more on CF stage work + Tours
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents, "Respire" (MCA 2017)
Respire is a collaboration between the musicians and dancers of CabinFever, electronic music improviser Stephan Moore, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA). This new work features original music and dance created by CabinFever, a collaborative group of artists from across the United States. The MCA will present Respire alongside the museum’s exhibition “Common Time,” which celebrates the creative life of Merce Cunningham, on Saturday, April 29th.
Respire meditates on how our presence leaves immaterial debris that lingers on, shaping and informing the environment. As Jenny Holzer writes: “It can be startling to see someone breathe, let alone the breathing of a crowd. You usually don’t believe that people extend that far.”
In the divided social climate we inhabit, it is more essential than ever to consider how our actions influence our world and impact others. Through original music and dance circulating throughout the halls of the MCA, Respire aims to explore these timely themes. Click here to find out more about project and involved Artists.
THE QIQI UNDERGROUND TEA PARTY (STONY ISLAND ARTS BANK 2016)
CabinFever Collaborates with Performing Artist, Kiara Lanier at Theaster Gates' Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago, Illinois. The Qiqi is a site specific tea party that merges musical performance, experimental monologues, and mixed media installation with holistic health.
The mission of the Rebuild Foundation, the organization behind The Stony Island Arts Bank, is to emphasize the positive impact of innovative arts, especially within the black community.
Featured performances by CabinFever // Darling Shear // Brandon Holmes // Afrobeat Orchestra of Live Beat Producers with Drummer Daniel Villareal // and DJ set by Odd Couple.
CabinFever dancers: Reggie Fuego,Erin Harner, AAliyah Leonard, & Whitney Wilder
GHOSTS OF THE WHITE CITY (Soho House 2016)
CabinFever performs at the annual Soho House Chicago Halloween party 2016. Inspired by the book, "The Devil in the White City", CabinFever tells the story of the female victims of serial murderer, HH Holmes. Costume Design by Tiger Lily. Dancers Include: Sarah Lustbader, Keisha Bennet, Maggie Stack, Emily Pacilio, Erin Harner, Emily Craver,Jasmine Mendoza, & Quinn Wharton. Musical collaborators include Matt Ullery, Scottie Mcneice, and Kiara Lanier.
photo by Corey Dewald
A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE NIGHT HERSELF (Links Hall 2016)
For only three weekend nights from August 26-28, 2016, CabinFever premiered a new dynamic, but intimate, work at Links Hall/Constellation in Chicago. “A Public Service Announcement from the Night Herself“ explores the inner lives that the “Night” forces each of us to confront after the distractions of the day have surrendered to the dark hours. Explore the sides of ourselves that we are reluctant to share with the world, as well as the thoughts and energies that are never revealed in our public lives.
Performers: Emily Craver, Sarah Lustbader, Emily Pacilio, Maggie Stack
Musicians: Doug Barber, Lia Kohl, Patrick Glennon, Gavin Price
Videography/Photo- Joy Jacobs
Costumes Design - Erik Andor
Lighting Design - Jasmine Mendoza
ArmsLength Wonders Tour {2015}
Armslength Wonders was CabinFever's first East Coast tour. The company created evening length performances in two homes. One was in Woodstock, New York's first LEED certified home with entrepreneur and art lover, Rob Safer. The second performance was at a 4 generational family reunion in Isle La Motte, Vermont. The tour ended in Boston at a retro movie theatre.
Performers - Emily Craver, Jesse Kovarsky, Sarah Lustbader, Emily Pacilio
Musicians - Doug Barber, Patrick Glennon
Videography/Photo - Joy Jacobs
Artistic Director - Elana Jacobs
Be By Me (Town Hall Seattle 2014}
Be By me - performed and created at Town Hall Seattle during Elana Jacobs/CabinFever Town Hall Artist Residency.
Elana was the first choreographer invited to be the Artist in Residence at the historic space in Seattle.
Be By Me was inspired by interviews with students from the Nova Project, as well as by the summer tour "Salutations", where they performed in 5 different homes collaborating with 5 different families. The piece took place in the pews of the grand hall while the audience sat onstage.
