Will Rawls is taking Balkan folk dance to an international space station. Well, kind of. That’s the setting that the choreographer envisions for his wildly imaginative performance The Planet-Eaters at NYC’s Chocolate Factory Theater. During his MacDowell residency, Rawls explored the murky borderline between traditional and contemporary dance, which he likens to listening to a long distance radio broadcast in outer space. The Planet-Eaters combines his research with the Gusle Folk Ensemble in Serbia and his experience performing at places like Dance Theater Workshop and The Guggenheim Museum. A collaboration with musician Chris Kuklis, the show will incorporate dance, music, and storytelling. Listen to Rawls talk about the strange evolution of The Planet-Eaters from MacDowell’s Nef Studio.
Rawls is a performer, independent choreographer, and curator based in New York City. Since 2006, he has collaborated with Kennis Hawkins as the performance art duo Dance Gang. His work has appeared at Dance Theater Workshop, Danspace Project, Dixon Place, The Brooklyn Museum, The Emily Harvey Foundation, Tanzquartier Wien (Vienna), Mount Tremper Arts, and Williams College.
