Melissa Pasut
Encyclopedia
Melissa Pasut is a dancer and choreographer specializing in contemporary dance
, with particular focus on contact improvisation
among dancers and the inclusion of musicians onstage as active participants in the movement. She has lived and worked in Tampa
, Rome
, and Bologna
.
where she studied with Gretchen Ward Warren, Lynne Wimmer, Jeane Travers, Sandra Robinson, Madame Gabriella Darvash, Gerry Houlihan, and Albena Arnaudova. She performed with Gaudere Danza, Dance,Music,Design, and Moving Current,. In 2002, together with Leah Ratliff, she founded the company Anoikis, presenting annual productions at the Orlando International Fringe Festival.
In 2007 she re-established Anoikis with performances of Transfiguration of a Shattered Mass in Modena
, Padova and Ravenna
, supported by Andrew L. Hooker and Stefano Pilia/Pasquale Massaro performing live music onstage to her solo dance.
In 2008 she co-choreographed and performed Shuffle with Teri Weikel. She began teaching contact improvisation
at Spaziodanza in Bologna, as well as working with Monica Rimondi.
. Their first collaboration was a soundtrack by Duncan for her solo Purging, premiered in June 2008 at Ottomax in Rome. In September 2008, they worked together with artist Andrew L. Hooker on her solo dance-for-film project, An Intuitive Conversation, performed on the rocks at Piombino
Beach, including underwater camera work.
Her most recent choreography, An Open Area Inside the Mountain, is a duet with Duncan as a non-dancer, experimenting with movement and music produced live on hand-built instruments designed and constructed by Duncan.http://www.johnduncan.org/dancemenu.html
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
, with particular focus on contact improvisation
Contact improvisation
Contact improvisation is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation...
among dancers and the inclusion of musicians onstage as active participants in the movement. She has lived and worked in Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
.
Education and work in the United States
Pasut graduated in Dance from the University of South FloridaUniversity of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
where she studied with Gretchen Ward Warren, Lynne Wimmer, Jeane Travers, Sandra Robinson, Madame Gabriella Darvash, Gerry Houlihan, and Albena Arnaudova. She performed with Gaudere Danza, Dance,Music,Design, and Moving Current,. In 2002, together with Leah Ratliff, she founded the company Anoikis, presenting annual productions at the Orlando International Fringe Festival.
Italy
In 2005 she moved to Rome, accepting an invitation to join Altroteatro Dance Company.In 2007 she re-established Anoikis with performances of Transfiguration of a Shattered Mass in Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Padova and Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, supported by Andrew L. Hooker and Stefano Pilia/Pasquale Massaro performing live music onstage to her solo dance.
In 2008 she co-choreographed and performed Shuffle with Teri Weikel. She began teaching contact improvisation
Contact improvisation
Contact improvisation is a dance technique in which points of physical contact provide the starting point for exploration through movement improvisation...
at Spaziodanza in Bologna, as well as working with Monica Rimondi.
Recent work
She also works creatively with John DuncanJohn Duncan (artist)
This page is about John Duncan the contemporary artist. For the Symbolist artist see John Duncan .John Duncan is an artist who has lived and worked in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Amsterdam, currently lives and works in Bologna...
. Their first collaboration was a soundtrack by Duncan for her solo Purging, premiered in June 2008 at Ottomax in Rome. In September 2008, they worked together with artist Andrew L. Hooker on her solo dance-for-film project, An Intuitive Conversation, performed on the rocks at Piombino
Piombino
Piombino is an Italian town and comune of circa 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno . It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma.-Overview:...
Beach, including underwater camera work.
Her most recent choreography, An Open Area Inside the Mountain, is a duet with Duncan as a non-dancer, experimenting with movement and music produced live on hand-built instruments designed and constructed by Duncan.http://www.johnduncan.org/dancemenu.html