New York City based Troika Ranch creates hybrid performances that integrate dance, theater, original music and digital media into a unified whole. Dubbed “interactive performance pioneers” by the New York Times and "multimedia mavericks" by the Village Voice, they are distinguished by their innovative use of custom designed sensory systems and interactive computer technologies that allow the performer’s movements and vocalizations to manipulate digital media in real time. A story in Apple Computer's "Hot News" serves as a good introduction, and much more information can be found via their extensive web site.
Troika Ranch is the collaborative vision of composer/media artist Mark Coniglio and choreographer Dawn Stoppiello. Their work explores essential human attributes in a time of accelerating change and growing physical disconnection. Widely recognized as creative leaders in the field of dance and technology, Coniglio and Stoppiello want the media elements in their work to have the same sense of dynamism, vitality and "liveness" as the performers themselves. The sensors allow the chaos of the human body to infiltrate the dead media and give it life. In addition, this linkage of body and technology highlights the uneasy relationship between the organic and the electronic – a central theme of Coniglio and Stoppiello's work.
The two words that comprise the company's name are indicative of its focus. Troika, Russian for three, represents dance, theater and digital media, the three core elements found in the company's artwork. The Ranch symbolizes the collaboration among its members. Coniglio and Stopppiello encourage all in the company to share ideas, techniques and processes to ensure the most abundant aesthetic harvest. Teh over-arching goal of this collaboration is to fully integrate the three core elements into what Wagner calle the gestamtkuntswerk - the total artwork.
- First Ever Time Out New York Dance Audience "Bessie" Award (2003)
- Prix Ars Electronica 2004 (Honorable Mention)
- Princesss Grace Foundation USA Statue Award (2004)
- Two consecutive ARM Fellowships at Dance Theater Workshop (2004-2005)
- 2005 Eddy Award - Bridging The Gap Between Artists and Technology
Troika Ranch and its Artistic Directors have been recognized with several awards recently, each honoring a different aspect of their work. The New York dance audience showed their approval by voting to give Troika Ranch the first ever Time Out New York Dance Audience "Bessie" award in 2003 for their evening length work evening-length work "Future of Memory." This work was was awarded a prize at the 2004 Prix Ars Electronica for its artful integration of media and performance. This past October, Dawn Stoppiello's career as a choregrapher and dancer was celebrated when she received the Princess Grace Foundation's highest honor, the "Statue" award, during a gala celebration hosted by Prince Albert of Monaco. (Previous "Statue" award winners include "Angles in America" author Tony Kushner and Terese Capucilli, member of the Graham Company.) Mark Coniglio was awarded two-consecutive ARM (Artists Resource and Media Center) fellowships at Dance Theeater Workshop to research the performance technology used in 16 [R]evolutions. Finally, Troika Ranch in June 2005 we received an "Eddy" award from Entertainment Design Magazine for "Bridging the Gap Between Artists and Technology."
Press Quotes
“Multimedia Mavericks”
— Village Voice, NY“Interactive performance pioneers”
— New York Times, NY“…taught, vigorous dancing tears into very handsome out flung movement. Coniglio and Stoppiello enmesh performers in interactive webs of sound and video that tinker with our perceptions.”
— Village Voice, NY“A rich weave of ideas and media."
— New York Times, NY“…lush soundscapes with eddies and funnel clouds of physicality…a fantasia of imagined physics – chimerical, alchemical gigabytes.”
— Dance Insider, NY“Couple’s innovative work hits mark…stimulating from start to finish.”
— The Cleveland Plain Dealer“…the program’s [Dance Kaleidoscope] most original piece may have been Dawn Stoppiello’s solo ‘In Plane’ for Troika Ranch...she interacted with video images of herself in intriguing live-versus-tape duets.”
— LA Times“Coniglio’s [music] consistently expresses a deep, sustained heaviness and ferocity. Powered by big drum sounds, surging phrases, and throbbing rhythms, it attacks the listener with stealth and force."
— Keyboard Magazine“...a collaboration that we usually only dream about... The result was a young team with total integrity and commitment to their work. Watch out for these two.”
— Computer Music Journal