May 18, 2016

The Black Box Theater is excited to premier (NO)E(XIT)N-TRANCE, a new multimedia dance theater work directed by Manfred Fishbeck and Group Motion Dance that was created in collaboration with Nick Jushchyshyn, Program Director for Animation & Visual Effects. Tickets are now available for (NO)E(XIT)N-TRANCE on June 10th and 11th at 8pm in the Annex Black Box Theater (3401 Filbert Street).

(NO)E(XIT)N-TRANCE utilizes motion capture video, movement and music to investigate the effect of being mentally, physically, or emotionally enclosed in a controlled environment. This new work seeks answers to the question: How does being physically or metaphorically stuck in one place for a long time create potential for beyond normal human interactions with self and others? The premier of this piece is seen as a work in progress, and the audience is invited to a feedback session immediately following each performance to help with further development of the work.

Manfred Fishbeck is the Artistic Direcor of Group Motion and he and his company have been choreographing, directing, performing and touring extensively since 1969. Manfred has received various grants and fellowships, among them the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Pew Charitable Trusts PRDI and Dance Advance programs, and other foundations. Manfred’s creative process has long incorporated technology and other artistic media as resources for imaginative material. He has integrated choreographic software with film and live dance and has utilized various interactive technologies (the Soundbeam – an interactive device translating movement into sound, compositional computer software programs, video) in projects and performances, providing new possibilities for both composition and choreography. Manfred’s poetry has been performed at the Live Arts/Fringe Festival and his musical compositions have been integrated into a wide variety of contexts from classes to workshops to performances and collaborations with other musicians, composers, dance artists, and companies.

Professor Nick Jushchyshy brings two decades of professional experience in visual effects, administration, and technical fields to the Digital Media Department at Drexel University. His experience includes work on major feature films such as "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", "I Am Number Four", "Let Me In", "The Last Air Bender" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", which won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects as well as the VES award for Best Single Visual Effect for the Year. Outside of feature films, Nick's freelance background also includes projects in television, commercial, and advertising productions.