New Home

Thanks to all those of you who've paid any attention whatsoever to this blog over the past two years! It's been grand.
I'm moving on to slicker and more streamlined things, however, so I hope you'll come take a peek at my new tumblr website:
www.taraaishawillis.tumblr.com
I'll be switching to that site completely, so add it to your list of things to follow!

Watch out for shows on Feb. 9 (tomorrow!), March 24 & April 22!

Thanks and goodbye,
Tara

Some photos...

From our this year's collective show at BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange...stills from my piece, "remember those quiet evenings," with myself, Emily Bock & Emily Giovine performing.

SHOWS.

Hello Friends!

In case you needed the reminder, I'm showing a new work in progress, tentatively called Refrain, at Movement Research at the Judson Church THIS MONDAY...If you can't come to that, or need your fix of flirty stewing and slow motion emotion RIGHT NOW, come have a beer and see us do some snippets between 8 and 11pm at AUNTSregular SATURDAY night. Info for both is below:

Movement Research at the Judson Church

December 19
Rebecca Warner, Tara Aisha Willis, Ryutaro Mishima, Yve Laris Cohen

Monday at 8pm
doors open at 7:45pm

Location: Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South

NO RESERVATIONS and ADMISSION IS FREE
seating is limited, so arrive early

Selection Committee for Fall/Winter 2011-12:
Monstah Black, Tei Blow, Hilary Clark, Mariangela Lopez, Kayvon Pourazar, Pam Tanowitz

AUNTS regular

December 17, 2011 at 8pm
Secret Works Loft
59 Jefferson Street #301

Admission is a Contribution to the Free Bar or Boutique where everyone shops and drinks for free all night long!
Bring anything, like beer, soda, juice, the shirt in the back of your closet that you never wear anymore, etc.

AUNTS regular is the *classic* one night only AUNTS evening with multiple performers, overlapping performances, open dance parties, multi-disciplinary, body/non-body based, time oriented, finished/experimental/unfinished/process art.

Featuring:

· Mikel Ochoteco and Leire San Martin

· Effie Bowen

· Megan Byrne / Jessica Ray

· Local Obscure

· Ethan Knechel

· Cody, Karl and Ally

· Tara Aisha Willis

· Benjamin Kimitch

· Luke George

· Stacy Grossfield

· saifan shmerer | SASSON

· Elizabeth Ward

· The Bureau for the Future of Choreography

· Shantell Martin

· Katy Pyle and Hedia Maron

· Sari Nordman and Inka Juslin

· niv Acosta

· and more!

Oh, and if you are a working artist in NYC get your portrait taken for this project by Marc Landas

Save the Date!

this year's collective
new and reassembled work by Emily Bock, Hadley Smith & Tara Aisha Willis

November 4th and 5th, 8pm
BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange

tickets $12
email thisyearscollective@gmail.com for reservations and inquiries

visit us on facebook and on twitter @thsyrscollectiv

This production is being presented through BAX's Visitors Program, a subsidized performance package rental program, and is a self-production by this year's collective.

BodyPoem is BACK...

After an absentee summer, I'm back with updates and announcements that will definitely make this a good year for BodyPoem blogging...

RoofTop Performance Series was ridiculously fun in May, and my trio, remember those quiet evenings, got lots of wonderful comments despite the threat of returning rain, chilly breezes for audience members, and a waterlogged stage floor that turned our running into cautious tiptoes and had the crew sliding around frantically with a towel between each piece. I've included some beautiful pictures here, but you'll have another chance to see it in November, along with my solo from last year, Slight Rupture, so don't worry if you missed it! That'll be announced in the next posting. Mark Nov. 4th and 5th in your calendars!

Save the Date: RoofTop is coming!

My yet-to-be-titled new trio, featuring Emily Bock, Emily Giovine and myself, and some sound swung together by Ricky Mungaray, will be premiering (or in some such state of performability) on May 21st! That's very soon! Follow the link below to get to the official RoofTop website (they are lovely folks, those producers, and would love your webtraffic!).

http://www.rooftopdance.com/

Put May 21st at 7pm in your calendar. Plan to be on a rooftop drinking beer and sangria in Bushwick. Look out for two Emily's and a Tara doing some small and big things to some small and big sounds. Should be detailed, lush, and occasionally awkward. Plan to almost recognize things. I'll put up some rehearsal footage soon!

Two cities, Two days!

I'm performing this Friday the 29th in Chicago and this Saturday the 30th in D.C.!

A new solo I've made, "tell me repeatedly I am unbearable," will be performed in the old Chi-town homestead, on the stage where I first fell in love with performance spaces, the Wrigley Theater at my high school alma mater, The Latin School of Chicago (59 W. North Blvd), Fri. 29th, 7pm. Tickets $5 for students, $10 for adults, with a reception to follow.

And the photo posted here with sponges is for a very new, very wet solo by Sarah A. O. Rosner for the A. O. Movement collective, which I'll be performing at Joe's Movement Emporium in D.C. as part of the Late Night Expressions series, co-produced by Mason/Rhynes Productions. Here's the link for further info! http://www.mason-rhynes.org/events.php

REHEARSAL video!

On April 7th I performed a new dance experiment I'm calling "Duration (black people dance better)" for Sophia Cleary's REHEARSAL showing for a small audience in one of those legendary warehouse artist studios in Gowanus. Aside from the chance to perform something I've been thinking about alot lately, I got an hour's worth of great dialogue and feedback based on the Liz Lerman Critical Response Process, as well as dumplings straight from Chinatown and some delightful wine from a giant bottle. The video of my creation for the showing is up!

Duration (black people dance better) from Tara Willis on Vimeo.