A CaSamppella
Music: Gene Pritsker
Dance: Astrid von Ussar



notes:
In A CaSamppella I take samples of voices from various cultures and combine them to create a cohesive electronic composition lasting 60 seconds. I create grooves from snippets of voices and layer melodies taken out of contest from longer vocal lines. Composer/guitarist/rapper Gene Pritsker has written compositions that employ an eclectic spectrum of styles and are influenced by his studies of various musical cultures. He is the founder and leader of Sound Liberation; an eclectic hip-hop/chamber/jazz/rock/etc. ensemble. Since coming to New York in 1994, Astrid von Ussar has become a sought after choreographer and teacher. She is on faculty at the Ailey School and Long Island University. Her choreography is part of the repertory of Lula Washington Dance Theater, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, the Ailey Showcase Group among others. Her company VON USSAR danceworks premiered in 2002. She also instructs the curriculum based residency program, Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Dance, for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. Dancers: Ryan Schmitt, Tina Vasquez.