Works & Process, a nonprofit whose mission is to support performing artists and their creative process “from studio to stage,” is closely aligned with the Guggenheim Museum, which regularly presents its programs.
Locally, however, as Duke Dang, the group’s longtime executive director, said during a phone conversation, “Because we don’t have buildings to call our own, it makes so much sense for us to be partnering with Guild Hall’s and The Church’s residency programs, and the Watermill Center, because these three institutions have studio space, rehearsal space, and housing.”
While its residencies on the East End have been scattered throughout the last several years, “We thought, why don’t we simultaneously have these commissioned projects at the same time on the East End?” said Mr. Dang. “Why don’t we program a dance festival?”
The answer to that question is “Dance Out East,” performances happening next week starting Jan. 9 at The Church, and continuing Jan. 10 at Guild Hall and Jan. 11 at the Watermill Center.
All three performances will go directly, in some cases less than 24 hours later, to the Works & Process Underground Uptown Dance Festival at the Guggenheim, which itself coincides with two conferences that will bring thousands of performing arts presenters to New York City.
Set for Jan. 9 at 6 p.m., “The Scattering,” a new performance project from Emily Coates, a dancer and choreographer, draws from George Balanchine’s brief history beyond the city to reflect on how the body and spirit of a choreographer “scatters,” living on in unexpected places.
One of those places is Sag Harbor. Not only has Balanchine’s face been painted on one of the windows of The Church by Eric Fischl, its co-founder, he is also buried in that village.
Ms. Coates is a former member of the New York City Ballet. In “The Scattering,” which was commissioned by Works & Process, she and her collaborators collage misplaced and overlooked archival traces and transmissions of Balanchine and related artists into a new whole. Tickets are $25, $20 for members.
Both Guild Hall and Works & Process have been supporting Music from the Sole separately for the past four years. A tap dance and live music company that celebrates tap’s roots in the African diaspora, Music from the Sole was a 2023 Guild Hall William P. Raynor artist in residence.
The company’s “House Is Open, Going Dark” is the working title of the newest iteration of a piece originally commissioned by Works & Process. The work to be performed at Guild Hall on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. is a co-commission between Works & Process and the cultural center.
The composer and bassist Gregory Richardson and the Brazilian tap dancer and choreographer Leonardo Sandoval, the company’s co-founders, draw from Afro-Brazilian, jazz, soul, house, rock, and Afro-Cuban styles. Tickets are $25, $22.50 for members.
As for the Watermill Center, “When we shared with them that we were working with Omari Wiles on a piece that brought together West African Dance and Vogue Ball culture, they were super excited,” said Mr. Dang. “It didn’t hurt that Omari just recently choreographed ‘Cats’ at the Perlman Arts Center in New York.”
For “Djapo,” a Works & Process commission that will be performed on Jan. 11 at 2 p.m., Mr. Wiles and his mother, Marie Basse-Wiles, a West African dance icon, have brought together dancers from the Maimouna Keita School of African Dance, founded by Ms. Basse-Wiles, and Les Ballet Afrik, founded by her son. Tickets are $25, $20 for members.
The residency program, Works & Process LaunchPAD, took shape during the pandemic. The first residency, at The Church, happened in 2021. Soon after, representatives of Works & Process met with Andrea Grover, the executive director of Guild Hall, who informed them that it was starting a residency program of its own that would dovetail with theirs. Since Works & Process had worked in a producing capacity with Robert Wilson, the founder and artistic director of the Watermill Center, they proposed a LaunchPAD residency there as well.
The residency partners provide the housing and the space for creative process to happen. Works & Process provides transportation and ensures the artists are paid a fee of $1,050 per week or $150 per day, a portion of which is met in some cases by the host institution, the rest by Works & Process.
In the past, including for the three upcoming programs, the commissioning of works emerged from conversations between Works & Process and the venues. Next year, however, an open call for performers to apply for commissions will be announced.
This article has been changed from its original and print versions because the opening date is Thursday, Jan. 9, not Friday, Jan. 9, as originally stated.
