A, E, I, O, You, and Sometimes Why
Choreographed and performed by Amber Sloan, “A, E, I, O, You, and Sometimes Why” is an autobiographical, evening-length solo dance performance that explores the psyche through four separate but interconnected topics: Aging, Ego, Injury, and Obsession, all as witnessed through the audience’s lens. Part preparation for battle, part celebration of maturity, the work functions as a love letter to the exhilaration and anguish that comes with a lifetime onstage.
Dramaturg: Stephanie Acosta
Sound design: Sam Crawford
Costume design: Pei-Chi Su
“Invited into Sloan’s world of memory, the audience experiences chapters of Sloan’s life through her refreshingly vulnerable lens as a talented and genuine dancer and choreographer. A, E, I, O, You, and Sometimes Why strikes a chord with past, present, injured, healthy, and working dancers, and in return, we say thank you.” -Miranda Stuck, Dance Enthusiast
A, E, I, O, You, and Sometimes Why was made possible, in part, by Mertz Gilmore Foundation’s Late Stage Production Stipend administered by Eva Dean Dance and through a residency at MADarts at Modern Accord Depot in Accord, NY.
A Tangled Web
A Tangled Web ensnares three dancers in an interdependent relationship that facilitates connection while pulling at the threads of their bond.
Performance: Louise Benkelman, Jordan Morley, and Amber Sloan
Sound design: Johnny Butler
A Tangled Web was made possible through a grant from “Dance on the Lawn:” Montclair Dance Festival’s Emerging Commissioned New Jersey Choreographer” initiative.
Apart|Together
Apart|Together is a Dada-inspired dance performance utilizing objet trouvé to represent a physical manifestation of the emotional baggage we carry. Performed by Nik Owens and Amber Sloan, the work explores the relationship between shared trauma and the effects of isolation and separation during the pandemic.
Performance: Nik Owens and Amber Sloan
“Apart/Together, an existential and intriguing work with committed and compelling performances by Amber Sloan and Nik Owens, is poised on the edge of expectancy.” -Catherine Tharin, Dance Enthusiast
Apart|Together premiered as part of the EstroGenius Festival on October 27, 2020.
XXXX
XXXX is an exposé on the audacity of aging in recognition of Amber’s 40th birthday. The work is a love letter to her relationship to performing and the exhilaration and anguish that comes with a lifetime on the stage. Part preparation for battle, part celebration of maturity, the solo pries into the fragile ego and the desire to hold onto her dancing prime.
Performance: Amber Sloan
Sound design: Sam Crawford
XXXX premiered in Beyond The Bang Group at Soaking WET at the West End Theatre on October 3-6, 2019.
On the Edge of Normal
On the Edge of Normal is a work exploring individual assertion versus group conformity. It questions how to find balance between getting your needs met and making sacrifices for the sake of others. When do you stand your ground and when do you submit to the harmony of the group?
“On the Edge of Normal stays riveting because each performer is riveting, and together they are even better.” -Quinn Batson, Offoffoff, READ FULL REVIEW
Performance: Esme Julien Boyce, Dylan Crossman, Jordan Morley, and Amber Sloan
Sound Design: Sam Crawford
Costumes: Pei-Chi Su
On the Edge of Normal premiered as part of Take Root at Green Space LIC on June 14-15, 2019
Taking Space
Performance: Amber Sloan and Joshua Tuason
Original music: John Glover
Taking Space premiered at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on May 18, 23, and June 1, 2019
xyz
“Amber Sloan dances an understated and beautiful duet with Dylan Crossman. xyz is sweet and compelling; Sloan and Crossman complement each other so well and are a simple joy to watch.” – Quinn Batson, Offoffoff
Performance: Dylan Crossman and Amber Sloan
Music: Zoe Keating
xyz premiered in the DanceNow Festival at Joe’s Pub on September 5, 2018.
Not Quite Even
Performance: Hai-Ting Chinn, Tomas Cruz, Emma Judkins, and Jordan Morley
Original Music: John Glover
Not Quite Even premiered as part of Spoke the Hub’s Director’s Choice Program on January 26-28, 2018.
Can’t Stop
Performance: Sy Gaskin and Amber Sloan
Music: Frank Loesser
Can’t Stop premiered in the DanceNow Festival at Joe’s Pub on September 6, 2017.
Rudiments
Performance Tomas Cruz, Emma Judkins, and Jordan Morely
Original music: John Glover
Rudiments premiered in Danspace Project’s DraftWorks at St. Mark’s Church on October 1, 2016.
Yma Dream
Performance: Sy Gaskin
Music: Audio recording of Anne Bancroft performing the monologue Yma Dream
Yma Dream premiered in the DanceNow Festival at Joe’s Pub on September 7, 2016. It was selected by the producers of the festival for the ENCORE! performance on September 29, 2016.
Evolved
Evolved is a compilation of movements from Sloan’s 2002-2014 commissioned DanceNow works in honor of their 20th anniversary celebration.
Performance: Amber Sloan
Music: Dubble8
Evolved premiered in the DanceNow Festival at Joe’s Pub on September 12, 2015.
The Voice of the Body
The Voice of the Body blends movement and music by weaving two dancers and an operatic singer into one tapestry of sight and sound. The result is a symbiotic work using the entire visual and sonic range of the body to express the pleasure and play, the hurt and hilarity of the human experience.
“One segment is given over to pure beauty — and with modern dance, let us be honest, we need this — the music by John Glover takes on a subtext of the medieval, and the three engage each other in an almost graceful gavotte, although, with an eye to the experimental, there is always that third figure dragging down the flank of one in the pair of dancers.” – Holly Nadler, Martha’s Vineyard Times, READ FULL REVIEW
Performance: Tomas Cruz, Emma Judkins and Jordan Morley
Original Music: John Glover
The Voice of the Body premiered at The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard as part of the Bessie Schonberg Residency on June 11-13, 2015.
