Rhythm in the Desert
​​
Friday December 13th 6:15pm Film event:presentation and discussion of "The Migration Dance Project" with Sandy and Nic Jean Cocteau Theater
​
Saturday December 14th 11am-1pm Community Workshop with Sandy at Wise Fool NM
​
Saturday December 14th 6:30pm Showcase Performance with Belisama Irish Dance, Sandy Silva, Nic Gareiss and Maria Jones! at Wise Fool NM
​
Tickets: $20-50 per event, multi event pricing available. Students and LGBTQIA+ "pay what you can or nothing at all"
​
​We are thrilled to be hosting the second annual workshop in the desert Southwest for percussive dancers of many disciplines. Our goal is to provide unique and high quality learning experiences for dancers to broaden their skill set and rhythm vocabulary, while working to preserve precious historic dance styles for generations to come.
Winter Showcase Performance: Saturday December 14th 6:30pm 2024, Wise Fool New Mexico
Belisama Performing Company, Nic Gareiss, Sandy Silva and Maria Jones
​
Program:
1st Act
​
Drums of Belfast
by Sythian
Choreography and Staging by Celia Bassett and Adrienne Bellis
​
Planxty Drury
by Sean Softly
Choreographed by Michael Patrick Gallagher
​
Maria-Music Set
​
Golden Tap
Golden Brown by The Stranglers
Choreography by Patience Chesser
​
Breaking Up Christmas
by Dirk Powell
Choreography by Nic Gareiss
​
Sandy Silva
​
Maria-Music Set
​
Nancy Whiskey
by Gaelic Storm
Choreography and Staging by Victoria Hypes-mayfield
​
2nd Act
Star of the Sea
by Leahy
Choreography and Staging by Celia Bassett
​
Nic Gareiss
​
Color Theory
by Natalie MacMaster and Donell Leahy
Choreography and Staging by Celia Bassett
​​
Maria Set 3
​
Rise, Rise
by the Corries
Choreography and staging by Victoria Hypes-Mayfield
​
Fans of Cairo, a bellydance fusion"
by Enta el Hob
Danced by Sara of Santa Fe
​
Gweebarra Bridge
by Altan
Solo: Erin
​
Muscian: Maria Jones
​
Dancers: Nic Gareiss, Sandy Silva, Victoria Hypes-Mayfield, Adraic Starks, Erin Brodnax, Aven Heavner, Alison Chavez, Vivian Mee, Violet Moore, Starla Forloney, Solana Torrez, Addy Nguyen, Margot Bassett, Sebastian Aldersebaes, Sara Masica, Patience Chesser, Charlotte Martinez, Jesse Martinez, Tate Steinberg
​
Music Editing by Adrienne Bellis
Lights&Sound by Adrienne Bellis and Andre Kessler
Director/Producer Celia Bassett
Special Thanks to Wise Fool
​
​
About Nic
One of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch," Nic Gareiss (he/they) has been hailed by the New York Times for his "dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance" and called "the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene” by the Boston Herald. They reimagine movement as a musical practice, recasting dance as a medium that appeals to both eyes and ears. Born, raised, and residing in what some people call Michigan, Gareiss engages many percussive dance traditions, weaving together a singular dance practice marked by his love of clog, flatfoot, and step dance footwork vocabulary; improvisation; and musical collaboration. Gareiss received the 2020 Michigan Heritage Award, the region’s highest distinction bestowed on traditional artists. They have performed in seventeen countries including at London's Barbican Centre, the Irish National Concert Hall, the Munich Philharmonic, and the Kennedy Center and collaborated with The Chieftains, The Gloaming, Phil Wiggins, Colin Dunne, Liz Carroll, Bruce Molsky, Sandy Silva, Bill Frisell, Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas. Nic's graduate thesis was the first piece of scholarship to center the experience of LGBTQ Irish step dancers, he holds a MA in Ethnochoreology from the University of Limerick.
About Sandy
SANDY SILVA is an award-winning performer, choreographer, composer, teacher, producer, and internationally-acclaimed percussive dance artist. She draws from global percussive practices infusing movement with themes, vocal integration, theater, and impeccable musicality. The result is a singular and powerful form of performance storytelling forged through movement and sound.