Photo credits: Catherine Galasso by Laura Brichta (2018), Sheryl Sutton by Peter Hujar (1977)

Choreographer Catherine Galasso speaks with veteran performer Sheryl Sutton about the legacy of the 1970s downtown dance & theater scene, and happy accidents in the creative process. A muse for Robert Wilson in his abstract theater productions from the 1970s, and an icon in her own right, Sutton will discuss her experiences in creating collaborative, multidisciplinary, epic works for stage. Galasso will show and discuss excerpts from various site-specific dances, and share elements from her current collaboration with Sutton: CITY OF WOM_N. Galasso and Sutton will also co-lead a participatory improvisational score, open to all levels of experience.

Catherine Galasso has been creating multidisciplinary dances for 17 years, for apple orchards, bank vaults, and opera houses. Her works revolve around the inherent architectural and narrative qualities of the dancing body, granting equal influence to light, sound, and space. She embraces historical renderings and inspirations in a collaborative approach that values intuition and co-authorship. Galasso has personal roots in the avant garde through her artist parents, evident in her unique style that is steeped in postmodern abstraction, combined with a pop sensibility that is playfully self-aware. Her work has been featured in the Oxford Handbook of Screendance Studies, and she has been commissioned by Danspace Project, River To River Festival, Arts Brookfield, ODC Theater and the Kohler Arts Center, a.o. Her 2015 collaboration with Andy de Groat was nominated for a ‘Bessie’ Award and her 2018 Alone Together was awarded a San Francisco “Izzie.” Born in New York, raised in Italy, and currently based in Lenapehoking (Brooklyn), Galasso holds a European Bac. in painting from Venice, IT & a BA in Film from Cornell.

Sheryl Sutton began her career as a performer with theater director Robert Wilson in the 1970s, starring in a number of productions including Deafman Glance (1971), A Letter For Queen Victoria (1974), Einstein on the Beach (1976, 1984) and Zinnias (2013), among others. During this period she toured the world with Wilson’s company, performing at venues like Shiraz Festival, Brooklyn Academy Museum, Festival d’Avignon, Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Opera, Opera Comique, Spoleto Festival, and Théâtre de la Musique. She danced with Andy de Groat’s red notes company from 1978-1983. She recently performed with Big Dance Theater in The Road Awaits Us at NYU Skirball Center (2019) and Carolina Performing Arts (2023), and with Paul Lazar in Cage Shuffle Marathon at La MaMa (2022). She is also the subject of a play by writer and critic Hilton Als, Lives of the Performers.