Alexa Wilson

Workshop 2012 by Alexa Wilson: Integration of performance art, theatrics and somatic movement practices

2012-01-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.424788766926.224198.668466926&type=3#!/events/292369030799874/

Monday, 9 April 2012 at 09:00 until Friday, 13 April 2012 at 17:00..Where Pitt Street Methodist Church (Sunday School Hall), 78 Pitt Street

Would you like new skills which broaden, deepen, clarify and diversify your movement, theatrical, performance and choreographic practice from a practical as well as co...nceptual place?

Do you want to liberate your physical and performative capabilities and try LOTS of new things ...

Do you want to have fun and experience a range of techniques, questions and practices which push you and challenge you outside your current contemporary dance understanding to find new ways of thinking and expressing your self through dance and performance in NZ?

Do you want a safe and encouraging space in which to explore your own performance creativity and be valued as an individual within a community/group and outside an institution?

Then Hi!

This workshop provides a range of skills, experiences, tasks, investigations, questions, challenges and ideas which come from my 13 years of experience exploring performance creativity beyond its current confines to discover new voices and styles within this medium we call contemporary dance and open it out into a wider range of performance options.

I call it integration of art and life; exploring and questioning, discussing and understanding your body's possibilities and politicising your spiritual experience. Its time to play!

The overall aim is for you to connect with your own body, creative voice and interests through a range of tasks, techniques and improvisations to give you greater freedom and options within your performance life and inside a class which values you as a unique artist. This is an organic and investigative process, working with the culture of the room.

Its is also likely to be the beginning of an on going weekly evening class to create a new culture for performance in Auckland in which organic discussions and practices have an outlet and support within a performance, art, choreographic and theatrical context.

One week, 9-5pm, 13- 17th April 2012, Pitt St Methodist Church, Sunday School Hall.

$200 for 5 days or $100 for 3 days. Please contact me to register at: lightningsgirl7@yahoo.co.nz

Show Pony

2012-01-18T15:06:00.000-08:00

New Performance Festival in association with the Edge presents...
Show Pony
Collaboration between Alexa Wilson and Nisha Madhan
24/25th February, 6.30pm
$25/$20 conc
Lower NZI 3, Aotea Centre

Show Pony conceptually is a satirical look at the world of Talk show television, celebrity ‘cult’ culture, and public therapy through the lens of avant-guarde performance and how these worlds collide. It is a self-referential play on our own public roles within performance in NZ- Nisha Madhan as former Shortland Street favourite ‘Shanti’ and Alexa Wilson as a multi award-winning experimental choreographer.

The audience will be treated to a live talk show where the roles of talk show host and guest, client and therapist are continuously swapping. The aim is to reveal or subvert the artiface of performance, celebrity, real life, public persona, public therapy and high art. It also references a culture of mediated narcissicism in which fame, social popularity and winning are revered above all else.

Consciously playing the line of real life experience and contrived public persona we aim to take a light hearted approach using self-effacing egotism to open up a world of institutionalised media deception.

Bookings at:

http://www.the-edge.co.nz/showpony.aspx

Millionaire PM: A Political Performance/Art Series # 3

2011-11-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Weg: A-Way: A Self funded NZ tour 2011

2011-11-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

NZ Listener Article : http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/dance/weg-a-way-review/

Auckland: Tempo Dance Festival Oct 8th, Q Theatre Loft
http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=4260

Christchurch: The Body Festival Oct 12th, Hagley Community College
http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=4276

Dunedin: Rice and Beans Gallery Oct 14th

More detailed writing at http://www.walk-the-talk-alexawilson.blogspot.com/

Millionaire PM: A Political Performance/Art Series # 1

2011-09-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

22 September · 20:00 - 23:00
Golden Dawn- Cnr Ponsonby Rd and Richmond Rd

This political event series spans across different art forms during the months of the Rugby World Cup through to the NZ Elections at Central Auckland's Golden Dawn.

'what is really happening in our world right now?'.. even more locally 'what is really happening in our country'.. ? Who can say... ?

How do we say it? With unity and diversity as community. This event was open to anyone interested in participating and aims to be ...open to a range of creative voices.

