The organization assists independent artists and emerging performing arts groups by creating performance opportunities and providing administrative, artistic and technical theatre support for many national, regional and local DC area groups. Additionally, Mason/Rhynes is a presenting partner for the 2009 VelocityDC Dance Festival.

VelocityDC recently spoke with Gesel Mason, Co-founder and Artistic Director of Mason/Rhynes Productions and Gesel Mason Performance Projects as well as co-host of VelocityDC Late Night, to get her insight on Mason/Rhynes’ Late Night series and the issue of pushing artistic boundaries.

Editorial Note: Our interview took place prior to the VelocityDC Late Night premiere on October 3rd, 2009.

vDC: Give us some insight into the artistic philosophy behind Mason/Rhynes’ Late Night series.

We created the Late Night series because we wanted artists to have an opportunity to let their hair down, experiment, and have a good time. Often as an artist, you have to be very aware of the family friendly crowd and we just wanted to give artists an opportunity to not have to worry about that – to go as far as they wanted in any direction they wanted in order to push artistic boundaries. So you know, sometimes it can get a little raunchy, risqué, or exciting but it’s just a lot more fun and that’s what we are going for. We really want people to have a good time.

vDC: It seems like the Late Night performances take a lot more interactive approach where audiences can interact with the performers directly as opposed to just watching. How does this work?

Yeah. You don’t have to sit with your hands in your lap and watch. We like to think of it as a cabaret. There are a lot of different acts and it’s shorter – you’re not going to see long, evening length works that you are going to see elsewhere. The audience can laugh, comment, and at the Late Night at Joy of Motion in Dupont Circle we also serve drinks and light refreshments. It just loosens everyone up for the show.

It’s our goal to replicate that at VelocityDC. It’s a big stage and a big audience, but you still want to give people that sense of a cabaret. That is, the artists are really interacting with the audience and breaking the fourth wall even though people may not be coming out off the stage itself. It’s more unexpected, fun, and laid back.

At the same time, though, we are still looking at artists pushing the boundaries of high-quality work. It’s about trying to go deeply into an idea which might mean that there is a cuss word or nudity but it gives permission to both the audience and the artist to go where they need to go in terms of expressing themselves.

vDC: From an artist’s perspective, what’s it like to do a Late Night? Is the preparation different?

I would say so. I’ve performed in several of them and there is a running gag that I always make a cameo appearance during Late Night. Like somehow I show up when someone needs an extra, like an extra dancer or whatever, and I’ve been making appearances in that way! So it’s kind of funny.

There’s a spirit of camaraderie amongst the artists involved. Some of it is that you take a little bit of the pressure off; it’s not as precious. But one of the things that you take away (and we encourage artists to do) is to really push boundaries. We had a group for one of our Late Nights that performed a twisted take on Alice in Wonderland and we kept pushing them because we felt that they weren’t going far enough. You know, if you’re going to go there, then go there.

I think we really don’t get to flex those muscles often enough as artists; we don’t give ourselves permission to be irreverent, unexpected, or really risky and I think that influences an artist ultimately in their work. How do you prepare a work or performance when you think, “Oh, I can’t do that”? There are can be these pre-existing boundaries of what you can or can’t do in terms of what’s acceptable and it can be very limiting.

vDC: What would you like newcomers to know who are interested in attending Late Night?

You basically do Late Night because you want to do Late Night. It actually doesn’t make a lot of money because it’s a small venue; we’re talking about 70 seats. There is just a small honorarium that artists get to participate, so as an artist you have to love it and have to want to participate.

It’s the same with audiences. Audiences come to Late Night because sometimes you don’t get to see artists in a raw state; it’s all polished and perfect. [At Late Night], you might be seeing someone who’s trying out a work in progress and you’ll be able to talk with them afterwards because after the Late Night performance, there’s always a party. It’s like a dance party – we turn on the music, have a few more drinks, and have a good time.

I feel like when people come to Late Night they always say, “I want to put something on at Late Night. I want to think about my work slightly differently and take a different approach than the one I’ve taken before.” That sort of feeling is something that our audience appreciates. It’s not going to be perfect and shiny. It gives you permission to see artists in a bit of a raw state, in a bit of a developmental state, or when they are really pushing it. For the artists, I feel like it’s of value because it helps you flex your creative muscles.

