Treehouse Shakers was awarded
"Best of Manhattan" by New York Press!

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HATCHED
A Seedling Drama

Performed through movement, handcrafted puppets, and very little human dialogue, the story, Hatched, is set amidst an American family farm.

See the video diaries on marastrehouse.blogspot.com


February 2, 1012
Work-in-Progress
11:00am
Free with Museum Entrance
Long Island Children's Museum
11 Davis Ave.
Garden City, NY 11530

April 20 and 21, 2012
Premiere
11:00am
Long Island Children's Museum
11 Davis Ave.
Garden City, NY 11530

May 3-4 and 10-11, and 19, 2012
NYC Premiere
11:00am
The Ailey Citigroup Theater
Joan Weill Center for Dance
405 West 55th St. (Corner of 9th Ave.)
Reservations: 212.715.1914 or contactus@treehouseshakers.com
Tickets: $20, call for group discounts

Tickets

May 3th @ 11:00am May 4th @ 11:00am May 10th @ 11:00am May 11th @ 11:00am May 19th @ 11:00am

Pick up tickets at Box Office the day of performance. Tickets are non-refundable.
Theater is Handicap Accessible.

Supporters See who has donated to the auction and find our more about the benefit party.


To order shakers or tshirts email contactus@treehouseshakers.com

For Performance Bookings Contact

"Treehouse Shakers creates fantastic dance/theater performances for children that has the subtlety and artistry that engages their adult companions. I went on my own, without a child and loved it...."
-Jackie Pine, Executive Director Early Stages, Inc.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Mission Statement

Treehouse Shakers Treehouse Shakers is a non-profit dance and theater company committed to creating work that encourages people to experience their feelings and their connection to the greater community. Treehouse Shakers achieves this by creating humanistic stories, experimenting with narrative styles and exploring the story's elements through the abstractions of modern dance.

Our young audience programming is a natural outgrowth of these artistic goals and techniques. The company begins each performance with a workshop in which the performers teach the audience parts of the dance they will view. Treehouse Shakers is unique in its offering young audiences a guided look at modern dance through meaningful and fun storytelling.

Treehouse Shakers was named for the wonders of nature, the power of imagination and the excitement of dance. The treehouse, like the theater, is a sacred space where imagination is the most potent currency and stories are the roots of the world.

Board of Directors

President: Geri Pell
Vice President: Mara McEwin
Treasurer: Emily Bunning
Secretary: Linda Novak
Other Directors:
Michael Walsh
John Anselmi
Emily Regas
Advisory Committee:
Julia Morris
Joseph Stecher
Malla Perry

History

Treehouse Shakers, Inc. is a non-profit dance and theater company recently awarded "Best of New York" by the New York Press. Co-founded in 1997 by collaborators Emily Bunning, choreographer/dancer and Mara McEwin, writer/actor, Treehouse Shakers has performed works for children and adults in many of New York City's established performance venues, as well as schools, theaters and community centers across the nation. Treehouse Shakers has produced original dance-plays that include; Dance of My Daughter at the Ensemble Studio Theater, He, She and The Way You Kissed at the Producer's Club and Touching Illusions at Todo 45.

In 2002, they created Outside Of Kissing Rock, Bunning's and McEwin's autobiographical story of growing up wild in Wyoming. Excerpts have been presented at numerous dance venues around New York and premiered with a full length run on December 2002 at HERE Arts Center in Manhattan. Rebecca Longworth of On and Off Broadway Review wrote, "It is an emotionally intimate but accessible piece created by artists who clearly cherish the fullness of their hybrid medium as well as their own friendship and collaboration." Their fifth adult dance-play, Lost Arroyos, follows several characters as they explore class struggles, race boundaries and blurred identities woven within the American cultural tapestry. Lost Arroyos premiered at HERE Arts Center in NYC in June 2007.

In March 2004, Bunning choreographed Under Covers, which premiered at the Brooklyn Arts Exchange for which she was awarded a space grant. Using five dancers, Under Covers, is a carousel of movement that is corralled, manipulated and tangled into the material of a "larger than life" circular skirt. In the fall of 2004, Under Covers was presented in the Dancenow/NYC Festival at the Joyce SoHo and in July 2005 performed in the International Dance Festival at the Ailey Citigroup Theater.

