EMAV 10 Bites: Benjamin Tucker, Dancer & Choreographer

In every neighborhood, there is someone who makes the Arts a part of their life, and our community. You'd be surprised to discover how many different people use the arts to improve the quality of life in our hometown. EAT MORE ART! VEGAS will feature them regularly in our series "10 Bites."

What kinds of art do you enjoy, create, or perform in?

Ever since my first class, I have always loved dance. The discipline of a ballet class and the comradery I feel with the other dancers in the room is something very special. I also love the creative process of choreography. With my company Ballet120, we have a strong focus on the creation of new work and I love the collaboration that thrives in that environment.

Why do you do it?

As a dancer and performer, I did it because of the challenge, both physically and mentally. Now as the director of a company, my inspiration comes from all the dancers. Their work is incredible and my job is to make sure it is seen. I believe there is a place for dance and ballet here within the greater Las Vegas community and my goal is to make it an integral part of our community.

Ballet 120 collaborated with Henderson Symphony Orchestra and the City of Henderson in Oct 2020

What’s your favorite production/performance experience so far?

To date, my favorite experience has been when Ballet120 performed our first ever live-streamed show at The Space lv in October of 2020. When the pandemic hit, it obviously changed everyone's world. And the dance community was no exception. I am very proud we were able to find a way to evolve and keep going.

What jobs have you done other than being an artist, or what do you do when you are "at work?"

I enjoy refurbishing vintage bicycles and have had that as a side job throughout my dancing career. I enjoy the restoration of it. Taking something that might be viewed as worthless and transforming it into something seen as beautiful is something I take pride in.

What is an Arts experience that you will never forget or a memorable response to your work?

A response that I've often heard after a Ballet120 performance is how people are stunned at the versatility of the dancers. The dancers often go from one extreme in the art form to the next in a "gala style" show. I take that as a huge compliment and something I strive for within building a show and the choreography I choose.

What would you be doing if you weren't performing, creating, or enjoying the Arts in Las Vegas?

This is the hardest question because quite frankly I'd be lost without all of these aspects of the arts. I guess I would put more time into bicycles. Perhaps I would travel more.

Name something you love about Las Vegas, and why.

I love the possibilities that are here. Las Vegas is a constantly evolving city. I feel I have a lot of freedom here when it comes to creating new work and finding performance spaces. As an example, Ballet120's upcoming show is going to be at MEET Las Vegas. MEET isn't a performance venue per say but everyone there has been beyond accommodating and so supportive in making the performance happen. I don't know if you find that in other cities.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Some of the best advice I received in my career was being told not to be afraid to try new things/ don't back down from uncharted territory. If it doesn't work out, it's ok. Then you know for next time and you can change course. But you'll never know unless you go for it. That has been hard to live by but when I'm able to, I'm able to live without regrets.

What superpower would you have and why?

Anyone who knows me knows I am perhaps the biggest Superman fan of all time! If I were to have a superpower, I would pick to the ability to fly. I think flying would make me better at dancing, allowing me to turn more and jump higher.

@ballet120 - ballet120.org - info@ballet120.org

What future projects are you looking forward to?

I am most looking forward to Ballet120's upcoming show at MEET Las Vegas. This is the largest undertaking for the company to date and it is going to be a full evening celebration of live performance, which is something so many people have been craving.

Click here to get tickets to Ballet 120 at MEET on May 21st: A unique dance experience that you will not get anywhere else in Vegas!

Are you a local artist of any discipline? Do you work with a company as a designer, stagehand or administrative staff? Do you love to experience it as the audience? We'd love to get your 10 Bites to share. Fill out a form here, and you might be featured in a post!

CHECK OUT OUR 10 BITES FEATURE GALLERY HERE

#Theatre #TenBites #VisualArts #vegasdance #EatMoreArt #vegasculture #vegasmusic #VegasIsVegasArts

EMAV 10 Bites: Dulce Valencia - Actor, Writer, and Visual Artist

Dulce Valencia in NYC with Lin-Manuel Miranda.

In every neighborhood, there is someone who makes the Arts a part of their life, and our community. You'd be surprised to discover how many different people use the arts to improve the quality of life in our hometown. EAT MORE ART! VEGAS will feature them regularly in our series "10 Bites."

Check out Dulce Valencia with Lin-Manuel Miranda in Episode 2 of "Dear..." now streaming on Apple TV+.

What kinds of art do you enjoy, create, or perform in?

