HOLDTIGHT Company
presents
together : un/tethered
with support from Denver Arts & Venues
April 4-6th, 2024
The Studio Loft at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at The Arts Complex
Denver, CO
together : un/tethered explores our ties to the world and each other. These tethers connect us, but can be altered, cut and reconnected. Weaving movement, live and original music, immersive theater, personal narrative, visual arts and participation, the audience is taken on an evocative journey to celebrate grief and joy.
Cast and Collaborators:
Direction, Concept, Costumes & Performance: Gwendolyn Gussman
Musical Direction, Sound Designer, Composer & Performance: Daniel Weidlein
Set Design, Installation, Costumes, & Creative Collaboration: Maki Teshima
Lighting Design, Production Management, & Creative Collaboration: Alex Taylor
Creative Collaborator & Performance: Nico Gonzales
Creative Collaborator & Performance: Bailey Harper
Creative Collaborator & Performance: Xenia Mansour
Creative Collaborator & Performance: Divya Maus
Creative Collaborator & Performance: Xochitl Portillo
Stage Manager: Emma Kimball
A note from the Director:
Welcome to together : un/tethered. I am so grateful you are here with us! In our generative process of creating this piece we worked with the question: What Is Enough? Here’s my answer: One way I think about this question is through the lens of death. If I died tomorrow, would my life have been enough? For who? Me? My family? My community? The Earth? My answer, deep down, is yes, my life would have been enough, because right here, right now, in this present moment, in my living, breathing body, with all of you, with this grappling, this tenderness, this conflict, this love, it’s all we have. It’s what we have, what I have, so it must be enough. “Enough is enough!” People yell when they don’t want any more —usually said with anger… but what if we flipped that, “Enough is enough!” We yell in celebration – in joy, in gratitude as we release that which needs to be let go of, as we get present and acknowledge the moment, as we change, as we hold each other, hold ourselves, and hold the trees all the while. What if we could live within the paradox that there are major changes that need to be made and our lives, the present, is enough.
Program Order:
Act 1: Acknowledging
Act 2: Connecting
Act 3: Re-Membering
About un/tethered:
un/tethered is composed of three distinct parts: alone, mother, and together, each of which can be experienced individually and will premiere in Denver over the course of 2024, culminating in a durational, epic work in 2025.
together : un/tethered explores our ties to the world and each other. These tethers connect us, but can be altered, cut and reconnected. Weaving movement, live and original music, immersive theater, personal narrative, visual arts and participation, the audience is taken on an evocative journey to celebrate grief and joy.
In development since October 2022, un/tethered is inspired by the work of prolific environmental scientists, eco-psychologists, indigenous communities, activists, writers, and others, and marries high quality performing arts with participation -- tasks incorporating environmental and psychological reflection, expression, and ritual. This partnership transforms the audience from removed spectator to empathetic participant. un/tethered is HOLDTIGHT’s most sustainable production to date, incorporating natural elements such as food-scrap dyed set pieces and costumes, reclaimed set materials and more.
In August 2023, CREATEart and Carroll Hall supported the early development and performances of two sections of this works-in-progress through a month-long creative residency in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
In Fall 2024, HOLDTIGHT will premiere the other two sections of un/tethered : alone & mother in Denver, Colorado with support from Rino Arts District.
About together:
together, the third section of the immersive dance-theater work un/tethered, is a vivid theatrical exploration of our collective narratives and the transformative power of shared experiences, with a poignant emphasis on the potential that humankind has to shift our relationship towards healing with our planet earth.
together dives into the individualistic mindset that has dominated Euro-Western culture for the past century +, and illuminates the needs of “I” and “We” in relation to our planet Earth. It questions these individualistic narratives, prompting the audience to scrutinize their beliefs and the stories shaping their world view, highlighting the impact of our collective actions on the environment.
