Talent, Opportunity, and the Creative Process
On-Site with Keshet Dance & Center for the Arts, Erika Randall, and Teena Marie Custer
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Albuquerque, NM is known as much for its welcoming spirit as it is for its abundance of resources. It cherishes its legacies and traditions even as it invites new ideas and approaches to the table.
So it is a special treat for Albuquerque’s dancers when Keshet Dance & Center for the Arts opens its doors to free open dance classes with remarkable guest artists: Erika Randall and Teena Marie Custer.
Legend has it that Keshet Founder and Artistic Director, Shira Greenberg, and Erika Randall used to dance down the hallways of their high school, well before Keshet launched in 1997. A few years later, Erika Randall and Teena Marie Custer met and began dancing together during their time at The Ohio State University.
A lot has happened since then: Keshet has continued to push the boundaries of contemporary dance, from founding one of New Mexico’s longest running professional contemporary dance companies, through its whole-community 20-year run of Nutcracker on the Rocks, to breaking barriers with the juxtaposition of art and juvenile justice in their nationally-recognized Arts & Justice Initiatives. All the while, Randall and Custer have been growing their own careers and reputations.
Now, briefly, they will be setting a new work on Keshet Dance Company, to be premiered as part of the mixed repertory production, A More Beautiful Question, which will include additional choreographic premieres by Shira Greenberg, Ana Lopes Aréchiga, Elysia Pope & Juliana Gorena, Lara Segura, and Diana MacNeil.
The performance investigates how the more beautiful questions guide our paths to uncover the genuine problems, allowing us to activate the most creative, meaningful solutions. The dynamic mixed repertory offers an opportunity for multiple choreographers to explore this rich concept through their own, unique creative lens, movement vocabularies, and life perspectives.
A More Beautiful Question will premiere in Albuquerque at Keshet Center for the Arts on November 1, 2024, and will run for two weekends only.
During their time in Albuquerque this August, while setting their new work, Erika Randall and Teena Marie Custer will be teaching daily Keshet Dance Company classes, which will be open to intermediate and advanced local dancers. This is a great opportunity to learn from professionals from outside our community, and engage with new and different styles of dance and teaching.
Erika Randall is a multifaceted artist and educator with a dynamic career spanning dance, writing, and film. She serves as the Associate Dean for Student Success and is a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she has been a faculty member since 2007. Randall’s work emphasizes the intersection of dance, gender, and popular culture, with a focus on redefining roles for women through her choreography, directing, and screenwriting.
As a performer, she has worked with Anna Sapozhnikov, Megan Odom, Teena Marie Custer, Sydney Skybetter, Sara Hook, David Parker and the Bang Group, Michelle Ellsworth, the Mark Morris Dance Group and Buglisi / Foreman Dance. Her choreography has been seen in four countries and 16 states over the last 10 years and her screendance works have appeared in festivals around the globe. Randall’s notable projects include co-writing, co-directing, and co-producing the feature dance film Leading Ladies. Her other works, such as candy dish, Paula + Francesca, and self defense, further showcase her innovative approach to dance and film. As an educator, she has taught various dance courses, including intermediate and advanced ballet, choreography, and dance repertory, and has been instrumental in mentoring and inspiring her students and colleagues (CU Experts) (University of Colorado Boulder) (University of Colorado Boulder).
Teena Marie Custer is a versatile dancer and choreographer with expertise in breaking, hip-hop, house, and street dance forms. She holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Performance and Choreography from the University of Colorado Boulder. Custer has performed with several hip-hop theater companies, including the Pittsburgh-based company, Attack Theatre, and Rennie Harris Puremovement. She is also known for her solo works and performances in commercial and underground dance scenes.
Custer has been a member of, and toured extensively with, the Bessie-nominated Ephrat Asherie Dance in New York City since 2012. The company has performed at The Joyce, Guggenheim Works in Process, City Center’s Fall for Dance, Jacob’s Pillow, as well as venues across the country. Teena Marie has also toured with Bill “Crutchmaster” Shannon’s show Touch Update, and has danced with Dance Alloy, Erika Randall and Ursula Payne as a contemporary movement artist.
Custer has taught workshops and masterclasses across the United States and internationally, sharing her knowledge and passion for hip-hop culture and dance. Her choreography blends street dance with contemporary dance techniques, creating a unique and engaging style. Custer’s dedication to her craft and her ability to bridge different dance communities make her a significant figure in the dance world.
Erika Randall’s and Teena Marie Custer’s Visiting Artists Open Advanced Classes will take place at Keshet Dance & Center for the Arts from August 1, 2024 through August 3, 2024, from 10:00 to 11:30am. Pre-registration is encouraged, and class fees are on a sliding scale from $0 to $20 per class. Local artists should take advantage of the $0 class fee!