I am an Actor, writer, and a painter but I practice art in any way I can. I've also in the last year or so gotten more involved in the tech side of theatre through school at UNLV so I've gotten to be involved as a crew member in shows and am set to Assistant Design a show next semester.

Why do you do it?

I do it because I love it and my soul craves art. I also do it because I think art and specifically story telling is crucial for survival. There's so much that we can do and say and I truly believe we can change the world through stories. I also, selfishly do it because I want to see stories that reflect me and my community at the forefront. Latinx people and specifically immigrant stories are still super under-represented in theatre and everywhere and I want to bring those stories to the forefront which is what I'm beginning to do with my writing.

What’s your favorite production/performance experience so far?

Last summer I moved to New York for a few months and a friend of mine was having one of his musicals being read at the Drama League. One of the characters was an undocumented immigrant so he called me in and asked if I'd talk to the production team about my experiences and do some basic dramaturgy. I came in and completely fell in love with the story and characters and then was fortunate enough to read her part for the reading which all just worked out so beautifully and happened over the course of less than a week. What was specifically so memorable about this, was that I got to play a role I identified with completely and the collaborative nature of it all. I would give him feedback or notes and he took them and everyone involved was absolutely wonderful and kind and it was the last thing I did in New York before coming back to Vegas so it felt like I had ended my time there with a golden bow.

Dulce Valencia behind the scenes,

What jobs have you done other than being an artist, or what do you do when you are "at work?"

Since I was 17 I've worked in the political/advocacy non-profit world, working on immigration advocacy and electoral outreach geared towards turning out immigrants and young people to elections. Last Legislative Session I worked in Carson City as the attache for Assemblyman Howard Watts. I am currently very fortunate to be the Deputy Director of Dream Big Nevada an organization that serves the immigrant and undocumented community in Nevada. We do a lot of work connecting people to resources available to them, encouraging those who have DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) to renew, and we also share stories.

What is an Arts experience that you will never forget or a memorable response to your work?

People are so kind! I've had really positive interactions from someone saying that I was their favorite part or one of my favorites is when I invite friends to see my performances who have never seen or been to a theatre and at the end they're like "I want to see more of this."

One of the most memorable is when I was in Middle School, I made a piece of art for class and one of the teachers at school loved it and wanted to buy it. At that point I wrongly thought that to be considered a "real" artist, you had to have people buying your work so to have someone see value in a class assignment I had done and want to buy it made me feel like a real artist for the first time.

What would you be doing if you weren't performing, creating, or enjoying the Arts in Las Vegas?

Even before I knew what theatre was, I was always telling stories. I truly can't imagine a world where I'm not creating or telling stories.

Name something you love about Las Vegas, and why.

I love the community! We have such a beautiful, vibrant, and kind community here which many people who don't live here are surprised to hear because they think of Vegas as a playground but we have the most amazing and supportive community. I've always said it takes a village to make dreams come true and to me, the Las Vegas community is that village.

Dulce Valencia (c.) with Gebrielle Harris (l.) and Tom Fullerton (r) in "The Grief Dialogues" with The Asylum Theatre.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

I've been given a lot of really great advice over the years. One specifically is "your story deserves to be told." I used to, and sometimes still do, get into this really negative place where I think my story doesn't matter or that I shouldn't tell it because someone else can tell it better, but that's not true. Every story deserves to be told and receiving that advice really put me on a path to being more comfortable writing and sharing my story.

What superpower would you have and why?

Teleportation. Because currently, due to my immigration status I'm not able to leave and visit my family in Mexico and I would love to be able to do that and see them.

What future projects are you looking forward to?

Yes! I'm currently working with a group of Latinx performers during quarantine and we're devising a murder-mystery play. It's a super cool project I'm excited about that. I'm also going to be appearing in an episode of a new show called "Dear..." which premieres on Apple TV on June 5th. In the episode, I am one of the people who reads a letter to Lin-Manuel Miranda telling him how much he's inspired me as an immigrant and artist. I'm super excited about that and to see how the episode turned out and just to tell my story.

Check out Dulce Valencia with Lin-Manuel Miranda in Episode 2 of "Dear..." now streaming on Apple TV+.

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Are you a local artist of any discipline? Do you work with a company as a designer, stagehand or administrative staff? Do you love to experience it as the audience? We'd love to get your 10 Bites to share. Fill out a form here, and you might be featured in a post!

