Isolation to Creation
Amidst the pandemic, Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, produced performing arts creative bubbles for artists to work safely together again. "Isolation To Creation" takes you behind the scenes as artists return to the studio and stage for the first time since the pandemic.
Spanning multiple traditions and styles—from Afrik, ballroom, body percussion, club-life, street, and tap dance to beatbox, vogue, and underground house dance and music—these performances lift underrepresented voices, performing arts cultures, and producers. While few were able to safely gather in person, these programs provided a glimpse of a potent future in which stewardship is channeled toward artist-driven projects, shaping a more inclusive and representative world.
Featuring:
Ephrat Asherie Dance with New York City Club Legends; Les Ballet Afrik with Omari Wiles; The Missing Element with Chris Celiz and Anthony Rodriguez “Invertebrate”; Music from the Sole with Gregory Richardson and Leonardo Sandoval; Jamar Roberts; Seven Deadly Sins with Joshua Bergasse, Justin Vivian Bond, Jeffrey Guimond, Marc Happel, and Sara Mearns
Lead support for Works & Process Bubble Residencies and Isolation to Creation provided by Works & Process Board of Directors and Anh-Tuyet Nguyen and Robert Pollock, with additional support from Jonna Mackin.
Filming assistance provided by the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Medical Counsel provided by Dr. Wendy Ziecheck
The Making Of
"Isolation to Creation"
The making of “Isolation to Creation” mirrors the story it tells— a diverse group of people found a way to keep art alive when so much of the country was shut down.
When the COVID-19 pandemic swept New York, performing arts organizations cancelled or postponed their contracts with artists as venues shuttered across the city. But to Duke Dang, the General Manager of Works & Process at The Guggenheim, this was not an option. He saw that those uncertain times were precisely when organizations should invest even more into the arts scene, not less. Duke began to dream up a remote artist residency that could provide an invaluable resource - the ability to safely gather and create during a time when no other creation options were available. The bubble residencies he, Caroline Cronson, and the Works & Process team orchestrated were pioneers in the art world, and set a standard for how to create together during the pandemic.
“Isolation to Creation'' follows six of the artist groups selected to go into the Works & Process bubble residencies: Music from the Sole, The Missing Element, Jamar Roberts, Ephrat Asherie Dance, Les Ballet Afrik, and “Seven Deadly Sins”. Showcasing creators of diverse race, age, orientation, and identity, the series celebrates their unique insights, struggles, and contributions to dance culture. From beatboxing, to Vogue Ballroom, to club dance, to Brazilian tap dance, to ballet, the breadth of styles performed by these artists paint an intricate picture of the beating heart of New York dance. Each company is pushing their dance style into uncharted spaces.
Not only does the film document the experience of artists going from isolation back into the studio, but also the circumstances brought a huge challenge to how we approached filming with COVID-19 safety precautions at the forefront. We found inventive solutions with a bare-bones crew. Nic Petry, the director and director of photography, created sweeping video while simultaneously juggling the filming, audio, and lighting, since only one production person was allowed into the quarantine bubble. However, one cameraperson couldn’t be everywhere at once, and we wanted to be with the artists as much as possible. We provided each residency group with their own camera, to tell their story in their own voice. This rich trove of footage provided an insider’s look into their process, and a fresh perspective into their creative worlds.
Julie Rooney, the editor and screenwriter, wove it all together to uncover the heart of this story— community and invention. We also had the special opportunity to collaborate with one of the bubble artists, Gregory Richardson from Music from the Sole, who composed a powerful score.
We invite you to experience the power of what artists make when they have the opportunity to create even during our country’s darkest days.
Credits
2020 GUGGENHEIM WORKS & PROCESS BUBBLE RESIDENCY ARTISTS
Ephrat Asherie Dance featuring and in collaboration with New York City Club Legends
Club Legend, Archie Burnett
Club Legend, Michele Saunders
Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie, Artistic Director/Choreographer
Manon Bal
Ron “Stealth-1” Chunn Jr.
