Press Release

Laura Ward/Octavia Cup Dance Theatre with Foundation 2021 Presents
The World Premier of

Whistle Me Higher: Imaginary Dances From Bingo Palace

at the Theater for the New City on May 1-4, 2008
155 1st Avenue (near 10th Street)

Whistle Me Higher- Imaginary Dances From Bingo Palace, created and produced by Laura Ward, celebrates the fantastic aspects of nature, religion, addiction, and the American Dream found within Death Valley/Las Vegas. The gamut of southwestern glamour, glitz and gluttony, is revealed through contemporary ballet, original music, spoken word and physical theatre, which includes eagle totems, Elvis weddings, and legends involving flying machines. The score, by Fa Ventilato (Fuckintosh, Bingo Palace) and Frank Heer (Der Flammender Grund, Bingo Palace) is a key portal into the often hypnotic, drug induced, dream-like show, set somewhere between Lost Highway and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Featured within the work are guest choreographers Georgina Aragon and Nadia Zaki. An excerpt from Whistle Me Higher- Imaginary Dances From Bingo Palace can be seen on YOUTUBE.com entitled Just Like An Eagle. It tells an old Native American legend from the Panamint Mountains in Death Valley and illuminates the adaptation required for survival.
Performances will take place at the Theater for the New City in the Johnson Theater May 1-3, 2008 (Thursday – Saturday) at 8:00pm and May 4, 2008 (Sunday) at 3:00pm. Tickets are $20 and can be bought online through the (I will set this up soon) website.*

Canadian born, East Village resident, Laura Ward, founded Octavia Cup Dance Theatre (www.octaviacup.org) in 1998. This will be Laura’s sixth New York City season. Laura’s work has been shown at many venues including the 92nd St Y with New Choreographer’s On Pointe, Merce Cunningham Studios, Williamsburg Art Nexus, Byrdcliffe Theatre in Woodstock. In 2007 Octavia Cup performed original works in Avignon, France and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as on the Delacorte Theater stage in Central Park (in a Tribute to Marc Bolan). Octavia Cup has performed at the New York City Ballet’s Annual Wellness Weekend. Laura has choreographed for NYC's Earth Celebrations Festival and danced with Classics Dance Theatre, Yass Hakushima Mime Theater and Roots of Brazil. Laura is a Laban Movement Analyst and teaches for Dance New Amsterdam, Equinox and the Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies.

Fa Ventilato, was born 1967 in Switzerland. He is a New York based music artist and producer. His work, within the variety of contemporary music, finds its way into film, performance, art installations, dance theater, and conceptual pop albums. He played in bands such as Halcion, Pee Air, Melomane and Drum I Lama. In recent years his focus has switched to the world of home recording, experimental electronic music and exploring the art of sampling. His commissions include: refined soundtracks for the 7th and 8th BIFF trailer (Brooklyn International Film Festival); the sound installations for the Columbian video artist Monika Bravo; 'Playing With Time', 'September 10th'; and for the music on the animations- 'The Last Autumn Days', 'One Way', 'A Matter of Life', 'Passing Moods', 'Mattino d'Inverno Mattino d'Estate' by the Italian artist Luisa Rabbia. Ventilato has collaborated with the Swiss dance theatre company Sans Filtre making 3 real time soundtrack performances for them.

Excerpts of this show premiered in Avignon, France, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and at the 92nd st Y in 2007. A preview excerpt was shown at City Tech in 2008.
This presentation is a production of Laura Ward/Octavia Cup Dance Theatre in association with Tin U. Nye and Foundation 20-21, and is supported by the LeRoy Neiman Foundation, Ruth Simmons.