Horses Full of Steam

Horses full of steam deconstructs to reimagine visual and topical elements from the almost forgotten 1932 ballet-symphony, H.P. (Horse Power), with music by Carlos Chávez, designs by Diego Rivera, and choreography by Catherine Littlefield. Adopting the ballet's original 4- episode structure, the work explores the hybridity of Pan-American culture through a magical realist lens. The piece is a collaboration between director & choreographer Hilary Brown-Istrefi (Same As Sister & HB2
PROJECTS); composer & trumpeter Mahsa Matin; and art historian & performance narrator Savona Bailey-McClain (West Harlem Art Fund).

Horses full of steam is being created through the Trisk Presents 2023 Resident Artist Program, made possible with generous support from the Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and New York State Council on the Arts.

4-Episodes:
1. Danza del Hombre // Dance of Man
Man’s need for breath (Air)
2. Barco hacia el Trópico. Danza ágil, Tango de las Sirenas, Danza
general Interludio I //

Boat to the Tropics. Agile Dance, Tango of the Mermaids,
General Dance Interlude I
By way of water (Water)
3. El Trópica. Huapango y Zandunga, Interludio II //
The Tropics. Huapango and Zandunga, Interlude II
And they danced on wood (Earth)
4. Danza de los Hombres y las Máquinas // Dance of Men and
Machines
Fueling the fire (Fire)
 

Hilary Brown-Istrefi (she/her) is a Canadian-American director, choreographer, performer, educator, curator, and cultural worker. Originally from Toronto, now living in Far Rockaway, she is a graduate of École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, and over the last decade has performed in the works of Melissa Riker, Bouchra Ouizguen, Jillian Peña, Doug Elkins, Linda Tegg, and Candice Breitz. In 2013 she co-founded the award-winning performance collective, Same As Sister (S.A.S.), with her twin Briana Brown-Tipley. Their interdisciplinary commissions have been presented internationally at The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance (Toronto); Base: Experimental Arts + Space (Seattle); Danspace Project (NYC); BRIC Arts | Media House (NYC); New York Live Arts (NYC); Marmo - Libreria d’Arte Contemporanea (Italy); Archaeological Museum of Messenia (Greece); and Centre d'Art Marnay Art Centre (France), among other venues. Hilary initiated HB2 PROJECTS in 2017, as a choreographic platform to expand her collaborations in performance. HB2 has presented work throughout NYC as a resident artist at West Harlem Art Fund’s 2020 Visual Muze Residency on Governors Island; Norte Maar’s 2018 Dance at Socrates Residency at Socrates Sculpture Park; and Exploring the Metropolis’ 2017-18 Choreographer + Composer Residency at Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning.