Dancers Unlimited is back to showcase at APAP as a part of Pentacle’s Tour Ready Lab!

The performance features our latest touring repertoire, Edible Tales: Ho'oulu, featuring our bi-coastl company dancers from Hawai`i and NYC!
Date: Saturday, January 10
Time: 5:55-6:15pm
Location: Ailey Citigroup Theatre
$$: FREE; NO APAP badge required.

Blending Hawaiian land stewardship practices, New York City urban food tours, and rooftop farming, Edible Tales integrates live performance, dance films, and community interviews to illuminate the deep connections between food, ancestry, and identity.

Participants will engage in activities and discussions focused on genealogy, origin stories and special places that connect us to the natural world.  Attendees will learn a hula kahiko and explore how hula can educate, heal and transform, while restoring cultural identity and pride.

From there, we will head to the Kumulipo Showcase which will take place at dusk on the sacred grounds of ʻIolani Palace. Join us for a powerful and rare cultural experience honoring Queen Liliʻuokalani during the month of her birth. The community will celebrate the Queen’s enduring legacy, including her historic translation of the Kumulipo.  Attendees will experience a rare opportunity to hear the ancient words of the Kumulipo, with five hālau (traditional Hawaiian schools) performing to honor Queen Lili'uokalani and celebrate the enduring legacy of the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant, which also details the genealogy of Hawaiian royalty. This gathering will be a moving and unforgettable experience.

1:00pm-5:00pm Kaka’ako Waterfront Park - Dancers Unlimited Edible Tales Workshop

5:30pm-9:30pm Iolani Palace - Ka Pā Hula O La`akea Workshop (Bonus experience with Separate Registration)

Stay Tuned for Registration Info

The day will focus on healing through hula and how to utilize hula and oli as hoʻokupu (an offering) when visiting special spaces.  We will learn an oli to be used to ask permission to enter special places and a place-based oli to honor the space weʻre in.  We will learn a hula kahiko honoring a famous chief and neighboring Island.  Throughout the day we will weave activities and discussions of healing, cultural values and the importance of maintaining pono relationships.

What to bring: Beach wear and comfortable clothing to move in and take a dip. Pāʻū or pareo to dance in. Water bottle (Kangen Water will be provided). Small dish to share.

We will be on the left side of the bathroom under blue/gray pop up tents

WEʻVE TEAMED UP WITH LA MAMA EXPERIMENTAL THEATER CLUB FOR MONTHLY FREESTYLE STORYTELLING SESSIONS!

Join us to explore enriching storytelling through freestyle movement. Each month this fall, a different spotlight artist/facilitator will share their creative processes that combine freestyle techniques to shift perspectives.

This is a space curated for healing, exploration, and learning - for movers from all different disciplines who are looking to find or refine their artistic voices. We will jam, discover, and share with one another, cultivating unbreakable connections in our practices and community.

October 10
Facilitator: Tatiana Desardouin
47 Great Jones 
7 - 10p

Upcoming Dates
November 14

The Soul Spot
302 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11201

This year we are focusing on African and African American Cuisine. Returning back to the motherland to see the influence it has on the creation of soul food in America. Then fast forwarding into the now to see how soul food is being transformed, reinvented, and fused today.

The goal of the Food Tour is to shine a light on the local, ethnic cuisines in Brooklyn, specifically Crown Heights, Bushwick, and Bedstuy areas. 

We will be going into different restaurants and sampling dishes that represent their home, culture, and where they come from. After sampling, we will have a Cypher based on the food we ate and what we learned about that food. This event will be documented.

This program is made possible with support by Brooklyn Arts Council and DanceNYC.

