ARTISTS
CHARYA BURT is a master teacher, dancer, and choreographer based in Northern California. A graduate and former dance faculty member of the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, Charya's training began in 1982 under the direction of the foremost dance masters of Cambodia. As a member of Cambodia’s royal dance troupe, Charya toured nationally and internationally. After immigrating to Northern California in 1993, Charya has been performing throughout the United States, including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Jacob’s Pillow Festival at U.C.L.A., and 13 times as a featured performer at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. Charya has also conducted dance workshops at several colleges and universities around the country including the California State University Summer Arts Program at California State University, Long Beach. She received a B. A., Cum Laude, in Liberal Studies from Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California. She has been awarded numerous grants including three from the Irvine Dance in California Program, three from the CCI Investing in the Artist, the Choreographer in Mentorship Exchange, and twice from the Creative Work Fund. Her original dance pieces include Forever My Ancestors (2006), Blue Roses (2007), Of Spirits Intertwined (2009), Intersections Through time (2010), Caressing Nostalgia (2011), and Blossoming Antiquities: Rodin's Encounter with the Celestial Dancers of Cambodia Phase One, (2013). With master shadow puppeteer, Larry Reed, Charya is currently developing The Rebirth of Aspara, an experimental dance/shadow theatre work. Charya’s newest work, Silenced, commissioned by the CounterPULSE Artist Residency Commissioning Program in San Francisco, honors the life of Cambodian pop icon Ros Sereysothea. A recipient of the Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Individual Performance, Charya's mission is to continue to preserve her art form and to create new works rooted in tradition that forge innovation.
www.charyaburt.com
www.charyaburt.com
LARRY REED is the founder and Artistic Director of ShadowLight Productions. Reed is one of the few American shadow masters of traditional Balinese shadow theatre. Reed has also pioneered contemporary shadow theater by integrating traditional shadow theater techniques with American theater and film effects using custom made projectors to cast silhouettes of puppets, masked-actors, and cut-out sets.
One of his first modern shadow works, IN XANADU, premiered in 1994 at New York's Public Theater as part of the International Festival of Puppet Theater in 1994. A collaboration between Tibetan, Chinese, Indonesian, and American artists, XANADU told the archetypal love story of Kublai Khan and his wife Chabui, set to an original, live score by Miguel Frasconi. In 1995 Reed went on to create THE WILD PARTY, based on the jazz age poem by J.M. March with original music by Bruce Forman. WAYANG LISTRIK, created in collaboration with Balinese artists, was commissioned by and featured at the 1998 Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater. In 2000 Reed launched the Dreaming California trilogy, which includes: COYOTE'S JOURNEY (2000) based on a traditional California Karuk tribe tale and created in collaboration with Native American elders, storytellers, performers and artists; 7 VISIONS (2002), an exploration of Latino heritage written by Octavio Solis and with live music by Cascada de Flores; and GOLD RUSH to be developed in the upcoming years. His latest, MONKEY KING AT SPIDER CAVE, created in collaboration with Taiwan's Puppet & Its Double over a 3-year period, premiered in October 2006 in San Francisco. In 2009, he created GHOSTS OF THE RIVER with playwright Octavio Solis exploring US/Mexico border issues through 5 haunting ghost stories. His 2010 work, THE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING LOVER (2010), a unique blend of poetry reading, live music, dance and shadow theatre, featured Coco Zhao, Wu Na and Karen Kandel. He is currently working on PORO OYNA: THE MYTH OF THE AYNU, a new work created in collaboration with musicians from the Aynu community, an indigenous tribe in Hokkaido, Japan. PORO OYNA will premiere in the US January 2014.
As a filmmaker, Reed has produced and directed several films in the U.S., Mexico, Columbia, Taiwan, and Indonesia. His film SHADOW MASTER, an intimate portrait of a family of Balinese performers, aired on PBS and Discovery Channel. His translations have appeared in the Asian Theater Journal and University of Hawaii Press. As a shadow artist, designer, and director, he has collaborated with Lee Breuer, Mabou Mines, the Mark Taper Forum, American Conservatory Theatre, the Santa Fe Opera, LA Opera and Ballet Austin. As the Balinese shadow theater representative at the Indonesian National Theater Shadow Festival, he is one of few Westerners ever to be invited to the festival. Reed was voted one of the top 50 artists of the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995 and again in 1996 by SF Live/Metropolitan.
