Social Media for the Misinformation Age / Dance NYC Symposium / Hunter College / Room 407

How, in this cluttered and confusing political climate, can we successfully write marketing copy for our work? How can we wield that writing via social advertising to authentically build varied but relevant communities around advocacy and art-making?

In this action-oriented lab, we’ll playfully peel back dense layers of human psychology and data-driven social media advertising to reveal humans that can be empowered or manipulated. Together, we’ll innovate new systems for creative audience engagement that resist misinformation and establish meaningful relationships with fans and collaborators.

The workshop will include quick-and-dirty tutorials, brainstorming exercises, and on-the-spot community building. Expect to walk away with a flood of new ideas, a small army of allies, and take-home tactics to activate your audience.

The Straight Man Celebrates Galentine’s / People's Improv Theater,  Striker stage, 123 E 24th St, New York, NY 10010

Ditch the chalky candy hearts, stuffed bears, and heteropatriarchy of the Valentine’s season. Join us for Galentine’s Comedy, a variety show featuring the funniest femmes in stand up, improv, and sketch. Hosted by real-life galentine’s Hannah Goldman & Aleca Zam Piper! The Straight Man: A Comedy Show Without One is produced by Hannah Goldman and Jamie Benson. Learn more on Instagram at @straightmancomedy.

Tickets: $10

Yaaas! Fest / Broadway Comedy Club, 318 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019

One month into this whole stand up thing and I signed up for a competition… (deep sigh). I’m pretty gay and pretty funny though so call the reservation line for tickets. If you went as far as to read this, than you must like me a little. And, everyone likes a laugh so see you there.

Tickets: $25

The Straight Man / People's Improv Theater,  Striker stage, 123 E 24th St, New York, NY 10010

The “straight man” is overused in comedy, from the archetype to actual performers. Our show is different- each performer is completely ridiculous, and every one is female-identifying, non-binary, and/or queer. All folks are welcome to come, and enjoy!

Tickets: $10

The Let Go / Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065

The Park Avenue Armory has invited Shakedown to dance in The Let Go by Nick Cave, one of the most popular contemporary artists of our time. And, you're invited (no experience necessary). Cave is turning the Armory's 37,000 square foot space into a dance hall. There'll be a 100ft long, 40ft tall rainbow colored mylar curtain on a winding track, games of Twister; music by NYC's best DJ’s; a Soul Train platform, and more.

Tickets: $15

Gay Stuff / People's Improv Theater,  Striker stage, 123 E 24th St, New York, NY 10010

An isle of misfit comedy nerds descend upon the PIT to exploit their personal damage for cheap laughs. This new comedy team originates from the DC political scene, modern dance landscape, evangelical christian world, and more.

“Gay Stuff” will dissect internalized homophobia, oppressive bro prerogative, and marginalizing gay cliches, but like, with dick jokes. It shouldn’t (and it may not) work, but you’ll have a lot to talk about either way, so win.

Tickets: $8

Social Advertising Bootcamp / NJCU School of Business, Harborside 2 - 200 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ 07311

Dive into an intensive, hand-on workshop on effectively using social media, geared specifically towards individual artists and small arts organizations.

In this actioned-oriented lab, a tough love approach will be mitigated by a relentless sense of humor, with the aim to abolish self-destructive habits & inspire a fun-first “big picture” outlook about creative ventures.

Social Advertising for the Misinformation Age / Dance NYC Symposium / Gibney Dance Center, Studio E / 280 Broadway, New York, NY 10007

How, in this cluttered and confusing political climate, can we successfully write marketing copy for our work? How can we wield that writing via social advertising to authentically build varied but relevant communities around advocacy and art-making?

In this action-oriented lab, we’ll playfully peel back dense layers of human psychology and data-driven social media advertising to reveal humans that can be empowered or manipulated. Together, we’ll innovate new systems for creative audience engagement that resist misinformation and establish meaningful relationships with fans and collaborators.

