Topaz Arts Dance Productions
TOPAZ ARTS Dance Productions are collaborative works by founding artists Todd B. Richmond (visual design/music) and Paz Tanjuaquio (choreographer/dancer). Described by the New York Times as “intelligently conceived, image-filled dance”, their collaborations integrate dance and new music with film, visual arts & technology. A seamless collaboration of movement and images, dances by TOPAZ ARTS create kinetic environments that transport the viewer to an imaginative place.
Read Artist Bios >
All works listed are choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with original music & film by Todd Richmond,
visual design by Paz Tanjuaquio and Todd Richmond.
SELECTED WORKS
Dead Stars Still Shine (2022)
Choreographer/performer Paz Tanjuaquio, with dancer Chia Ying Kao, in collaboration with artists Onome Ekeh (digital dance), Todd B. Richmond (sound & music), Luis H. Francia (poetry). May 26, 2022 at Cross Roads Series at Judson Church, NY.
STATION II STATION (2018)
Choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with music and film by Todd B. Richmond, and spoken word performed by George Emilio Sanchez.
Dojo: Solo (2018)
50 minutes. Solo, site-specific work at Le Commun, Bâtiment d’Art Contemporain in Geneva, Switzerland. Creating a performance work within the exhibition “Temple of Abstraction”, the choreography integrates movement inspired by Judo Kata, incorporating the exhibition curated by Frédéric Dialynas Sanchez & Sébastien Leseigneur. Supported, in part, by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant. July 14, 2018.
Guarded Conditions Revisited (2017)
Solo, 45 minutes. Exploring dance within installations, exhibition-specific choreography by Paz Tanjuaquio brings performative aspects to Lorna Simpson’s exhibition Hypothetical? at Fisher Landau Center for Art, Long Island City, NY; June 11, 2017; Sept 30, 2017.
Dance at Socrates (2014)
Choreographed and performed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with music by Carl Hancock Rux
Presented by Norte Maar at Socrates Sculpture Park, NY, August, 2014.
The Divide (2010)
Creators: choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with original music by Todd Richmond,
visual design by Paz Tanjuaquio and Todd Richmond.
Performers: Chia Ying Kao, Paz Tanjuaquio
FULCRUM (2009) – dance film
Creators: Film and original music by Todd Richmond, with choreography by
Paz Tanjuaquio. Produced by TOPAZ ARTS, Inc.
Performers: Chia Ying Kao, Paz Tanjuaquio
WORKS LIST: SELECTED RECENT CHOREOGRAPHIC WORKS
Zoetrope 4.0 (2019): 10 minutes. Solo, site-specific work at Wassaic Projects, Wassaic, NY. Choreographed & performed by Paz Tanjuaquio, sound by Todd B. Richmond, solo dance designed for a 4-ft stage platform, where motion and stillness are based on a sequence of drawings and phrases created by Paz Tanjuaquio. August 3, 2019.
Station II Station (2018): 20 minutes. Choreographed & performed by Paz Tanjuaquio, visuals & film by Todd B. Richmond, with spoken word performed by George Emilio Sanchez; La MaMa, ETC, NYC. May 17 – 18, 2018.
21st Night (2017): 20 minutes. Solo, choreographed & performed by Paz Tanjuaquio, visuals by Todd B. Richmond. Premiered at 92Y Dance Festival, NYC, Dec 8 – 10, 2017.
Stations: Part 1 (2016): 20 minutes. Choreographed & performed by Paz Tanjuaquio, music & film by Todd B. Richmond, with spoken word performed by George Emilio Sanchez. NYU Tisch Alumni Concert, NY, May 2016.
Dance at Socrates (2014): 15 minutes. Choreographed and performed by Paz Tanjuaquio, with music by Carl Hancock Rux. Presented by Norte Maar at Socrates Sculpture Park, NY, August 2014.
Parallel Groove for 8 (2011): 15 minutes, repeated hourly for two-weekend performances. San Diego Trolley Dances – Site-specific work for 8 dancers commissioned by San Diego Dance Theater, Grantville Station, San Diego, CA.
The Divide (2010): 20 minutes. Duet, choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, visuals by Todd B. Richmond; performed by Chia Ying Kao and Paz Tanjuaquio. Developed in residence at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, Tivoli, NY. Premiered at 92Y Dance Festival, NYC. March 26-28, 2010; presented at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. July 2010.
