2013 Couture Fashion Week

It's been a minute since I've updated this.  Per usual.  My website (www.sidneyerik.com) has a blog that I try to keep totally up-to-date with the things I'm doing.  And sometimes I get too busy making things to keep up with the other side (talking about the things I'm making).  And that's okay.  The work comes first.  And then, when I get breathers, I play catch-up.  Trying to get as caught up as I can right now when things are only slightly hectic...

Throwback to February, 2013.

I was asked to choreograph a runway show for COUTURE FASHION WEEK.  BROADWAY SINGS FOR PRIDE sponsored a Broadway-themed fashion show where musical theater talent performed as the models strutted in couture gowns by ANDRES AQUINO.  I staged the finale dance, and because it was the intersection of Broadway and Fashion I decided to kick it old school.  A little "Rich Man's Frug"...

Matchmaker, Matchmaker...I'm Willing to Settle

   I love new work.  I also love projects where I get to do double-duty.  For this one, I got to be choreographer guy but also got to assistant direct and dip my toes in those waters some more.  I like those waters.  This gig fell into place because of some genius actors that I'd worked with in a showcase.  NIKKI MACCALLUM and KELVIN MOON LOH cowrote a show based on Nikki's experiences with online dating.  An autobiographical musical about Manhattan romantic disasters.  Nikki played the lead and Kelvin directed.  I was brought on board to spice up the concert with a few choreographed moments.  There was a margarita shaker salsa dance, a nasty 'swingers' swing number, and a personal highlight, the opening number and its 'boobie-time' choreography. 

     The show was presented at ARS NOVA and it was my first time working in that amazing intimate space where I'd seen so much great work by so many inspiring emerging artists.  Thrilled to join their ranks.  And to work on a brand-spankin' new musical.  And to discover that even though I can be uber-serious guy, I can actually make funny choreography that people laugh at.  Who knew?  The show sold out, the performance kicked butt, the authors continue to develop the piece, and I got some artistic growth.  So much win! 

Looping vs. Looping

The NEW YORK JAZZ CHOREOGRAPHY PROJECT gave me the chance to reinvestigate "Looping".  In a majority of the dances I present, I'm rehearsing under the gun.  Paying for studios, getting friends to dance for me for low/no pay, doing my best to work calmly and cleanly.  I don't like taking advantage of people's time (which they're mostly donating), so I generally put things up quick and dirty and let the cards fall where they may.  This was the first piece I got to step away from for a bit and rediscover.  Distance is crucial.  I could see what was working, what wasn't, and revisit.  The one thing I couldn't control was cinematography.  I'm not overly pleased with the video.  Focus issues, missed moments, lack of closeup.  But it was out of my hands.  The CHOREOGRAPHY part of things feels like a success.  Clarification of moments.  More intricacy.  Better set-up at the beginning.  A sculpted lighting design.  Cleaner.  Here for the first time I an present a side-by-side comparison of the evolution of a piece.  Very proud of this dance.

First, the original...


Now, the new and improved...

Looping 2.0

Looping was a beautiful dance. I loved it and was thrilled with the way it turned out. But it wasn't quite fully developed. We had an abridged rehearsal process, not nearly enough tech time, and at the single performance there was a technical mishap and the stage went to blackout briefly. All in all, not ideal. So I wanted to revisit, make some tweaks, and show it again. That opportunity came up with the NY JAZZ CHOREOGRAPHY PROJECT.

I'd known one of the artistic directors, Merete Meunter, through events at the SDC and she invited me to apply.  I sent off the video of the original and it was immediately accepted into the fall showing.  Unfortunately, many of my dancers were unavailable.  Booking little things like national tours and, oh, BROADWAY.  I got to explore the movement with a new crew who brought their own flair to it.  And they were gorgeous.  Here are some pictures from the dress rehearsal we had courtesy of Travis Kelley Photography (he who got such brilliant pictures of the original).  Obsessed with his composition and some moments he captured.  Looping 2.0 will always hold a special place in my heart as the first piece I ever remounted.  I'm starting to develop repertoire!  Awesome development in my dance path!