The workshop will include quick-and-dirty tutorials, brainstorming exercises, and on-the-spot community building. Expect to walk away with a flood of new ideas, a small army of allies, and take-home tactics to activate your audience.

Creatives MX Mavericks invitational / Ramada Inn, Route 300, Newburgh, NY 12550

The Mavericks Invitational is a 36-Hour immersive development and entrepreneurship hackcamp for creative careerists. Mavericks will leave the Invitational with Cash, Commissioned Work and Prizes plus skills in innovation, production, entrepreneurship, product development.

The final event on Sunday afternoon, February 18th is our Pitch Session. Maverick teams will pitch their breakthrough innovations to a panel of established entrepreneurs and industry leaders for seed cash and the medium to bring their idea to reality.

Raising Dollars & Social Media Presence / NJCU Arts Center, 201 Montgomery Street, 2nd Floor, Jersey City

Dive into an intensive evening focused on grant writing and social media, specifically for individual artists and small arts organizations.

Panelists:
Jamie Benson, Marketing & Development Professional / Social Media Manager for the CUNY Dance Initiative
Doris Cacoilo, Founder of Gaia, women artist collective
Maria Gatewood, Director of Development and Marketing, Newark Arts Council

Igniting Public Passions and Participation in the 21st Century / Dance NYC Symposium / Gibney Dance Center, 280 Broadway, New York, NY 10007

This is not your Mama’s audience engagement workshop. Shake off static modes of arts outreach in an interactive, action-oriented lab, led by rebel-clown choreographer and marketing consultant Jamie Benson. The event will include quick-and-dirty presentations, brainstorming exercises, and on-the-spot community building. Expect to walk away with a flood of new ideas, a small army of allies, and take-home tactics to activate your audience in mutually beneficial ways. Dare the public to dance with you and wield the power of immaterial labor in this “Web 2.0” world.

BASTARD / La Mama / 66 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003

Shakedown Dance Collective participated in the revival of the award-winning production Bastard of the Painted Bird by Pavel Zustiak and Palissimo Dance Company. Bastard is a work about difference, otherness, belonging and human nature and is more urgent today than when they premiered it in 2010.

FIRST THING / Salamanca Arts Center / 77 Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania 7000

Salamanca Moves has selected my short, First Thing, for a screening. First Thing follows a guy's morning ritual upon first glance at his face in the bathroom mirror.

Creativity Marathon / CreativesMX / Hudson River Valley, NY

In this CreativesMX professional development marathon for artists and entrepreneurs, I lead deep, interactive, hands-on trainings that help you wield the power of Public Relations and Social Media to build a more avid following.

Dance NYC Symposium / Gibney Dance Center / 280 Broadway, New York, NY 10007

Join CUNY Dance Initiative in a discussion on how to find non-traditional audiences and get them to attend your programs. Hear from the CDI management about their efforts to connect dance artists with CUNY communities, and dive into an interactive, hands-on training with social media manager Jamie Benson, who will share how CDI's online strategies can help you harness the power of social media to build an avid following.

$125 / $50 (Artist)

HECKLE / Dixon Place Lounge / 161 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

In Heckle, the Shakedown Dance Collective and I will be dancing to a brutal stand-up comedy soundtrack, complete with heckling. This brand, brand new work will reflect upon similarities between seemingly adversarial parties, bullying, internet trolls, gossip and the performance that is daily life. 

FREE EVENT

FIRST THING / Bucharest International Dance Film Festival / Bucharest, Romania

My short film First Thing, where a guy wrestles with his face first thing in the morning, and loses, will screen as an official selection of the festival.

IN WAIT / So You Think You Can Choreograph / Proctors Theatre / 432 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12305

I'm a finalist for "So You Think You Can Choreograph". They debut original works from a selection of the nation's best up and coming choreographers (like me). Audience member votes will determine who becomes the Nacre Dance 2016 Guest Choreographer! (hopefully me).

