Neighbors/Plastic

Regina Nejman and Despina Sophia Stamos

Present the Premiere of

Neighbors/Plastic

at the Gambit Works Gallery

1155 6th Avenue of the Americas

June 11th & 12th and June 18th & 19th at 12pm-1pm

Neighbors/Plastic is Regina Nejman and Despina Sophia Stamos’ ninth site-specific dance collaboration. Using large, yellow, transparent plastic as both costume and set, they investigate the commodification of the female body, entrapment of consumer culture, and the insidious presence of plastic in our environments. The work unfolds as a tactile, physical dialogue with large sheets of yellow plastic, exploring distance and proximity through the lens of their real-life relationship as next-door neighbors. Performed with live music by Julian Rozzell Jr., the dance piece generates striking images that evoke the suffocating ways women’s bodies are marketed and commodified—bound to ideals of youth and desirability—while also referencing oceanic pollution and the slick, seductive packaging of consumer goods.

“In your hands, the plastic became both petal and pulse—reminding me not just of Van Gogh’s sunflowers, but of how dance, like painting, can transform the everyday into something transcendent.” Deirdre Donovan

Regina Nejman is a Brazilian American choreographer and multimedia artist based in New York City. She has created original choreography since 1993 and founded Regina Nejman & Company in 1997, performing throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her work has been supported by organizations including the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and the Joyce Theater Residency. Regina holds an MFA in Dance from Hunter College and a BA from SUNY Empire State College. She has taught at Princeton University, Wesleyan University, Harvard Summer Dance, and NYU Common Hour Class, and was praised by Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times for her “piquant imagination and visual sense to match.”www.reginanejman.com

Despina Sophia Stamos is a New York City-based dancer, choreographer, and certified Pilates instructor who has been creating and teaching since 1989. Her choreography has been presented at venues like Dance Theater Workshop, PS122 and PS1 MOMA, as well as across Europe and South America. She is a co-founder of Chashama, a founding member of “the modern dance awareness society”, and a longtime performer with the Hungry March Band. From 2006 to 2019, she led passTRESpass, a collaborative project engaging refugees and local dancers in Athens, Greece.tmdas.org

Julian Rozzell Jr. is a resident of New York City, residing in Brooklyn, NY. An accomplished actor, he recently performed in Shakespeare in the Park’s production of Merry Wives at The Public Theater. Most recently he was in the TONY nominated Skin of our Teeth at Lincoln Center. Julian enjoys performing and is proud to be the "soundsmith" in NEIGHBORS. In 2022, Rozzell Jr. collaborated on Neighbors 5 at Anita's Way and this is his second work with Despina and Regina.

photo credit Rodney Zagury

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