Teena Marie Custer
Val “Ms. Vee” Ho
Dorren “Moglii” Smith
Matthew “Megawatt” West
Les Ballet Afrik
Omari Wiles, Director and Founder
Kameron N. Saunders, Associate Artistic Director
Algin Ford-Sterling, Music Director
Shireen Rahimi, Company Manager
Kya Azeen
Alora Martinez
Eva Moore
Milerka Rodriguez
Yuki Sukezane
Karma Stylz
The Missing Element
Anthony Vito Rodriguez “Invertebrate”
Joseph Carella “Klassic”
Brian “Hallow Dreamz” Henry
Graham Reese
The Beatbox House
Amit Bhowmick
Chris Celiz
Neil Meadows “NaPoM”
Gene Shinozaki
Kenny Urban
Music from the Sole
Gregory Richardson, Co-Founder
Leonardo Sandoval, Co-Founder
José Cruzata
Noé Kains
Gisele Silva
Jamar Roberts New Dance Commission
with New Music by David Watson
Jamar Roberts, Choreographer
Patrick Coker
Ghrai DeVore-Stokes
Jacquelin Harris
Brandon Woolridge
Seven Deadly Sins
Marc Happel, Producer
Joshua Bergasse, Choreographer
Jeffrey Guimond, Music Director
Gilbert Bolden III
Justin Vivian Bond
Sara Mearns
Matthew Steffens
Medical Counsel
Dr. Wendy S. Ziecheck
Ethics Counsel
Dr. Robert Klitzman
VIDEO PRODUCTION
Director
Nic Petry
Lead Editor and Screen Writer
Julie Rooney
Director of Photography
Nic Petry
Project Coordinator
Tama Roberts
Composer
Gregory Richardson
Research and Storyboard Consultant
Krista Brunson
Editor and Motion Graphics
Sarah Lasley
Assistant Editors
Maggie Kolina
Kemonta “Kwickk” Fuqua
Residency Filming and Production
Nic Petry
Kaatsbaan Summer Festival Performances
Jake Bellew, Camera Operator
Nic Petry, Camera Operator
Quinn Wharton, Camera Operator
Lincoln Center Performances
Jake Bellew, Camera Operator
Nic Petry, Camera Operator
Filmed in part on location at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, Petronio Residency Center, and the office of Dr. Wendy S. Ziecheck.
GUGGENHEIM WORKS & PROCESS
Works & Process Staff
Caroline Cronson, Producer
Duke Dang, General Manager
Kathryn Marshall, Program Associate
Ashley Browne, Bookkeeper
Lauren Gibbs, Grants Manager
Robert Mayer, Chief Financial Officer
Michelle Tabnick, Publicist
Works & Process Lead Funders
Ford Foundation
Christian Humann Foundation
Leon Levy Foundation
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Evelyn Sharp Foundation
Public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
Works & Process Board of Directors
Bart Friedman, Chair
Stuart H. Coleman, Treasurer
Caroline Cronson, Secretary
Mary Sharp Cronson, President Emerita
Richard Armstrong, Lucy Dobrin, Joanna Fisher,
Adam Flatto, Michèle Pesner, Cynthia Hazen Polsky,
Stephen Kroll Reidy, Denise Saul, Annalyn Swan, Shelby White
Thank you
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Alexandra Barber, Elizabeth Cosgrove, Sarah Eaton, Brenda Gray, Virginia Gresham, Olivia Manno, Marianna Mermin, Maria Slusarev, Julie K. Smitka, Lauren Van Natten, Corrado Verini, Miriam Weiner, and Daniel M. Yang
Kaatsbaan Cultural Park
Stella Abrera, Amber Bennett, Emma Coombs, Sonja Kostich, Brandi Norton, and Ash Umhey
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Adessii Austin, Rachel Caduri, Clive Chang, Sammy Garcia Jr., Christine Jones, and K’idar Miller
Petronio Residency Center
Stephen Petronio and Marya Warshaw
The Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the New York Public Library
Linda Murray, Tanisha Jones, and Daisy Pommer
Custom Coach & Limo
Mohammed Alam and Kathie Iannaci
Works & Process at Lincoln Center series was co-produced by Works & Process at the Guggenheim and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.