$20 Tickets

MASTER CLASS / Zoomtopia / 810 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214

The good citizens of Portland have requested my special, once-a-year dance class / rehearsal- so it's happening. The first hour will be a formal dance class with combination. In the second hour we'll play with the combo to innovate a mini performance piece. This is a #FunFirst event. ALL experience levels are dared to dance.

$10 cash (suggested donation)

FOMO / WAXworks / Triskelion Arts / 106 Cayler Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222

FOMO, or “Fear Of Missing Out”, will roll around in the modern compulsion to “keep busy”. 21st century self-involvement will be explored through a relatively amusing solo, in a post-modern dance style, conceptually mirroring the experience of being inundated with mental focal points, opportunities and places to be, both physical and digital.

Tickets: $10
Reservations: 718.599.7997

THE ONE HUNDREDS / Lower Manhattan Cultural Council / Rockefeller Park, New York, NY

I'll be helping facilitate and performing in The One Hundreds by Twyla Tharp, presented by LMCC and The Joyce Theater on June 20th as part of the River To River Festival. Inspired by legendary baseball player Sandy Koufax, Tharp noticed that each baseball play took approximately 11 seconds. She crafted her own 11-second phrases, culminating with her creation of The One Hundreds.

FREE

3 DAY WEEKEND / Long Legs, Short Films / DCTV / 87 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10013

My film 3 Day Weekend was accepted into DCTV and DFA's Long Legs, Short Films, a screening of short films of various genres that explores dance through a different lens.

$10 Tickets

FOMO / Movement Research / Eden's Expressway / 537 Broadway, New York, NY 10012

I'll unveil my new solo FOMO, as part of Movement Research's OPEN PERFORMANCE series. Since it's a free, work-in-progress thing, you'll have the opportunity to give the artists (all 3 of us) constructive feedback. Meaning, you can tell me I suck to my face. Go ahead. I dare you.

FREE

FIRST THING / Dance Film Lab / Triskelion Arts / 106 Cayler Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Triskelion Arts has selected my short, First Thing, for a screening. First Thing follows a guy's morning ritual upon first glance at his face in the bathroom mirror.

$10 Tickets

LE GRAND CONTINENTAL / Ansan Street Arts Festival / Ansan, South Korea

I'm heading to Ansan, South Korea to finish directing 140 community volunteers in Le Grand Continental, a touring 30 minute line dance by Montreal-based Choreographer Sylvain Emard.

THIRD RAIL / PLATFORM / New York Transit Museum / Boerum Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11201

In Third Rail, people of all shapes, ages and experience levels will perform choreography adapted from real life transit stories collected from the general public, performing on the Museum's platform and inside the historic subway cars. The work will touch base on man-spreading, public drunkenness, mobile tech, gross things on the floor and more.

$10 Tickets. Use Code CREATE10 at checkout.

Made possible in part by Brooklyn Arts Council.

FOMO / Triskelion Arts / 106 Cayler Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222

FOMO, or “Fear Of Missing Out”, will roll around in the modern compulsion to “keep busy”. 21st century self-involvement will be explored through a relatively amusing solo, in a post-modern dance style, conceptually mirroring the experience of being inundated with mental focal points, opportunities and places to be, both physical and digital.

$16 Tickets

Dance Parade Kick Off Party / Taj Lounge, 48 West 21st Street, NY

The Shakedown Dance Collective gets the party that is the New York Dance Parade started with a special performance.

REFRACT / Ecstatic Music Festival / Winter Garden Atrium, New York, NY

Choreographer Deborah Lohse will present her work Refract in a joint performance with Mantra Percussion and the Shakedown Dance Collective for the Ecstatic Music Festival.

DANCE FILM LAB Holiday Party / DCTV / 87 Lafayette St, New York, NY

Dance Films Association has selected my short, First Thing, for a screening at their annual holiday party. First Thing follows a guy's morning ritual upon first glance at his face in the bathroom mirror. 

PARTY TO-GO / NY Transit Museum / Boerum Pl & Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn

In Party To-Go, a service industry professional encounters a glimmer of hope while serving up his usual dish of despair.

