SENTINEL

About

SENTINEL is an interdisciplinary dance and film project created in direct response to the post-election atmosphere of 2016 in New York City. Grappling with issues of surveillance, profiling, and alienation, SENTINEL originated with five site-specific dance solos which were recorded in politically-charged public landmarks across the city boroughs. Spotlighted in magenta clay from head to toe, each dancer shares a personal story akin to the history and political underpinnings of each site.

The live performance of SENTINEL is an installation resembling a surveillance room with films of the site-specific dance solos alongside live performances of each solo impounded by a large-scale Plexiglass box. Audiences are provided with headphones and an audio guide playlist composed of personal testimonies from each performer, related data, and reports. Witnesses are invited to move at-will through the exhibition, experiencing the work from multiple perspectives.

Inspired by the Trumpian election, the questions of SENTINEL remain relevant: Am I an active bystander? How can my actions incite change? 

SENTINEL was developed in part by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council and the Foundation for the Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants.

2018 September Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn, NY

Choreography & Direction Danielle Russo

Producer Jenny Tibbels Film and Photography Luke Ohlson
Technical Direction Joanna DeFelice
Makeup Design Marc Witmer
Costume Design Jenny Lai

Performers // Collaborators
Cesar Brodermann • Roya Carreras • Jason Collins • Kayla Farrish • Molly Griffin