The Bang Group
Biography
THE BANG GROUP is a contemporary theatrical dance troupe which is devoted to choreographer David Parker’s fascination with the rhythmic potential of the dancing body. At the center of his work is an abiding love of rhythmic form and the intensity of communication it allows between audiences and performers. Among his best known works are the 21st century neo-vaudeville Nutcracker entitled Nut/Cracked as well as ShowDown, a choreographic reinvention of Annie Get Your Gun for cabaret and concert stages, and a series of male duets ranging from Slapstuck for two velcro-clad gentlemen, to Bang and Suck, Friends of Dorothy, The Missing Reel and Old Fashioned Wedding. These dances were created for Jeffrey Kazin and David Parker who now direct the company together building a choreographic dialogue between show business, classical and contemporary dance traditions. Their most recent work, the evening-length Misters and Sisters is an unadulterated song-and-dance cabaret which achieved instant critical acclaim at its premier run at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater.
TBG has been presented in New York City eight times by Dance Theater Workshop in their own evening-length programs, twice by Danspace Project at Saint Mark’s Church and several times by DanceNow/NYC at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater. TBG also appears regularly on DTW’s Family Matters series and at Lincoln-Center-Out-of-Doors, Symphony Space, The Joyce Soho, World Financial Center’s Arts and Events, Town Hall, the 92nd Street Y and at numerous other venues throughout New York City.
The Bang Group has appeared in many European festivals including The Holland Dance Festival (The Hague), International Biennale de Charleroi Danses (Belgium), Konfrontace Festival (Prague), Tanzsprache Festival (Vienna), Dance Week (Zagreb), Divadelna Nitra (Slovakia), Belluard Bollwerk (Switzerland), Nervi Estate (Italy), Ballett Umbria, Invito Alla Danza (Rome), Tanzmesse NRW (Germany), Dutch Touch (Paris), OT301 (Amsterdam), Monaco Danse Forum, Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2005 and 2009) and others. TBG has also appeared regularly in Montreal at Studio 303, Divers Cité Festival, Tangente and CINARS as well as in 22 of the United States.
The company has developed a second home base in the Boston area where it appears each summer through Summer Stages Dance Festival in Concord Massachusetts. The Bang Group celebrated its 10th anniversary season as company in residence at Summer Stages Dance in 2009. It also appears regularly in First Night Boston and has performed Nut/Cracked at the Out On the Edge Festival at the Theater Offensive in Boston for three consecutive seasons. TBG has been on Best-of-the-Year lists in Antwerp, Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, London and Montreal.
The Bang Group has received generous support from the Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Greenwall Foundation, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York Foundation for the Arts (Build Grant), Pentacle’s ARC (Advancement, Reinvention and Creativity) Grant, The Mid Atlantic Arts Fund, The Fund for Mutual Understanding, Arts International, The 2wice Foundation, The Netherland-America Foundation, The Heathcote Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, The Hale Matthews Foundation, The Amy Sue Rosen Foundation, various commissioning initiatives through Dance Theater Workshop, DanceNow/NYC and Danspace Project and many individual donors.
TBG has been company-in-residence at New York’s West End Theater since 2003 where Jeffrey Kazin and David Parker present thrice-yearly mini-festivals of dance from New York City and beyond.
