VIM VIGOR
Ann Arbor, MI
Shannon Gillen - director, co-choreographer
Jason Cianciulli - co-choreographer​
Creators: KAIROS
Biographies
Shannon Gillen is the artistic director of VIM VIGOR (US). Her creative work has been commissioned across the USA, Canada, Central America, South America and Europe. Projects include commissions by L.A. Dance Project, dance.films for BAM, fashion label Phelan for NY Fashion Week, Danceworks at the Lobero Theatre, Hubbard Street 2, Gibney Dance Company, over het lj in (NL), Jacob's Pillow Festival, Boston Dance Theater at the ICA in Boston, Ruvuelo (Chile), Mainfranken Theater Würzburg (DE), Arts Umbrella in Vancouver (CA), the International Solo-Tanz Theater Festival in Stuttgart (DE), the TIF theater in Kassel (DE, de dansers (NL), as a think big choreographer-in-residence at Staatsoper Hannover (DE) and at Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton where she was a choreographer in residence; notable festivals and venues where her work has been seen include Springboard Danse festival in Montreal, New York Live Arts, Prisma Festival in Panama, Judson Church, PULSE art fair/Art Basel, Bryant Park, NYC's River to River festival, Perry Mansfield, and The Joyce. In 2024, Gillen was commissioned to create new works for the IUA in Reykjavik, Iceland, the b12 Festival in Berlin and Vassar College in 2024 and in 2025 will create new works for The University of Limerick in Ireland and the IAB in Barcelona, Spain. Gillen is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Michigan and is establishing Ann Arbor as a midwest hub for contemporary practices with VIM VIGOR’s open classes and annual winter / summer programming. Gillen is a graduate of The Juilliard School and earned her MFA from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU.
Jason Reese C. is a Psycho-Physical Theatre Artist whose research is grounded in Floorwork, Partnering and Physical Theatre. He is a teacher, performer, bodyworker and creator who aims to make worlds, sculpt space and tell stories. As an international performer he has worked throughout the United States and many other countries, including Canada, Panama, Germany, and Romania. He holds a License in Massage Therapy in both Michigan and Pennsylvania, working in Swedish, Deep Tissue, Craniosacral, and Myofascial Release Techniques. Jason is a co-choreographer with VIM VIGOR. He holds a BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase and an MFA in dance from the University of Michigan. After receiving his BFA, Jason returned to SUNY Purchase to teach as a lecturer. With VIM he has taught at various institutions throughout the globe, creating work and teaching VIM’s Physical Dance Theater Methodology. He most previously was teaching at the University of Iceland. Jason was a Performer and Rehearsal Director with the iconic immersive show, Sleep No More NYC.
More About VIM VIGOR
Founded in 2015, VIM VIGOR is a physical dance theater company under the artistic direction of Shannon Gillen and co-choreographer Jason Cianciulli. Conceived as a collaborative think tank by Gillen, VIM is a platform for gifted artists from around the world to come together to create cutting edge dance theater. Through its creations, VIM seeks to broaden the traditional dance audience with its signature combination of bombastic contemporary movement and theater in cinematic dreamscapes. VIM has performed and taught at renowned venues and festivals across the USA, Europe, Canada, Central America, and South America including b12 Festival and Dock 11 (Berlin, DE), Festival Prisma (Panama), Revuelo (Chile), DANCEworks (US), Gibney Presents (US), IUA Reykjavik (IS), Perry Mansfield (US), Lewis Center for the Arts (US), Playwrights Horizons (US), Springboard Danse Festival (CA), Arts Umbrella in (CA), The Arthur Miller Theatre (US); and with de Danseurs in (NL). VIM VIGOR has created seven evening length works, four half evening length works, and over twenty short pieces that have been commissioned by notable companies including L.A. Dance Project, Hubbard Street 2, Gibney Dance Company, Boston Dance Theater, and Resilience Dance Co. amongst others. VIM established a contemporary dance theater education platform in 2015 dedicated to supporting the professional lives of artists with ongoing classes, workshops, and annual winter / summer intensives. VIM VIGOR is nurturing a midwestern hub in Michigan for contemporary performance research. www.vimvigordance.com
From inside the piece: Josiah Gundersen on dancing in VIM VIGOR's work
Dancing VIM VIGOR's work feels like letting go and allowing the intensity of the dance to take me to a new place spiritually. A place of questioning how far we can push ourselves while still maintaining control. A place where energy spirals through our bodies until that vibrancy envelops us all.