For the audiences, it gives you permission to relax and not to have to “get it”. The feeling of Late Night lets you let your hair down so you don’t feel the same sort of pressure either, in terms of watching a performance. And some people prefer this to regular performances, in the sense that they feel closer to the artist and their ideas. So, I think both artists and audiences go because they want to go. You are going to get something that you’re not going to get anywhere else and this is something that we are looking to bring to the larger stage of the Harmon Center.

Gesel Mason co-hosted a sold out performance of VelocityDC Late Night with Peter DiMuro at Sidney Harman Hall on October 3rd, 2009.

Photo Credit: Paul Emerson

If you missed VelocityDC Late Night (or attended and want to see more),  check out Mason/Rhynes’ Halloween Late Night on October 31st, 2009 at Joy of Motion – Dupont Circle.

Featuring performances by Boris Willis, Komplex, Elizabeth Johnson, Reggie Glass, Contradiction Dance, Silk Road Dance Company, and Micia Mosely, what better way is there to spend Halloween in DC?

Seating for this exclusive event is limited to 80 tickets. Don’t miss out on seeing DC’s best cutting edge performances – Get your tickets NOW!

We recently chatted with the Capitol Movement Project’s Co-Founder Stephanie Jojokians to discuss Saturday’s performance, the company’s mission to increase access to dance education, and the current state of DC’s dance community.

vDC: Stephanie, give us a sense of what we can expect to see during Saturday’s Late Night event.

Our professional company will be performing a piece called “Torn” which is a contemporary jazz trio. It’s very fluid , emotional, and passionate but it is also very technical. While I always like to leave the meaning up to the audience, the theme of the piece is about relationships and centers on a love triangle.

vDC: Great answer! I love that you leave it up to the audience to interpret what they are about to see. In addition to the professional company, Capitol Movement is known for community outreach relating to accessibility issues in dance education. What are some of your current initiatives?

We offer free dance classes in the DC public schools as afterschool programming. Currently, we are working with Kenilworth Elementary School again and their kids get a chance to perform for our free “Day of  Dance” event. Every year the night before our major show at the Lincoln Theatre, we have a show from 4 to 6pm for 1,000 – 1,200 kids that would otherwise never be able to see a dance concert. We bus them in and the Kenilworth kids get a chance to perform for their peers. It’s really exciting for them!

We’ve also worked with schools over the summer like Horizons at Maret; we always work with them. This year we are adding a new school and are now waiting to get that confirmed. Generally, we try to go to the kids, teach them dance, see if they are excited and if they are then we’ll pull them into our WNBA or NBA programs, the Junior Wizards or the Mystic Mayhems, so they can get their first performance experience. And it’s hip-hop, so it’s something they that like and can relate to. If they like it from there, they can start getting into ballet and formal training.

Since we try to open the door and level the playing field in dance, we also give scholarships to dancers so that they have an opportunity to train on an elite level at schools like the Debbie Allen Dance Academy or the Boston Ballet Summer Conservatory.

vDC: How many kids choose to pursue dance on a more intensive basis?

Honestly, it’s really only been a handful – we’ve only been around since 2004. Off the top of my head, I would say we have ten now that are in our pre-professional program who are very motivated and inspired to continue their training with us. We offer a diverse range of classes, but we also recommend that they experience other teachers and choreographers as well.

vDC: Since your organization is a relative newcomer to the DC scene, what are some of the challenges you currently face?

For us, we still feel like we have a long way to go. This year, we’ve taken some steps to try to develop the company more intensely. Now, we have a “home” in our own studio  and are requiring that our company members become more serious about their training.

It’s also a very challenging time financially, especially if you have a mission to make services affordable or free to those who can’t afford it at all. It’s hard when granting organizations or private donors aren’t able to help in the way they did in the past and you still have to stick to your organizational mission. That presents a huge challenge for us right now given the services we provide.

vDC: In thinking about those issues, what needs to happen in DC to make it a better place for artists to present their work?

I am very excited about seeing companies collaborate more. I think that the economy has forced people to work together and  it’s created a better collective environment for everyone instead of having people take the position that “This is our program and it’s all we’re going to do.”

Joint initiatives like VelocityDC are really great for us. When we first started, I remember that the Washington Ballet Board Chair Kay Kendall told me, “You know, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. A lot of us have done some of these things already. Talk to us and maybe we can work together.” I think that has stuck in my head the most over the years and I really appreciated it because it’s true.

vDC: That’s definitely great advice and so many of our artists have echoed that sentiment. With that in mind, what do you think the lasting effect of VelocityDC will be for the DC area?