This process of collective introspection activates a communal grieving for the loss of harmful narratives that have led to environmental neglect, emphasizing how allowing space for grief leads to more love, care, and positive action. The piece is a “grief party” , but not just a mourning of the past– it is an acknowledgment that grief opens the door to necessary transformation and joy, paving the way for intersectional change. It underscores the idea that without shedding outdated beliefs and practices, we cannot experience rebirth or develop a more sustainable relationship with our planet.
The use of immersive soundscapes and interactive elements, including sonic, textile, and physical installations, deeply engages the audience, blurring the lines between spectator and participant. together also celebrates the timeless rituals of song and dance as universal connectors, harkening back to the dawn of human civilization. The potency of together is accentuated by participatory, innovative, and ethically-sourced set design involving large scale installations mixed with individual interactive pieces, notably different kinds of tethers.
With a focus on large group dynamics, this piece shifts to a macro perspective, showcasing the power of collective action and thought. It's a grand, sweeping exploration of how shared practices, beliefs, and narratives have the power to unite people across time and space, emphasizing that in the glorious tapestry of human experience, we are all interwoven, forever bound to one another and the Earth. together is a call to reevaluate, to grieve, and ultimately, to rebuild our collective stories for a more connected and empathetic world.
About HOLDTIGHT Company
HOLDTIGHT is an interdisciplinary performance art company based between Denver & New York City, creating and presenting experiential, interactive, and urgent contemporary works based in eco-psychology. HOLDTIGHT’s mission is to create transformative experiences which elicit questions, conversations, interconnection, and deep joy, supporting humanity toward healing and radical forward-thinking change. Founded in 2016 and led by Gwendolyn Gussman, HOLDTIGHT illuminates the intersection of art, environmental activism, psyche, and body through the interconnected nature of various perspectives and identities.
HOLDTIGHT has collaborated with over 40 acclaimed artists, including Grammy and Emmy-award winners, in genres such as dance, theater, music, scenography, video design, visual arts, sculpture, lighting, digital rendering, and the culinary arts. The company’s repertoire includes site-specific work created for non-traditional performance spaces including an 1800's carriage house, an armory, historic mansions, and unconventional theaters. Since its founding, HOLDTIGHT has created & premiered 8 evening-length immersive works, including the Nourishment series. HOLDTIGHT has been presented nationally at The Cell Theatre, The Olympic Auditorium Complex, Carroll Hall, MOVE! Dance and Arts Space, Church Street School for Music and Art, The Wadsworth Museum, YourMove Festival, HiArtist, and has been co-produced by Control Group Productions. HOLDTIGHT has been featured in publications such as The Brooklyn Rail, The Dance Enthusiast, The Denver Post, 303 Magazine, Colorado Public Radio’s ‘Colorado Matters’, Westword, Front Row Center, No Proscenium, Presenting Denver, Interludes, and more.
Company Biographies:
Gwendolyn Hope Gussman (Direction, Concept, & Performer) is a director, choreographer, performer, movement teacher, and generative artist based between New York City (Ancestral Lenape homelands) and Denver, Colorado (Ancestral Lands of Ute, Cheyanne and Arapaho peoples). In 2016, she founded HOLDTIGHT. Gussman grew up in Denver, Colorado where she graduated from Denver School of the Arts as a Dance Major and spent ages 4-18 training at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, where in her junior/senior year of High School, apprenticed with the main company. Gussman graduated in 2014 with a BFA in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Gussman’s work has been produced and presented by institutions including National Sawdust, the cell theatre, The Gallery Players, James Madison University, Seaside Dance Festival, Nimbus DanceWorks Offline Series, Denver School of the Arts, and YourMove Festival. Gussman has been awarded residencies with Denver Arts & Venues (2024), Carroll Hall (2023), The Cell Theatre in NYC (2020-2022), MOVE! Arts Space in Colorado (2019), Nimbus DanceWorks (2018), and in 2021, was named a Toulmin Creator through the support of National Sawdust, Center for Ballet and the Arts, and The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Her work has been featured in press including The Dance Enthusiast, The Denver Post, Eye on