With this production, we are aiming to explore the idiosyncrasies and qualities with which each individual defines themselves, and how those defining traits evolve over time. By utilizing our collective artistry in collaboration, we hope to take the audience on a journey of discovery, and perhaps leave them with a spirit of self-reflection.

A priority in producing this show is to support every artist involved. Many dancers work on a gig to gig basis, and we would like to provide them with not only a space to produce art, but to be well compensated for their contribution. That’s where you come in. With your help, we aim to provide appropriate payment to the artists commensurate to the cultivation of their craft. This includes not just the dancers but the crew, lighting design, audio and stage management.

We are looking forward to this inaugural performance, with our goal of continuing to push the envelope on how performance art can be integrated differently and alongside other mediums of art.
 

VENUE

We are particularly excited to have secured Theatre Exile in South Philadelphia as the venue for our performances, to take place on May 31st and June 1st . On the corner of 13th and Reed, the theater is nestled in a wonderful community that we hope to enrich with our art. Dance performance does not often make its way into the South Philly communities, and we are excited at the prospect of tapping into an untouched audience. We have already begun rehearsals and are excited to see how it all evolves.

YOUR MONEY

All proceeds from this crowdfunding campaign will support the production of our performances happening May 31, 2024 and June 1, 2024. This includes:

The Sonder Space is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of The Sonder Space must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

THE SHOW- VOLUME i.
May 31st and June 1st, 2024
7:30pm
Theatre Exile
Philadelphia, PA
Tickets $35

The Sonder Space is a new visual and performing arts project providing a platform for emerging and accomplished artists to present their work with maximum creative freedom. The aim of this project is to organize and produce a dance performance that will highlight the creative talents of the dancers involved while investigating themes that are central to the human experience. When searching for a name for this project, we stumbled upon the word “sonder”, which means, “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.” With that in mind, a priority of this dance project is to collaborate with other mediums of art to further connect our communities in bringing more art to the world.

Follow us on Instagram: @the_sonderspace

Andrea Yorita Co-Founder

Andrea Yorita is from Irvine California, where she received her classical ballet training at Academy of Dance, under the direction of Merle Sepel, Rebecca Tsivkin, and Mignon Furman. In 2012, she graduated as a Gillespie Scholar with a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of California, Irvine, where she studied under Jodie Gates, Molly Lynch, and Donald McKayle. Originally trained under the R.A.D. syllabus, Andrea has completed all Vocational R.A.D. exams with Distinction, as well as received the Solo Seal Award. In 2008, Andrea competed as a finalist in the Genee International Ballet Competition in Toronto, Canada. She has participated in the National Choreographers Initiative, as an apprentice, and the Traverse City Dance Project. Andrea was a 2016 Dance Finalist for the Clive Barnes Award. She joined BalletX in 2012 and spent 11 seasons with the company, touring nationally and internationally while working with a multitude of choreographers. She is now an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of the Arts and freelance artist.

Blake Krapels Co-Founder

Blake Krapels, a 2011 United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, trained in New Jersey under the tutelage of Billy Larson and Jamie Salmon. In 2015 Blake graduated with a BFA from The Juilliard School, where he performed repertoire by William Forsythe, Merce Cunningham, Elliot Feld, Jose Limon, and Peter Chu. In addition to his core training, Blake participated in Summer Intensives at Nederlands Dans Theatre and Springboard Danse Montreal. After graduation, Blake  spent 4 years with Philadelphia’s BalletX. He also has danced with  The Metropolitan Opera, Keigwin & Company, GroundWorks Dance Theatre, Emery LeCrone Dance, Konverjdans and most recently DanceAspen.  While dancing with DanceAspen he worked with Matthew Neenan, Penny Saunders, Cayetano Soto and Yue Yin.

Blake’s choreography has been presented at The Kennedy Center, Cleveland DanceWorks 2017, The Peter Jay Sharp Theater, First State Ballet Theater, APAP Conference in NYC, DanceAspen, South Dakota Ballet and is currently creating for the  Joffrey Contemporary and Jazz year round program.

Zachary Kapeluck Co-Founder

Zachary Kapeluck hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received his early training at Southwest Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. He trained at The Juilliard School and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Summer Intensives, and in the summer of 2011, he worked as a guest artist with Mary Miller Dance in Pittsburgh in a project titled Confluence. He graduated with a BFA in Dance from Point Park University in 2013 andsubsequently joined BalletX in Philadelphia that summer. He spent 9 years there, partaking in over 60 world premiere creations by choreographers including Matthew Neenan, Cayetano Soto, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Nicolo Fonte, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and many more. Zachary left BalletX in 2022 to pursue a new chapter in choreography and teaching. Since then, he has had the pleasure to create works for companies including First State Ballet Theatre, Flight Path Dance Project, Hudson Ballet Theatre, Philadelphia Dance Theater, and others. He has also spent time restaging works for fellow choreographers as well as assisting in new creation processes. He looks forward to more upcoming choreographic commissions as well as continuing to teach and nurture the next generation of dancers.

Thank you so much for your support. Without donations like yours the arts cannot thrive. Please feel free to share this campaign so we can hit our goal of $15,000! Follow @the_sonderspace on Instagram to see more sneak peaks of our journey leading up to the premiere of 'VOLUME i.'.  We are very excited and hope to see you at the show!