About the Performance

John Bernd (1953–1988) was a trans-disciplinarian in Downtown New York’s hyperactive art world of the 1980s, combining original movement, music, and text to make performances that merged experimentalism and personal narratives of living with AIDS. In 2016, choreographers Ishmael Houston-Jones and Miguel Gutierrez collaborated with musician Nick Hallett to adapt excerpts from Bernd’s celebrated works into a striking montage for a new generation of performers. The open rehearsal will feature Raha Benham, Toni Carlson, Alvaro Gonzalez, Charles Gowin, Kris Lee, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, and Alex Rodabaugh.

This open rehearsal was presented by the New York City AIDS Memorial in partnership with Danspace Project and preceded a series of performances of Variations on Themes from Lost and Found: Scenes from a Life and Other Works by John Bernd, co-directed by Miguel Gutierrez and Ishmael Houston-Jones, with music by Nick Hallett, at Danspace Project, May 25–27 and June 1–3 at 7:30 PM. In addition, Conversations Without Walls, a related, day-long symposium, including panels and film screenings, was held at Danspace Project on May 20. For more information on the performances, please visit danspaceproject.org.

About the Artists

Ishmael Houston-Jones is a four-time Bessie-award-winning choreographer, author, performer, teacher, and curator.  Considered a pivotal figure in postmodern dance, his work has been performed in New York, across the US, and in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Latin America. Them, his seminal collaboration with writer Dennis Cooper and composer Chris Cochrane—and dedicated to John Bernd—premiered at PS122 (now PSNY) in 1986, where it was revived in both 2010 and 2018.

Miguel Gutierrez is a choreographer, composer, performer, singer, writer, educator, visual artist, podcaster, and advocate, whose work has been presented in more than 60 cities around the world. A four-time Bessie award winner, Gutierrez is an Associate Professor in the World Arts and Cultures/Dance program at UCLA. Other engagements for Spring 2023 include two NYC premieres: a duet with Laila Franklin at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, and his work Cela nous concerne tous, set on the Ballet de Lorraine, at NYU Skirball.

Nick Hallett is a musician, artist, and curator. From 2014 through 2022, Hallett served as composer, touring performer, and music director for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, including 2021’s Deep Blue Sea at Park Avenue Armory. His collaboration with artist Shana Moulton includes the cross-platform opera Whispering Pines 10. He teaches at the New School and SVA and is currently studying toward an MA in Composition at Wesleyan University. Hallett is also the Guest Curator of the 2023 season of live art at the New York City AIDS Memorial.

Support

The New York City AIDS Memorial’s 2023 Live Arts Programming is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Image Credit: Variations on Themes from Lost and Found: Scenes from a Life and other works by John Bernd, Danspace Project, 2016. Photo: Ian Douglas.