Taryn Griggs and Chris Yon create original dance works that are deadpan slapstick, understated
melodrama, autobiographical science fiction, cubist vaudeville, asymmetrically consonant explorations of
magic and virtuosity in everyday movement. They met at the Bessie Schönberg Artist Residency at The
Yard in 2002 and have been working together ever since. They were participants in the dance
communities of New York City, Minneapolis, and Iowa City, before moving to Winston-Salem. Chris and
Taryn’s choreographies have been presented across the US, Canada, Ireland, and France. In New York,
in addition to the presentation of their work at La MaMa, Dance Theater Workshop, PS122, The Kitchen,
and Danspace Project, they appeared together in the work of David Neumann, Yoshiko Chuma, Karinne
Keithley Syers, and Sara Rudner. During their years in the Twin Cities, they were both McKnight Fellows,
co-curators for Choreographer’s Evening at the Walker Art Center, and their work was presented as part
of the Walker’s Momentum Dance Series at The Southern, Red Eye Theater’s Isolated Acts, Jaime
Carrera’s Outlet Performance Festival, and 9×22 at the Bryant Lake Bowl. Since moving to
Winston-Salem, their work has been commissioned by the North Carolina Dance Festival (NCDF),
American Dance Festival (ADF), and they have been developing a platform for new work and
collaborations through the ongoing project, Interstitial: A site specific dance during the changeovers
between art exhibits at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. Griggs teaches at UNCSA, Yon at
Appalachian State University. During COVID, their work temporarily moved to the screen. Check out
these short screendances commissioned by ADF: Glimmer by Chris Yon; and Chris, Bea, and me by
Taryn Griggs; and this one commissioned by NCDF: Untitled (Smoke Stacks) by Chris and Taryn.
DESCRIPTION OF WORK:
Secret Bird Meeting (working title) is a duet choreographed and performed by Chris Yon and Taryn Griggs set to an original collage soundscore and may be adorned with shiny, homemade costumes. It is a time capsule containing understated, gestural, patterned, idiosyncratic duets that sprung from speculative thought and the multiple realities we are struggling to reconcile between life before and life now.
IF YOU WERE A TYPE OF CANDY, WHAT CANDY WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
Chris and Taryn are creating a work they would describe as “Astronaut ice cream” – Meant for space, but can be eaten anywhere… or “Marzipan” – It’s just a few ingredients, but can be molded to make all kinds of shapes and figures…OR “Salsagheti (a chili mango gummy candy)” – A balanced pairing. An acquired taste.
FEATURED ARTIST PERFORMANCES
May 5 – 7:30pm
May 6 – 7:30pm
May 7 – 2:00pm & 7:30pm
A black and white photo of Taryn Griggs and Chris Yon, a white woman and man with short dark hair, each leaning to the right with their arms at shoulder level in dark clothes against a white wall, resembling a pair of lower case T’s in italics. Taryn is on the left looking forward, Chris on the right looking up and to the right. Their reflections on the shiny concrete floor below mirror them.
Photo by Zoe Litaker
Chris Yon and Taryn Griggs, a white man and woman dressed in black and grey, are leaning into each other and against a wall with hand painted wallpaper describing a coastal scene with a small tree in the foreground. Chris, slightly taller, is on the left, Taryn is on the right. They are looking at each other.
Photo by Zoe Litaker
A black and white photo of Chris Yon and Taryn Griggs, a white man and woman with short dark hair, each balancing on one leg. Chris is on the left, Taryn is on the right. Their shadows are cast on the white wall behind them and their reflections on the shiny concrete floor below.
Photo by Zoe Litaker