Performers: Emily Craver, Sarah Lustbader, Emily Pacilio
Music: Anna Goren, Doug Barber & Evan Anderson
Artistic Direction:Elana Jacobs
Scholar in Residence: Steve Scher
Yellow Etiquette (Fremont Abbey 2014)
Yellow Etiquette - created for Abbey Grown at the Fremont Abbey March 2014
Original concept & performance: Elana Jacobs & Doug Barber
"The Piece, created and performances by Doug Barber and Elana Jacobs played with high sass and deep vulnerability…the duet revealed an infectious relationship, openhearted, honest, and gently flippant." - SeattleDances
SCRAPING FOR JOY ( IDF 2014)
Scraping for Joy - created for the Seattle International Dance Festival 2014 during Spotlight on Seattle (evening curated by Andrew Bartee from Pacific Northwest Ballet & Whim Whim)
CabinFever won the Cyrstal White Gaer, G Kusnick and J Seward Artistic Development Award voted by Choreographers Donald Byrd and Dayna Henson
Choreography - Elana Jacobs
Dancers - Andy Buffelen, Noah Duffy, Michaela Federspeil, Sarah Lustbader
Poetry - Matthew Dickman "Slow Dance"
SALUTATIONS TOUR (2014) AND DOCUMENTARY {2015)
A tour through your departure & arrival
CabinFever embarked on a tour to 5 homes in 25 days. They collaborated with homes/families in Carnation WA, San Francisco CA, Los Angeles CA, Santa Fe NM, and Denver CO. There is a documentary about the company, the process, and the stories on this tour, Salutations.
Performers - Emily Craver, Sarah Lustbader, Emily Pacilio
Musicians - Doug Barber, Evan Anderson
Lighting - Evan Anderson
Costumes - Erik Andor
Cinematographer - Joy Jacobs
Edits - Doug Barber, Elana Jacobs
Artistic Director - Elana Jacobs
Special Guest Artists: Anna Goren, Katherine Ranieri, Maggie Stack, James & Sean Eads, GJ Craver, Anne Marie Doucet , and Jack Swart.
The documentary was shown to critical praise in the Boston area's West Newton Cinema and at Seatle's Northwest film Forum,where one critic concluded: "unlike many dance documentaries, this one takes the dancers out of the studio and places them in people's homes, giving it breathing room,embracing the creative possibilities of dance, and giving the often ignored histories of houses an unexpected second life through movement."
MAKE LIKE A TABLE AND SERVE (ON the boards, Velocity Dance Center 2012)
Make Like a Table and Serve - created for the Fremont Abbey for "A movement conversation" (2012), the piece has been shown three more times in 2012 by popular demand (On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center, Ketchum Arts Center)
A theatrical solo which uses the structure of a dinner party to confront a private, inner struggle happening in a most familiar public setting. Through capricious movement phrases, a spoken poem about a car fix up, a jingle by a mechanic, a mini trampoline and a fur coat, the piece confronts the fragility of the heart using subtle humor. Its leaves the audience with an aftertaste of "I've been there before".
Performers - Doug Barber & Emily Sferra
Artistic Director - Elana Jacobs
"Thoughtful, innovative, and rapidly transforming, this piece never slipped into cliche or assumption…and Sferra is a magnetic, theatrical, fine-tuned performer to match Jacobs' whirling brave imagination"
-SeattleDances
The Living Room ( Velocity Dance center 2012)
The Living Room - Created for Velocity Dance Center's Big Bang 2012.
Referred to as the "CabinFever Jukebox", Elana created an audience participation-based performance installation where the 11X11 space was staged to the likeness of an after part in a living room. The musicians and dancers performed whatever the audience chose out of pre-set movement/theatre and music phrases.
Performers- Doug Barber, Anna Goren, Elana Jacobs & Emily Sferra
Artistic Director - Elana Jacobs
"Highly entertaining was the group CabinFever, who allowed viewers to choose which scenarios the infectiously fun musicians and dancers would perform."
-SeattleDances
Honest. You Do. (Tang Museum 2008)
Honest. You Do. - Created for the
Tang Museum, Saratoga Springs NY
An evening length mixed-media piece with video installation, where the audience was placed in a museum exhibition space that was transformed into a 1950's living room. Through the performance, the performers evolve from simply playing their respective societal roles and "fitting the mold", into exposing their innermost desires, fears, and eccentricities and ultimately expressing a candid portrayal of their behavioral pattern. Funded by Skidmore College Opportunity Grant, this performance was key in Elana's pursuit of CabinFever.
Performers - Emily Craver, Brendan Duggan, Sarah Levy, Emily Sferra, & Maggie Stack
Artistic Director - Elana Jacobs
Hair Design - Philippe Bevan
Photos - Joy Jacobs