Zany Angel Company Bio

The Zany Angels Dance Theatre Company is a theatrical troupe of highly trained dancers who use performance as a transformational, heart-opening, and life-affirming experience for both themselves and the audience.

The Zany Angels began with the collaboration of Rythea Lee and Rose Oceania over 10 years ago with an interest in developing the merging of dance, clown, voice, and monologue.  They founded a form they named "Moving Monologues" which involved spontaneous personal storytelling and movement.  This modality made way for deep and humorous monologues that were juxtaposed withthe bodies natural play with time, space, shape, and quality.  Workshops were organized and participants found they were sharing in a different way then ever before.  People from all walks of life, dancers and non-dancers, artists and non-artists found an authentic and healing format for expression.

The Zany Angels were officially formed in 2002 and began performing their work along the eastern seaboard.  They performed their full-length production "Shameless" in Massachusetts venues including Mt.Holyoke college, Hampshire College, Smith College, Greenfield CommunityCollege, Emerson College, Bridgewater College, UMass Amherst, and Mobius Theatre.

Separately and together their work has been presented at Muhlenberg College, Bard College, The Seattle Festival of the Alternative Dance, The Theatre Resource Center in Toronto, as well as many New York venues including PS. 122, St. Marks Church, The Joyce Soho, Judson Church, and Movement Research. The Zany Angels were chosen to perform at the Brooklyn ArtsExchange as part of the New Women's Festival in 2006.

An important aspect of the Zany Angels service work involves supporting, teaching, and performing for survivors of abuse and trauma. The company has taught Expressive Arts workshops at women's centers in MA including NELCWIT, The Survivors Project, Women in Action, the Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts and received a grant from the Department of Mental Healthfor a long term support group for women survivors of abuse and trauma. They used performances to raise money for MA organizations working to end violence against women including Every Woman's Center and Safe Passage. They were presenters for the To Tell The Truth Conference in New York City in 2000 and 2001. In 2007, Rythea Lee published a book called "Trauma into Truth: Gutsy Healing and Why It's Worth It" and began offering this book to audience and workshop members.

In 2007, the Zany Angels welcomed Patrick Crowley into the company, and began the development of a new show called "Crush, Lust, and OtherDecisions; a New Age Variety Show."  This work is described as "Saturday Night Live meets contemporary American Musicals" including vinettes that spoof popular notions of culture and pop-psychology.  In Aug 2007, the Zany Angels organized the first ever Zany Performance Art Festival in their home town of Northampton, MA which included 3 weeks of performances, classes, and discussions.  They premiered their new show as well as featured well respected guest artists Johanna Walker, Chara Reigel, Hampshire College Artists Showcase, and showing of works from 8 of the Zany Angels students. 

In August 2008, the company performed "Crush, Lust, and Other Decisions" and "Cannoli's are the Italian People's Twinkie" at the 2008 Boulder Fringe Festival. See Performance for more detail.  

Currently, the company is creating a new work with special guest Aaron Brandes, also known as Brando.  

Rythea Lee Bio 

Rythea Lee is a professional dancer and multi-disciplinary artist giving voice to personal and global stories of healing.  She has a private practice in Northampton, MA as an InnerBonding® counselor and also counsels people all over the country through phone sessions.  Rythea recently published a new book called "Trauma into Truth: Gutsy Healing and Why It's Worth It" which is a resource for those on thehealing path, includes original artwork, and is available at Amazon.com.  She is also a singer songwriter working on a new CD.  Rythea loves to teach and share the creative process with people from all walks of life. See Video, or go to youtube for other videos.

Rose Oceania Bio

Rose Oceania is an performance artist, clown, visual artist, and writer. She has integrated her passion for healing and transformation into her ongoing artistic investigations. As a teacher of the arts to both children and adults, she brings a light hearted, warm, and truthful approach to the art-making process. She is also a creativity coach in Northampton, MA where she supports individuals in addressing their blocks and completing long cherished goals.   

Patrick Crowley Bio

Patrick Crowley dances, performs, and teaches nationally and internationally.  He brings to his work an extensive knowledge of the body and movement.  Since 1983, he has been diving into dance, improvisation, theatre, yoga, bodywork, contemplative practice, martial arts, and athleticism.  Patrick teaches Contact Improvisation, improvisation, couples work, Contemplative Movement, yoga, mixed-ability dance, Experiential Anatomy, Developmental Movement and leads ceremonial Longdances. Patrick other influences are New Dance Technique, Action Theater, Playback Theatre, vipassana meditation, Budo Taijutsu, shamanic studies, somatics, leadership development, and Body-Mind Centering. 

He has performed with The Six and 1/2 Project, Twists of Fate, Boston's mixed-ability dance company; and Access to Theatre, Boston's mixed-ability theatre/dance company for young adults, as well as with Andrew Harwood, Martin Keogh, Kirstie Simson, Felice Wolfzahn, Debra Bluth, Olivier Besson, Sarah Hickler, and Mike Vargas. He has taught at Yale University, Boston University, Cambridge School of Weston, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Community Center for the Arts, Dance Complex, Cape Cod Community College, Harvard University, Freiburg International Contact Improvisation Festival, the Contact Improvisation Festival in Buenos Aires, Earthdance. Dance New England, the Boston Contact Improvisation Festival, and the Green Planet. 

Patrick began been performing and teaching with the Zany Angels in 2006.  Patrick has been praticing bodywork since 1982. He was certified by Sensei Toshiko Phipps, is a member of Associated Bodyworkand Massage Professionals and in 1993 was Nationally Certified. For more information:  www.patrickcrowley.net