A note from Sasha Okshteyn, Guest Curator:
Growing up in Williamsburg, my early experience of cultural happenings in the area weren’t just formative – they were foundational and informed my curatorial practice. My work seeks to honor that spirit — one that is deeply communal, dynamic, and driven by the pulse of the people. To now be a part of the history of the neighborhood and contribute a public program with Sugar, Sugar! is both a privilege and full-circle moment. I’m excited to contribute to the same cultural fabric that raised me.
Noemie Lafrance
Agora (Video Documentation)
Conceived by site-specific choreographer Noémie Lafrance, Agora (2005) was staged in the then abandoned McCarren Park Pool. Audience sat around the empty, graffiti covered edges of the 50,000-square-foot space to experience a 360-degree immersive dance performance. Dancers moved both nearby and far across the vast site, producing the illusion of travel through the different layers of visceral urban experiences.
Staged for four consecutive weeks in the fall of 2005 and again in 2006 (Agora II), the performances drew nightly audiences of over 2,000. It was a galvanizing cultural moment for the neighborhood that catalyzed the restoration of the pool and its interim transformation into a concert venue. At a time when Williamsburg was on the cusp of rapid gentrification, Agora highlighted the powerful role artist-driven initiatives can play in shaping urban identity and public space.
Artist Statement:
The majestic McCarren Park Pool was built in 1936, a Robert Moses WPA project, and it layed abandoned and in disrepair from 1984 to 2004.
“As a long-time Williamsburg resident, I had my eyes on the pool for over a decade. Like many other locals, I had ventured into the derelict space often and wondered what was and what could be of this spectacular space.
In a city where real estate is so valuable, I wondered how can such a vast expanse of space be left so unwanted. As I came to understand it later, once I embarked on the mission-impossible task of making a work for this monumental site, there would lie the complexity of what makes a neighborhood.
More than choreography, Agora was a public work. Much more went into the site’s implications on all levels than the craft of dance. Entering the rabbit hole through the door of the Parks Department - to obtain permission - it soon became evident to me that even though seemingly dormant, everyone had an opinion and a dream about the pool's past and future; community boards, local associations, some dedicated solely to the pool's future, residents, neighbors. But no one could agree, and fewer found the money.
Sometimes the power of imagination, seeing the beauty that's before us and allowing others to see it too is all it takes. As simple as this sounds, graffiti and decay is not considered a sign of beauty by everyone, nor is historic architecture necessarily, some prefer things new and shiny. Nevertheless, it took moving mountains, standing on one's head, hammering on the heads, especially city official's heads, and a dose of perseverance I didn’t know I had in me, to gather the trust and willingness to let art do its work. Art is one of those things that does invisible work for all to see, which makes it all the more difficult to see.
We now have a working pool, even restored in integrity with its original landmarked design. But at the time, more than going to see a dance performance, we all just wanted to be there, and experience the pool inhabited, reimagined, and celebrated. We shared a desire to be together in that monumental space in an eventful moment.
So, in the end everybody came to the show, because the show must go on! The whole neighborhood was there. Thousands of people sat around the ledge of the pool each night dangling their feet in imaginary water. And we all got our feet wet.”
-Noemie Lafrance
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
NOEMIE LAFRANCE and her company Sens Production have self-produced some of the most ambitious site-specific dance works in New York City's public spaces, including Agora (2005-06) which brought the McCarren Park pool site back to life, Whitney Biennial's Noir (2004) seen from cars in a city-owned parking garage, Rapture (2008) staging the architecture of Frank Gehry and Descent (2001-03) staged on a McKim, Mead & White stairwell in NYC criminal court.
Lafrance has choreographed for music artists such as Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Carly Rae Jepsen, Rita Ora, Feist, David Byrne, Snow Patrol, for opening ceremonies of the Toronto PAN AM Games (w/Cirque du Soleil) and Milan UEFA Champions League and for major brands.
Her work was nominated for a Grammy, and won Prix Victoire de la music, MTV, CAD, MVPA and D&AD awards. Her dance films were selected at the Cannes Film Festival and toured to festivals around the world. She is a recipient of numerous art grants and awards, including 2 Bessie Awards, Doris Duke Fund award, and is a NYFA and Lambent Fellow.
SASHA OKSHTEYN, raised in Williamsburg, BK, is a creative producer, programmer and currently the Associate Director of Artist Programs at The Watermill Center, on the East End of Long Island. She specializes in live performance and art in public spaces. Past work includes institutional collaborations with Performa, MoMA, Pace Gallery, The MET, Pioneer Works, Art Basel, The Momentary, and many others. Artist collaborations include Madeline Hollander, Will Rawls, Adam Linder, Barbara Kruger, Tschabalala Self, Kevin Beasley, Jacolby Satterwhite, and many other amazing minds. Sasha is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Beach Sessions, a pioneering performance series in Rockaway Beach, Queens, NYC. Sasha received her B.A in Art History and Dance from George Washington University, DC and M.A. in Visual Arts Administration from NYU, NY.
CREDITS:
Choreography and Production: Noémie Lafrance
Videography Nelson Villareal
Editing Marianne Allard
Created in Collaboration With Dancers Lily Baldwin, Elise Knudson, Ayelen Liberona, Reba Mehan, and Will Rawls
Dancers Laida Azkona, Joshua Bennett, Sarah Chiesa, Emily Christianson, Janessa Clark, Lisa Clementi, Jessica Cook, Jeffrey Crumrine, Annette Fletcher, Yuu Fujita, Monica Gillette, Donven Gilliard, Macushla Hill, Flora Ka Ching Hon, Tomomi Imai, Alexandra Johnson, Sheramy Keegan-Turcotte, Jon Kowalski, Sean Lau, Jenny Logan, Arthur Mangalji, Sandile Mbili, Adele Nickel, Rosario Ordonez, Gerard Reyes, Sara Robledo, Shana Simmons, Paul Singh, Storme Sundberg, Luke Wiley, Netta Yerushalmy.
Score/Sound Design: Brooks Williams & Norm Scott
Lighting Design: Thomas Dunn
Rehearsal Director: Ayelen Liberona
Set & Prop Design: Jeremy Lydic
Costumes: Karen Young
Featuring Special Apparitions by Leigh Garrett, Miss Saturn and Malcolm, STREB, and The Young Dance Collective.