One of his first modern shadow works, IN XANADU, premiered in 1994 at New York's Public Theater as part of the International Festival of Puppet Theater in 1994. A collaboration between Tibetan, Chinese, Indonesian, and American artists, XANADU told the archetypal love story of Kublai Khan and his wife Chabui, set to an original, live score by Miguel Frasconi. In 1995 Reed went on to create THE WILD PARTY, based on the jazz age poem by J.M. March with original music by Bruce Forman. WAYANG LISTRIK, created in collaboration with Balinese artists, was commissioned by and featured at the 1998 Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater. In 2000 Reed launched the Dreaming California trilogy, which includes: COYOTE'S JOURNEY (2000) based on a traditional California Karuk tribe tale and created in collaboration with Native American elders, storytellers, performers and artists; 7 VISIONS (2002), an exploration of Latino heritage written by Octavio Solis and with live music by Cascada de Flores; and GOLD RUSH to be developed in the upcoming years. His latest, MONKEY KING AT SPIDER CAVE, created in collaboration with Taiwan's Puppet & Its Double over a 3-year period, premiered in October 2006 in San Francisco. In 2009, he created GHOSTS OF THE RIVER with playwright Octavio Solis exploring US/Mexico border issues through 5 haunting ghost stories. His 2010 work, THE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING LOVER (2010), a unique blend of poetry reading, live music, dance and shadow theatre, featured Coco Zhao, Wu Na and Karen Kandel. He is currently working on PORO OYNA: THE MYTH OF THE AYNU, a new work created in collaboration with musicians from the Aynu community, an indigenous tribe in Hokkaido, Japan. PORO OYNA will premiere in the US January 2014.
As a filmmaker, Reed has produced and directed several films in the U.S., Mexico, Columbia, Taiwan, and Indonesia. His film SHADOW MASTER, an intimate portrait of a family of Balinese performers, aired on PBS and Discovery Channel. His translations have appeared in the Asian Theater Journal and University of Hawaii Press. As a shadow artist, designer, and director, he has collaborated with Lee Breuer, Mabou Mines, the Mark Taper Forum, American Conservatory Theatre, the Santa Fe Opera, LA Opera and Ballet Austin. As the Balinese shadow theater representative at the Indonesian National Theater Shadow Festival, he is one of few Westerners ever to be invited to the festival. Reed was voted one of the top 50 artists of the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995 and again in 1996 by SF Live/Metropolitan.
I Made Moja (Art Direction/Shadow Design) is a prominent Balinese painter, skilled in the traditional ink and watercolor technique of his native village of Batuan. His compositions are detailed and complex, drawing from Hindu mythology, traditional village life, and nature. Moja’s Bay Area exhibitions have included Stanford Art Spaces, the San Francisco Commonwealth Club, Somarts Gallery, and Pro Arts. His work has also been shown internationally and featured in numerous books on the art and culture of Bali.
Since coming to the United States, Moja has branched out artistically. In addition to experimenting with new themes in his painting, he has worked extensively with ShadowLight Productions, creating stunning set designs and puppets, as well as performing and leading workshops here and abroad. Moja is also a primary dancer with Gamelan Sekar Jaya, an acclaimed Balinese orchestra and dance group based in Berkeley. The group regularly performs at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and at venues across the United States.
Since coming to the United States, Moja has branched out artistically. In addition to experimenting with new themes in his painting, he has worked extensively with ShadowLight Productions, creating stunning set designs and puppets, as well as performing and leading workshops here and abroad. Moja is also a primary dancer with Gamelan Sekar Jaya, an acclaimed Balinese orchestra and dance group based in Berkeley. The group regularly performs at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and at venues across the United States.