BABS' FAVORITE SOUND / Triskelion Arts / 118 N. 11th St. 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Babs' Favorite Sound, is a live dance meditation on the human orgasm & a delicious addition to Triskelion Arts' 5th Annual Comedy in Dance Festival.

WILD ART BOOK LAUNCH / Phaidon Press / Smyth Tribeca Hotel, 85 West Broadway, NYC

Wild Art, by David Carrier & Joachim Pissarro, is an incredibly brash collection of over 300 extraordinary artworks that are too offbeat, outrageous, kitschy, quirky, or funky for the formal art world. My dance satire Bowel Movement is featured on page 215. Buy it!

HOME/MADE / Triskelion Arts / 118 N. 11th St. 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11249

RedWall Dance Theatre's humor-drenched production of Home/made is a playful, cynical romp exploring gender, sex & relationships.

BURROW / Appearing in public parks all over NYC

Architecture & dance converge in Burrow, a new performance happening from choreographer Cynthia Anne Stanley & architect Maria Sieira. Witness 12 women (& me) emerge from a mirage of World War II era styles & sounds.

AIN'T NO THING  /  Dixon Place

The Shakedown Dance Collective will debut their new dance piece, Ain't No Thing, described as an exercise in effortless, groovy joy, for New York Dance Parade's International Dance Day Gala.

LE GRAND CONTINENTAL / Pioneer Square / 701 SW 6th Avenue, Portland, OR 97204

White Bird will present the West Coast Premiere of Le Grand Continental by Montreal-based choreographer Sylvain Emard. 160 dancers of all creeds, shapes & ages will take over Portland's Pioneer Square to perform an ambitious, wildly creative, 30 minute line dance.

LE GRAND CONTINENTAL / South Street Sea Port / 89 South Street, New York, NY

The River To River Festival & Joyce Theater join forces to present the U.S. Premiere of Montréal choreographer Sylvain Émard’s Le Grand Continental. 150 New Yorkers of all ages & backgrounds will perform this ecstatic contemporary line dance.

BOWEL MOVEMENT / Triskelion Arts / 118 N. 11th St. 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11249

Bowel Movement is a satirical ballet designed to confront one of the last taboos of man, shit. In this nightmarish dreamscape, we follow a very refined lady as she battles her darkest fear, her own excrement. With horror, humor, wild theatrics, and silent movie era kitsch, you do not want to miss this.

MIXED MARRIAGES / Highways / 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

In Mixed Marriages, lovers & collaborators of 8 years, Project Runway Designer Andrae Gonzalo & Choreographer Jamie Benson use juxtaposition to exploit the arc of their relationship, dramatizing everything from their servant origins (rich/poor) to their long distance relationship (NY/LA).

MASS TRANSIT / Bootleg Theater / 2220 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Mass Transit is a wildly theatrical, 30 minute performance installation directly inspired by real life Metro happenings. Through overlapping vignettes of dance, gesture, noise & movement, Benson's hybrid-brand of choreography infuses classic & barbaric dance techniques with a vaudevillian performance shtick to create a bastardized Broadway experience.

PEREZIAN GEOMETRY / Highways / 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

In a frenzied exercise of physical & emotional stamina, Jamie Benson introduces a new infectious dance solo called Point B. Inspired by Rudy Perez’s choreographic process of incorporating the use of space, focus, energy along with the bare experience of movement, Benson adds a linear emotional context in order to further dissect jazz & modern dance forms.

SURRENDER DOROTHY / Luckman Arts Complex / 5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032

Surrender Dorothy, the new work by famed post-modern choreographer Rudy Perez, is a collaboration between Liquid Skin Ensemble and members of the Rudy Perez Ensemble. One of the co-founders of New York's experimental Judson Dance Theatre, a coterie of artists who would define boundary-breaking "downtown" aesthetics in 1962, Perez continues to chart an unwavering course where pedestrian moves transcend the mundane to reveal bold, deep ideas.