Tara Cheyenne Performance

Tara Cheyenne Performance is devoted to the creation and dissemination of highly physical, character-driven solo works that uniquely blend movement and text, dance and theatre.

Artistic Director, Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg’s vision is to create works that speak to people on the levels of common human experience, our own comic-tragic behaviour, and our lives in movement. The design of gesture, text, movement, and sound to draw lines between meanings is what Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg continuously strives to achieve in her work. This choreographic craft, derived from character and psychological landscapes, is the foundation for discovery, expression, and communication.

Tara's creative process begins with an overarching social theme which is whittled down, and then morphed into to a single, accessible character. Thus, social alienation is perceived through the lens of a head banging teenager in bANGER; love (and the lack of it) is demonstrated through the characters Nick & Juanita, and our social obsession over aging is characterized by a woman wearing nothing but a giant pair of nylons in Lift.

Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg has been performing, and creating work in Canada, the US and Europe for the past 15 years. Her "deliciously clever solo bANGER" (The Globe and Mail) was People's Choice at the 2005 Dancing on the Edge Festival. The full-length version bANGER: The Power Hour premiered to sold out houses at The Firehall in September 2006, and then toured to more sold out houses in Victoria, and Calgary's High Performance Rodeo in 2007. It was named one of the best shows of 2006 by the Vancouver Sun. In 2008-2009, Tara will tour her latest piece, Nick & Juanita- Livin' in my dreams to five cities across Canada. She is currently in development for an international tour of bANGER: The Power Hour.

History

The company began in 1985 as a creative partnership of six women dance artists called Rebound Dance Collective. With the departure of all but one of the original six artistic directors, and an increasing focus on developing a unique dance/theatre aesthetic, the name was changed to DanStaBat Performance Society (DSB) in 1993 under the artistic direction of founding member, choreographer and teacher, Chick Snipper. Over her twenty-one year tenure, DSB produced an extensive body of Snipper's dance works, interdisciplinary projects and experimental dance films. Based in Vancouver, DSB has toured to Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria, Nanaimo and Toronto, including a performance at the 2004 Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa. Snipper stepped down as artistic director in 2007 and is presently an independent choreographer, director and teacher. Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg was invited to become the new Artistic Director of DSB in 2006. Tara will continue the company's exploration of dance theatre and is now operating as Tara Cheyenne Performance to reflect the new direction Tara is taking the company.

Tara Cheyenne Performance is made possible by:

Tara Cheyenne Performance is also supported by:

The Banff Centre for the Arts, The Can Dance Network, The Space, Canadian Maple Delights, Pacific Coast Massage, Ainslie Wear, Vancouver Theatresports League, Firehall Arts Centre, Ken Alexander, Arthur Meads, Alice Mansell, Robert Mansell, and Ballet British Columbia.

Tara Cheyenne Performance wishes to thank all of our presenters, and the following for their support and encouragement:

Donna Spencer and the Firehall Arts Centre, Chick Snipper, Louise Bentall, Barb Clausen and New Works, Crystal Pite, Denise Clarke, Janet Munsil, Stephen White, Day Helesic, Julie-anne Saroyan and Movent, Diane Brown and Ruby Slippers Theatre, Arthur Meads and Alice Mansell.


Company Bios
	TARA CHEYENNE FRIEDENBERG - Artistic Director Tara started dancing at age 3, went to ballet school, theatre school at the University of Calgary and attained a dance degree from Simon Fraser University. Tara has danced for many of the country's best choreographers (including Joe Laughlin, Conrad Alexandrowicz, Deborah Dunn, and Denise Clarke), and worked with Green Thumb Theatre as a dance/actor. In 2000 Tara began developing her own dance-theatre creations with director Sophie Yendole and composer Marc Stewart. Her solo creations have been presented in festivals and theatres across Canada as well as in Belgium and the US. Tara has been nominated for several Jessie Richardson Awards and an Ovation Award for her choreography in theatre.
	SOPHIE YENDOLE - Director / Dramaturg A graduate of the UBC BFA Acting Program, Sophie Yendole is a director, creator, educator and performer. She has performed on film (Lines, One Night, No More Monkeys Jumpin' on the Bed) and on stage in ensemble creations such as The Plastic Project (VECC) and Red Demon (NODAMAP, UK.) Sophie's work has taken her to London as New Writing Associate and Education Consultant with the award winning British/Chinese theatre company MuLan Arts. As an educator, Sophie has developed and taught performance creation workshops through out the Lower Mainland (Evergreen Cultural Centre, Centennial Theatre, Richmond Gateway Academy for the Performing Arts, and as an Artist in Residence with the Vancouver School Board.) Continuing her work in co-development of Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg's solo work, Sophie is Director in Residence with Tara Cheyenne Performance.
	MARC STEWART - Sound Designer Marc is a Vancouver-based professional musician, songwriter and sound designer. Beginning with the Royal Conservatory of Music then moving to pop and expierimental music, Marc has 25 years of experience. He has been collaborating with Tara Cheyenne since 2000 creating original scores and sound design. In addition to being a member of rock group The Tomorrows and poptronica duo The Chamber Pot Orchestra, he also composes for theatre, film and television. His work has been featured on television's Madison, Cold Squad, HBO film Hoods, CBC's Zed, as well as CBC Radio, BBC Radio and commercial and internet radio worldwide. Other credits include sound design for The Firehall Arts Centre's "The Blue Light", Carousel Theatre in Vancouver, and an original score for Day Helesic's "Genuine Risk".
	JAMES PROUDFOOT - Lighting Designer Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, James has been living in Vancouver for twelve years. For the past ten years he has been resident Technical Director of the Firehall Arts Centre. During this time, James has contributed lighting designs for full length works to the Holy Body Tattoo, Anatomica, Kokoro Dance, Co. Erasga, DanStaBat, Lola Dance, EDAM, Kinesis Dance, Frozen Eye, Wen Wei Dance and battery opera amongst others. Recent designs seen on stage include "Unbound" for Wen Wei Dance and "Grace" for Joe Ink which toured to Scotland for the Fringe Festival 2005 and Seoul, S. Korea, in September 2006.