weeble/WOBBLE

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Photo by: Angeline Herron
We stand here. Now. Teetering on the edge. We embrace the balance and control. We submit to the imbalance - flowing between realities. Strung across the ocean, our collaboration connects and grounds us in a world hanging by a thread between growth and preservation as an individual and community. These stones unite us across the boundaries of geography or man. Each stone represents the individuals in our greater communities - each one adds weight, value, and compromises the balance of the existing structure. To survive and thrive we must be malleable to each element, even one as small as a single pebble, a single person or experience.

An ongoing multidisciplinary collaborative work continually in-progress, conceptualized by Charlotte Smith.
​Collaborators:
Sculptor: PJ Doss
Composer: Zac Greenberg and Sam Katz
Cinematographer: Joseph Cicio
Still Photographer: Angeline Herron
Editor: Charlotte Katherine
Colorist: Jose Hernandez

National Premiere: The Luckman Presents Los Angeles Dance Festival  I  December 2021.
International Premiere: Seoul International Dance Festival in TANK - Music, Digital, and Dance Collaboration project.
 "WEEBLE WOBBLE invites the viewer to think as well as to enjoy what she is doing. In this work, Smith has placed herself in the desert surrounded by beautiful cacti and utilizes three different sized bobbling objects that respond to her movements like the toy punching bags kids once played with. Two look like space age capsules – one large, the other small – and the third is shaped like a large musical gourd with an antenna. They make one smile, but the film is intriguingly hypnotic. Smith’s movements and the camera work mirror the wobbling of her “props” and I found myself asking why these objects and why in the desert. Answer: why not? Weeble Wobble is visually beautiful and seeing Smith move within that environment is a treat."
​-Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle  |  December 8th, 2021

Read the full article here: https://www.ladancechronicle.com/los-angeles-dance-festival-international-2021-concludes-with-a-powerful-program-c/

Strelitzia

An individual human feels small, stark, and vulnerable. As individuals we can only grow so much, to grow we explore and connect. This process of adaptation begins with our environment, challenges ourselves through experiences, and then blossoms in community. We bring it in, to let it overwhelm us. Through this process we redefine our capacity and flourish - our brightest, most complete being. Our connection to our community, humanity, diversity makes our colors radiate with a vibrancy. We find comfort in its entirety.

It’s in our lungs, our breath. Humanity stands beside us and within us. We see it, we share it, we become it.

​
Product of Charlotte's participation in SHIFT/west Residency for Women Choreographers. 

Choreographer: Charlotte Smith and Dora Novak in collaboration with dancers
Dancers: Moi Josue Michel, Amanda MacLeod, Lorenzo Edwards, Dora Novak, Charlotte Smith
Cinematographer: Benjamin Tedesco
Still Photography: Don Hannah 
Costume Design and Construction: Dora Novak
Composer: Zac Greenberg and Scotty Howard.
Assistant Audio Engineer/Foley: Kramer Sanguinetti 
Editor: Charlotte Smith, Dora Novak and Benjamin Tedesco
Colorist: Jose Hernandez
Assistant Costume Design: Cody Brunelle Potter
Make-up Design: Moi Josue Michel
Film Makers: Charlotte Smith and Dora Novak

National Premiere: SHIFT/west Residency for Women Choreographers | June 2021
International Premiere: Seoul International Dance Festival in TANK | July 2021
"At the start of the piece the camera pans up past the parched earth and resting nude bodies. Then without warning the location changes to a lakeside marked with leafless trees hiding from view parts of the dancers lithe bodies. The use of chairs, sofas and makeshift construction are resting places for the languorous and very human Birds of Paradise.  A young woman in red toile, blue eye shadowed men, soon the costumes begin to get more creative and outrageous.  White soundscapes, ruffles, animal-like movements and preening bodies in highly hued plumage covers the dancers faces as they work.  It’s this disorder, spangles, netting that puts color on the parched earth. The white soundscape becomes a chanting that instigates the birdlike creatures to fall in line and fade into the night. This is not dance per se, but takes dancers to do the movement, yet it is a feast for the eyes."
-Joanne DiVito for LA Dance Chronicle |  June 8, 2021

Checkout the full review here: ​www.ladancechronicle.com/brockus-shift-west-residency-helps-women-choreographers-bloom-after-pandemic/

Pyriscence

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Photo by: Angeline Herron
Pyriscence is described an adaptation to an environment in which fires are regular, and in which post-fire environments offer the best germination and seedling survival rates. This film aims to capture our quiet and harmonious regrowth from the loss and suffering of this year. The elements of music, dance and cinematography hold equal importance in this art film. 

