reWAAtch: WAA 24 Pitch Sessions
Pitch NOW
Matching Artists & Producers with Partners & Collaborators Pitch NOW is a forum for bold artistic ideas that need more than a stage and tour date to become reality. Creators with New or Out-of-the-box Works (NOW) can pitch their ideas to potential collaborators who get first dibs on supporting some of the most innovative projects in the performing arts today. Pitch NOW aims to turn ideas with promise into projects with partnerships and performance dates.
(This session was previously recorded at the 2024 Western Arts Alliance Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.)
This year’s Pitch NOW lineup:
Minty Fresh Circus, by Monique Martin
Presented by Laura Colby, Elsie Management
Conceived by Monique Martin, Minty Fresh Circus is a US-based circus show performed by an all-Black cast of acrobats and dancers, with a majority-Black creative team celebrating the healing power of Black music & movement, infused with the joy & resilience of those who traversed the transatlantic slave trade. With an Afro-futuristic vibe and a steam-punk look, Minty Fresh Circus features movement, music, and circus arts in a time-bending journey of redemption. Inspired by abolitionist Harriet Tubman, the central question in Minty Fresh Circus is: what does freedom feel & sound like if your only access to it is through your imagination? The show celebrates the power of Black music as a healing, alchemical, transformative force. Structured in seven rituals via spectacular circus and dance skills, this all-ages show will be 70 minutes in length, touring with 7 circus and dance artists plus 2 staff/crew.
T(h)ree, by ANIKAYA
Presented by Wendy Jehlen, ANIKAYA
T(h)ree is an immersive performance for three dancers and performed in a constructed dome with immersive spatial sound & 3D 360° projection, generated in real time, in which the scenic elements, the sound, the projection, the dancers are fully integrated. We play with the contrasts made possible by this configuration, in service of a new myth, that like all myths draws on ancient ones, a journey that engages witnesses on an emotional level with a story of the disappearance of ecosystems. The project will have many possible forms, including outdoor performance, installation, touch-based performance, along with community engagement through workshops and a participatory companion performance, Waterfall.
Keeper of Sadness, by Jade Solomon Curtis
Presented by Gail Boyd, Gail Boyd Artist Management and Jennifer Morris, Siegel Artist Managment
Centering Black Womanhood, this immersive dance experience and archive of stories utilizes artificial reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and storytelling to explore the intergenerational impacts of trauma, societal stereotypes, and historical erasure. Through this innovative integration of technology, audiences are prompted to confront the deep-seated grief within Black communities while recognizing the inherent resilience in reclaiming these narratives.
Anima Mundi, by Degenerate Art Ensemble
Presented by Joshua Kohl, Degenerate Art Ensemble
An immersive exploration into the profound amnesia that has estranged humanity from the intricate tapestry of the natural world. Rooted in a sense of urgency fueled by the existential climate crisis, this sensorial journey traverses embodied movement, sculpture, projected video, and vibrational sound that resonates with the heartbeat of the Earth.
Weaving Spirits Festival Tour, by Weaving Spirits
Presented by Javier Stell-Fresquez, Weaving Spirits Festival of Two Spirit Performance
Weaving Spirits Festival of Two-Spirit Performance wants to tour to urban and rural locations across the US. Our SF-based festival amplifies the voices and stories of Indigenous and queer (two-spirit) performers. It includes genres from dance to traditional singing, and more experimental forms. The consistent feature of a tour would be 30-minute works of multidisciplinary theater by the Brush Arbor Gurlz (all-Native drag group lead by our co-curator Landa Lakes) which address ongoing Indigenous struggles like #MMIW2S, Indian Boarding Schools, ecological stewardship, and environmental defense.
At each site we invite local Native artists to present, connecting and emboldening all of us to make culturally-informed work that reflects our full gender & sexualities. Indigenous land relationship is just one kind of site-specificity we practice, and we work with locals towards goals much deeper than a “land acknowledgment.”
Murmurations, by Le Patin Libre
Presented by Valerie Buddle, Le Patin Libre
Far from the glitz and glamour of traditional ice shows, the sweet rebels of Le Patin Libre are now a grand ballet of 15 virtuoso ice skaters. Their newest work on ice was created with the algorithms organizing the mysterious aerial ballets of flocks of birds - nicely called murmurations. The hallucinating speed and fluidity of ice skating allows LPL to propose a super-human version of the phenomena and then they bend it, weave it, and disrupt it to propose a meditation about conflict, harmony, war, and peace.