Vocalise
Performance: Hai-Ting Chinn, Jordan Morley and Amber Sloan
Original Music: John Glover
Vocalise premiered in DanceNow Festival at Joe’s Pub on September 3, 2014.
Meltdown
Performance: Chelsea Ainsworth, Emma Judkins, Jordan Morley and Amber Sloan
Original Music: John Glover (composer, electronics) and Joshua Frank (trumpet, electronics)
Meltdown premiered in the DanceNow Festival at Joe’s Pub on October 12, 2013. It was selected by the producers of the festival for the ENCORE! performance on October 19, 2013.
Pulled Away
Performance: Chelsea Ainsworth, Jordan Morley and Amber Sloan
Music: John Luther Adams
Pulled Away premiered at Roulette Theater as part of the Dance Roulette series on February 5, 2013.
You
Performance: Jordan Morley and Amber Sloan
Music: Beirut
You premiered in the DanceNow Festival at Joe’s Pub on September 7, 2012.
Golden Delicious
Performance: Matthew Rogers and Amber Sloan
Original music composition: Josh Benash and Caitlin Grace Bailey
Golden Delicious premiered at Spoke the Hub’s Gowanus Arts on October 28-30, 2011.
Sunken
Performance: Adele Loux-Turner, Marissa Palley, Edward Rice, Matthew Rogers and Amber Sloan
Music: Amom Tobin, Ensemble Resonanz, and Jun Mikake
Costumes: Luke Miller
Sunken premiered in Soaking WET at the West End Theater on January 23-24, 2010.
Dark Angel
Performed by Andi Clegg
Music: Colleen et les Boîtes à Musique and Jun Miyake
Dark Angel premiered at The Garage in San Francisco, CA in May 2010.
Below
“Amber Sloan’s premiere ‘Below’ is the gem of the performance Wednesday night. The piece begins with Matthew Rogers and Sloan slowly rolling with their heads towards the audience, blond hair and brown crashing back and forth like waves, getting progressively faster until she stops him with a swift hand to the shoulder. Like lovers trying to find a comfortable fit, they wind in and out of each other’s space. The tension builds as the sound of sirens becomes discordant music and the movement grows more aggressive and three dimensional. Finally, Sloan breaks out of the pattern to sit in stillness while Rogers continues to fret, rolling back and forth. Even confined to only seven minutes, Sloan delivers a rich and relatable story.” – Hope Davis, iDANZ
Performance: Matthew Rogers and Amber Sloan
Music: Ensemble Resonanz
Costumes: Luke Miller
Below premiered in the DanceNow Festival at Dance Theater Workshop on September 9, 2009.
[h3]BELOW (2009)[/h3]
DUET
Performance: Matthew Rogers and Amber Sloan
Music by: Ensemble Resonanz
Costumes: Luke Miller
Running time: 6 minutes
Premiered at Dance Theater Workshop as part of the Dancenow[NYC] Festival on September 9, 2009
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[h3]SHAME (2008)[/h3]
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SOLO
Performance: Amber Sloan
Running time: 6 minutes
Premiered at Dance Conversations at The Flea Theater in April 2008
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[h3]TIGHTLY WOUND (2007)[/h3]
DUET
Performance: Adele Loux-Turner and Darrin Wright
Music by: Ellen Fullman
Running time: 6 minutes
Premiered at Dance Theater Workshop as part of the Dancenow[NYC] Festival in September 2007
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[h3]OVERTLY CASUAL DISPLAYS (2007)[/h3]
SOLO
Performance: Amber Sloan
Music by: Johannes Brahms
Running time: 7 minutes
Premiered at Mulberry Street Theater as part of the Newsteps Series in May 2007
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[h3]ONE TO THREE (2006)[/h3]
TRIO
Performance: Hanna Kivioja, Luke Miller and Amber Sloan
Music by: Paul Giger and John Cameron Mitchell
Running time: 8 minutes
Premiered at Dance Theater Workshop as part of the Dancenow[NYC] Festival in September 2006
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[h3]A TASTE FOR DELUSION (2005)[/h3]
DUET
Performance: Andi Clegg and Hanna Kivioja
Music by: Sexteto Mayor
Running time: 7 minutes
Premiered at the West End Theater as part of Soaking WET in May 2005
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[h3]A FINE MESS (2004)[/h3]
SOLO
Performance: Amber Sloan
Music by: Giuseppe Verdi and
Premiered at Dance Space Center as part of Raw Material in June 2004
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[h3]THE BEARER OF GRACE (2003)[/h3]
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DUET
Performance: Amber Sloan and Darrin Wright
Running time: 8 minutes
Premiered at the West End Theater as part of Soaking WET in May 2003
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[h3]NOT SO MUCH (2003)[/h3]
OCTET
Performance: 8 students of Summer Stages Dance
Running time: 10 minutes
Premiered at Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy in Concord, MA in July 2003
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[h3]MEMORIES OF MYRTLE (2002)[/h3]
QUARTET
Performance: Abbey Dehnert, Laura Pocius, Erin Scheiwe and Amber Sloan
Running time: 8 minutes
Premiered at St. Mark’s Church as part of Danspace Project’s Food for Thought in October 2003
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[h3]rEvolve (2002)[/h3]
SOLO
Performance: Amber Sloan
Music by: Paul Giger
Premiered at Joyce Soho as part of the Dancenow[NYC] Festival in September 2002