***Hussein Smko’s Project-TAG is part of 2021: The Brick: A New Year, including performances on June 8 and June 9 featuring Deepali Gupta, Brendan Drake, Hannah Kallenbach, Xavier Rice, Fareeha Khan, Amanda Ariel Peggy Xeller, Amanda Lyn, and Teresa Braun (Egregious Philbin). We are working with ZANNI Productions to make it all possible.***

The Brick Presents

“Project-TAG”
We are not a school

with Hussein Smko

photo credit Beowulf Sheehan

Free June 7 @ 8pm ET via The Brick YouTube Channel

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Join us for a live, multi-camera sensory dance experience, developed in the space for this moment in time by Hussein and Project-TAG. Bold, athletic, inventive, intuitive and skilled AF. Be prepared to gasp and be moved.

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FEATURING:
Hussein Smko
Mizuho Kappa
Evita Re

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From fearless conversation surrounding heritage to hierarchy, Project-TAG examines the belief that there is no separation by ethnic, religious and class social infrastructures. With that foundation, new international dance performances can emerge from sharing diverse backgrounds, In conversation with a Kurdish Iraqi within different communities in America. Project-TAG Started during the pandemic by Dancer/Choreographer, Hussein Smko. In less than 11 months, the ensemble made work that was presented at the Brick Theater (NY), 75th Hiroshima Memorial Japan, United Voices for Peace, and two presentations at the Battery Dance Festival, Studio525, Ariel Rivka Dance. And was reviewed by the NY Times, Dance Magazine, Center for an Urban Future. Its founder was born and raised in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. and created Project-TAG with the artistic mission to inspire discourse through dance of ‘how to commune’ within a world that is designed for conflict, complexity and chaos.
With works ranging in solo work referencing isolation to ensemble pieces that celebrate female identified power.

Project-TAG pursues Theater, Visual Art, and Film collaborations such as Giuseppe Bausilio, JuanMa Brest, Philip Embury, Elisabeth Johs, Alfredo Chiarappa, Caterina Clerici, Michael Wall. To engage audiences through movement. Project-TAG is a contemporary look at “Working Through It” in an aesthetic, and authentic narrative in movement. Project-TAG’s company members represent 7 countries, 4 ethnicities and several religious and nonbinary perspectives thus far. We hope an ensemble that works in respect of conversation on tough topics in an admittedly tough world, to share dance in a humane way
rather than technique, As an avenue to understanding that real strength in humanity comes from our connection, conversation and cohabitation.

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Born In Kurdistan, Iraq and based in NYC, Hussein Smko is a dancer, choreographer and filmmaker. Having lived through four wars, Hussein learned his first Hip Hop move from an American soldier in 2003. In 2006, at the age of thirteen Hussein formed the first Hip Hop dance group In Erbil kurdistan STREET WOLVES that revolutionised the dance culture in Kurdistan. In
2013 Hussein was chosen for the Yes Academy American Voices with five other artists to tour six cities in the U.S. for which he was granted the certification of teaching Hip Hop from the head program director John Ferguson. In 2014 he performed the first contemporary dance piece at the RWANGA FOUNDATION in collaboration with Natalia Pestova. Hussein then migrates to the United States in late 2015 and from 2017-2020 He has been in residency with Battery Dance Company as the first recipient of the Adel Euro Campaign for Dancers Seeking
Refuge.

In 2019, Hussein founded his Dance Theater Company Project-TAG. Since then Hussein’s work has been supported by United States Fund, Dance NYC, and reviewed by Brian Siebert of the New York Times, Danced Magazine, Dance Enthusiast, Dance Edit, Wall St Journal, A PLUS, Queensbuzz, Center for an Urban Future, some more. Hussein has taught and lectured at CUNY Honors Academy, UCLA, as well as the New York Public Library. Hussein is currently
finishing his new work “A Call for Prayer” that is set to take place 2021 with a documentary film and a full hour Dance Theater Piece that has been under process for the past 2 years. He is also choreographing a dance piece for a concept album made by Raelle Myrick-Hodges for Under The Radar premier late 2021 at the Public Theater.. He has choreographed two solos for ALVIN ALLEY II Student Evita Re. He worked with Bobbie Jene Smith & Or Schriber on As It Ends, It Begins. He was one of the choreographers for Battery dances On Foot.

@Husseinsmko @projecttagnyc