“Aside from being technically impressive and downright humorous and a hell of a show, it was also emotionally affecting.”
too is an ecstatic interplay of live and recorded movement choreographed and directed by Amy O’Neal. too is performed by dancers Amy O’Neal and Ellie Sandstrom and is presented in two parts. The duo interacts with strangers, friends, acquaintances in a cut and paste dance of physical extremes. Drawing inspiration from the rural/urban divide, karaoke, and Japanese love hotels, too ruminates on our increasing desire and preference for virtual contact instead of human to human contact. too is an attempted mimicry of memory, an attempt to keep up with the challenges of contemporary life, and an attempt at dance karaoke. The performers have to watch a monitor of the video the whole time in order to keep up with the show.
Choreography, concept, cinematography: Amy O’Neal
Performed by: Amy O’Neal and Ellie Sandstrom
Music: Ivory Smith (part 1) and Ollie Glatzer (part 2)
Video Editing: Michele Witten
Lighting Design: Ben Zamora
Premier: T:BA Festival Portland, OR Sept. 7-8, 2009
Seattle Premiere: Live at the Film Forum- Seattle, WA March 25-27 2010
Supported by the Mayors Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs
Previously filmed duets across the US and Japan include on-screen performances by Reggie Watts, Kyle Abraham, Kita Mari, Aaron Leux, Tommy Smith, Melanie Kloetzel, Kathleen Hermesdorf, David Dorfman, Sarah Gamblin, Corrie Befort, Lane Czaplinski, Sara Edwards, John Paulson, Heidi Henderson, and many more.
“too leaves one with the desire to maybe grab the hand of the person waiting patiently next to you in the elevator, and spin them around–it feels like it might be a better way to say something, sometimes.”
“I found the performance to be both energetic and intriguing. The interplay between live dance and video was thoughtful and by no means a gimmick.”