Above and Beyond Dance, photo by Julie Lemberger
Above and Beyond Dance, photo by Julie Lemberger
L to R: Nicki Miller, Kendall Rileigh and Chriselle Tidrick at the 2014 BAC Grants Ceremony
Name: Chriselle TidrickAKA: ChrisHometown: Poland, OhioHow long have you lived in Brooklyn? 17 yearsNeighborhood: Boerum HillFavorite thing about neighborhood: I know my neighbors, so it really feels like home.What did you get funded for? Dreamscapes, a new work of circus-infused dance being created by my company, Above and Beyond Dance.What's that all about? Dreamscapes is choreographed for 5 dancer/circus arts performers and fuses contemporary dance, aerial harness, aerial fabric, static trapeze, and stilt disciplines to depict the ethereal wonder of dreams and the surreal terror of nightmares. Various realms are born out of each dreaming figure's inner consciousness, generating a series of fantastical vignettes ranging from grotesque, misshapen bodies in a landscape of destruction to an otherworldly scene of angelic beings in aerial fabric. The completed work will run about 35 minutes and will premiere September 19-21 as part of Dreamscapes and Other Imaginings, a co-production with The Muse in Williamsburg Brooklyn.What else do you have coming up? Above and Beyond Dance will be hosting a Benefit Party/Performance on Saturday, June 7 at 7pm at Soundance Studio in Williamsburg Brooklyn. We will be previewing two completed sections of Dreamscapes, as well as a sharing a company repertory piece. The evening also includes wine, light hors d'oeuvres, and a silent auction. Then, on Saturday, June 14 at 8:00pm we will be premiering another section of Dreamscapes on the MuseIam showcase at The Muse.L to R: Nicki Miller, Kendall Rileigh and Chriselle Tidrick at the 2014 BAC Grants CeremonyWhat’s your jam? I love playing with my amazing dancers in the studio. Not only are they super talented and highly skilled, but they also have incredible ideas & impulses that spark my imagination. I always find the collaborative process exciting and fulfilling, and I wish we had more time to spend experimenting with movement possibilities.Anything you’re you totally over? Schedule juggling!When not making art you are: Organizing, planning, reviewing rehearsal video, stilt dancing at special events, and dreaming. To make extra money, I take tickets at the Metropolitan Opera House.Chriselle Tidrick founded Above and Beyond Dance in 2007 to explore the limitless potential in the fusion of dance and circus arts work. She has successfully produced three seasons of circus-infused dance: RAW (2011) at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center; Ascendance (2009) at The Flea Theater; and Seeking (2008) at Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts. She has also appeared with her company at venues including: Output Club; Streb Lab for Action Mechanics; NYC Aerial Dance Festival 2011 (LaGuardia Performing Arts Center & MMAC); Dixon Place; Galapagos ArtSpace; NYC Aerial Dance Festival 2010 (JCC Theater); Sky Box; Brooklyn Arts eXchange; La Mama Moves 2009 Festival; WaxWorks; the Zipper Theater; and the Belt Theater.