HWS News
29 September 2023 Presenting Passion Fruit Dance Company
A NYC dance troupe that is a passionate advocate for Hip-Hop, House and Club dance movement styles to lead performances and workshops at HWS from Oct. 6-14.
The Hobart and William Smith Colleges Department of Dance and Movement Studies will welcome the internationally recognized Passion Fruit Dance Company to campus from Oct. 6-14. The New York City-based dance company was founded in 2016 by Tatiana Desardouin, a dancer, choreographer, organizer, curator and lecturer who was selected as one of Dance Magazine’s 2020 “25 to Watch” artists and the recipient of the 2022 New York Juried Bessie Award.
From Switzerland and of Haitian origin, Desardouin developed her own teaching method called “Technique Within Your Groove,” and has been a passionate advocate for Hip-Hop, House and Club dance movement styles. Passion Fruit Dance’s mission is to promote the authenticity of street dance and clubbing styles, Hip Hop and House cultures and their black heritage. The company explores the human experience, addresses social issues and strives to inspire young artists to share their voices. Their educational program, Passion Fruit Seeds, combines movement, lecture and discussion to educate and raise awareness about Hip-Hop culture, support anti-racist practices and to promote the preservation and correct transmission of Street/Club dance history and styles.
While on campus, from Oct. 6-10, the company has creative process time for a new work they are developing, Dimensions. From Oct. 11-14, the company will offer workshops to members of the HWS and local community which include:
A Hip-Hop Workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 10 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. for the Geneva Boys and Girls Club members. Please contact Bliss Doney, bliss.doney@genevabgclub.org for more information and to register.
Passion Fruit Intensive Workshops House dance will be held twice on Wednesday, Oct. 11 from 1:20-2:50 p.m. and again from 3-4:30 p.m. in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, Studio 104. The classes will include an introduction to House dance culture, drills and foundations, and incorporate variations and freestyle explorations. Participants will learn how to connect movements with music and be offered tools for creativity and individuality. The classes will also include conversations where students will be introduced to “An Introspective Seed,” which is a series of questions for introspective, anti-racist work.
Their not-yet released film, Dimensions, will be shown on Thursday, Oct. 12 from 10:10-11:40 a.m. in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, Studio 104. The film is a multi-media choreographic project. The showing will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the company.
The residency culminates on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Deming Dance Theatre in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts with a performance of the company’s signature piece, Dance Within Your Dance, choreographed by Tatiana Desardouin and performed by Desardouin, Mai Lê Ho and Lauriane Ogay. In Dance Within Your Dance, Desardouin invites participants to connect with the techniques, rhythms and essence of Hip-Hop and House dance. The event also features a question-and-answer session inviting the audience into conversation with dancers about their socially engaged art projects. General admission tickets for the performance will be available at the Gearan Center Box Office, beginning at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14. General admission is $10; HWS students and children in grades K-12 are free.
The Passion Fruit Dance residency and performance are supported by funding from the NYS DanceForce, a partnership program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. Additional funding is from the HWS Department of Dance and Movement Studies. For information about any of the company’s workshops, presentations and/or performance, please contact Professor Cynthia Williams, williams@hws.edu (315) 781-3495. All workshops are open to the general public free of charge but advance registration is requested.