Etre (To Be) (2009): 15 minutes. Solo, choreographed & performed by Paz Tanjuaquio, visuals by Todd B. Richmond presented by TOPAZ ARTS, in a shared evening of solo work with choreographers Molissa Fenley and Nicholas Leichter; made possible by NYS DanceForce with funds from NY State Council on the Arts; Nov 1, 2009.
Fulcrum (2008): 12 minutes. Duet created & performed with Niles Ford, sound and visuals by Todd B. Richmond presented at DanceNow/NYC, Nov 7, 2008; Dixon Place, NY, Dec 12, 2008.
DANCE WORKS WITHIN VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITIONS:
Dojo: Solo (2018): 50 minutes. Solo, site-specific work at Le Commun, Bâtiment d’Art Contemporain in Geneva, Switzerland. Creating a performance work within the exhibition “Temple of Abstraction”, the choreography integrates movement inspired by Judo Kata, incorporating the exhibition curated by Frédéric Dialynas Sanchez & Sébastien Leseigneur. Supported, in part, by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant. July 14, 2018.
The Dance of the Intestinal Mishap (2018): 30 minutes. Solo, site-specific work within the exhibition “Yes, Sir/Ma’am! No, Sir/Ma’am! Right Away, Sir/Ma’am!” by artist Manuel Ocampo; and video collaboration within the installation created by Ocampo and Todd B. Richmond. Tyler Rollins Fine Art, NY. March 1, 2018.
Guarded Conditions Revisited (2017): 45 minutes. Exploring dance within installations, exhibition-specific choreography by Paz Tanjuaquio brings performative aspects to Lorna Simpson’s exhibition Hypothetical? at Fisher Landau Center for Art, Long Island City, NY; June 11, 2017; Sept 30, 2017.
Guns and Butterflies (2015): 45 minutes. Duet with Toby Billowitz, site-specific structured improvisation of tethered dancers within the group show “How’s It Going?” at P.E.S. Limited, NY; July 27, 2015.
Thunder Against 1.2.3. – Etre (2013): Eight 15-minute performances. Solo, site-specific performance installation. Fountain Art Fair, 69th Regiment Armory on 25th & Lexington Avenue in NYC, Fri-Sun at 2pm and 8pm, Mar 8-10, 2013.
Dance Intervention (2013): 20 minutes. Choreography & performance by Paz Tanjuaquio. Invited by guest curator Midori Yamamura to perform within the Walker Evans Exhibition at MoMA, the site-specific improvisational dance sought to incorporate visual cues from the photography of Walker Evans, while also working with “live photography” by Todd Richmond in following the dance as both documentation and creating a visual medium of the live performance. The Museum of Modern Art, NY. Nov 23, 2013.
EVENING-LENGTH WORKS:
Mind Fields (2015): 45 minutes. Choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, visuals by Todd B. Richmond; performed by: Toby Billowitz and Paz Tanjuaquio; a site-specific dance is accompanied with visuals, music & sound design by Todd B. Richmond, with music by Carl Hancock Rux; presented by Operation Unite Cultural Arts & Education Center, Hudson, NY; August 7, 2015.
Soundless Music/on the other side of silence (2008): 70 minutes. Evening-length dance for 8 performers, based on a written manuscript “The Soundless Music by Yoko Ono”, with music and film by Todd Richmond. Funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer Commissioning/USA, NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs. Premiered at TOPAZ ARTS, NY, Dec 1-3, 2008.
ascendance (2007): 50 minutes. Duet presented at TOPAZ ARTS, June 2007. Work in development presented at Kumble Theater, Brooklyn, NY; June 2007; Movement Research at Judson Church, Feb 2008.
THUNDER AGAINST 1. 2. 3. (2005): 40 minutes – three-part solo dance with film. Choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio, visuals by Todd B. Richmond. Premiered at Danspace Project, NY, Oct 2005. Commissioning Initiative with support from the Jerome Foundation, with additional support by two Individual Artist Awards from Queens Council on the Arts. Excerpts presented at Fresh Tracks at Dance Theatre Workshop, Brooklyn Museum, NY; Ohio University; Godt-Cleary Projects, Las Vegas, NV; Philadelphia Fringe Festival, PA; Joyce SoHo, NY. June 1-3, 2006.
TWELVE (2001): 50 minutes. Evening-length work for 5 dancers with music and video by Todd Richmond; text by Ava Chin. Commissioned by Performance Space 122, NY, May 10-13, 2001.