We have created a trilogy running across 3 months one thursday a month, which may or may not be enjoyable and subversive in a social space (GD) which intersects with the general public at this momentous and glorious political time- while giving voice to a local arts scene which is interested in creatively expressing/conceptualising/sharing what is happening around us.

Its $5 - Keeping it real.. ;

Artists in September's line up are....

Addison Course
Brydee Rood
Karin Hofko
Alexa Wilson & Mike Holland
Kristian Larsen & Jeremy Randerson
Jessie McCall, Caleb Wright & Tim McPoland
James Wylie
Francesca Gallo
Mark Rickerby
Matthew Moore
Briar March
Gem Indigo
djs Caroline Ward and Tobi

20th October's event is likely to be a documentary film screening advertised separately.. INSIDE JOB (Inside the financial crisis)

17th November's performance/art event (week before Elections) will be advertised in November and likely to be bigger ;

Series produced by Alexa Wilson with the support of Natalie Clark

Rainbow Warrior

2011-09-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

A) The Title of your work: Rainbow Warrior
B) List of credits: Choreographer: Alexa Wilson, Performers: Alexa Wilson, Georgie Goater, Lydia Zanetti, Natalie Clark, Megan Smith, Karin Hofko
C) Any notes about the work: Love Me even if I'm wrecked and flawed in history. Love Me even if you can't understand or hear me in expression. I am resurrecting, birthing peace/protest bombed and sunken. Laugh with me. I am human. How many languages does it take? Rainbow warrior; growing pains. Love transcends all language/barriers. Love is political. Love in all its colours is inexpressible in words.

This work was performed in the final Live Series 2011- 'Love Me' at Galatos.

Link on the underpinnings of the work found at http://walk-the-talk-alexawilson.blogspot.com/

Review also at http://www.dancestuff.co.nz/the-live-series-love-me

Weg: A-Way: Alexa Wilson and Musicians and You

2011-01-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

NZ Tour, Tempo Dance Festival Auckland, The Body Festival Christchurch, Rice and Beans Gallery Dunedin - article NZ Listener http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/dance/weg-a-way-review/

AWARDED IN THE AUCKLAND FRINGE AWARDS 2011

-BEST PERFORMANCE DANCE
-BEST PRODUCTION DANCE
-THE AUCKLAND DANCE FESTIVAL AWARD
-THE FRINGE AWARD ('Fringe of the Fringe Award')

This work will be re-presented during Tempo Auckland's Festival of Dance, Body Festival in Christchurch, Rice and Beans Gallery in Dunedin this year. It aims to tour Australia, Europe and the U.S.A in 2012.

A non-solo solo performance by Alexa Wilson...

Come feast and share in a fiercely playful, ritualised performance art, video installation, dance celebration 'workshop' of self-exploitation. It will take you on an 'interactive' journey through the mind, body and detritus of the ghosted, 'objectified subject,' reflecting 'self as other,' with 10 accompanying musicians from NZ and Berlin.

'Weg' means in german 'away' or 'path'.. and ...i've just spent a year and a half living in Berlin.

Musicians live or pre-recorded are:

(NZ) Sam Hamilton, Daniel Satele, Nathan Taare, Addison Course, Moppy, Sky Bear, Alexa Wilson (Berlin) Will Gresson, Ellen Schneider, Vero Mota.

Its not as serious as it sounds and is interactive. Be ready for anything. But expect nudity, adult themes and fire.

REVIEWS http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=3784
http://www.dancestuff.co.nz/weg-a-way-by-alexa-wilson

AWARDS http://www.the-edge.co.nz/Fringe/Fringe-Master/News/Auckland-Frigne-Award-Winners.aspx

A Call To Arms

2010-12-07T19:28:00.001-08:00

REVIEW http://www.dancestuff.co.nz/a-call-to-arms-put-up-yer-dukes

STACK: Collaboration with Artists in Berlin: K-Salon Gallerie

2010-10-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

08 October · 20:00 - 21:00
Location K-Salon
Bergmannstrasse 54, Kreuzberg, Berlin

Musik: Ana Lola Roman, Sinah Blohberger, Veronica Mota
Tanz: Alexa Wilson, Daniela Gast
Konzept/Video/Installation: Daniela Gast