Choreographed my first music video

So a gig kinda just fell into my lap.  I got asked to do a couple short sequences for a music video by an up and coming artist.  Danny Blu has a VERY specific aesthetic, think Adam Lambert meets Lady Gaga.  Out there/aggressive.  And because this musical theater guy believes in being chameleonic, I thought...absolutely.  Let's go there.  So I got busy in the studio and came up with something fierce.  And we shot in a church.  A CHURCH!  Full-throttle dance throw-down on the alter!  It was insanity.  Second day of the shoot we did some work in a stairwell and I got to do some visual texturing.  Brief movement moments that looked great on camera but weren't quite 'ography.'  It was an incredible experience working in a completely different medium and getting to play in that world.  I want more!

Sidney Erik Wright...Director

     It's February 1st.  How did that happen?

     This summer I took a giant step forward.  I directed my first play.  No singing, no dancing, no choreography of any kind.  I was accepted into the Insomniac's 24-hour Play Festival produced by the Grex Group Theatre.  At 6pm on July 19th, I made my way into a room full of strangers...

     A woman from the Grex Group opened a mystery folder and I was given 3 names and a prompt.  I was assigned author Mila Golubov, actors Matthew Wise and Mary Fuller, and a twisted line about a man who wanted to keep a girl's tooth to 'remember her by.'  Bizarro.  Then, we four had a pow-wow.

    I put on my director hat.  I told our author to be bold.  I got to know my actors, what their strengths and special skills were.  We set a time to reconvene.  I went home.  Read a draft.  Sent back some dramaturgical notes.  Got another draft.  Sent back more notes.  Booked rehearsal space.  Did table work at Starbucks early in the morning.  Got in the studio and blocked the play.  Bought props.  Found costumes.  Made sound cues.  And, lo and behold, 24 hours later we premiered Good Men.  Bad Men.  Very Bad Men.  as part of the festival at the historic Player's Club Theater in the West Village.  For our 10-minute-play, a woman goes to a speed dating event.  Mary Fuller played the lead going on a series of truly spectacular bad dates with a range of insanely inappropriate suitors.  Matthew Wise played 10 different men courting her.  It was hilarious, disturbing, and incredibly fun.  Loved breaking out of my 'musical theater' box and tackling a new challenge!  Fun step forward for this dancer dude!  

\

Double-duty on "Pharmaceutical: The Musical"

     Theatrical drinking games.  Apparently this is a thing.  And I'm a fan.  After my SDC Observership on Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, I had a brunch recap with a few other director/choreographer people who had done the observership program.  And I met the amazingly talented Katie Lupica, the SDC Observer to Daniel Goldstein on Broadway's Godspell.   She was putting together a ten-minute musical for TinyRhino.  We wanted to work together.  And we made a little magic.

     TinyRhino is a monthly festival of ten-minute plays/musicals at the Brooklyn Lyceum under the umbrella of UglyRhino.  With the festival, authors are given 5 prompts at which the audience is instructed to drink from their beverage of choice.  Those prompts are then incorporated into brand-spankin'-new plays and mounted as a theatrical free-for-all evening of drinking and art.  For the July edition of the show, the audience had to drink whenever 1) someone analyzed a dream 2) someone had a pratfall 3) someone impersonated a celebrity 4) someone flipped off the audience or 5) someone mentions the temperature of the room.  Katie shepherded the blending of these prompts into the total awesomeness that was Pharmaceutical: The Musical.

     In the show, I played Mr. Worthington, a suburban drone unhappy with his life.  I was being psychoanalyzed by a therapist, but instead of treatment I got a prescription.  Returning home, I  was confronted by my unhappy housewife and, upon taking my medication, we entered a trippy fantasy finale with a kickline of dancing pills.  It was out there.  It was fabulous.  And it was so much fun being both the lead role actor guy and the dance-making choreographer guy.  The show was a hit and a new collaboration was a total success!

Assistant Directed Broadway Bares: Beach Burlesque!

