PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE NOVELTY COMPANY
Under the name Passive Aggressive Novelty Company (PANoCo), Andy Russ creates performances that move freely between the genres of dance, theater, music and film. His work is driven by a desire for experiment and artistic cross-pollination, challenging both the conventions of theatrical practice, but also of audience expectation. He manipulates semantic, spatial, and temporal materials to expose the assumptions not only of our thinking, but also of the bodies and spaces through which we move. His work questions how social constructs (language; media; gestures; etc) can be a source of disconnect and detachment; but, through a process of misappropriation, manipulation, and serendipity, poetry can be discovered and new connections can be realized.
Andy is an active generalist; and with over 30 years working professionally in the arts, he has worn many hats: choreographer, composer, curator, dancer, designer, director, editor, educator, engineer, manager, and producer. Originally from North Carolina, with degrees in Music and Dance from Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio, he spent 10 years in New York City, surfing the downtown dance scene, while acting as Music Supervisor for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. In 2005, he relocated to Rhode Island to take on the role of Artistic Coordinator for cellist Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, with whom he produced the Grammy nominated album Off the Map. As a composer and sound designer, he has created over 80 original music compositions and sound designs for dance, theatre, radio, and film.
Andy currently lives in Providence, RI, where, in addition to directing PANoCo, he is a Resident Artist at the Wilbury Theatre, Professor of Dance at Roger Williams University, Integrated Art & Music Teacher at the Wolf School, and Co-director of Motion State Arts.
Andy is an active generalist; and with over 30 years working professionally in the arts, he has worn many hats: choreographer, composer, curator, dancer, designer, director, editor, educator, engineer, manager, and producer. Originally from North Carolina, with degrees in Music and Dance from Oberlin College and Conservatory in Ohio, he spent 10 years in New York City, surfing the downtown dance scene, while acting as Music Supervisor for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. In 2005, he relocated to Rhode Island to take on the role of Artistic Coordinator for cellist Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, with whom he produced the Grammy nominated album Off the Map. As a composer and sound designer, he has created over 80 original music compositions and sound designs for dance, theatre, radio, and film.
Andy currently lives in Providence, RI, where, in addition to directing PANoCo, he is a Resident Artist at the Wilbury Theatre, Professor of Dance at Roger Williams University, Integrated Art & Music Teacher at the Wolf School, and Co-director of Motion State Arts.