Daniela Gast hat fünf Künstlerinnen eingeladen sich mit der Thematik ‚Lebenskreislauf’, dem eigenen schon erlebten und dem noch in der Zukunft liegenden, auseinanderzusetzen. Die drei Musikerinnen (Ana Lola Roman, Sinah Blohberger, Veronica Mota) und zwei Tänzerinnen (Alexa Wilson, Daniela Gast) entwickeln unabhängig voneinander und durch Anstoß des Videomaterials jeweils ein 6-minütiges Solo.
Nach abgeschlossenem Arbeitsprozess fließen alle Solos der Ausdrucksformen Sound, Tanz und Video in einer Installation zusammen, wo sie entweder allein oder in Überschneidung mit den Arbeiten der anderen Teil eines Über-Lebenskreislaufes bzw. Teil eines Ganzen werden.

Daniela Gast invited 5 other artists to develop a 6 minute solo piece in their art practice. The musicians (Ana Lola Roman, Sinah Blohberger, Veronica Mota) and dancers (Alexa Wilson, Daniela Gast) create independently from each other inspired through some vital film footage recorded this year a piece with the subject-matter: lifecycle. In this Installation, called Stack, all parts flow together creating one piece.

'Die Totezone'/Dead zone- Cyber collaboration with Cat Ruka for Upstage Festival 101010

2010-08-23T01:51:00.000-07:00

8pm Oct 10th 2010 online at http://www.upstage.org.nz:8084/stages/dietotezone and screened live at Tapac Theatre, Tempo Auckland Dance Festival: Interactive

We are creating a dance video/collaborative cyber performance between NZ and Berlin which interculturally and symbolically muses on the notion of 'Die Totezone' 'The Deadzone'/'Deathstrip' in Berlin/Germany)- a space between the 2 former Berlin walls (1 on the west- the main wall- and one on the east) where many people were killed trying to cross it for 30 years. We are linking this conceptually with NZ's political and physical space between the high and low tide of the beaches known as the 'Queen's Chain'- which became part of a hot topic for Maori people a few years ago as 'foreshore and seabed' claims were debated by them with the government and protested in a national Hikoi/march.

We are collaborating on a cyber performance via the upstage platform between Alexa Wilson in Berlin exploring urban social spaces (ie between the 2 former German walls) which question, call to, express, satirise and honour aspects of these tensions- be they german social spaces framing dislocated 'NZ' identity and Maori performance artist Cat Ruka- exploring the 'Queen's Chain' on or around beaches in NZ and being both in literal dialogue regarding notions of 'representation' of cultural identity itself.

We are interested in healing 'warlike' liminal social/political spaces as well as using them metaphorically to ideologically heal 'warlike' ways of thinking between cultures.

Solo for MA SODA Berlin+FUNdraiser NZ Gundry St: 'Gondwana loves Eurasia'

2010-02-09T03:25:00.001-08:00

Created as a mapping of social cultural liminality and a tourist video/performance of NZ and Berlin which resonates a greater fear in the world at large about the state of planet earth .. I layered 'handheld tourist video' style footage of spaces in Berlin and NZ which resonate for me personally/politically- with a somatic exploration of the embodiment of a bubbling and uncontained fear and anger at the denial of environmental degradation facing us- more in Europe than in NZ. I layered this also with my personal experience of and connection to Germany as an NZer- and its sexual politics paralleling that of the treatment of planet earth- with the death of my grandmother while i was in Berlin as a healing ode to ww2 and the destruction that this similar denial reeked in the form of the holocaust-- and my sensitivity to the Berlin past- haunts- as a performance artist from NZ, as well as of course a farewell to my Nana - a 'death dance'- a celebration healing the past and its residue now (also in my genetic body).

2009 Inspirations: Centre Pompidou's retrospective of female video and perfomance artists from the 60s to the 80s

2009-09-15T01:58:00.000-07:00

Polar Pop: Berlin Perfomance: Part of Guerilla Spring Salon: Freudenreich, Neukölln

2009-09-09T04:35:00.000-07:00

This work is the very fledgling stage of physical explorations around simultaneously evolving and devolving as an amorphous species, which is human/animal. like regressing to infancy whilst withering in age, facades melting like icebergs, habitats disintegrating, values shifting. who are we? like a newborn animal/human learning to crawl, fragile, tenuous - fighting for its existence in a harsh environment to grow/evolve- maybe shedding dysfunctionality on the way- mixed with endangered animal on the brink of its existence struggling to survive/adapt and question marks carved on the dawning of a new age. is consciousness evolving? so we grow anyway, towards a new ideal emerging- ‘growing together’ in a ritualistic birthing away from a self-centred, individualistic, hierarchical paradigm- towards a progressive, supportive, collaborative, evolved model of social existence based on sharing expression and caring for each other whilst honouring the planet- as families of animals do- as they must do for their very survival. we have a lot to learn yet in our d/evolvement.