Chey Chankethya (Ensemble/Cambodian Dance) began training in Cambodian classical dance in the female role at the age of five. Kethya has worked under some of the world’s leading contemporary choreographers at World Dance Alliance choreographic labs in Brisbane, Hong Kong and New Delhi and has been a featured dancer in works by Emmanuèle Phuon, Peter Chin, Arco Renz and others which have toured extensively to Europe, the US and throughout Asia. Kethya is one of Cambodia’s most prolific choreographers and has created a large body of work in both classical and contemporary forms. Kethya is currently pursuing her master’s degree in choreography at UCLA as a Fulbright Scholar, supported in part by the Asian Cultural Council where she will graduate in 2014. Kethya was a featured dancer in CRACK – a new work of Cambodian contemporary dance by German choreographer Arco Renz that was awarded the 2012 ZKB Patronage Prize in Zurich Switzerland in September 2012. She is also the Mo Ostin Performing Arts Award winner, 2013.
Zena Allen (Ensemble)
is a Bay-area based storyteller who uses the mediums of performance, prose, and visual art in her repertoire. As a student of “Jaliyaa”, the West African musical and oral tradition, and a specialization in kora (West African harp), Zéna has found it a natural progression that she apply in her visual art the same themes of ritual and tradition found in music of the African Diaspora. In her work, she blends folkloric themes with contemporary styles to explore the importance of cultural knowledge and preservation.
Ya Wen (Winnie) Chien (Ensemble) is a Bay Area visual artist working in a variety of media. Her drawings, paintings, photographs and designs have exhibited locally and in Taiwan, China and the UK, where she earned her MA in Digital Media from University of the West of England. She has worked in Taiwan as Backstage Manager for Song Song Song Children's & Puppet Theatre, and as Rehearsal Assistant for Godot Theatre Company. She is excited to work with Shadowlight Productions and has enjoyed the creative energy of the group!
Chas Croslin (Ensemble) is a musician and theatre artist. He is an Artist-in-Residence at El Teatro Campesino in central California where he regularly plays music, produces, and performs. Recent projects include co-producing Valley of the Heart by Luis Valdez and producing/performing in the upcoming “La Pastorela” in the Old Mission San Juan Bautista. Rebirth of Apsara marks Chas’ first official work with ShadowLight Productions and he is grateful to be working with such a talented and delightful team of artists. He recently traveled to Asia, spending several weeks in Cambodia where he was inspired by the warmth of the people and their ongoing efforts to preserve their traditional arts after such catastrophic losses.
Sound Design Team
Gregory T. Kuhn (Sound Designer) is a multidisciplinary creator and collaborator in the performing and fine arts, a composer, sound designer, and visual designer. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he collaborates on a great diversity of projects for theater, multimedia, exhibition, dance, and experimental and contemporary music performances. Recent recognition includes the 2007 Isadora Duncan Award for S.F. Ballet’s Ballet Mori (with Ken Goldberg and Randall Packer), and the 2008 Lucille Lortel Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for Rinde Eckert’s Horizon (directed by David Schweizer). Ongoing activities include new works by Paul Dresher, Steven Schick, Joan Jeanrenaud, Marc Banuthi Joseph, Joe Goode, Margaret Jenkins, the S.F. Contemporary Music Players, SFJAZZ Center, and Other Minds.
Brendan Anes (Sound Designer) has designed sound and composed music for a wide variety of performances, recently Warrior Class, Wild with Happy, and 33 Variations (Theatreworks), The Hundred Flowers Project (Crowded Fire Theatre Company), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Aliens, Honey Brown Eyes, and Tigers Be Still (SF Playhouse), Polaroid Stories (American Conservatory Theatre MFA Program), The Tempest (Marin Shakespeare), Machine (The Crucible) and Caliban Dreams (Berkeley Opera). As an engineer, he has worked locally and nationally with San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Paul Dresher Ensemble and Margaret Jenkins Dance company, and Chitresh Das, and will be joining England's Kneehigh Theatre for their 2013-2014 tour of Tristan and Yseult. Brendan holds and MFA in Music from Mills College.