     I love BCEFA.  I'm just going to say it.  It is an incredible cause that is close to my heart, and in true Broadway fashion they know how to put on one damn good show.  Last summer I assistant directed BROADWAY BARES: MASTERPIECE for Josh Rhodes and Lee Wilkins.  And the show was utterly fabulous.  Imagine my surprise when I got an email out of the blue asking me to assist again!  This time, though, I got to be much more hands-on.

     BROADWAY BARES: BEACH BURLESQUE was a 'touring' company.  Instead of the mainstage show at Roseland with a cast of over 200, this version was intimate.  26 dancers.  Fire Island.  Fun in the sun.  MICHAEL LEE SCOTT directed and I assisted.  The beauty of BEACH BURLESQUE is that all the performers got to be in multiple numbers.  And because it was a smaller show with a smaller staff, I got to have more responsibility and really show what I could do!  I assisted Michael in creating choreography for the opening number "Burlesque is Back", the Elvis strip "A Little Less Conversation", a beachy strip with naked bathing beauties to Madonna's "Rain", and a cowboy fantasia "A Big Man."  I also got to lead my own rehearsal in restaging the iconic "Humpty" number originally choreographed by the badass DENIS JONES.  Oh, and transitions.  All the little bits and pieces that kept the show flowing along.

     The entire experience was incredible.  The cast were amazing performers and awesome human beings.  The production team and BCEFA liasons were phenomenal.  It was my first experience of Fire Island and it was just magic.  Oh, and in addition to assisting, I strapped on my performer shoes and strutted my stuff with all the rest.  What a dream team!

     You can check out the official recap HERE with a synopsis and photos from the show.

     Oh yeah, and this happened.  Still got it.

"Looping" at the Choreographer's Canvas

     My second time presenting a piece for the Choreographer's Canvas, and my choreo is growing by leaps and bounds!  The first year, I debuted "The Lady in the Street."  It was my first true narrative and my longest piece.  A man seduces a woman and brings her back to his place, but once he gets her in bed she flips the tables and becomes the aggressor (aided by her vengeful fury henchwomen).  About 5 minutes with a cast of 4.  "Looping" is a different beast.

     9 dancers.  Over 5 minutes long.  4 individual vignettes that combine to illustrate an overaching theme.  It was an ambitious dance.  I loved creating it with some fabulous performers and I love the story it tells.  It's emblematic of the work that I enjoy doing.  About human connection.  Contemporary. Romantic.  Real.  I got a fantastic response from this one and I'm so proud to share it with the world.
Without further ado...

"Looping"

Are You There, Ann-Margret? It's Me! Highlights

This project was just...fun.  Such a blast choreographing in classic Vegas spectacle style.  Camp and cheese and glitter and sequins.  Trying to live up to the legend.  Here's a highlight reel to give a taste of what we did.  My unofficial off-broadway 'debut' as a choreographer.  Fingers crossed that there's a future production somewhere/somehow.  It was truly fabulous!

Are You There, Ann-Margret? It's Me! Photos

Just a li'l taste of the show.  Loved working with this talented and uber-fabulous cast!

Photos by Francis Fanini

Camelot...It's a HIT!

So this was the first show I worked on that was actually reviewed by the press. And after all the work we put into it, it felt damn good to get such a positive response! I even got some love for the dances! Never had pull quotes before, so this definitely feels like a giant step in the right direction. Some favorites below, and links to full reviews.

"Jon Balcourt's seven-piece orchestra and Sidney Erik Wright's choreography enhance the classic score."-----Newsday

"Choreography was by Sidney Erik Wright; neatly done."-----Times Beacon

"Choreographer Sidney Erik Wright introduces elements of ballet mixed with contemporary moves."-----Theatermania

Broadwayworld

Hair highlights

I love when projects are mutually beneficial and everybody wins. Dance (212) was documenting my summer and as a result of that I was able to get high quality footage from the final dress rehearsal of Hair. A little imovie editing and presto, instant highlight reel! This is an incredible show and I'm so grateful I got to play around and put my own spin on it! And as you can see, the cast is living!

Hair-Production Photos

Some shots of my Woodstock production of "Hair". First professional show that I did double-duty as director/choreographer. So special to me, so happy to share it with the world. Photos by the insanely talented Matthew Wright of Fig Tree Photography.