Dance, Interludes, 303 Magazine, Colorado Public Radio’s ‘Colorado Matters’, No Proscenium, Westword, The Stewardship Report, Presenting Denver, and offoffoff. She has collaborated, performed, and worked on both live and film projects with artists such as Lisel (Eliza Bagg), Johnny Butler, The Warp Trio, Jett Kwong, Trevor New, Hallie Spoor, and Meredith Rose. As a performing artist, Gussman has worked with Shen Wei Dance Arts, Sean Curran Company, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, Vanessa Walters ‘Ripening’, Heidi Latsky, Control Group Productions, Cleo Parker Robinson, Roger C. Jeffrey, Comedian Amy Sedaris, Director Daniel Fish, Director Ashley Tata, among others. Her performance career has included venues and festivals such as The Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, MASS MoCa, Stanislavsky Theater (Moscow), Teatro Arcimboldi (Milan), Shanghai Cultural Square Theater, Teatro Comunale Modena, American Dance Festival, Spoleto Festival, Theater Olympics Festival (Beijing), Off The Grid Festival, and many others. Gussman has accepted positions as a guest teacher and choreographer for Yale University, New York University, Denver School of the Arts, Opening Act (NYC), Steps Ahead (NYC), BOUNCE Festival (NYC), and MOVE! (Denver). In fall 2023, Gussman choreographed the musical, Once, at the renowned The Gallery Players in Brooklyn, NY. In addition, Gussman has been teaching Pilates since 2015 and is honored to maintain a thriving private practice of Pilates/Somatics/Yoga students.
Daniel Weidlein (Musical Direction, Sound Designer, Composer, & Performer)
Daniel Weidlein is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer hailing from Boulder, Colorado and based in Los Angeles, California. His music has been performed by Grammy-Winning artists, Broadway performers, and ensembles from Los Angeles to Budapest. His debut albums, Fire In The Sky and A Winter's Lullaby, were his first experiments with chamber jazz, and that music has been performed at venues across the country including a sold out release show at the esteemed Blue Whale in Los Angeles. Daniel owns and operates BioSoul Music, a recording studio and production company in Los Angeles, where has written and crafted songs that have been streamed tens of millions of times for artists such as Blake McGrath, Sam Hirsh, Lumi Jin, Divya Maus, Ryan Amador, Kenton Chen, Mary Akpa, and the band PERTA. As an instrumentalist, Daniel has performed and toured with jazz luminaries such as Bob Mintzer, Joshua Redman, and Ambrose Akinmusire, legendary drag artist Peppermint, and the Budapest Recording Orchestra. @danielweidlein
Maki Teshima (Set Design, Installation & Creative Collaboration)
Maki Teshima is a botanical dye textile artist. Born and raised in Japan, she moved to the U.S. to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. She studied botanical drawing, painting and printmaking at Corcoran College of Art in Washington, D.C. She learned natural dyeing techniques at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Textile Art Center, and private studios in Kyoto, Japan. In early 2021, she relocated to Denver, Colorado after living in New York City for 15 years. She actively organizes natural dyeing workshops to share her passion. Her workshops are conducted in unique venues like cafes, hair salons, flower shops, and compost sites, in addition to renowned institutions such as the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the Denver Art Museum, and the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Alex Taylor (Lighting Design, Production Management, & Creative Collaboration)
Alex Taylor has worked in the New York theater scene for the past twelve years. His career includes four years as Assistant Lighting Supervisor for The Public Theater followed by the past seven years as the Lighting Supervisor at St. Ann’s Warehouse. These include: Nice Fish (ART), A Streetcar Named Desire (Young Vic), A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Taylor Mac), People, Places & Things (National Theatre), The Jungle (Good Chance/National Theatre/Young Vic), and Oklahoma!. He has had the pleasure of working as Lighting Supervisor and Production Electrician on a variety of amazing productions at The Public. These include: Into The Woods, Giant, Here Lies Love, Fun Home, The Library, Hamilton, and Grounded. Additionally, he has worked for The Today Show (Electrician), Shen Wei Dance Arts (Lighting Supervisor), Noche Flamenca (Production Electrician), and Control Group Productions (Lighting Designer & Videographer).His videography has been presented at National Sawdust (Lisel/Gwendolyn Gussman/Booker Stardrum), Next Gallery Denver (Control Group Productions), and The Cell Theatre (HOLDTIGHT). Alex has been working with HOLDTIGHT since 2019.