Register on VERSD With the Button or the qr code OR EVENTBRITE WITH THE 2ND BUTTON

Date: Sunday, June 25th 9am-1pm
Location: Waikalua Loko I`a (Fishpond)
Facilitator: ʻAuliʻi Aweau
Cultural Practitioner: Rosalyn Dias Concepcion

Facilitated by our company Hawaiian cultural advisor, ʻAuliʻi Aweau, participants will learn about the theme hoʻokupu (to offer; to sprout), explore and learn about the ancient fishpond built by Hawaiians approximately 350 years ago. The loko iʻa is a “place where one can kilo, a`o, malama, and maha” and where ancient wisdom and modern knowledge combine to set a strong foundation for a better future. Participants will participate in volunteer work, and learn an oli (chant) and Hula.

Participants are encouraged to showcase the oli and Hula learned at the culminating hōʻike on October 28th, 2023 at KEY Project. Interested participants can also sign up for the weekly rehearsals with our professional dance company on Sundays 10am-noon at Page Dance Academy (Kaimuki).

Here is what the June 25th session will cover:

-Learn about various ho`okupu (offerings) for Ku`ulakai and Hinakapu`ui`a (altars at the fishpond)

-make a pūʻolo style offering with i`a (fish), pa’akai (salt), and lāʻī (ti leaf)

-Learn about the functions of these kuahu (altars) and the importance of their locations in relations to the pond. 

-Share mana`o (thoughts and ideas) about wai (water)and its overall importance and function of the ecology of the loko i`a (fishpond)

-learn an oli (chant)

-Learn a hula (dance)

We welcome participants to attend all monthly sessions from April to October and showcase at the hōʻike!

ALL AGES WELCOME!

Cultural practitioner

ABOUT EDIBLE TALES: HO`OKUPU

Edible Tales: Hoʻokupu center Native Hawaiian wisdom and turn stories about food and ʻāina into community-centered dance exploration, actions and solutions. Our 2023 theme Ho`okupu (to offer, to sprout), explores the reciprocal relationship between giving and receiving, our interconnectedness to each other, and shared pathways to build community resilience and collaboration.

Edible Tales: Hoʻokupu is a 6-month journey taking place on-site on loko iʻa, loʻi, pā honu, urban community gardens and even tūtūʻs kitchen. We invite you to join us on one or all of the events!

Edible Tales: Ho`okupu is partially funded by Hawaiʻi Council For the Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities.

Please join us for a final Edible Tales Food Tour this year! This tour features dancing and a community work day at GOOD LIFE GARDEN in Bushwick.

October 22nd
2-4pm

Good Life Community Garden
50 Goodwin Place
Bushwick, NY

Good Life Garden is a community garden managed by Kofi Thomas and neighbors in the community. Join us to help care for the garden, get your hands in the soil, and watch some FRESH performances by neighborhood youths! Check out the garden: https://instagram.com/bkgreengardner?igshid=NmNmNjAwNzg=

Don’t forget to RSVP for our Edible Tales premiere the next day, October 23rd at the same location! LINK: https://www.dunyc-hi.com/calendar/edibletales-installation-nyc

Thank you to our funders and sponsors for helping to support Edible Tales and this event:

Brooklyn Arts Council, Dance NYC Dance Advancement Fund, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Artist Residency, Brooklyn Grange, Good Life Garden, VERSD

Food is such an integral part of cultural celebrations.  This month we will all share with each other, foods and practices from our own experiences.  This is a potluck event so please bring a dish to share!

Event Information

July 8th, Friday 6:30-8pm HST / 12:30am-2pm EST
Cultural Celebrations: Potluck & Dancing

In-Person or Virtual

Ka Waiwai Ma Nuʻuanu
1164 Nuʻuanu ave (Arts & Letters Building)

Dancers Unlimited is presenting a series of 7 community Food MoveMEANT sessions on First Fridays starting this February! The sessions are hosted both at Waiwai Collective’s Nu'uanu location and virtually on the FREE community app! Edible Tales: Food MoveMEANT Sessions explore Cultural Heritage, Social Justice & Sustainability. Fusing food topics and dance, each session explores a food-related topic and holds space for achievable action plans toward healing, justice and restoration. The participants are encouraged to turn ideas into action through creative movement exploration and collaboration. 