In 1999, Treehouse Shakers created its first children's production, Flying Through Rainbows. This dance-play about the letter "O" in search of her true identity, premiered with a successful run at Nada 45 during the 1999 Nino Nada festival in New York City and has since been commissioned for art communities throughout the tri-state area. Flying Through Rainbows has also been a featured segment on Fox 5-TV's Good Day NY and received praise from The New York Times. The End of Winter, a play about saving the Earth from Peuwina Pollution, has been performed throughout Manhattan including; The Children's Museum of the Arts, Manhattan Treehouse, L.I.F.E. Homeless Shelter, and the Rye Arts Center in Rye, New York.

Animal Rhythms: Two African Tales premiered in February 2002 at the L.I.F.E homeless shelter and has toured across the United States ever since. Notable venues include: Jacob's Pillow, Tribeca Film Festival, World of Nations Festival in Florida, Battery Park City's Go Fish Festival, and Manhattan's Calliope Playhouse, to name a few. While performing Animal Rhythms in Brooklyn, New York Magazine exclaimed, "Even Manhattan chauvinists have to admit there's reason to cross the East River." Animal Rhythms introduces audiences to rhythm, modern dance and storytelling.

In 2004, Treehouse Shakers created Desert Travels: Tales from the Middle East which premiered in New York City and continues to be performed nationwide. Desert Travels gives young audiences a mesmerizing taste of life in the Middle East by portraying the sights, sounds and stories of this remarkable and distinguished culture. In 2004, Desert Travels received a Meet The Composer Fund Grant for the performance at DeBaun Auditorium in New Jersey as well as a BOCES and Wyoming Arts Council Grant for the 2004 tour to Wyoming. In 2005, Desert Travels was awarded grants from LMCC's MCAF and the Puffin Foundation, for performances at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in New York City.

In 2006, Treehouse Shakers presented Coyote's Dance: Tales of the American Indian on tour in Wyoming. In April 2006, Coyote's Dance had its New York City premiere at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. The performances received funding from LMCC's Fund for Creative Communities/NYSCA and LMCC's Manhattan Community Arts Fund/DCA. Coyote's Dance follows Coyote, who is both clown and teacher, on a humorous journey of deceit and adventure. Performed in native-influenced costumes, headdresses and a lively mixture of movement-styles, Coyote's Dance was praised by the New York Times and featured in New York Magazine, Time Out Kids, NY1's Parenting Report, Village Voice, and The Daily News. Bunning and McEwin were interviewed by New York Cool and Small World Productions both online for their collaboration. Coyote's Dance is currently touring in notable venues across the nation.

Let's Talk About IT! is a coming of age performance exploration, for teens which premiered on tour to Southwest Wyoming in April 2009 and held its New York City premiere at The Peter Jay Sharp Theater on 42nd St. in May 2009. Let's Talk About IT! incorporates the vocabulary of dance, ancient world folklore, real-life stories, and video interviews of everyday teens and pre-teens.

Hatched is Treehouse Shakers newest seedling drama for ages 0-6. Written and directed by Mara McEwin, Hatched is the original performance of a newborn chick who emerges from her shell at sunrise to a strange and busy world. Performed through movement, handcrafted puppets, and very little human dialogue, the story is set amidst an American family farm. The chick is met by a feisty old rooster, a newly born calf learning to walk, a baby lamb, and a noisy nest of baby birds. Part touch museum, farm, and a theatrical experience, Hatched is sure to please even the youngest of audience members. Hatched premieres at the Long Island Children's Museum April 20 & 21, 2012, and May 2012 at The Ailey Citigroup Theater in NYC.

If you would like to make a donation to Treehouse Shakers please contact Emily Bunning at (917) 749-2909, or email us at contactus@treehouseshakers.com

Become a leaf donor to our tree today!

Treehouse Shakers
Radio City Station
P.O. Box 186
New York, NY 10101-0186
(212) 715-1914
contactus@treehouseshakers.com

Emily Bunning, Artistic Coordinator "Mover"
Mara McEwin, Artistic Director "Shaker"

site design:
Wade Hampton
wade@transflux.com