The collaborative team, experts at "bringing dance where it doesn't belong," discuss the process of creating a dance performance in the least likely of places, The New York Public Library.

Monica Bill Barnes and Robbie Saenz de Viteri make performances that combine their shared interest in the underlying comedy at work in our lives and make shows that hope to find something sacred in the mundane. They cross genres between dance, theater, storytelling, creative nonfiction, feminist treatises, and comedy. For two weeks in May, Monica and Robbie will lead a lucky few on a lunch-hour “tour” through the library inspired by its collections and daily workings.

In a conversation moderated by arts journalist Brian Schaefer, go behind the scenes to hear about the process of creating the show and how the Library inspired their work.

To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For LIVE from NYPL events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment; we will do our best to accommodate everyone. Booked seats that have not been claimed will be released shortly before start time, and seats may become available then. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Monica Bill Barnes is a dancer and choreographer. Since MBB&CO’s founding in 1997, her choreography has been seen in many places, such as New York City’s Bowling Green public fountain, on stage at Carnegie Hall, throughout the galleries of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and in Greta Gerwig’s film Little Women. The company has been presented in over 50 cities and internationally in venues ranging from The Kennedy Center to the Sydney Opera House in a collaboration with Ira Glass in Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host. Barnes began collaborating with Robbie Saenz de Viteri in 2013, at which point the company adopted the motto of “bringing dance where it doesn’t belong.” Recent collaborations include two online works created during the pandemic Keep Moving and It’s 3:07 Again; national and international tour of The Running Show; a site specific show in a mall, Days Go By; and most recently an Off-Broadway run of Many Happy Returns at Playwrights Horizons.

Robbie Saenz de Viteri writes, creates, produces, and performs live theater. He has created performances and toured production throughout the world with the Obie Award winning Nature Theater of Oklahoma and worked with genre redefining artists such as Anna Deavere Smith, Stew, and Ira Glass. He has collaborated with Monica Bill Barnes to create Happy Hour, The Museum Workout, One Night Only (Lilly Award), Days Go By (Bessie Honoree), The Running Show, Keep Moving, It’s 3:07 Again, and Many Happy Returns. He grew up in New Jersey, holds a BA from Muhlenberg College, where he studied writing with David Rosenwasser, and lives in Greenpoint Brooklyn, which he believes is best reached by bicycle.

Brian Schaefer is a New York-based fiction writer and journalist covering arts and culture. He contributes regularly to The New York Times and has written for The New Yorker, New York magazine, and Haaretz Newspaper. He is a former board member of the Dance Critics Association, a longtime scholar-in-residence at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and the recipient of an NEA Fellowship in Arts Journalism at the American Dance Festival. His debut novel, Town & Country, will be published by Simon & Schuster in November.

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ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. 

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

CONNECT

For questions and inquiries, please email publicprograms@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

Please submit press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

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LIVE from NYPL is made possible by the continuing generosity of Celeste Bartos, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos, the Margaret and Herman Sokol Public Education Endowment Fund, and the support of Library patrons and friends.

Monica Bill Barnes © Mallory Lynn
Robbie Saenz de Viteri © Ben McKeown
Courtesy Brian Schaefer