ABOUT US
MISSION
Empire of Teeth is an artists collective established to develop, test and present new methods and experiences in the interdisciplinary performing arts nationally and internationally. We are committed to artistic collaborations that establish a lively creative dialogue with the audience. We maintain a highly-skilled ensemble to create an interdisciplinary performance language incorporating theater, dance, music and visual art, presenting work that is aesthetically refined and evocative of the human condition and makes use of the full range of expressive technique and skill. We also provide educational and community-based programs and collaborate with local, national and international artists of every artistic medium to promote cultural exchange.
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
ROCHELLE FABB is an award winning performer (Arts International, Durfee Foundation, residencies at CAMAC France, Djerassi Foundation and LUNA Foundation) and Co-Artistic Director of Empire of Teeth. Known for creating bold, visceral and highly visual theater works and transitory, risk-taking performance installations with unique audience engagement, she has toured nationally and internationally since 1993.
Her physically and psychologically intense pieces and private moments in public spaces display a raw vulnerability and primal/confrontational nature that she manipulates to explore issues of power, control, transcendence, gender, sexuality and seduction. She weaves elements of theater, movement, sound, video and text into character tableaus that attempt to disarm, seduce and dismantle an audience, often via fantasy-based or dream-like scenarios. Much of Fabb's work investigates the formal and synthetic aspects of publicly displayed emotion, mind/body exertion and revelation.
Her solo works "At First Blush" and "Barely Breeding" opened the inaugural Performance Rodeo Festival (France) and the Ex-Teresa Performance Art Festival (Mexico City) respectively. She was presented at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Cleveland Performance Art Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival and RAW Tempel in Berlin and performs regularly at Highways Performance Space in L.A. She toured with the Rachel Rosenthal Company nationally and internationally in 1996-2000.
www.geocities.com/rochellefabb
MICHAEL SAKAMOTO (Writer, Director, Choreographer, Performer) is an acclaimed multidisciplinary artist whose works combining theater, dance, music, media and visual art display a truly unique breadth of technique and versatility. His ensemble and solo works have toured to San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Santa Fe, festivals in France and Mexico as well as venues throughout Southern California.
Fusing Eastern and Western influences, intense, minimalist imagery, historical depth and absurd humor, he creates global, multilingual experiences to evoke a benevolent multiculturalism. Sakamoto's works question popular culture, media and common notions of authenticity and knowledge and blend complex structures through abstract, iconic texts.
Sakamoto's work ranges from witty comic repartee, pop pastiche and B-movie caricature to poeticism and subversive kitsch in multiple languages. Sakamoto is also one of the most innovative dancers to emerge from butoh in recent years. His installation, graphics, media and photo works have been exhibited at Documenta, Siggraph and throughout the Los Angeles area, including at The Getty Center, Skirball Cultural Center, 18th Street Arts Center and numerous galleries.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael
Sakamoto, President
Performance, dance theater, and visual artist. Co-Artistic Director of Empire
of Teeth.
Rochelle
Fabb, Vice President
Performance and visual theater artist. Co-Artistic Director of Empire of Teeth.
Francis
Shishim (aka, "The Dark Bob")
Performance artist and painter. Business owner and manager.
Douglas Thompson
Film and video artist
Dercum Over
Journalist and photographer