Bailey Harper (Creative Collaboration & Performer)
Bailey is an artist, dancer, and massage therapist, with a curious and unconventional approach to art. She holds a BA from the University of Alabama with a minor in Kinesiology. Her professional career began with Montgomery Ballet, within four seasons she went from apprentice to soloist. In 2013 she moved to Colorado and danced with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Hannah Kahn Dance Company, and Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet. She then shifted her focus from proscenium dance to Immersive Theater. Working with Control Group Productions she found a new niche and became the Associate Director of the company for many years, performing and helping to produce several shows. Also during that time, she was the Wolf in ‘Zabiti’ and was working with Invisible City to introduce immersive elements into different events. Currently, she is building her private practice as a massage therapist and works alongside her partner in their multi media production and dance company, Other Rooms, creating intimate immersive scenes and art installations. bsomatica.com
Divya Maus (Creative Collaboration & Performer)
Divya Maus is an award-winning musician whose work spans the spectrum of theatrical, contemporary, and choral music. Her pieces have been performed by recognized vocalists including Shoshana Bean, Carrie Manolakos, and Kirstin Maldonado. The lead single ‘Salty Water’ from her debut album BIGGER earned her a finalist placement in the Great American Song Contest and led to her opening for the Beach Boys in Los Angeles in 2014. As a vocalist, Divya has backed up Rozzi Crane, Scott Hoying (PENTATONIX), and Axel Mansoor, and was an original cast member of Heather Christian’s Oratorio for Living Things off-Broadway. Divya’s works as a composer include the new musical THE MOLLYHOUSE (book & lyrics by Richard Hanson), the choral suites RAIN CYCLE and ASCENT, and the dance fantasia THE SHADOW by Mixed eMotion Theatrix set to premier in Los Angeles in 2024. Divya holds a BA in Music from the USC Thornton School of Music, and an MFA from the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. divyamaus.com @divyamaus
Nico Gonzales (Creative Collaboration & Performer)
Nico Gonzales is originally from Denver, Colorado where he received his early training at Denver School of the Arts and from Brian Young. He holds his BFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. He is a founding member of Rovaco Dance (Rohan Bhargava) and HOLDTIGHT Company and continues to collaborate on new work with them both. He has also had the pleasure of performing work by Heidi Latsky Dance, Susan Marshall, Bryn Cohn & Artists, Stephan Koplowitz and Periapsis Music and Dance (Jonathan Katz) at venues including The Cell Theater, Jacobs Pillow, Bates Dance Festival, High Fest (Armenia), Mark Morris Dance Center, Bryant Park and Lincoln Center. Nico has been working with HT since its inception in 2016.
Xenia Mansour (Creative Collaboration & Performer)
Xenia Mansour is a dancer, mover, and performer based in New York City and Chicago. Mansour holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. While there, she had the opportunity to perform works by Giada Ferrone, James Martin, and Netta Yerushalmy, as well as José Limón’s Mazurkas at The Joyce Theater in New York City. She is currently a member of Katherine Maxwell’s HIVEWILD and performs regularly with experimental dance theater HOLDTIGHT, specifically its site-specific and immersive show, Nourishment, in both Denver and New York City. A former company member of BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance, she has also worked with Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener, Gabrielle Johnson + Artists, Javier Padilla & The Movement Playground, and Angie Moon Dance Theatre. She has performed in a range of stage, site-specific, immersive, film, and fashion work including as a guest dancer and model for Mexican fashion designer Carla Fernández, with choreography by Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener, and as a feature dancer for CXN’s Fashion Commercial Come With Us, choreographed by Katherine Maxwell.Mansour has had additional training at LINES Ballet, The Juilliard School, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, NW Dance Project’s LAUNCH: 11, New Dialect, and the Merce Cunningham Trust where she has performed works by Gregory Dawson, Bret Easterling, Alex Ketley, Ohad Naharin, Anton Rudakov, Luca Signoretti, and Merce Cunningham. Xenia has been working with HOLDTIGHT since 2018.
