colafrancesco in their project Kroma.

Stephanie Gaweda (Cinematographer/editor) “I am a cinematographer, editor, and producer with a specialty in live events, performances, documentary, and unpredictable high stakes situations. When I was nine years old I commandeered my father’s Sony Mavica to document the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. While that didn’t exactly pan out, from floppy disks to film, my passion for cinema grew from there. I have filmed and produced for clients such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The New York Daily News, Mozilla Firefox, AJPlus, Global Citizen, and many more. With my eclectic professional background, I've managed multi-million dollar amusement parks, supervised teams of 100+, and solo produced seven-figure shows and campaigns. Whether it be operating cameras in the rain while summiting volcanoes by helicopter, or trying to dodge Conor McGregor’s left hook (both true stories), my commitment to the quality of the work remains constant. On my days off you can catch me practicing Muay Thai or road tripping with my dogs to traverse another waterfall.”

Colette Krogol (she/her) and Matt Reeves (he/him) (Choreographers) are choreographers, performers, filmmakers, and mixed media designers. They have been making work collaboratively for over thirteen years as the Artistic Directors of Orange Grove Dance, a multimedia dance company that creates visually athletic experiences through the lenses of dance, design, and film.  

Krogol and Reeves are 2020 Helen Hayes Award-winning choreographers and their acclaimed works have been produced and presented worldwide in concert stages, museums, film festivals, underground tunnels, city streets, black box theatres, public parks, botanic gardens, and high-end hotels, ranging in location from Rauma, Finland to Brooklyn, New York to Washington, DC. Throughout their tenure of creating work together, they have served as faculty and artists-in-residence at academic institutions and arts organizations across the United States, Europe, and China. Outside of directing Orange Grove Dance, Krogol and Reeves choreograph stage works, music videos, site-specific performances, and dance films for theatres, dance companies, musical artists, and educational institutions worldwide. Recent collaborations include Delune at National Sawdust, RoundHouse Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company, The Jackie Chan Film and Television Academy, Andy’s Summer Playhouse, and Extreme Lengths Productions.

Krogol and Reeves have performed with Mark Dendy, Neta Pulvermacher, Diavolo, CKM&A, David Dorfman, Gabrielle Lansner, Dance Tactics, and The National Yiddish Theatre. Both received their MFAs in Dance from the University of Maryland and their BFAs in Dance from the University of Florida. 

orangegrovedance.com; @orangegrovedance 

Taylor Steele (Assistant Director / Script Supervisor) is an NYC born and based poet, theater-maker, screenwriter, and performer. An internationally-ranked spoken word artist, she has been featured on Huffington Post, Brooklyn Poets, Button Poetry, and was a 2016 Pushcart Nominee. She wrote and directed a workshop of her new play “Girls Act Out” in residency at The Center at West Park in 2019. Her chapbook “Drowning in Light” is forthcoming at Platypus Press 2022. Taylor has also written content for BuzzFeed, The Body is Not an Apology, AFROPUNK, Anomalous Press, Samuel French, and Philadelphia Printworks. Informed by her work as an educator and her lived experience as a queer, Black, neurodivergent triple-Taurus, Taylor hopes her art makes space for healing. For more information about her work, you can visit taylorsteele.info

Alexandra Hohner (Hand-Drawn Animator) is a Hungarian-Russian animator and designer based in the UK. Her main focus is on documenting compelling stories that pique sensitive curiosities through animation and imagination. 

Daniel Kent (Lighting Designer) has been working in the lighting industry as a Lighting Director and Programmer since 2013 providing support to live musicians, theatrical productions, film shoots and performance artists. Having recently transitioned into the lighting retail world, he is expanding  experience and knowledge to better serve customers in lighting disciplines ranging from architectural lighting to film lighting to scenic drapery. He spends his spare time tinkering with computers, playing jazz keyboards, riding my bike and reading.

Davíð Brynjar Franzson (AI Consultant) is a freelancing composer based in Los Angeles.

