Momentum

Initiated by Rita McBride, discoteca flaming star and Alexandra Waierstall.

The process is ongoing, as we address the past, acknowledge the present, and move towards the future.

For the duration of Rita McBride: Arena Momentum at Dia Beacon an expanding body of artists, performers, writers, musicians, and dancers activates physical and virtual spaces as part of a series of engagements with McBride’s Arena (1997). The series, collectively called Momentum, curated by Alexis Lowry, is initiated by Rita McBride with choreographer Alexandra Waierstall and the experimental performance collective discoteca flaming star (founded by Cristina Gomez Barrio and Wolfgang Mayer).

In 2023 + 2024, Alexandra Waierstall will present choreographic interludes within the exhibition, bringing together local New York professional dancers and her frequent collaborators from Europe in a unique gathering – a first of its kind. This event will foster a connection between these communities, the public, and the sculpture Arena’s physical space. Alexandra’s choreographic practice has a rich history and has engaged in dialogue with the Arena in various contexts since 2016. The invitation this time is to consider a form of joint negotiation and alignment of bodies in their constellations, relations and interactions, a practice of shared empathy in the context of space and time.
The choreography itself opens a space of attention in which everyone present can find themselves. The group of dancers will make cyclical encounters with the work and one another, growing and changing individually and as a group. discoteca flaming star simultaneously engages in small acts using sound and drawings, connecting with the dancers and audience.

“As we propel this practice into the future, we are creating a material that can be adapted for further use, generating valuable knowledge. Through research and deep investigation, we explore the gathering of bodies in dialogue with the body of the Arena.“

Momentum is durational in nature and visitors are invited to come and go as they wish while Arena is being activated. Visitors may walk and sit amongst the performers on Arena as the performance unfolds.

 

Oct 2024
Momentum continues with live performances by Alexandra Waierstall with Ying Yun Chen, Rachel Gill and discoteca flaming star (DFS) with Michael Mahalchick. The all-encompassing multimedia performances bring together elements of sound and movement from previous Momentum engagements, while presenting live drawing and performance with Karolina Szymura taking place at Dia Beacon and streaming from DFS’s Berlin studio, simultaneously. Interspersed throughout this iteration of Momentum, subtitled Momentum: synchronize.r.

Short I
Short II
Short III
(c) Valeria Lampadova

Momentum


13-15 Oct 2023
24 Feb 2024
13 April 2024
10 + 12 May 2024
8 June 2024
10 Aug 2024
25-27 Oct 2024

Dia:Beacon, New York

The performance is durational; visitors may come and go as they wish.

Choreographic interludes by Alexandra Waierstall with and for the following dancers and artists:
Oct 2023: Maxi Canion, Ying Yun Chen, Rachel Gill, Scott Jennings, Amy Josh, Dasol Kim, Rebecca Margolick, Andrea Farley Shimota, Karolina Szymura
Feb 2024: Volker Bertelmann aka Hauschka, Ying Yun Chen, Scott Jennings
April 2024: Rachel Gill
May 2024: Olivia Ancona, Ying Yun Chen, Rachel Gill, Scott Jennings, Amy Josh, Georgios Kotsifakis, Ioanna Paraskevopoulou, Evangelia Randou, Eftychia Stefanou, Karolina Szymura (photos team)
June 2024: Rachel Gill
Aug 2024: Rachel Gill
Oct 2024: Ying Yun Chen, Rachel Gill and discoteca flaming star (DFS) with Michael Mahalchick
With artistic contributions from: Volker Bertelmann, Stavros Gasparatos, Cédric Hopf, Judith Jaeger, Valeria Lampadova, Lucia Vonrhein
Photos: Molly McKinley, Don Stahl

Choreographic interludes production by Noema Dance Works e.V., in collaboration with Dia Art Foundation. Supported by: Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Kulturamt der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf.

Photo galleries
Oct 2023
Feb 2024
May 2024