Topaz Arts Dance Productions
TOPAZ ARTS Dance Productions explore the collaborative works by founding artists, composer/filmmaker Todd Richmond and choreographer/dancer Paz Tanjuaquio. Described by the New York Times as “intelligently conceived, image-filled dance”, their collaborations integrate dance and new music with film, visual arts & technology. A seamless collaboration of movement and images, dances by TOPAZ ARTS create kinetic environments that transport the viewer to an imaginative place.
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Film still from “FULCRUM” by Todd Richmond
Recent awards for TOPAZ ARTS Dance Productions include National Endowment for the Arts/Access to Artistic Excellence, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Meet the Composer Commissioning/USA, Asian American Arts Alliance/JPMorgan SOAR Award, and a New York Foundation for the Arts BUILD/Homer Avila Memorial Award. Their works have been commissioned and presented in New York City by the Danspace Project, Performance Space 122, La MaMa Moves Dance Festival, Dance Theater Workshop’s Fresh Tracks Series, Aaron Davis Hall, Symphony Space, and performed nationally at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, Godt-Cleary Projects in Las Vegas, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and Ohio University. They have created works at numerous artist residencies internationally including Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, NY, The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard, Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida and Dance Theater Workshop’s Mekong Project where they conducted artistic research travel in Vietnam and Cambodia.
photo by Julieta Cervantes
All works listed are choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with original music & film by Todd Richmond,
visual design by Paz Tanjuaquio and Todd Richmond.
2009-2010
New Works:
Title: “The Divide” (2010)
Creators: choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with original music by Todd Richmond,
visual design by Paz Tanjuaquio and Todd Richmond.
Performers: Chia Ying Kao, Paz Tanjuaquio
Title: “FULCRUM” (2009) – dance film
Creators: Film and original music by Todd Richmond, with choreography by
Paz Tanjuaquio. Produced by TOPAZ ARTS, Inc.
Performers: Chia Ying Kao, Paz Tanjuaquio
Title: “The Divide: Four Square” (2010)
Creators: choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with original music by Todd Richmond
Performers: 18 dance students in the senior class at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts
Title: “Etre: To Be” (2009) – solo with dance film
Creators: choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, new film and original music by Todd Richmond, voice over by Eva Perrotta. Solo dance – a reprise of Part 3 of
“Thunder Against 1.2.3. (2005)” choreographed & performed by Paz Tanjuaquio.
Title: Artistic Research Travel (2009) – Big Bend National Park, Texas
Creators: Composer Todd Richmond recorded live sound in the natural environment and choreographer Paz Tanjuaquio gathered movement material and initial ideas for the development of the duet “The Divide” and the evening-length work-in-development “Parallel Groove”.
Date/Location Performed:
July 20, 2010: presented “The Divide” for two dancers, and “FULCRUM” a dance film, in a shared evening with NY State DanceForce members. Presented by the Love Shoe IV Dance Festival at the Kiplinger Theater, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
June 27, 2010: ” FULCRUM” a dance on film, presented at American Dance Festival’s 15th Annual Dancing on Camera Festival, Durham, North Carolina.
Spring 2010: Guest Choreographer at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts.
April 29-30, 2010: “The Divide: Four-Square” a new group work for 18 dancers,
made possible by Exploring the Arts; Tony Bennett Concert Hall, Astoria, NY.
March 26-28, 2010: Preview of a new work “The Divide” for two dancers, and the screening of “FULCRUM” a dance on film. Presented by the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Festival in a shared evening with Molissa Fenley, Nora Chipaumire, and Penny Hutchinson; New York, NY.
March 1-7, 2010: Company residency at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. Open rehearsal show on March 4, presented “ascendance” duet (2007), and the development of “The Divide”; Tivoli, NY.
November 21, 2009: new solo & dance film “Etre (To Be)” presented by TOPAZ ARTS, in “Cabaret Solitaire” a shared evening of solo work by choreographers Paz Tanjuaquio, Molissa Fenley and Nicholas Leichter; made possible by New York State DanceForce with funds from New York State Council on the Arts; Woodside, NY.
October 2009: two-week artistic research travel at Big Bend National Park, Texas.