Cinematographer: Joseph Cicio 
Performers: Zac Greenberg and Charlotte Smith
Director: Angeline Herron
Editor: Scott Kelley
Colorist: Jose Hernandez

National Premiere: October 2020 for The Luckman Presents Los Angeles Dance Festival.
Awarded: Director's Pick-of-the-Festival.
Official Selection of the Inaugural Cornish College of the Arts Screendance Festival.
"Smith speaks about how many of us feel as if the entire world is on fire, driving us inside, and leaving us to look inward for a path to renewal. 

​​Smith chose a burned-out landscape to film Pyriscence, dressed in a long white dress, signaling purification, with Greenberg wearing a floral patterned sarong style skirt, a nod to rejuvenation.  Smith’s movement is primarily slow pace, restive, reflective and loving. Throughout this beautiful film she ponders the situation around her, longs for what has been lost and how to move forward." 
​-Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle | Oct 20, 2020

Check out the full review here: https://www.ladancechronicle.com/week-three-of-la-dance-festival-2020-best-thus-far/

Appalachian Trail

Commissioned by Concert NOVA of Cincinnati, OH for their virtual travel music concert, Appalachia.
Premiered October 14th 2020.
​
​Composer/Performer: Zac Greenberg
Choreographer/Performer: Charlotte Smith
Director: Charlotte Smith

Sixth Sense

Created as part of the Digital, Dance, and Music Collaboration Workshop as part of the Seoul International Dance Festival in TANK.
​-International Premiere July 2020 in collaboration with Korean choreographer, Jeong Mi Young, and NYC composer, Zac Greenberg.

​Director/Editor: Scott Kelley
Colorist: Jose Hernandez

National Premiere July 31st, 2020 at LA Dance Festival presented by the Luckman Fine Arts Complex. 
 "Though her movements are simple, the rocking is enhanced by quick panning shots, which distort the direction of her body, often making it appear as though she is falling off of the hill. The disorientation knocks the viewer for a loop, intentionally disrupting and upending the choreography, similarly to Sauma’s Coalesce. Sixth Sense however more solidly reflects an altered state of mind and a dizzying sense of self." ​
​-Lara J. Altunian for LA Dance Chronicle. Aug 6, 2020

Read the full review here: https://www.ladancechronicle.com/the-virtual-la-dance-festival-showcases-quarantines-most-necessary-skill-adaptability/

Cavernous Consciousness

Damned to an eternity of darkness, every day, the dancer must come to terms with her reality. Cavernous Consciousness explores the resiliency of the mind and body, and our ability to adapt to new surroundings when we've lost everything familiar to us. 

Director/DP/Editor: Katherine Grace Murphy
Performer and Choreographer: Charlotte Katherine
Composer: Zac Greenberg: Call of the Corycian Cave
Colorist: Karbis Sarafyan

International Film Premiere: July 2020 at the virtual Seoul International Dance Festival in TANK (Korea)
"The latter dance film, Cavernous Consciousness (Charlotte Katherine Dance Company), as its title suggests, depicts one whose fate is trapped in a cave that has to fight through fate physically, is portrayed through various angles.  Like life, where you can zoom in on the conditions of human existence through physicality,〈Mind in a Cave〉is a simple subject, using a mirror as a prop and contained variety." 
​-Kim Chae-Hyun I Editor-in-Chief of Dance Webzine.
​Translated from Korean by: Hyosun Choi