Ich: Bio

2009-09-08T04:39:00.000-07:00

Alexa Wilson has been an experimental choreographer, dancer, video/performance artist, writer and teacher for 10 years in New Zealand. Her recent solo WEG: A-Way won 4 Awards at the Auckland Fringe 2011 Awards, including Best Dance, Best Performer in Dance, Overall Fringe Award and The Auckland Festival Award. She plans to tour this work nationally and internationally. She made a work called Toxic White Elephant Shock early 2009, which was a Creative NZ funded residency with Mau Dance Company and won the Tup Lang Scholarship for emerging choreographers in NZ in 2008. She received a Goethe Institute Scholarhship to study german in Berlin for 2 months in 2009 and collaborated with Anna Macrae during a Turbo residency at Impuls Tanz 09, Vienna. She performed a duet in Neukölln, Berlin with Tallulah Holly-Massey in August 09 and has collaborated on a number of cyber performances and made experimental videos since living in Berlin. She has made over 20 interdisciplinary performances and video works within NZ and Australia and won the title “Best New Work by an Emerging Contemporary Choreographer” in NZ Listener in 2004 for Magic Box among other awards. She co-initiated and produced the later annually funded emerging choreographic platform/collective Late Night Choreographers in Auckland in 2004 and since then has mentored, created commissioned choreographies for different company's and institutions in NZ including Touch Compass Mixed Ability Dance Co and written many reviews of dance found at this site. She has danced for top NZ choreographers Douglas Wright, Lisa Densem, Vicky Kapo and Malia Johnston and danced in Florian Habicht's cult feature film Woodenhead. She has taught Interdisciplinary choreography and guest choreographed at Unitec's School of Performing and Screen Arts in Auckland for 2 years and taught film theory at M.I.T in Auckland since 2001. She is one of 50 contemporary NZ artists interviewed in Gareth Shute's recent book Insights: New Zealand Artists Talk About Creativity. She has a BA in Film/Media Studies and Women's Studies and a BPSA in Contemporary Dance. She has an MA in Screen Production from The University of Auckland, majoring in Screenwriting. The Megaphone and Our Passion are 2 short films from her MA in Film Production made in response to climate change and people's response to it. She was living in Berlin for a year and half recently but is based in Auckland.

Toxic White Elephant Shock: Residency with Mau Dance Ltd at Corban Estate 2009

2009-01-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

This was a 2 month residency with Mau Dance Ltd at Corban Estate and was presented as part of the MAUForum March 09. It is my aim to develop and tour this work internationally.

Our Passion: Short Film

2009-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Nemesis: Trial by Love: Guest choreography on Y2 Unitec dance students

2009-01-10T15:41:00.001-08:00

save/dance: 2001

2009-01-10T15:32:00.001-08:00

Sequintial Roadkill: Guest choreography for Touch Compass Mixed Ability Dance's 'Acquisitions 06', Auckland Townhall

2009-01-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

The Golden Rulz: Commission by Rifleman Productions

2008-12-10T19:00:00.001-08:00

Insights: New Zealand Artists Talk about Creativity by Gareth Shute

2008-07-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

Reviews of work online

2008-07-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Reviews and Awards for Weg: A-Way
http://www.the-edge.co.nz/Fringe/Fringe-Master/News/Auckland-Frigne-Award-Winners.aspx
http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=3784
http://www.dancestuff.co.nz/weg-a-way-by-alexa-wilson

Piece from 'Stack'- solo work- http://www.dancestuff.co.nz/a-call-to-arms-put-up-yer-dukes

Toxic White Elephant Shock- www.theatreview.org.nz and www.yellingmouth.blogspot.com