Xochitl Portillo (Creative Collaboration & Performer)
Xochitl Portillo (she/her/ella) is a poet, actress, teacher and screenwriter from Denver, Colorado. She is a graduate of Cornish College of the Arts and NYU and is thrilled to be making her HOLDTIGHT debut. Recent film writing/acting credits include the short Mancha (Netflix) as well as the feature A Place in the Field (Lionsgate). She is endlessly grateful for this collaborative process with such profound and brilliant artists. An extra bloom of gratitude to the Denver arts community as well as those who nourish it by supporting productions like these!
Emma Kimball (Stage Manager)
Emma S. Kimball is an independent dancetheater artist who directs, choreographs, performs in, and collaborates on projects for stage and film. She has worked with companies and artists in Colorado and New York including Stain’d Arts, Built for Collapse, Nerd Rat Media, Theater Reconstruction Ensemble, Canyon Concert Ballet, and Control Group Productions, among others. Emma is currently a company member of Life/Art Dance Ensemble and employee at DCPA, and an artist in residence at MOVE Dance Space & Arts Center. emmaskimball.com
Support and Acknowledgements
Major thank you to our Advisory Board Members Jonathan Bost, Ariel Kiley, and Joseph Giordano. HOLDTIGHT’s Advisory Board is comprised of people who are experts in their respective fields, passionate about the mission of HOLDTIGHT, and eager to contribute to the organization’s growth. This group is inspired to lend their time, expertise, support, and networks to garner interest in our work in an effort to expand the organization's impact on our audiences and community. The members are interested in individually and collectively moving the company from ideation to action.
Sending a huge thank you to the generous network of individuals who have helped make these performances possible in a variety of ways including (but not limited to): Kohn Family Corp, Ginny & Joe Gussman, Annette Taylor, Pam & Jeff Cramer, Mary Egleston, Tom Bost & Irene Aguilar, Patricia Emmons, Kathleen Kennedy, The Hatches, Lorriane & David Poor, Suzy Meyers, Carey Macaleer, Nancy & Jeff Kipnis, Susan Jacobson, Hugh Taylor, Sue & Joe Gonzales, Erik & Julie, Ann Kiley, Nancy Dunlop, Cecelia Jones, Emily Jacobs, Holly Messit, Michael Levin, Christiane Maclay, Marilyn & Clint Brookhart, Deborah Gauchat, Patricia Peterson, Amanda Berg Wilson, Harris & La Vonne Poor, and others.
Thank you to the peripheral circle of knowledgeable consultants with whom I’ve had thoughtful, eye-opening, heartfelt, and action-packed conversations with over the years, surrounding the environment, plant and herbal medicine, climate change, somatics, traditional Chinese medicine, change and environmentalism through art, and beyond: Nini Mai, Ann Inai-Shaw, Vanessa Walters, Dana Egleston, and Cat Pantaleo alongside many others.
Thank you to HOLDTIGHT Company’s Administrative Assistant, Corinne Hart, and to our Social Media Assistant, Xenia Mansour.
What’s Next for HOLDTIGHT?
With the support of RiNo Arts District, HOLDTIGHT will premiere the other two sections of un/tethered in Fall 2024 in Denver, Colorado!
Starting soon, HOLDTIGHT will offer monthly Process + Express workshops in Colorado!
HOLDTIGHT will offer workshops, pop-up showings, and a fall event in NYC in 2024!
Learn more about these offerings and future performances by visiting our website and subscribing to our newsletter.