Perspective

 A dance film commissioned by Los Angeles Dance Festival, Dance Camera West, and the LA Department of Cultural Affairs
for the LA virtual dance film festival: Dance From LA, Off the Stage and Onto the Screen.
​
Director/Editor/DP: Glyn Gray
Performers: Charlotte Smith and Zac Greenberg
Set Design: Charlotte Smith
Sound: Zac Greenberg

National Premiere: June 23, 2020
"Delicate spins paired with Zac Greenberg’s deep bass melodies invoke a calm ambience, occasionally disrupted by slightly erratic movements embodying moments of realization within an ongoing thought process. As the music’s pace quickens, so does her waltz, which transitions into pauses full of outstretched arms, hand-staring, and close-ups on the dancer’s face. One of Virtual LADF’s longer pieces, there is a repetitiveness to the routine, which works well, considering the number’s overall message. One final movement features Smith lying on the floor while hugging the instrument that kept her flowing throughout the work, personifying what might be an epiphany or peaceful mental surrender — a satisfying conclusion."  
​-Lara J. Altunian for LA Dance Chronicle | Aug 6, 2020
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Read the full review here: https://www.ladancechronicle.com/the-virtual-la-dance-festival-showcases-quarantines-most-necessary-skill-adaptability/

Les Petits Plaisirs de la Vie 

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Photo by: Ginger Sole
An ongoing work in progress which reminds its audience to enjoy the beautiful  moments present in every day life. We are each granted opportunities to find joy in “life’s little pleasures”; this work explores treasuring these magical moments as an individual and the benefits of generously sharing them with our communities. The goal of this work is to remind ourselves to be grateful for the people and moments in our lives that remind us to carry gratitude with us as we realize our potential as individuals and as a collective.
Concepts for the individual sections were inspired by seemingly mundane, but decidedly magical moments from
the cast’s life experiences.
​
Music by Benjamin Marx. Edited by Zac Greenberg.
Original cast: Katherine Murphy, Hyosun Choi, Taylor Unwin, Leslie Duner, Charlotte Smith.
Rehearsal Director: Leslie Duner
Premiere: Los Angeles Dance Festival: Fringe | April 2019
Additional performances: ​DanceBACK at the Madrid Theater, Canoga Park, CA | November 2019
Half the Sky: Women's Voices at Fiesta LA Ballona | October 2021
" Warm light, wistful glances and strong bonds between the performers create a comforting contrast to the rest of the lineup, emphasizing the general feelings many of us have been craving during the pandemic: closeness and unity." 
-Lara J. Altunian for LA Dance Chronicle | Aug 6, 2020
Read the full review here: https://www.ladancechronicle.com/the-virtual-la-dance-festival-showcases-quarantines-most-necessary-skill-adaptability/


"With extensions for days, classical gestures, and magical acting, finally something joyful and soulful in the often bogged down,
avantgarde world of modern dance." -Amber Adams for BroadwayWorld.com I May 2, 2019.
Read the full review here: https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Review-LA-DANCE-FESTIVAL-FRINGE-FRIDAY-at-The-Diavolo-Space-20190502 

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"Each châinés was followed by captivating looks upward, as the women leaned on one another, then extended their arms and cupped their hands as though attempting to grab the ethereal. Theirs was by far the most heartwarming of the evening."
-Lara J. Altunian for LA Dance Chronicle I Apr 30, 2019
Read the full review here: https://www.ladancechronicle.com/fringes-opening-night-reveals-an-edgier-side-to-la-dance/

In Just a Blink of an Eye 

By Artist: Xu Zhen 
at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
July 27–Sept 2, 2019
 Los Angeles, CA

Celestial Silence

What happens when we look deep into one’s self? Into your experiences, strength, imperfections, validity. When the world falls quiet, can you stand strong with who you see?