Ensemble:

London Brison holds a BFA in Dance from Troy University and has been a performer and company assistant with Orange Grove Dance since 2018. He has also danced and toured with Dendy/Donovan Projects performing at NYLA, Dixon Place, Jacob’s Pillow, and the American Dance Festival. London also performs with New York-based companies chrisbelldances and The Dash Ensemble. Recently he was commissioned to create a new work on Troy University’s BFA dance program. This work was then selected to perform at the Alabama Dance Festival in 2020.

Robin Neveu Brown is a dance educator, choreographer, performer, writer, and mother based in Hampton Roads, VA, and Washington, DC. She has moved with and been moved by folx all over the US including Virginia, Florida, New York, Maryland, and Arkansas, as well as internationally in Russia and Albania. Robin is co-artistic director of Red Key Dance Theatre, in which she creates hybrid performance works alongside her creative and life partner, Kevin Alan Brown. Robin has been dancing with Orange Grove Dance since 2015 (but really since 2003!)

Tiffanie Carson (she/her), MFA, is an educator, mentor, and performance artist. She is currently Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance at the Conservatory at Shenandoah University and is specialist in contemporary & commercial dance. Tiffanie also dances and acts as Assistant Director for Christopher K. Morgan & Artists (CKM&A) directed by Christopher K. Morgan, a resident company of Dance Place in Washington DC. This is her tenth season with CKM&A. In addition to her work in the DC and Virginia area she is a longtime member of BARE Dance Company of fourteen years with Mike Esperanza in New York City and teaches at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.

Originally from Orlando Florida, A’Lexus Crooms is a dance artist who has spent most of her career in New York City. There she worked for Pavement Dance, Antonio Brown Dance, Renegade Performance Group, and Bennyroyce Dance. She is currently in collaboration with Amanda + James and Gaspard&Dancers. This is her first project with Orange Grove Dance. 

GREG DAVID is a movement artist based in the DMV area. The work and movement they enjoy making has always gone hand in hand with human emotion and experience and aims to capture that essence in motion. David joined Culture Shock Washington DC® in 2012 and became the Artistic Director for their 2015 and 2016 seasons where, nationally and internationally, they presented stage works and taught workshops. They have been so grateful to work with other DMV-based movement artists like Project ChArma, Haus of Bambi, and PearsonWidrig DanceTheatre. These experiences allowed them to understand how the art and freedom of dance can truly change a life.‍

Laurie Anastasia Dodge is a professional dancer, teacher, choreographer, director, and studio owner based in Maryland, USA. She is the Owner and Artistic Director of Project C Studios. Beyond running Project C and directing their various programs and student companies, she is currently a member of several DC based dance companies. Most recently (pre-COVID) has performed at Jacob’s Pillow and toured China with Xing Dance Theatre. She also enjoys freelancing  in the commercial industry and has most recently choreographed and performed for legendary Baltimore drag queen BABY! Dance is Laurie’s greatest passion and her entire career has centered around building experience and connections for her community, not only to empower other artists, but provide them with opportunities to do what they love.‍

Abby Farina (she/her/hers) grew up in Mechanicsville, Maryland and graduated from Towson University, receiving both a BFA in Dance Performance and BS in Cultural Studies. She studied under Runqiao Du, Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Catherine Horta-Hayden and Vincent Thomas and worked with outside choreographers including Alia Kache, Christopher K. Morgan, Stephanie Powell and Trent Williams, Jr. In the DMV area, Abby has performed with Ballet ADI and Bowen McCauley Dance, and currently works with Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, S.J. Ewing & Dancers, and Orange Grove Dance. 

Atlas is a creator and performer investigating their own form of impulsive art, committed to learning its secrets. Through movement of the body in space and hands across pages, both virtual and actual, they hope to find meaning in the monumental task that is existing. Performer Credits: In These Times (Alvin Mayes), Monumental Bodies (Ronyah-Lee Anderson), Shifting Technologia (Movement Graffiti), Electric Idols (haus of bambi).

