the group work
a sampling of larger and site-specific projects
Although until several years ago best known for his activity as a solo artist, David Appel in fact has a long history of creating pieces for larger groups and unusual combinations of performers, set in interesting locales. Dating back to the early 1970’s, these include (among others):
The Red Piece (1973)
A work for 8 members of City Dance Theater of Boston, which took place on the sidewalks of the downtown business district (Boston, MA).
A-Z; 1,2,3 (1975)
A collaboration between Appel and dancer Theda Rosenbluth, performed in his loft by the two of them once a day for the entire month of January, at a pre-scheduled time during each 24-hour period.
Touch Tuning (1975)
A work for 11 performers (dancers, musicians, and others), which constantly shifted location and perspective around the audience in a loft performance space (Boston, MA).
5-10 Helixity Junction (1976)
A work using movement and vocalizing, for the 10 members of the Wellesley College Dance Group
(Wellesley, MA).
Re-cycle: tower and earth (1978)
A piece for 4 performers on and off a large tower constructed at Project Studios 1 (New York, NY).
Junction (1978)
A sound piece for 100+ members of an audience at the Cunningham Dance Studio (New York, NY).
being...with (1979)
A work in two parts for 20+ performers, using movement, vocalizing, and spoken text, at MoMing Dance and Art Center (Chicago, IL).
Shrimp Tracks Fished Facts (1981)
A piece for 14 students at the Southern Dance Festival (Coral Gables, FL).
String of Pearls, Ace of Hearts (1984)
A work for 5 dancers, the percussion section of a champion high school marching band, a jazz group, and the audience, at Dance Place (Washington, DC).
NY/St. Louis/LA (1984)
An hour-long piece scored for 20+ artists and performers in a variety of media, at Glen Echo Park
(Glen Echo, MD).
Space Is The Place (1986)
A piece for 16 dancers in several sections that filled the Mt. Vernon College performance space in very different ways (Washington, DC).
Sleeping and Dreaming (1988)
A work for 15 ballet dancers at the Alabama Dance Festival (Tuscaloosa, AL).
Winter's Tale (1989)
A piece for 17 dancers at the University of Maine Farmington (Farmington, ME).
Going Through The Motions (1989)
A movement and text piece for 7 apprentices and Appel in various performance spaces at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, partially lit by massed automobile headlights (Williamstown, MA).
Slipping Back (1993)
A solo performed by Appel at two train stations and the airport as part of the Transit Dances project
(Philadelphia, PA).
Seven for My Sweet Sixteen (1993)
A multi-section work using movement, vocalizing, recorded music, and spoken text, for the 16 members of the Mimi Fortunae Dance Theatre, a modern/historical dance company (Brno, Czech Republic).
The Story (1994)
A piece using movement, recorded music, and spoken text, for 9 dance students at the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, MS).
Bed of Roses (2009)
A work (in progress) for 9 dancers, comprised of three sections—each using a different approach to charge the Judson Church performance space (New York, NY).
The World is Spinning (and so are we) (2014)
A 55-minute work for 5 dancers filled with many short pieces of varying lengths, made for an unusual older SoHo gallery space, where the audience was seated in the center and the performance unfolded in and through the outskirts all around and above them (New York, NY).
Off the Shelf (2015)
Featuring two dancers, one actor (reader), and books galore! A 60-minute performance consisting of four different approximately 15-minute-long sets, with breaks in between each. It was created for/took place in a wonderful used bookstore, where the audience—a mix of intentional spectators and random customers—came and went as they chose (Brooklyn, NY).