Strange Fruit & Other Secrets (1999): 60 minutes. Evening-length work for 5 dancers with music and video by Todd Richmond; sculpture by Albert Chong; original text by Ava Chin, Luis H. Francia, Nicky Paraiso, George Emilio Sanchez; costumes by Alpana Bawa. Inspired by a research trip to the Philippines, this work was developed at The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard, Akiyoshidai International Art Village in Japan, Thelma Hill Performing Arts. Excerpts presented by Joyce SoHo, Aaron Davis Hall, Symphony Space, NY and Philadelphia Fringe Festival 2000, PA. Premiered at Merce Cunningham Studio, NY, June 17-19, 1999.
DANCE ON FILM
FULCRUM – 16mm/color/15 min, 2009
Directed by Todd Richmond. Choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio. Music by Todd Richmond. Performers: Paz Tanjuaquio and Chia Ying Kao. Selected and screened at the American Dance Festival’s 15th Annual Dance for the Camera: International Festival of Film & Video Dance, Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, NC
SILENCE – 16mm/BW/20 min, 2006
Directed by Todd Richmond. Choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio. Music by Todd Richmond. Performers: Lynn Huang, Chia Ying Kao, Paz Tanjuaquio, Uta Takemura. Presented by Dance Films Assoc., Donnell Media Center at Lincoln Center, NY
Dancing to Cambodia – 16mm/Color/12 min, 2005
Directed by Todd Richmond. Choreographed by Paz Tanjuaquio. Music by Todd Richmond. Presented at Queens Museum of Art, Joyce SoHo, TOPAZ ARTS, NY.
Rooftop – 16mm/BW/6 min, 2001
Directed by Todd Richmond. Choreographed & performed by Paz Tanjuaquio. Music by Todd Richmond. Presented at Godt-Cleary
Fine Arts, Las Vegas (2005); Sunnyside Short Films (2006)
Displaced Garden – 16mm/Color/9 min, 1996
Directed by Todd Richmond. Choreographed & performed by Paz Tanjuaquio. Music by Todd Richmond. Presented at the 4th International Festival Video Danza in Buenos Aires (1999), Video Cha Cha, NY (1998), and Thelma Hill Performing Arts, Brooklyn (1996)
RECENT AWARDS/COMMISSIONS
• 2018 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, to support a new solo in the exhibition Dojo in Geneva, Switzerland
• 2017 Dance/NYC’s Dance Advancement Fund
• 2012 BAX Arts & Artists in Progress Awards/Passing It On Award from Nicky Paraiso, honoring individuals in the arts who have revealed and transformed our creative world
• 2007 National Endowment for the Arts, Access to Artistic Excellence, Dance Program
• 2006 Meet the Composer Commissioning Music/USA, for evening-length “Soundless Music”
• 2004 New York Foundation for the Arts BUILD/Homer Avila Memorial Award
• 2004 Queens Council on the Arts: two Individual Artist Awards with funds from NYC DCA & NYSCA
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pia Catton, “In Queens, Going Where the Art Leads”, The Wall Street Journal,
New York Culture City, January 10, 2011.
Claudia La Rocco, “Far-Away Places Move Close, Very Close”, The New York Times, Dance Review ‘New York International’ at La MaMa, May 17, 2009.
Rachel Kalina, “Seeing Through the Silence”, Ins & Outs Magazine Feature, Apr 2009.
Adam Pincus, “Looking for Harmony: Woodside dancer reflects on state of the world after 9/11”, Times Ledger, June 14, 2007.
Iman Khan, “Blending Art Forms: TOPAZ Provides What So Many Need”, Queens Tribune, Sept. 1 2006.
Deborah Jowitt, “Harmonious Worlds: Two women choreograph peaceful climates in disastrous times”, The Village Voice, June 13, 2006.
Roslyn Sulcas, “Imaginary Voyages to Distant Shores”, The New York Times, November 1, 2005.
Eva Yaa Asantewaa, “Exclusive Reviews”, No. 47, October 30, 2005.
Lisa J. Curtis, “Time to Dance”, GO Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Papers, Nov. 10, 2003.
Ursula Eagly, “Queens Dance Mix”, Dance Magazine, Vol. 77 No. 10, October 2003.
Na Rhee Ahn, “Profile: TOPAZ ARTS”, Asian American Arts Alliance, Newsletter
Oct-Dec 2002.
Ursula Eagly, “New York Stories”, (ai) performance for the planet, Arts International,
Fall 2002.
Ann Brady, editor, “Interview”, Atlantic Center for the Arts 2000 Review, Fall 2000.
Gia Kourlas, “Exotic Fruit: Paz Tanjuaquio’s work ripens following a trip to her Philippines homeland”, Time Out New York, Issue No. 195, June 17-24, 1999.