I’m hoping that it helps not only the dance community in terms of exposure and performance opportunities, but also the audience as well. Hopefully it will influence them to explore a wider variety of things to see and be a part of in the city.

The Capitol Movement Project will be performing during VelocityDC Late Night on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 p.m.

Want to see them live at Harman Hall? Don’t miss out – Get your tickets now!

Featuring Andile Ndlovu, the Capitol Movement Project, Contradiction Dance, Furia Flamenca, Bowen McCauley Dance, Regie Cabico/Sol y Soul, Komplex, and Urban Artistry.

Produced in collaboration with Mason/Rhynes Productions.

Adult Humor and Content: 18+ only!

Don’t miss out – Tickets are selling quickly. Get yours NOW!

In July, hip-hop dancers from Argentina, Vietnam, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and the Philippines came together in Washington, D.C. to perform during the two-week Performing Artists Cultural Visitors Program, a collaboration between the US State Department and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The joint venture aims to promote professional development and performance opportunities for emerging international artists.

Participants Hassan El Haf, Silvia Fernandez, Hien Ngoc Pham, Michelle Salazar, Samer Smahneh, and Mauricio Trech took classes with hip-hop masters in New York City and Philadelphia. The program culminated with a performance on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center where audiences saw the dancers bring their own cultural identities to their movement style.

VelocityDC contributor Emily Macel recently caught up with Michelle Salazar to discuss her participation in the program and hip-hop’s growing influence within the global dance community. Michelle performs with the Philippine Allstars, an award winning hip-hop troupe. On the day of the interview, she flew from D.C. to Las Vegas to join the Allstars at the 2009 World Hip Hop Championships where they received 4th place.

During your time in the US, where did you perform and take classes?

We’ve taken classes with Steps in NYC, and when we went to the concert of Sugar Hill Gang and we formed a circle and jammed and had a performance for the crowd, just jamming with the music. Then we went to Philadelphia for the Illadelph Legends Festival, a one week intensive workshop where the masters or the legends taught us the foundations of hip-hop dance. Yesterday we performed at the Kennedy Center.

What did performing at the Kennedy Center mean to you?

It was an honor performing there because I know it’s a venue that has all the greatest performances in America and even the world. It was so wonderful, the crowd was wonderful. It was an experience that I want to bring back to the Philippines and hopefully some other Filipinos will get to perform there.

Have you enjoyed working with the hip-hop dancers from around the world in this program?

It was amazing being able to work with them and bond because we came from different countries with diverse cultures and in a way hip-hop was our common ground. So it was easy for us to work together despite the language barrier. I enjoyed working with them because we had the same passion.

How long did it take to choreograph the show for last night?

We only had two weeks here and we were so busy during those two weeks so we had to squeeze in rehearsals. So all in all, it was only around a day.

Did you do a lot of sightseeing in the U.S?

Yes, especially in New York because we had a lot of time on our own. I loved everything. I loved the experience of going to the where hip-hop started, the ground where all the founders stepped on. We went to the Bronx and I experienced what it was like back in the day. DJ Afrika Bambaataa was playing and the b-boys were dancing and moving with the music and everything was giving out love. It’s not like how we thought, it’s not hostile. Everyone was very friendly to us even though we stuck out because we were from different countries.

Tell me about your hip-hop group back home, the Philippine Allstars.

The Philippine Allstars started in 2005. We wanted to represent the Philippines for the World Hip Hop Championships in America. We dropped everything, even our jobs, for a month so we could compete. We won the international competition and after that we were able to compete here in the U.S and won the World Hip Hop Championships in 2006. After that it became our fulltime jobs, being in the Allstars. Every year we try to compete and spread love. When we go back to the Philippines we work and do shows. Once or twice a month, we do charity work. We teach kids and perform for Gawad Kalinga, a nonprofit program that builds homes for poor families.

Is there a large hip-hop community in the Philippines?

It’s growing because I think we gave it a way to grow. We won the World Hip Hop Championships in 2006 and then the media gave interest to us, so in a way a lot of jobs were offered to hip-hop dancers. With any other country, it’s still hard to make hip-hop dancing your primary job but I’m very hopeful.