Hi friends, family, loved ones! My name is Claire Louise Goldes, I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to present my first evening-length work, It's very serious, at Arts on Site this July. In January, my friends Veronica Allen, Joey Anderson and I launched ABBONDANZA on the belief that there is more than enough to go around. The word means ‘abundance’ in Italian, but it’s more than just a word. It’s a celebration, an affirmation, and a call to live a life of plenty. Our aim is to take this into our dance spaces and create a community centered around pleasure, honesty, and imagination. Our work asks you to show up not only for yourself, but for one another. As we tell our stories, do you see a glimmer of yours?

Since we launched in January, we have been so lucky to continue making and showing work, teaching affordable classes, and deepening connections to our community. I want to take a moment to reflect on some of the people and organizations that have helped make this happen. Thank you to Liz Hepp of CreateART, Kristen Klein of Inclined Dance Project, Alyssa Myers of (All)Ways Dance Company, Hadar Landan of LanDance, Liz Westbrook of Creature Space, Michelle Thompson Ulerich, and Spark Theatre Festival. Because of them, we’ve been able to present works in progress, excerpts, and pieces that have ultimately become It’s very serious. Some of the venues they’ve hosted us at are Triskelion Arts, PAGEANT, JACK, Arts on Site, Chain Theater, Dance Fest at Dance Parade, and more. It is also thanks to the subsidized studio rental programs at Triskelion and Chez Bushwick that much of this work was able to be made. Without these people, organizations, venues, and programs, we would not be here today, preparing to share our first evening-length work.

I reach out to you, my community, for your support in producing this show. It has always been a priority of mine to compensate my collaborators for their time and creative contributions. This show involves 5 dancers, a costume designer/stylist, and a dramaturg. I will also need to pay a videographer and photographer to capture the show for reels, marketing, and building of our company repertoire. Additional costs include studio space rentals, props, costumes, and transportation of props to/from the venue. There are so many moving parts that are necessary to put on a successful show, and I couldn’t do it without my team. If you feel moved to donate and support this ambitious endeavor, I would be so grateful. If monetary support is not possible at this time, sharing this with your communities and networks would be deeply appreciated.

We truly believe this show has a little something for everyone, and at the very least, you are guaranteed a laugh (which I think we could all use right now!). Thank you for taking the time to read all of this and for supporting the arts. We hope to see you at It's very serious on July 6th at 2 and 7pm at Arts on Site!