Original Performer: Heather Francis 
​Music: "Feet" by Zac Greenberg and Sam Katz
​
International premiere: Seoul International Dance Festival in TANK: Seoul, South Korea. July 2019
National premiere: The Power of Music and Dance: Cincinnati, OH. April 2018
Local premiere: PGK Dance Project presents at San Diego Art Walk. May 2017.
Other performances: MashUp's Dance's International Women's Day Film Festival,
​Closing Night Celebration (2021), Los Angeles Dance Festival FRINGE (2018), DanceBACK in Los Angeles (2017)

The Power of Music and Dance

An evening length, dance and music concert commissioned by Musicians for Health
at the historic Memorial Hall in ​Cincinnati, OH April 2018.
Raised over $70K for cancer research. ​
​
Choreographer: Charlotte Katherine Smith
Composer: Zac Greenberg
Rehearsal Director: Leslie Duner Alvarez
Dancers: Leslie Duner, Alék López, Moises Josue Michel and Charlotte Smith
Orchestra: concertNOVA 

LIMIT

A quartet of zooming dynamic dancers pushing their movement to the limit. 
Music "Athena's Wrath" by Zac Greenberg
Orignal cast: Leslie Duner, Moises Josue Michel, Alék López, Charlotte Smith
Premiere: Los Angeles Dance Festival Fringe April 2018
Additional performance: The Power of Music presented by Musicians for Health in Cincinnati, OH April 2018.
​Photo by Paul Antico.

Cave

 Dropped in a deep dark cave, the dancer explores their new environment and familiarizes themselves with their new reality. This project is continually in redevelopment with several collaborators and mediums. 

​Music: "The Call of Corycian Cave" by Zac Greenberg.
Original dancer: Alék López. Local Premiere at CMDC's 5th Anniversary showcase in January 2018. International Premiere in The Power of Music Presented by Musician's For Heath at the historic Memorial Hall in Cincinnati April 2018.
Additional performance by Charlotte Smith at The Madrid Theatre, Canoga Park, CA  I  February 2020.

Jupiter Rising

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Photo by Denise Leitner
Music by Zac Greenberg
Premiere: danced by Alan Perez at Voices of LA ARTISTS December 2017
Additional performances danced by Leslie Duner: The Power of Music Cincinnati, OH April 2018.
 LADF Summer Dance Series June 2018.

Burning Bell

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Photo of Alék López and Charlotte Smith.
A collaborative work with live taiko drumming by Taiko Center of LA's Director Willie Wu.

Original cast of dancers: Sarah Butler, ​Moises Josue Michel, Leslie Duner, Hyosun Choi, Jessica Harper,
Heather Francis, and Charlotte Smith.
​Premiered at WHDF in August 2017. Restaged at LA Theatre Center in January 2018.

Bending Inward

Choreography by: Charlotte Katherine in collaboration with dancer, Leslie Duner.
Music: "Sin for a Sin" by Zac Greenberg
Local Premiere: August 2016 in the West Hollywood Dance Festival
National Premiere: Power of Music commissioned by Musicians for Health. Cincinnati, OH 04/22/18.
Additional performances: Voices of LA ARTISTS. LA, CA. 12/11/16.
PGK Dance Project presents at San Diego Art Walk 05/30/17.
"Together, they seamlessly partnered through the space, lifting and melting into one another. There was a movement theme of imbalance and falling that moved the piece forward and carried with it an emotional drive that was not overdone, but instead read honest and visceral," - Beth Megill for LA Dance Review

Full review of WHDF: https://ladancereview.com/2016/08/27/powerful-start-to-the-west-hollywood-dance-festival/

DEAD OASIS

Restaging of 'Bending Inward'. Reimagined by Director: Katherine Grace Murphy and created by CMF Productions
​in Borrego Springs, CA. Dance film/music video for "Sin for a Sin" by Zac Greenberg.

HAPPINA

"HAPPINA": a full sensory theatrical experience (inspired by the life and philosophy of Pina Bausch combined with the spirit of the Happenings) in a series of moments that captures the essence of these groundbreaking
​art movements in a modern day environment.
​
Choreographed and performed by: Charlotte Katherine
in collaboration with Graphic Designers: Marylouise McGraw and Charles Lin.
Premiered August, 2016 at Pasadena Art Center College of Design