ROMA FLOWERS - VISUAL DESIGNER
Roma Flowers
Lighting Projection Video
About Roma
ROMA FLOWERS, member of United Scenic Artists Local 829,
has designed lighting and projection for theatre, concert and dance. A recipient of a New York Dance and Performance Award (a.k.a. Bessie), she considers herself fortunate to have worked with such diverse artists in the field of theatre, dance and music such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Catastrophic Theatre Company, Jane Comfort, Creach/Koester Dance, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, DanceEXchange, David Dorfman, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, Doug Elkins Dance Company, George Clinton, Jubilee Theatre, The Joan Miller Dance Players, Lawrence “Butch” Morris, David Murray, Meshell N’degeocello, ODC San Francisco, Otrabanda, Shapiro & Smith, Gus Solomons, Doug Varone and Dancers, Via Theatre, Helanius J. Wilkins and Kevin Wynn. Her work has been seen throughout the United States and Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, continental Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. Recent theatrical and dance productions that she has designed include Helanius J. Wilkins' A Bon Coeur, The Catastrophic Theatre Company's production of TOAST, Robert Garland's Nyman String Quartet #2 for DTH. Currently, Roma is a faculty member of Texas Christian University’s School for Classical & Contemporary Dance.
Portfolio
Lighting and Projection Design
Screen Dance
Secondary Surfaces Redux Trailer
Secondary Surfaces Redux is the creative result of a collaboration with SCCD Associate Professor Dr. Nina Martin, who choreographed the work and performed with Sarah Gamblin, Associate Professor of Dance at Texas Women's University. The video was selected for inclusion in the Braga International Video Dance Festival 2018. Two women arduously traverse an expanse of white paper armed only with black charcoal and their bodies. Created by video artist Roma Flowers and choreographer Nina Martin, and informed by far west Texas landscapes, geological time and human kinetic processes, Secondary Surfaces Redux presents meditations on durational concepts of time and the human relationship to labor and survival.
Big Bad Wolf
Big Bad Wolf, choreographed by Joshua L. Peugh, explores fear and the way almost every culture on earth has used fear as a tool to make people behave. Inspired by cautionary tales people worldwide use to frighten naughty children and influenced by vaudeville, the work is grandly theatrical. Coproduced by Korea Nation Contemporary Dance Company, Big Bad Wolf premiered at the Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, South Korea in 2017.
A Bon Coeur
With A Bon Coeur, an evening-length, mixed media solo project, noted dance artist and teacher, Helanius J. Wilkins, explores how embodied practice helps interrogate complex issues of race, culture, and inclusivity. Drawn from inspiration through his Creole cultural ties and aspects of growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, Wilkins’ envisioned the work to be performed by “a black body in a white-box”, with all the metaphoric, cultural, and political implications that that environment suggests. The projection design for A Bon Coeur employed four white walls (including a translucent front wall) and a white floor as irresistible surfaces for vibrant and diverse projections that could truly transform the space from both audience and performance perspectives. The design received the prestigious LDI Knight of Illumination Notch Award in 2019.
Remembered Present
“Remembered Present”, choreographed by Nina Martin, examined spontaneity as artistic practice. The video content reinforced that aspect of the dancers’ personal artistic journey through imagery of anatomical and digital renderings of human forms, movement through mazes, rooms, anonymous buildings and manipulated footage of the dancers themselves. Using three screens, the projected imagery was comprised of three distinct yet thematically similar image scores. Paul Hunt composed the improvised sound score.
Liminal Territories
Choreographed by Nina Martin, "Liminal Territories" was presented at the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at TCU. Roma Flowers designed the video projections and lighting. “Liminal Territories” captured an exploration of the moving human form in a contained yet organically shifting landscape. The dancers themselves became an integral part of the visual environment.
Quintet Variations with Weather
Choreographed by Jordan Fuchs, "Quintet Variations with Weather" was presented at the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at TCU in the fall of 2016. Roma Flowers designed the video projections and lighting.
Gloria
Choreographed by Dance Theatre of Harlem’s resident choreographer Robert Garland, "Gloria" (2012), set to Francis Poulenc's 1961 vocal and orchestral work, is an act of faith, of community. Dedicated to Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church, a congregation that just said no to segregation in 1808, "Gloria" conveys joy, sorrow and hope as subtly as Poulenc's composition.
A Gumbo
Choreographed by Helanius J. Wilkins, "A Gumbo" was presented at the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at TCU. Reflecting on the impact of Hurricane Katrina, the “visual poems” of "A Gumbo" (projected onto an overhead sculptural installation of Mardi Gras parasols) were created to give context to the geography and cultural identity of the work. Presented in an improvisatory framework, the lighting and videos altered for each of several performances.
Center My Heart
Center My Heart, choreographed by Doug Elkins, featured one of my earliest ventures into full stage projection. Paired with gobo patterns on the dancers, it was a simple and effective visual statement.
When Pigments Fly
Choreographed by veteran choreographer and noted dance teacher, Joan Miller, “When Pigments Fly” was presented at the Citigroup theater at the Joan Weill Center for Dance in New York. Conceived as a tribute to Joan’s longtime friend and collaborator, African-American expressionist painter Herbert Gentry, the design concept was to recreate and highlight the motifs and sensibilities of Mr. Gentry’s oeuvre while maintaining strong focus on the dance and the dancers through the application of full stage visuals that included the dancers, the floor and the background.
All Things
Choreographed by Susan Douglas Roberts, "All Things" was presented at the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at TCU. Created to explore the experiences of everyday Americans attending church, the video projection design for "All Things" provided a visual landscape that shifted between the abstract, the whimsical and the sublime. My contribution to this project also included the sound and stage designs.
Selected Theatre Gallery
From musicals to comedies to serious drama, this gallery includes a diverse range of theatrical genres and forms.
