UPCOMING:
gap junction
THE TANK: 312 W 36th Street, New York, NY 10018
Sept 25 at 7 PM
Sept 27 at 7 PM
Sept 29 at 7 PM
October 1 at 9:30 PM
Messina's first evening length work, gap junction, originated as the byproduct of research into the neurological pathways involved in processing traumatic events. Every brain has a unique response to the same stressor influenced by genetics, culture, background, upbringing, and demographic experiences.
A cast of six finds their similarities and differences through movement, continuously drawing on their own experiences and lives, particularly Messina's: a Italian-American Sicilian who spent her formative years in a multi-generational household, followed by eight years in the urban south.
Catherine Messina, a graduate of Emory University,
has been dancing for over 20 years. A scholarship
recipient, she has studied at the Bates Dance Festival in Maine, staibdance Summer Intensive in Italy, and Bates Winter Intensive in New York.
As an Atlanta based artist, she has worked with local choreographers Jessica Bertram, Greg Catellier, Sarah Hillmer, Jillian Mitchell, Jacquelyn Pritz, Lori Teague, George Staib, and Kristin O'Neil as well as Mark Caserta, Niv Sheinfeld, Oren Laor, John McFall, Ruben Julliard, Pulkit Sharma, Alexander Espinosa, Maddie Hanson, and the Trisha Brown Dance Company. Additionally, she has performed at festivals including the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, the American College Dance Association, Inman Park Festival, femmefest, Breaking New Ground Dance Festival, Newnan Arts Festival, and the Women in Dance Conference in Philadelphia, her hometown.
As a choreographer she has shown her work at festivals such as play.risk.research, Immerse ATL Creates, Yes! Dance Festival, Fall for Fall Dance Festival, femmefest, Breaking New Ground Dance Festival, and Emory University. Through Dance Canvas, she has created a film on the Ferst Center for Performing Arts stage, and presented work at the inaugural Skyline Series. Her work has been described as a "joy to watch." She is a recipient of a City of Atlanta Cultural Affairs Grant. She is a Dance Hub ATL member.
Community work is an important part of Katie's mission and she has run an open class series as well as the outdoor festivals Fall for Fall and Spring for Spring. In these traveling, outdoor festivals, she highlighted over thirty local choreographers and dancers as well as musicians and visual artists. She worked on the Dance ATL community committee for two years. She also has experience in arts administration, teaching, and technical production.
DANCER
CHOREOGRAPHER
TEACHER
