Andrew Nemr

Artist // Speaker

Residency

Tap Dancing in Virtual Reality

By Andrew

Back in August, 2016, I receive an email inviting me to come and play. Not one to ever turn down a playdate, I responded, but with some trepidation. This was not your normal request. I was being invited to take part in a newly launched Artist in Residence program, by the folks at TiltBrush. If you’re not familiar with the tool, here’s the basic premise: Take your average painting software (think Adobe’s Photoshop, or Corel’s Painter), and stick it inside of Virtual Reality. That’s right – painting in 3D space, and you are inside the space.

I’ve personally tend to avoid tech trends in the art, theater, and storytelling worlds (including VR), on account of the principle that tap dance is fundamentally a live experience. The more intimate and acoustic, the better, I think. I wondered what I could be asked to do with TiltBrush as a tap dancer, and secretly thought the folks inviting me had found out that I had attended School of Visual Arts for Computer Art (2001). Well, I said yes, and after 3 days painting in VR, I’m glad I did. I now have a body of work that I’m excited to share!

Everything has been under wraps until the official public launch of the TiltBrush Artist in Residence Program. That happened last week with this awesome video, this article in the New York Times, and this post on Google’s blog.

So what did I actually do? I got to play!! You can check out some of the work on my profile page on the Artist in Residence Program Website, and find a larger sampling of the visual artwork here.

As for tap dancing in VR – it happened. I created a piece that incorporated storytelling, tap dancing, and painting in TiltBrush, for the 2016 Future of Storytelling Summit. It was great. The audience loved it. We’re waiting on the official video before we share it here. Once I get it, you’ll be the first to know. If you’re a social media maven you might be able to find a bootleg of part of the performance on twitter.

Here’s to the future.

Andrew Selected as Artist-In-Residence at Surel’s Place

By Andrew

14B91E9C-55C4-49DE-8B6D-09BA2BA243C8

BOISE, ID – Andrew Nemr has been selected as an artist-in-residence at Surel’s Place, a unique artist residency in Boise, Idaho.

During his residency Andrew will be focusing on two new projects: a show and a book. The show, being co-developed with Flying Carpet Theater, will continue Andrew’s journey in exploring tap dance as a narrative tool in live theatre. The book, focused on tap dance education, will be the first written document based on the Tap Into Freedom curriculum and aim to offer tap dance educators with a comprehensive teaching methodology and toolkit. Additionally during his time in Boise, Andrew will collaborate with local organizations to spread his love for tap dancing through Meet the Artist events and workshops. He will also be continuing his Sunday afternoon gatherings around the Table.

Cornerstone events include a workshop and end-of-residency performance organized by Surel’s Place.

ABOUT ANDREW NEMR
Mentored by Gregory Hines, Andrew is considered one of the most diverse tap dance artists today. Whether playing with Grammy Award winning musicians across multiple genres, directing his tap dance company Cats Paying Dues, or leading the Tap Legacy™ Foundation, Inc. (which he co-founded with Hines), Andrew has a reputation for deep understanding, integrity, and sensitivity. “A masterly tapper” (New York Times), Nemr now uses the story of his journey and the craft of tap dance to speak on ideas of identity, community, faith, and love, within the context of business and the performing arts.
www.andrewnemr.com

ABOUT SUREL’S PLACE
Surel’s Place, a non-profit artist-in-residence program, aims to support local, national, and international artists of many disciplines by offering them the time, space, and shelter necessary to focus on their work, which they will share with the public through free events including exhibits, classes, workshops, readings, lectures, and performances for people of all ages. Founded in 2012 by Surel’s younger daughter Rebecca Mitchell Kelada and Surel’s dear friend Karen Bubb, Boise’s city public arts manager, Surel’s Place aims to help artists focus on their art as a way to carry on Surel’s legacy in Boise’s vibrant arts community. Surel’s Place is funded through generous private donations and grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, among other organizations.
www.surelsplace.org

Desert Spawns New Creation in Joshua Tree

By Andrew

Never thought I’d write a headline like that. But so it was. For 10 days I was blessed to be part of the creative team for a brand new show to debut in Paris, February 2015. STreeT/FeaT, a tap dance narrative, is the brain child of Joe Orrach (director), and came to life at a work-in-progress showing at the Harrison House for Music and Arts (directed by Eva Soltes) just last week with myself (co-choreographer), Allie Pizzo (performer), with musical director Matt Clark.

Andrew and Joe
The four of us spent an intense 10 days bringing the show from paper to the stage, culminating in a work-in-progress showing inaugurating a newly built outdoor stage at the Harrison House. New music was written and played, choreography was written and performed, characters were developed, and the show began to find its legs (it is a tap dance show after all).

On stage 2

We worked everyday, outdoors in the heat, drinking lots of fluids, and getting a deep desert tan. As a change a pace, we ventured on a morning excursion to Joshua Tree National Park. The beauty of the scenery refueled our soul and we returned to the stage to continue the work.

IMG_2221
As was eloquently expressed during the post-showing talk back, it is indeed a rare occasion that creative individuals are gifted with the time and space to explore a new creation. For the work, the beauty, the people, and the rarity of such an experience, our time at the Harrison House will be something I remember for many years to come.