Magic Box (Best of Dance 04)- http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3372/artsbooks/3092/the_butterfly_effect.html;jsessionid=2AA9C6FB4390815EB2BBD5E20081494E

Magic Box (LNC 04)- http://www.thelistener.co.nz/issue/3370/artsbooks/3042/luminous_even_in_darkness,1.html;jsessionid=D8A3F5B9F084FEDD5CF115FEAD2CF6F3

Sequintial Roadkill (with Touch Compass 06)- http://touchcompass.hybridweb.co.nz/reviews.asp

Mine:d om Te Whau (Unitec site specific 05)- http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3424/artsbooks/5221/veterans_day.html;jsessionid=62E7D7A2A7C34790BBBC97A89C5D2149

Alexa Wilson [shut up and] Dance (LNC 03)- http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3318/artsbooks/1169/the_snails_did_it.html

Make [it] Up (with Quixotic Parables 07)- http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=552

The Golden Rulz (with The Collection 06)- http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3457/artsbooks/6759/adroitly.html

Kill/dance (difficult co via Brent Harris and Big Idea)- http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/modules.php?op=modload&name=View_CV&file=index&person=221

Solo: Make [it] Up: An Unsustainable career in Enlightenment

2008-07-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

The Megaphone: Short film made at UoA

2008-07-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Unsolved Crimes of the Art: Part One: The Power of Song

2008-07-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Mine:d om Te Whau: Unitec Y2 dance Site Specific at former Carrington Psychiatric Hospital as guest choreographer

2008-07-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Magic Box: LNC 2004

2008-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

Noah's Artifice: Part of Axess Dance Company's show Reign

2008-07-07T19:17:00.001-07:00

Dance reviews by Alexa Wilson Online (links)

2008-07-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

MA SODA 'entry examination' UDK 2010 Writing Exercise: Critique of another applicant's solo: 'Flashdance'
http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2010/07/ma-soda-entry-examination-udk-2010.html

'Do animals cry?' by Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods at Volksbühne Berlin
http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/11/do-animals-cry-by-meg-stuartdamaged.html

Dance in Berlin/Europe vs Dance in NZ - written specifically for Danz Quarterly NZ Dec 09-
http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2010/02/dance-in-berlineurope-vs-dance-in-new.html

‘Terces Ym’ – Performance Improvisation. Graduation MCPA Performance by Sarah Gavina Campus, November 2008, TAPAC
http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/10/this-is-old-review-but-i-just-found-it.html

Biljana Bosnjakowich, titled "the vitruvian woman", as part of Chiba&LaPupazza at Okidoki Gallery, Neukölln Berlin, 0ct 3rd 09
http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/10/displacement-performance-by-alice.html

'Gustavia' by Mathilde Monnier and La Ribot for 'In transit' dance festival Berlin 09-
http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/07/gustavia-2008-by-mathilde-monnier-and.html

'Hell on Earth' by Dorky Park: Choreographer Constanza Macras, http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/05/hell-on-earth-by-dorky-park.html

Violent Babies- Improv by Kristian Larsen and Julia Milsom- http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/03/violent-babies-improv-duet-with.html

Review of Yellingmouth reviewing website- http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/03/review-of-yellingmouth-review-website.html

LightBulbMan- by Jacob Tamaiparea (Rectangle Productions) http://yellingmouth.blogspot.com/2009/03/lightbulbman-written-and-directed-by.html

Mecha- by Josh Rutter (LNC 07) http://danz.org.nz/sidestep.php?article_id=228&type_id=2

Tempest- by Mau/Lemi Ponifasio (AK 07) http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=623

Amata- by Black Grace/Neil Ieremia (AK 07) http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=639

Dark Tourists- by Malia Johnston and Emma Willis (AK07) http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=610

The Lost Child- by Tania Crow (06) http://www.danz.org.nz/Magazines/DQ/April07/reviews_buckethead.php

Mematopia- by Brent Harris and Tyler Fox (2004) http://danz.org.nz/sidestep.php?article_id=142&type_id=2

Dance Exploits (commentary 2003) http://danz.org.nz/sidestep.php?article_id=97&type_id=2

Save dance: Depth and accessibility in NZ reviews of and discussions about dance (commentary 2002) http://danz.org.nz/sidestep.php?article_id=74&type_id=2