Ben Needham-Wood

ECHO (Excerpts) Choreography by Ben Needham-Wood Inspired by the Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus. Premiered by SMUIN, Fall 2018, San Francisco, CA Music by Nicholas Britell Lighting by Michael Oesch Dancers: Valerie Harmon and Peter Kurta with Maggie Carey, Tess Lane, Jonah Corrall, Mattia Pallozzi, Max van der Sterre (Dancers of SMUIN) Title photographer Keith Sutter Video footage from RAPT Productions

BASEBALLET: INTO THE GAME "Run Around" An excerpt from the documentary feature BASEBALLET: INTO THE GAME. "Run Around" is one of four featured dances staged at AT&T Park showcasing the athleticism of dance through parallels with baseball.

Maslow Choreography by Ben Needham-Wood Music by Ben Sollee **original composition Lighting by Michael Oesch Costumes by Cassandra Carpenter and Jo Ellen Arntz Premiered by Smuin Ballet, Sept. 18 2015 "We can't predict our future any more than we can change our past, but with art we can always dream beyond our present. American psychologist Abraham Maslow believed people are driven by a desire to fulfill their greatest potential, an ambition he referred to as self-actualization. 'Maslow' offers a glimpse inside the mind of a man searching for his greatest self."

"My Old Kentucky Home" Ben Needham-Wood, Choreographer www.bneedhamwood.com National Choreographers Initiative - Irvine, CA - 2016 www.nchoreographers.org Lighting by Monique L'Heureux Costume coordination by Katie Wilson Filmed by Aaron Cota Music: "My Old Kentucky Home" 1) The Dirt Daubers, 2) NBC Kentucky Derby Broadcast 2013, 3) Chris Barber, 4) Jay Ungar, 5) Graham Clarke, 6) Steve Eckels, 7) Kate Smith

Cooties Ben Needham-Wood, Choreographer Premiered by Dance Theatre of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, June 11, 2015 Music by Rene Aubry Costumes by Christopher Dunn Lighting by Jack Beuttler About "Cooties" - "Back in elementary school there was a game we used to play, 'Circle, circle, dot, dot, now you've got your cootie shot.' An innocent game where boys and girls ran through the school yard trying to 'infect' the other gender with their cooties. It was basically a flirtatious game of tag. Many kids would try to avoid cooties at all costs, but there were also those who liked getting as close to the other gender as possible, even letting themselves catch "cooties" on purpose. I believe 'Cooties' is a game we still play as adults. Walk in to any social setting and you'll find some people evading all eye contact, and others eager to shake hands, possibly picking up a date while they're at it. This new work, titled 'Cooties,' is inspired by both the childish and mature forms of its namesake. Are you someone who feels excited by new encounters? Or do unexpected introductions make you nervous and shy? This creation with DTSF introduced me to a full company of dancers, and with every one of them I felt some combination of nerves, excitement, and anticipation. We all experienced our own version of 'cooties' during the rehearsal process, and I could not be happier with the result." --Ben Needham-Wood www.bneedhamwood.com

Apollo and Daphne Choreography by Ben Needham-Wood Music by Arvo Part "Spiegel Im Spiegel" Costumes by Susan Roemer of S-Curve Apparel Performed by Erica Felsch and Weston Krukow (Dancers appear courtesy of Smuin Ballet) Originally created for Louisville Ballet's Choreographers' Showcase in 2011.

Choreography by Ben Needham-Wood Music "Howlin' for You" by The Black Keys Smuin Ballet's XXperiments, Choreography Showcase 2014

"Memoir" Ben Needham-Wood, choreographer Performed by Erin Yarbrough Smuin Contemporary American Ballet Choreography Showcase - February 2018 Cowell Theater, San Francisco, CA Music: "Lag Fyrir Ömmu" by Olafur Arnalds Michael Oesch, lighting designer

A Moment Before Tomorrow Choreography by Ben Needham-Wood Music by Olafur Arnalds "Fyrsta" Performed by Weston Krukow and Erin Yarbrough Smuin Ballet - XXperiments, Choreographers' Showcase 2014

Ben, choreographer for NCI 2016, shares about his process to create a commissioned work for the Kentucky Derby.