The event series kicks off on February 4th and runs for 7 consecutive months. Join us for community talks, story and recipe sharing, meet community organizers and leaders, and honor our individual bodies and lived experiences. All sessions are recorded to be included in the culminating dance documentary anthology. 

This program is made possible in part by funding from Hawaiʻi Council of the Humanities through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

Disclaimer Language

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Kalo, or taro, is a plant that can grow in a wide variety of environments.  From a spring-fed loʻi in the middle of urban honolulu, to guerilla gardens next to a city watershed, come learn about this wonderful plant!  Hear about creative ways of growing plants with the environment that is available to us.

Event Information

June 10th, Friday 6:30-8pm HST / 12:30am-2am EST
Healing & Planting

Speaker: Robert Silva

In-Person or Virtual

Ka Waiwai Ma Nuʻuanu
1164 Nuʻuanu ave (Arts & Letters Building)

Dancers Unlimited is presenting a series of 7 community Food MoveMEANT sessions on First Fridays starting this February! The sessions are hosted both at Waiwai Collective’s Nu'uanu location and virtually on the FREE community app! Edible Tales: Food MoveMEANT Sessions explore Cultural Heritage, Social Justice & Sustainability. Fusing food topics and dance, each session explores a food-related topic and holds space for achievable action plans toward healing, justice and restoration. The participants are encouraged to turn ideas into action through creative movement exploration and collaboration. 

The event series kicks off on February 4th and runs for 7 consecutive months. Join us for community talks, story and recipe sharing, meet community organizers and leaders, and honor our individual bodies and lived experiences. All sessions are recorded to be included in the culminating dance documentary anthology. 

This program is made possible in part by funding from Hawaiʻi Council of the Humanities through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

Disclaimer Language

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Plants can be our greatest teachers, and are often a reflection of ourselves. There is a certain magic found in observing plants that you grow, day after day. Through this deep observation, oftentimes as we learn about that which we are growing and caring for, we also learn about ourselves. There is something to be said about understanding plants, and applying that to our human journey.

Event Information

May 13th, Friday 6:30-8pm HST / 12:30am-2pm EST
Healing & Planting

Speaker: Scotty Garlough

In-Person or Virtual

Ka Waiwai Ma Nuʻuanu
1164 Nuʻuanu ave (Arts & Letters Building)

Dancers Unlimited is presenting a series of 7 community Food MoveMEANT sessions on First Fridays starting this February! The sessions are hosted both at Waiwai Collective’s Nu'uanu location and virtually on the FREE community app! Edible Tales: Food MoveMEANT Sessions explore Cultural Heritage, Social Justice & Sustainability. Fusing food topics and dance, each session explores a food-related topic and holds space for achievable action plans toward healing, justice and restoration. The participants are encouraged to turn ideas into action through creative movement exploration and collaboration. 

The event series kicks off on February 4th and runs for 7 consecutive months. Join us for community talks, story and recipe sharing, meet community organizers and leaders, and honor our individual bodies and lived experiences. All sessions are recorded to be included in the culminating dance documentary anthology. 

This program is made possible in part by funding from Hawaiʻi Council of the Humanities through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

Disclaimer Language

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dancers Unlimited is presenting a series of 7 community Food MoveMEANT sessions on First Fridays starting this February! The sessions are hosted both at Waiwai Collective’s Nu'uanu location and virtually on the FREE community app! Edible Tales: Food MoveMEANT Sessions explore Cultural Heritage, Social Justice & Sustainability. Fusing food topics and dance, each session explores a food-related topic and holds space for achievable action plans toward healing, justice and restoration. The participants are encouraged to turn ideas into action through creative movement exploration and collaboration. 

