Jennifer
Monson {Dancing
9-5} has been pursuing an original approach to experimental
dance forms in NYC since 1983. In 1999 she embarked on BIRD BRAIN a navigational
dance project that included the theatrical pieces The Pigeon Project(2000) and
Flight of Mind(2005) and three migratory performance tours that followed Gray
Whales from Mexico to Canada, Ospreys from Maine, through Cuba to Venezuela
and Ducks and Geese from Texas to Minnesota. The experience of BIRD BRAIN led
Monson to create iLAND, Inc – interdisciplinary Laboratory for Art, Nature
and Dance, a not for profit organization that supports collaborative projects
between movement based artists and environmentalists that engage the public
in a kinetic experience of the urban environment. Monson has received fellowships
from the Guggenheim Foundation, The Foundation for Contemporary Performance
Art, The NEA and the NYFA. She was awarded a New York Dance and Performance
Award ("BESSIE") for BIRD BRAIN (2006) for Sender and for sustained
achievement in the dance field (1997).