BODYSONNET makes their New York City debut with a collaborative and intimate performance at High Line Nine’s gallery space in Chelsea, NY. With live music by jazz pianist and composer Isaiah J. Thompson and costumes by Samantha Pleet, BODYSONNET shapes a sensory evening in the spirit of youth, melding their movements with sounds of jazz and a sense of play.

‘red step’ by BODYSONNET

Direction & Performers: Moscelyne ParkeHarrison, Mio Ishikawa, Madison Vomastek

Music: Isaiah J. Thompson

Costumes: by Samantha Pleet

Video: by Dalia Galzman

Video Editing: Luca Sierra Devlyn

Thank you to the following supporters for making this work possible.

Melissa Elstein, Season Donor
Depart Wine, Season Sponsor

Movement Direction & Performer

Moscelyne ParkeHarrison is a graduate of The Juilliard School (’19) where she received the Joseph W. Polisi Award for Artist as Citizen. Moscelyne pursued additional training at Hubbard Street Pro (’20) and Walnut Hill School for the Arts (’15) and summer workshops including b12, Banff Centre for the Arts, and Jacob’s Pillow.Moscelyne’s choreographic works have been performed at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Alice Tully Hall, the Hudson Guild Theater, The Studebaker Theater (Chicago), the Foundry West Stockbridge and Triskelion Arts. She has received support from the Anthony Quinn Foundation Fellowship, Berkshire Taconic Foundation, Metropolis Ensemble for her choreographies.Moscelyne dances professionally on the East and West Coast with Post:ballet, David Michalek, Francesca Harper, Liz Gerring, and Helen Simoneau. This season she looks forward to creating a new work on Post:ballet, a installation with Trey Makler for the Shrem Manetti Museum, and continuing her work as director of the solo series ‘please come alone.’

Movement Direction & Performer

Mio Ishikawa is a dancer and a collaborator based in New York City. She is a native of Tokyo, Japan, where she began dancing at the age of 6. Her training in both classical and contemporary dance forged her strong interest in the performing arts and led her to study at the Juilliard School in New York City where she received BFA in 2019. Mio has performed the repertories by Iván Pérez, Alejandro Cerrudo, Roy Assaf, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris among many others. She works for Sidra Bell Dance New York (2022-), Company Stefanie Batten Bland (2020-), BODYSONNET (2019-) and ChristinaNoel and the Creature (2021-). During pandemic in 2020, Mio was in Tokyo and has assisted Mariko Kakizaki (former dancer of L.E.V) and Ryu Suzuki (Associate Choreographer of Dance Base Yokohama). She has collaborated with the American artist Dan Colen, visual artists Shana and Robert ParkeHarrison, cellist Ken Kubota, jazz pianist Isiah Thompson, jazz bass player Felix Moseholm, High Line Nine Gallery in Chelsea Manhattan and continues to make her own multidisciplinary art and collaborate across mediums.

Movement Direction & Performer

Madison Vomastek is a graduate of the inaugural class from the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance under merit scholarship, where she performed work by Alejandro Cerrudo, Aszure Barton, Crystal Pite, Jodie Gates, Jiri Kylian, Sonya Tayeh, and William Forsythe. In February of 2019, she performed leading roles for USC Kaufman’s New York City debut at the Joyce Theatre. She has been a guest artist with Richard Siegal’s Ballet of Difference, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Gala De Danza, Laguna Dance Festival, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She can be found in the 2018 Backstreet Boys music video “Chances.” Before the pandemic, Madison was an original cast member in West Side Story’s revival on Broadway, choreographed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. She continues to explore many dynamic colors in various movement languages to further ignite her passion. Currently, Madison dances and collaborates with BODYSONNET in residence at Berkshire Pulse.

Music

Isaiah J. Thompson is a jazz pianist, composer and bandleader from West Orange, New Jersey. He began studying at The Calderone School of Music at an early age, and soon after continued his studies with Jazz House Kids and NJPAC Jazz For Teens. He received both his B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School, was awarded the 2018 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award and earned 2nd place in the 2018 Thelonious Monk (now Herbie Hancock) Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition. Isaiah has since performed with major artists including: Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Christian McBride, Steve Turre and Buster Williams. He was featured on the Golden Globe nominated soundtrack for Motherless Brooklyn and was named a Steinway Artist. Isaiah made his recording debut on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records’ release, Handful of Keys with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and he released his debut album as a leader, Isaiah J. Thompson Plays the Music of Buddy Montgomery in 2020.