Amplified!
This pitch session was created for artists and agent/managers to share the projects they are passionate about but because of their size, scope, technical requirements, or other aspect, showcasing these projects is prohibitive.
(This session was previously recorded at the 2024 Western Arts Alliance Annual Conference in San Diego, CA.)
This year’s Amplified! lineup:
Presented by Samantha Bryant, ASYMM Digital
ASYMM is a digital-first, full-funnel marketing agency that combines forward-thinking strategy and advanced technology to drive impactful results exclusively for arts and entertainment organizations. Learn about ASYMM’s services and unique value that they provide to presenters and their programming alongside some successful case studies of ASYMM’s digital campaigns.
Presented by Shane Cadman, Alliance Artist Management
The female a cappella quartet from Zimbabwe returns to North America in the fall of 2025, sharing their music, dance, culture, and their message of peace, love, and empowerment. Nobuntu actively engage audiences of all ages and backgrounds in their live performances, even encouraging them to sing and dance along.
The Magic of the Drums, by Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda
Presented by Barbara Ortiz and Hector Garcia De Leon, Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda
An Afro-Puerto Rican musical showcase of vibrant traditions of Bomba and Plena to with live music, dance, spoken word, and carnival-style performances. The production features three main performing groups: Gracimá, Kalindá, and the renowned Cepeda Family, celebrated for preserving Afro-Puerto Rican music and dance traditions for eight uninterrupted generations.
Right in the Eye, by Jean-François Alcoléa
Presented by Jean-François Alcolea, Alcolea & cie
A live movie-concert based on the silent films of George Méliès, who is considered to be one of the inventors of cinematography. It’s a whole show both on stage and on screen with a trio of virtuoso musicians who conjure music from an extraordinary array of instruments. The performance is available in a Young Audience version and a Family Audiences version.
Presented by Jerry Ross, Harmony Artists
Step into a world of all things possible where we discover the power, passion, and perseverance of the human spirit within each one of us! Omnium means of all and belonging to all– presenting the best in family circus entertainment—comprehensively inclusive and accessible at every performance.
ROOM-i-Nation, by Aditya Prakash
Presented by Tim Wilson, Startlet Farm LLC
Karnatik classical music meets America’s rich cultural diversity in this personal yet universal performance of music and storytelling. Using live music, soundscape, video projection, and personal stories, Praskash brings to life the immigrant experience and offers a hopeful look at bridging cultures, generations, and musical traditions.
The Carol Kaye Project, by Boston Dance Theatre
Presented by Jessie Stinnett, Boston Dance Theatre
Since the early 1960s, bassist Carol Kaye recorded an estimated 10,000 sessions with everyone from The Beach Boys to Marvin Gaye, yet she remains relatively unknown. A diverse cohort of powerhouse American women choreographers including Karole Armitage, Rena Butler, and Rosie Herrera honor Kaye’s extensive musical repertoire through sweaty, whimsical, and thoughtful dance.
Pehchaan, by Ishami Dance Company
Presented by Ishika Seth, Ishami Dance Company
Indian Contemporary dance movement that features a blend of dance styles including Bharatantyam, Breaking, Contemporary, Heels, Whacking and Garba as well as original compositions sung live by internationally acclaimed music artist Annette Philip. Pehchaan is rooted in storytelling including themes of migration, queer love, the invisible work of women, the struggles of motherhood and more.
Cross That River, by Allan Harris
Presented by Patricia Harris, Pat Harris & Associates
An electrifying genre-bending musical experience that tells the story of Blue, an escaped slave who becomes one of America’s first Black Cowboys in the 1860s American West. The seven-piece band, comprised of top-tier musicians led by the acclaimed jazz composer and vocalist Allan Harris, delivers a powerful and immersive sound that enhances the emotional depth of the story.
Doodle POP, by Brush Theatre
Presented by Spring Karlo, Holden & Arts Associates
What will happen as the vivid drawings of a mischievous duo transform into a beautiful watery world and an adventure to return a turtle to the sea safely? This playful, non-verbal show features live musicians who perform the accompanying score and sound effects, stunning interactive animation projections, live whiteboard drawings, and an abundance of theatrical imagination.