DAKA was a physical performance group founded in the winter of 2008 from Alice Gosti, Anh Nguyen, Devin McDermott and Katherine Riggs.
DAKA produced some of Alice's choreography: 3, 2times3, I never made a mixtape vol.1and 2, meWITHOUTyou trial#1
http://3daka.blogspot.com/
3
dance performance
choreography by Alice Gosti
performed by Devin McDermott, Anh Nguyen and Katherine Riggs
music by DJ GO il giratore pazzo di rotelle
3 began as an experiment; a study of the distinction between mere execution of movement and performance authored by individuals, as it was Alice’s desire to escape body virtuosity and meaningless movement. The result was one piece in which three solos were performed at the same time in the same space.
With this piece, Alice received an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography from the University of Washington Dance Program.
In 2008, 3 was chosen to tour in Italy as a part of Anticorpi XL, Rassegna di Giovani Coreografi, organized by Cantieridanza.
2times3
dance performance
choreography by Alice Gosti
performed by Devin McDermott, Shannon Narasimhan, Anh Nguyen, Rachel Randall and Katie Riggs
music by DJ GO il giratore pazzo di rotelle
Alice Gosti has created 2times3 by merging two of her award winning dances, WonderBra (2007) and 3 (2008), into one transporting piece. The women in the world of 2times3 move in space, each woman dealing with the questions her life presents. Gosti focuses on creating a multi-sensorial world/atmosphere in which the movement performed is aimed at moving the viewers in a motional and emotional way. The performers are Devin McDermott, Shannon Narasimhan, Anh Nguyen, Rachel Randall, and Katherine Riggs.
This piece was performed as a part of Next Fest NW, organized by Velocity Dance Center, Seattle in Dec 2008.
I never made a mix tape vol.1
dance performance
choreography by Alice Gosti
performed by Devin McDermott, Anh Nguyen and Katherine Riggs
music I put a Spell on you by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
The stage is dark; a screaming recorded voice is entering, singing I Put a Spell on You, from the speakers of an old portable cassette player. One of the dancers stops the music, rewinds it to the very beginning of the tape, presses play and goes back to her still shape. Slowly a circle of light appears on the floor, trough the fog you can see three still dancers in a cone of light, next to them the cassette player. The dancers start moving in unison, winding and rewinding, every time they go back to the opening positions the music is re-winded by the same performer all the way to the beginning, almost as if music and performers were both stuck in a loop of which we never get to see or hear the end. This piece plays with how movement should interact with music/sound rather than just accompany or being an inspiration for. A dancer has control over the sound, while the sound, being prerecorded has control over the dance. This corky and vintage-style piece is an experiment in that direction. How do dance and music truly intertwine? This is a portable dance, with its dancers, its cassette player, its little fog machine, and an industrial spot light it could be performed anywhere.
This piece was performed in 2009 as part of the UW Dance Ensemble and as a guest piece for the Whidbey Island Dance Theatre.