Dancers Molly Lieber and Eleanor Smith return to Roulette to present their new work, Prairie Dawn, over three nights.

Prairie Dawn explores a relationship to improvisation as a feminist exclamation, such as: Yes, this is a fully improvised dance! And: Yes, its methodology depends on us knowing and caring for one another! And, finally: Yes, it is about resourcing what we already have. Like all of Lieber and Smith’s work, Prairie Dawn continues to problematize femme objectification and shame in relation to dance, but now that they are older this work is privy to tropes and compilations in relation to grief, parenting, and return. Back to Roulette for the first time since Tulip (2013), Prairie Dawn includes Sound Design by longtime collaborator James Lo (who has been there since before Tulip) and Lighting Design by Amanda K. Ringger.

Molly Lieber choreographer/performer
Eleanor Smith choreographer/performer
James Lo sound designer
Amanda K. Ringger lighting design
guest performers TBD

Molly Lieber and Eleanor Smith are New York based feminist artists whose partnership spans the last two decades. Their collaboration deconstructs neoliberal images of female objectification and presents new versions, coming from the potentiality of movement to express inner landscape. Their practice is in continuous dialogue with building a sustainable life as working artists in New York. Works: Durational Duet (Invisible Dog 2024, to be archived in The New York Public Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division), Zero Station (River-to-River 2023 and New York Live Arts 2024), (gloria rehearsal (excerpt))LIVE (Jane Hotel 2022), gloria rehearsal (excerpt) (Baryshnikov Arts Center 2022), Gloria (Abrons Arts Center 2021, NYLA 2022), Body Comes Apart (New York Live Arts 2019 and 2020, archived in The New York Public Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division), Basketball (PS122 and Baryshnikov Arts Center), Rude World (PS122 and The Chocolate Factory Theater for), Tulip (Roulette 2013, Danspace Project 2012), Beautiful Bone (The Chocolate Factory Theater 2012). Residencies/Awards: 2023/2024 LMCC Extended Life Award, 2021/2022 Artists in Residence Movement Research, 2021 Jerome Hill Fellowship Finalists, 2020/2021 Jerome Foundation AIRSpace Residency Abrons Art Center, 2019 FCA Emergency Grant, 2019 BACSpace Residency Baryshnikov Art Center, 2018 Family Residency Mt. Tremper Arts, 2018 Bessie Schonberg Fellows The Yard, 2018 DiP Artists Gibney, Featured in The New York Times “Best Dance of 2017”, 2016 New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award for Outstanding Performance (Molly Lieber), 2016 LMCC Process Space, 2013 New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award Nomination Emerging Choreographer, 2013 NYFA Fellow Finalist Award.