CLUB SOMETHING W/ WAJATTA (REGGIE WATTS + JOHN TEJADA), ANI TAJ & AMY O’NEAL

DICE, Ani Taj, Amy O’Neal and Decibel proudly present…

CLUB SOMETHING feat. WAJATTA (Reggie Watts + John Tejada)

CLUB SOMETHING is a recurring 360° dance-driven performance experience combining the forces of choreographers Amy O’Neal and Ani Taj. Half inspired by Taj’s company The Dance Cartel and their signature immersive show ONTHEFLOOR, half inspired by O’Neal’s signature hybrid experimental contemporary and street dance creations, and 100% inspired by club dance culture, CLUB SOMETHING is designed to get all parties moving. Featuring a cast of radically individual dancers, CLUB SOMETHING synergizes: vibrating dance floors. semi narrative dance episodes. precision choreography. virtuosic improvisation. Guest artist set by Wajatta (John Tejada x Reggie Watts). You cutting lose. In addition to performing at Club Something, Wajatta will also be performing at the after-party, along with a special DJ set by John Tejada. This iteration of CLUB SOMETHING will also feature an exclusive installation of Runnin’, a virtual reality music video generated by Reggie Watts, with music by Wajatta and choreography by Amy O’Neal and Ani Taj. This dual experience merges the virtual and real worlds through a multi-dimensional experience of music and dance.

Wajatta bio
Comedian, musician REGGIE WATTS and producer JOHN TEJADA have joined to create the electronic/dance group WAJATTA. Wajatta, as the name suggests (a mash-up of Watts and Tejada), represents the collaboration of Reggie Watts and John Tejada’s inherent musical abilities. Having grown up with similar musical influences, the two draw from their love of urban electronic music. Best described as electronic dance, the new music has roots in Detroit techno, Chicago house, ’70s funk and New York hip hop. Tejada’s deep and melodic productions make a perfect backing for Watt’s wide vocal-range and live looping skills.

Amy O’Neal bio
AMY O’NEAL is a dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. She equally participates in street and club dance culture and contemporary dance and performance. Her passion and research meet at the intersection of the communities she dances in where she explores the complex difference, nuances, and layers of hybridized movement vocabularies. A sought after artist for nearly two decades, she teaches and performs nationally and internationally and choreographs for live performance, dance films, and music videos. Her last evening-length work, Opposing Forces, explored fears of feminine qualities in our culture through the hyper masculine form of Breaking with five Seattle based BBoys and toured 2014-2017.
Amy is on faculty at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance where she teaches Hip Hop techniques and lectures about African American Dance. Amy is a Creative Capital, NPN, NDP, Mid Atlantic Arts, Foundation for Contemporary Art grantee, and a Herb Alpert Award nominee. Since 2001, Amy has worked both on stage and screen with musician/comedian, Reggie Watts, band leader for Late Late Show with James Corden. She co-choreographed a virtual reality music video experience for Wajatta (Reggie Watts and John Tejada) called Runnin’, which premiered at New Frontier at Sundance Film Festival in 2019. After 20 years of working as a dance artist in Seattle, Amy relocated to Los Angeles in Fall of 2016. Amy is the creator of The Rhythm Assembly, a weekly rhythm focused freestyle techniques class synergizing both hip hop and contemporary practices at Ryan Heffington’s studio, The Sweat Spot.

Ani Taj bio
ANI TAJ a director-choreographer and founder of The Dance Cartel,
working between NYC and LA. Ani choreographs large-scale dance experiences, art parties, music videos, contemporary musicals, VR experiences, concerts and more.
Since launching in 2012, The Dance Cartel’s acclaimed dance experiences have toured diverse spaces including Ace Hotel NY, PS1/MoMA, the High Line, Brooklyn Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Velocity Dance Center (Seattle), Bootleg Theater (LA), OBERON (ART), Refinery29’s 29Rooms. Taj has choreographed music videos for Yoko Ono, Reggie Watts, & Vic Mensa, and with TDC has made TV appearances on Conan and The Late Late Show w/ James Corden. She co-choreographed Wajatta’s VR music video experience Runnin, which premiered at New Frontier at Sundance Film Festival in 2019 and won “Best Interactive” at SXSW. Most recently Taj was commissioned by Virgin Voyages to co-create a new large-scale immersive dance experience with longtime collaborator (and Tony-nominee) Sam Pinkleton, which launched at The Playstation Theater in NYC.
While bridging gaps between dance and music scenes, Ani keeps one foot in the world of live theatre. Favorite projects include choreography for RUNAWAYS (Public Theater at the Delacorte, NY City Center), Good Men Wanted (NYSAF). As a performer, Ani has danced on Broadway in the Tony-nominated Broadway hit Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, as well as with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Reggie Watts & Tommy Smith, Les Freres Corbusier, David Dorfman Dance, Jenny Koons, Liz Swados. Ani is an Adjunct Professor of dance and movement at NYU (ETW).

Runnin’ VR Experience
Runnin’ (directed by Kiira Benzig) premiered at Sundance Festival 2019 and won “Best Interactive” at SXSW. The creative team of Runnin’ reassembles to bring you a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of technology and performance, launching the audience directly from the VR experience into a live immersion in dance and music. The experience features many of the dancers performing live in CLUB SOMETHING, creating a virtual and real life social communion.

Dance Performance (7pm – 10pm)
After Party (10pm – 2am)

All tickets available at dice.fm/clubsomething