Event Information

Learn from seasoned pohaku (stone) builder and fishpond worker, Kinohi Pizarro on the importance of fishponds for the Kanaka Maoli (native Hawaiians) and the interconnection of our ecosystem.

April 1st: Water and Fishpond; guest speaker: Kinohi Pizarro
*May - July event details will be announced soon.

In-Person:

Ka Waiwai Ma Nuʻuanu
1164 Nuʻuanu ave (Arts & Letters Building)
Vax record or neg test required (within 48 hours)

The event series kicks off on February 4th and runs for 7 consecutive months. Join us for community talks, story and recipe sharing, meet community organizers and leaders, and honor our individual bodies and lived experiences. All sessions are recorded to be included in the culminating dance documentary anthology. 

This program is made possible in part by funding from Hawaiʻi Council of the Humanities through the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

Disclaimer Language

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Join our Director, Linda Kuo at her artist residency at Governors Island Arts Center, as a part of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's residency program.

The open studio is FREE from noon-5pm and is kid-friendly! RSVP is required.

RSVP REQUIRED (FREE). Ferry schedule Here.

Edible Tales is developed with the support of Brooklyn Grange Urban Rooftop Farm, Downtown Brooklyn Rehearsal Residency, Ka Wai wai, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Arts Center Residency program. Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) serves, connects, and makes space for artists and the community. www.LMCC.net

By registering for the classes, you are agreeing to the terms in our liability waiver. Please review the liability waiver before making your reservation.

Join our Director, Linda Kuo at her artist residency at Governors Island Arts Center, as a part of Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's residency program. The Open Studio sessions will hold space for community story video recording, up-cycled costume-making, and dance movement exploration, focusing on Edible Tales to explore narratives of people, places, and time through food-related themes.

The open studio is FREE from noon-5pm and is kid-friendly! RSVP is required. We'd love it if you can come by to say hi, bust out a move, and create with us.

*SPECIAL OPEN REHEARSAL: 2-3pm. No dance experience needed.

RSVP REQUIRED (FREE). Ferry schedule Here.

Edible Tales is developed with the support of Brooklyn Grange Urban Rooftop Farm, Downtown Brooklyn Rehearsal Residency, Ka Wai wai, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Arts Center Residency program. Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) serves, connects, and makes space for artists and the community. www.LMCC.net

Edible Tales is a collection of stories about people, places and time. We explore personal food memories, connect with our cultural heritage, and activate each other toward social justice. In this open rehearsal, dancers will learn an excerpt of our new work - Edible Tales: Prayers.

Date & Time
Thu, Jul 14
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

Theme
Ancestral Connection

Location
Brooklyn Grange Urban Rooftop Farm (Sunset Park)
850 3rd Avenue
Rooftop
Brooklyn, NY 11232

Open Rehearsals are designed for experienced dancers and movers of any style to explore the topic and provide an opportunity to perform & collaborate with the company as guest artists.

July 14th 12:30pm-2:30pm @ Brooklyn Grange Urban Rooftop Farm, Sunset Park 

REGISTER HERE. Registration required to be added to our guest list to the farm. Space limited.

All open rehearsals are in-person, and COVID-19 regulations may differ from site to site.

Edible Tales is a collection of stories about people, places and time. We explore personal food memories, connect with our cultural heritage, and activate each other toward social justice. 

Date & Time
Thu, Jul 1
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

Location
Brooklyn Grange Urban Rooftop Farm (Sunset Park)
850 3rd Avenue
Rooftop
Brooklyn, NY 11232

Open Rehearsals are designed for experienced dancers and movers of any style to explore the topic and provide an opportunity to perform & collaborate with the company as guest artists.

July 1st 1pm-2:30pm @ Brooklyn Grange Urban Rooftop Farm, Sunset Park 

REGISTER HERE. Registration required to be added to our guest list to the farm. Space limited.

All open rehearsals are in-person, and COVID-19 regulations may differ from site to site.