by Leyya Tawil’s Dance Elixir
a Site-specific media installation in collaboration with David Szlasa

Installation open during gallery hours:
Tuesday-Friday. 11am – 6pm and Sat. 12-4pmLAND is a co-production by Leyya Tawil’s DANCE ELIXIR and the Oakland Art Gallery. Tawil teams up with media installation artist, David Szlasa, composer Topher Keyes, writer Phill Weber, and costumer Leigh Anne Martin to reflect on the continuous transformation of urban terrain and population.

Together, these accomplished artists will explore the spirits of place and time through the lens of urban development. The source material is loosely based on city of Oakland’s story, but the metaphor addresses the cycle of universal regeneration. For LAND, David Szlasa has created an installation that will serve as the architectural framework for the cast. Dancers will perform within and throughout the installation as an expression of embodying the past homes, future spaces, collapsing/rebuilding structures, and the physical transformation of present reality.

LAND is a 30-minute performance that will be performed Tuesday – Saturday, July 10-15 at the Oakland Art Gallery. The performance will occur numerous times at lunchtime and after work each day. The installation will be on display during gallery hours as a free-standing exhibit for audiences to experience on their own.

Leyya Tawil’s DANCE ELIXIR performs choreography that is grounded in the power, weight, and speed of the human body. Tawil’s dances have a charged, earthy quality; her signature kinetic style has earned her a place on the SF Bay Guardian “Top 10 Choreographers to Watch in 2006” and many critical accolades. Voice of Dance.com praised the company for being “an altogether satisfying experience, a true testament that choreography can communicate through performance, craft, and design.”

For more information go to www.danceelixir.org