2008-2009
New Works:
Title: “Now/What” (2009)
Creators: choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with original music and live sound mixing by Todd Richmond. Performers: Rebecca Bone, Chia Ying Kao, Paz Tanjuaquio
Title: “on the other side of silence” (2008) – evening-length work
Creators: choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with original music and film by
Todd Richmond, lighting design by Mark T. Simpson.
Collaborative site-specific gallery exhibition & visual design by:
Paz Tanjuaquio, Todd Richmond, and Mark T. Simpson.
Guest choreography by: Molissa Fenley;
Costume design by: Jeffrey Wirsing
Performers: Rebecca Bone, Niles Ford, Chia Ying Kao, Yuki Nitta, Uta Takemura,
Paz Tanjuaquio, Robin Wyllie
Date/Location Performed:
May 14-15, 2009: Trio “Now/What” presented by La MaMa Moves Dance Festival/
New York International at La MaMa, ETC.; New York, NY.
May 9, 2009: presented the dance film “Silence” and a new trio “Now/What”
Presented by BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, in a shared evening with Creative Outlet Dance Company; The Bronx, NY.
February 16-28, 2009: three-week choreography residency at Atlantic Center for the Arts. Open rehearsal show on February 27 presented the development of new material for “Now/What”; New Smyrna Beach, FL.
November 7, 2008: “Fulcrum” a new duet section for “on the other side of silence” choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio with dancer Niles Ford; presented by DanceNow/NYC at Dance Theater Workshop; New York, NY.
December 11-14, 2008: Premiere of the full evening-length production of “on the other side of silence” for 6 dancers, presented by TOPAZ ARTS, made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet The Composer/Commissioning USA,
NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs; Woodside, NY.
2007-2008
New Works:
Title: “ascendance” (2007)
Creators: choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with original music by Todd Richmond.
Lighting design by Mark T. Simpson.
Collaborative site-specific gallery exhibition & visual design by:
Paz Tanjuaquio, Todd Richmond, and Mark T. Simpson.
Performers: Chia Ying Kao, Paz Tanjuaquio
Title: International Project – Artist Talk/Movement Workshop (2008)
Creators: Lecture/demonstration on “Dance and Film” conducted by composer/filmmaker Todd Richmond and choreographer Paz Tanjuaquio.
Creative movement workshop by Paz Tanjuaquio.
Title: International Project – Artistic Research Travel (2008)
Creators: composer/filmmaker Todd Richmond and choreographer Paz Tanjuaquio Three-week artistic research travel throughout Japan in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Sapporo, Toyko. Working with 16MM film and a Bolex camera, the collaborators gathered film footage and movement material, recording live sound in urban and natural environments, & participated in interviewing a survivor of the atomic bomb, for the development of “on the other side of silence” and the dance on film “FULCRUM”.
Date/Location Performed:
February 25, 2008: Movement Research at Judson Church, NY. Presented excerpt of “ascendance”, duet by Paz Tanjuaquio and Chia Ying Kao; New York, NY.
February 19, 2008: Artist Talk/ Movement Workshop, Vargas Museum, University of the Philippines/Diliman. Todd Richmond and Paz Tanjuaquio presented a lecture/demonstration on “Dance and Film”, followed by a creative movement workshop lead by choreographer Paz Tanjuaquio, open to university students and faculty of all dance levels, 30 participants; Quezon City, Philippines.
January 2008: Independent artistic research travel in Japan conducted by choreographer Paz Tanjuaquio and composer/filmmaker Todd Richmond.
Working with 16MM film and a Bolex camera, the collaborators gathered film footage and movement material, participated in interviewing a survivor of the atomic bomb, for the development of “on the other side of silence” and the dance on film “FULCRUM”; on location at Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Sapporo, Toyko – Japan
June 26, 2007: Solo/Solo, excerpts of “ascendance” presented by Thelma Hill Performing Arts at the Kumble Theater, Brooklyn, NY.
June 15-16, 2007: presented duet “ascendance” a showing of a new section for the evening-length work-in-progress “Soundless Music by Yoko Ono, Choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio”; TOPAZ ARTS, Woodside, NY.
