ABOUT US
Billy Blanken founded Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre in 2016 as a medium for exploring movement through a socially engaged dance practice. The project creates repertoire ranging from site-specific performance art to classical ballet. With exposure to a wide range of movement in his career, Mr. Blanken creates choreography that is theatrical, polished, and classically informed with a distinctly contemporary aesthetic. SMDT addresses the ways we relate to our bodies, selves, and the rituals of performance. Our mission is to provide the highest quality in dance theatre performance for all, regardless of economic background. Dance is a human right and it is our joy to share it widely as possible.
SMDT has performed at the Dumbo Dance Festival, the Plaxall Gallery, Dixon Place, the Peridance Capezio Center, Pennington Day, The Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, No One Can Survive Alone Benefit, The Brooklyn School of Music, the LUNGS Dance Festival, The Moving Beauty Series, The Dance Festival Lower East Side, The Hudson Guild Theatre, The White Wave Solo/Duo Festival, NACHMO, The Plaxall Gallery, The Actors Fund Art's Center, Triskellion Arts, The Queensboro Dance Festival, Greenspace Studio and others. In August of 2019, Mr Blanken presented his first full evening at the Queens Theatre in the Park.
During the COVID 19 Pandemic SMDT debuted a ‘Living Dance Film’ model in collaboration with Lauren Woods Art and 10Kproductions. This model incorporates projected foreground and background artwork, multi camera live editing and digital and practical effects. In December 2020, we debuted SEASON 2 ‘Nutcracker’ and followed up with our Sleeping Beauty in June of 2021.
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Our work, BODY TIDES in collaboration with Lauren Woods art and musician Jack Ray, has been in gallery shows in Connecticut and Korea, and a several dance film festivals.
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In 2022 we were privileged to work with the Highline String Quartet for our ongoing Candlelight Series.
THis cancert series had ten sold out performances at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn. Produced by Fever up, this was the first of its type in the United States, opening the door for future collaborations.
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