Gregory T. Kuhn (Sound Designer) is a multidisciplinary creator and collaborator in the performing and fine arts, a composer, sound designer, and visual designer. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he collaborates on a great diversity of projects for theater, multimedia, exhibition, dance, and experimental and contemporary music performances. Recent recognition includes the 2007 Isadora Duncan Award for S.F. Ballet’s Ballet Mori (with Ken Goldberg and Randall Packer), and the 2008 Lucille Lortel Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for Rinde Eckert’s Horizon (directed by David Schweizer). Ongoing activities include new works by Paul Dresher, Steven Schick, Joan Jeanrenaud, Marc Banuthi Joseph, Joe Goode, Margaret Jenkins, the S.F. Contemporary Music Players, SFJAZZ Center, and Other Minds.
Brendan Anes (Sound Designer) has designed sound and composed music for a wide variety of performances, recently Warrior Class, Wild with Happy, and 33 Variations (Theatreworks), The Hundred Flowers Project (Crowded Fire Theatre Company), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Aliens, Honey Brown Eyes, and Tigers Be Still (SF Playhouse), Polaroid Stories (American Conservatory Theatre MFA Program), The Tempest (Marin Shakespeare), Machine (The Crucible) and Caliban Dreams (Berkeley Opera). As an engineer, he has worked locally and nationally with San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Paul Dresher Ensemble and Margaret Jenkins Dance company, and Chitresh Das, and will be joining England's Kneehigh Theatre for their 2013-2014 tour of Tristan and Yseult. Brendan holds and MFA in Music from Mills College.
Video Design Team
Ian Winters (Video Designer) is an award winning video & media artist working at the intersections of performance, architectural form, and time-based media. In addition to individual work he often collaborates with composers, directors, and choreographers to create both staged and open-ended media environments through performance, visual and acoustic media. Recent awards include 2013 residencies at Djerassi & Earthdance, being a 2013 ISEA-Sydney presenter/reviewer, a 2012 Leonardo LAZER presenter, the 2012 LAD prize for video design, 2012-3 Isadora Duncan Award nominations for best visual design. In addition he teaches workshops in interactive video / sound, and has been a visiting artist / conference presenter in media & performance at many institutions including USF, SF State, MIT, Mass Art, LSU, Amherst, Duke, Sussex & Brunel. Winters received a BFA in photography, video/film and performance at SMFA-Boston and Tufts University, and post-graduate training in architecture and live performance.
Erin Malley (Assistant Video Designer) first studied video design in 2009 with Mark Coniglio, the creator of the Isadora platform. Fascinated by the creative potential of combining interactive video design with dance, she began creating video designs for her own choreographic work. Erin has studied with Ian Winters since 2011, assisting him on various projects since 2012. In 2013, she was selected for the ODC Dance for Camera Pilot program, and remains under the mentorship of LA-based film artist Cari Ann Shim Sham*. Recently, Erin created the video art for solo dance artist Lindsey Derry's Portraiture at Kunst-STOFF Arts.
Ian Winters (Video Designer) is an award winning video & media artist working at the intersections of performance, architectural form, and time-based media. In addition to individual work he often collaborates with composers, directors, and choreographers to create both staged and open-ended media environments through performance, visual and acoustic media. Recent awards include 2013 residencies at Djerassi & Earthdance, being a 2013 ISEA-Sydney presenter/reviewer, a 2012 Leonardo LAZER presenter, the 2012 LAD prize for video design, 2012-3 Isadora Duncan Award nominations for best visual design. In addition he teaches workshops in interactive video / sound, and has been a visiting artist / conference presenter in media & performance at many institutions including USF, SF State, MIT, Mass Art, LSU, Amherst, Duke, Sussex & Brunel. Winters received a BFA in photography, video/film and performance at SMFA-Boston and Tufts University, and post-graduate training in architecture and live performance.
Erin Malley (Assistant Video Designer) first studied video design in 2009 with Mark Coniglio, the creator of the Isadora platform. Fascinated by the creative potential of combining interactive video design with dance, she began creating video designs for her own choreographic work. Erin has studied with Ian Winters since 2011, assisting him on various projects since 2012. In 2013, she was selected for the ODC Dance for Camera Pilot program, and remains under the mentorship of LA-based film artist Cari Ann Shim Sham*. Recently, Erin created the video art for solo dance artist Lindsey Derry's Portraiture at Kunst-STOFF Arts.
ShadowLight Productions (Producer)