Jonathan Hsu has a BA in Dance and BS in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland College Park. Currently dancing with Orange Grove Dance, he has also performed with Rennie Harris Puremovement, PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER, Project ChArma, and Culture Shock DC both nationally and internationally. He also has extensive experience teaching hip hop in the DMV community and draws on his background in both street/club forms and modern to create a unique curriculum and pedagogy. Along with dance performance and teaching Jonathan is also interested in the intersection of dance and media through photography, videography, and projection design and used all of those skills as the digital content and social media manager at Dance Place from 2017-2020 and created a YouTube channel called “Dance Tech with JHsu” with the goal of helping dancers become more proficient in the digital space.

Shanice Mason (she/her), a black cisgender southern woman, is an east coast based artist, arts administrator, and educator residing in the DMV area. Shanice currently serves as the Programs Manager at Dance/USA, the national service organization for dance, and is on faculty at CityDance DREAM. Shanice is a company artist and process manager with Johnnie Cruise Mercer/TheREDProjectNYC and works periodically with Orange Grove Dance and S.J. Ewing & Dancers in Washington, DC. She also serves as a Board Member of Dance Metro DC. IG: @shanicemason_

Chris Law has a foundation in various styles of hip hop dance through self-training and community involvement with Culture Shock D.C. He is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland's MFA dance program and continues to be present in the DMV community by teaching at Dance Place, Howard Community College as well as working closely with the Dance and Theater departments at Howard University in D.C. Law is co-director of Project ChArma, a collective of teaching artists who present works with the goal of inspiring change and creating space for progressive conversations. He most recently presented Rooted Rebooted as a recipient of the Alumni Commission at UMD's NEXT NOW festival in 2020.

Mariama "Ama" Law began her dance training with Kankouran West African Dance Company. Literally being born into the African culture, as both of her parents are founding members. She graduated with a B.S. in Biology from The University of Maryland College Park. While at UMD she enjoyed dancing, choreographing and leading Dynamic hip hop dance team. 

She is co-director of Project ChArma, a collective of teaching artists who promote social change through movement. Pronounced “Karma” because it guides our lives.  Law is also an alumni of local hip hop groups Culture Shock D.C. and KickRocks crew. 

She received her MFA in dance from UMD and has been teaching as an adjunct professor with the University’s dance department. She is also an adjunct professor at American University  and teaches youth and adult classes at Dance Place DC. Law is a passionate educator who searches for new avenues to provide inspiration to the future generation of movers to not only become fierce but knowledgeable individuals.

Angad Kalsi is a dance-based artist called to choreographic conception, creative direction, and

performance. A graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park, he received a B.A. (Dance) & B.S. (Psychology) in a pre-health pursuit, hoping to bring international equity and justice to the realm of Public Health. His installation-inspired creative work centers arts activism, materializing performances addressing arenas including mental health and sociopolitical polarization; believing art is a perspective-filled language, he hopes to use his words to empower himself and surrounding communities to embrace change. Angad hopes to continue performing in and showcasing work – building connections and sparking dialog.

Brandon Washington is a dancer, model, and performance artist, currently living in Brooklyn. He received his BFA in Dance from the University of Florida and has been teaching movement at NYU Tisch throughout the last year. He is also a certified stretch instructor via Outer Reach studio and has been leading stretch sessions virtually during this time at home. Past collaborations include Ryan McNamara, Adidas, JW Anderson, Faye Driscoll Dance Group, Sean Donovan, Radiohead, Orange Grove Dance, Mark Dendy, Hermès, and Jane Comfort among others. He has enjoyed travelling and performing internationally in festivals all over the world and can't wait to do so again. @branwashed 

Mei Yamanaka is a dancer and choreographer from Japan. Mei moved to New York in 2008.  Mei has worked and collaborated with artists including Tamar Rogoff, Catherine Galasso, Tiffany Mills, Mark Dendy, Jennifer Archibald, Christine Bonansea, Orange Grove Dance, among others. Mei's work has been seen at Fresh Tracks at Dance Theater Workshop, Movement Research at Judson Church, Mix Festival at HERE, Food for Thought at Danspace, and more.

Mei was a "Fresh Tracks" residency artist at Dance Theater Workshop in 2010 - 2011. Mei was also a residency artist at Chez Bushwick Artist In Residence in 2014 at Chez Bushwick.

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