CHECK OUT OUR 10 BITES FEATURE GALLERY HERE

#Theatre #TenBites #VisualArts #vegasdance #EatMoreArt #vegasculture #vegasmusic #VegasIsVegasArts

EMAV Review: Searing ‘Dance Nation’ takes a heartfelt look at girlhood ★★★★½

An authentic look at growing up a girl

★★★★½ - Delicious

Growing up a girl can be a traumatic experience for some. The LAB LV gave a poignant, brutally honest presentation of Claire Barron’s 2018 dark comedy “Dance Nation” recently at The Playhouse. About the trials and tribulations of a tween competitive dance team, anyone who grew up taking dance—or participated in any group activity for that matter—might appreciate the authenticity of the piece.

Barron captures so much about the way pre-adolescent girls (and boys) talk—like the silly, stream-of-consciousness things they say and the mind-boggling things they believe—in her funny dialogue, which is often about body parts and naively sexual in nature. She examines not only how girls cope with their changing bodies and navigate relationships during such a formative period of life, but also how the cutthroat nature of dance—with its emphasis on talent and winning over having fun—can have a critical role in shaping their personalities.

A sort of memory play, Barron wrote the characters so the age of the performers doesn’t matter so much, so we see not only the child but also glimpses of the woman or man they hope to become. And while the choreographed dances are a part of the text, the characters aren’t always the best dancers, and the actors dance as the characters would.

Director Kate St-Pierre has assembled an excellent ensemble cast with stamina and focus for the high-energy show. Performance experience varies a bit but each actor has their moment to shine in well-modulated scenes and monologues and the emphasis on character development pays off. Having the audience on three sides allows intimacy, though sometimes visibility is obscured since actors sit on the floor a lot.

The good stuff happens when dancers sit on the floor and chat before and after class while they rummage through bags, do their hair, and get dressed. They give each other advice about their changing bodies and the boys they like, build each other up and tear each other down. They want to dance more than anything in the world, and they all want the leading part.

The dance team is taking their “Gandhi Dance” (choreographed by Anastasia Weiss) to Nationals, and Amina has the title part. Ruliko Cronin gives an earnest, layered performance of Amina, the girl who has the most talent, gets the best roles, and knows she’s better than everyone else. She feels humble enough about her abilities to let others have the spotlight, but only to a degree. Her competitive edge and ambition always wins out. As Amina’s best friend Zuzu, Shambrion Treadwell gives us the vulnerable facets of a sensitive girl who wants so badly to dance, but is overlooked because she lacks confidence and natural talent. When she finally gets the chance to take center stage as the Spirit of Gandhi, she blows it in a form of subconscious self-sabotage.

Destiny Nelson embodies the role of Ashlee, and fully embraces her epic, kick-ass monologue (neatly lit by the glow of her castmates’ cell phones) that is by turns hilarious and surprising, a sort of female power anthem to boost the confidence of both her present and future self. Gigi Guizado gives a sweet, people-pleasing Maeve who always stands with her feet in first position as if ready to take on any challenge, while Daniela Munafo perfects the eye roll with her outspoken, uninhibited Sofia. And Aisha Kasmir as Connie and Ja’Saun Crawford as Luke are fine in less prominent parts.

Kelly Hawes plays multiple roles, and is especially powerful as Zuzu’s strong, cancer-stricken Mom in a scene with Darren Pitura as Dance Teacher Pat. Dressed in all black as any self-respecting artist would be, Pitura nails the win-at-all-costs Teacher with a funny, deadpan toughness that could rival any football coach. His doomsday motivational speech to the dancers is masterful in build and comic impact, and also downright chilling. Yet he shows glimpses of regret and also a realization of his influence on his students’ self-esteem.

The show also pokes fun at the cheesiness of dance teams and the sexualization of prepubescent dancers. Every recital has a “Sailor Dance,” choreographed here by Weiss, and Caine Keenan’s “Face Dance” features cool movement spotlit from the shoulders up. “Spider Pussy Dance,” choreographed by Weiss, St-Pierre, and the ensemble, is like a metaphor for the precocious beasts that adolescent girls can be. The spare set design by Benjamin Loewy works well as a dance studio, Dave Clark nicely lights the show in aspects of both dance and drama, and Dustin Shaffer adds a whimsical note to the costumes with the multicolored team jackets.

LAB LV’s “Dance Nation” is an authentic look at the traumas of growing up a girl.

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