Meet the naked stark: Bodies of water

in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival

September 27th 1-3pm

@ The Fairmount Water Works

FREE, contributions welcome!

Reserve your ticket now!

Reserve your ticket!

Meet The Naked Stark
looks a little different this year!

This Fringe season, TNS shares an interactive exhibit and sneak peak of our 2026 production Bodies Of Water. Dive into an exploration of water, time and space celebrating the sites architecture, and the mosiac of memories in the former Kelly Pool.

Bodies of Water co-creators, Amalia Colón-Nava, Chloe Marie, Harlee Trautman, Katherine Kiefer Stark, Marcie Mamura, and Meredith Stapleton, navigate the interplay of each performers’ relationship to water. We are at once streams flowing together and humans making space for each other, carrying and being carried along, discovering the power and possibilities that emerge when we come together.

This piece is an offering to drift, pause, and plunge into a shared inquiry of place and process; a phase in an ever evolving project. We invite you to enter the current of unfolding together, between the seen and unseen, and the water nearby.

Join us for a performance and reception as we discover mutual buoyancy, find each other in the vastness, dive through turbulence, and surface together.

This event is for all ages - meet us at the river!

The Naked Stark is a Partner in Movement at Fairmount Water Works

Our new short commissioned work was performed at The Interpretive Center in tandem with gallery tours of the Fairmount Water Works art exhibit “CONFLUENCE”.

May 3rd, July 12th, July 26th

Check out 6ABC's coverage

Last Year…

The Naked Stark turned 15!

Design by Aubrey Donisch featuring photo by Wide Eyed Studios.
Image descrption: A graphic design that reads “Meet The Naked Stark” with The Naked Stark logo (a print of a foot) in bright blue outlined in gold. At the bottom of the graphic is a photo of the six collaborators (Amalia, Chloe, Katherine, Harlee, Marcie, and Meredith) with their arms raised, dressed in white costumes, ready to bow at their Falling Up performance in 2023.

We’ve been creating and performing our work for 15 years! And since 2014, Meet The Naked Stark has brought together our community of artists and arts advocates of all ages dedicated to keeping our work thriving in Philadelphia. Outside of our classes, performances, and workshops, our annual fundraiser and gathering offers another way to dance up-close with us and connect with neighbors far and wide.

In 2024 we...

Reminisced together at our 9th annual Meet The Naked Stark!

We learned line dances (some new and some old!), grabbed a treat, heard from artists in our community, explored our Falling Up craft corner, and found out what The Naked Stark is creating next!

photos from meet the naked stark 2019!

Photos: Jen Kertis, Meet The Naked Stark 2019
Top - Marisa Illingworth & Katherine Kiefer Stark; guests viewing performance; guest at the silent auction table
Bottom - Katherine hands out pops from the Lil’ Pop Shop; Harlee Trautman, Marisa, Chloe Marie Newton, & Katherine joined by guests; guest artist Evalina Carbonell with Weiwei Ma performing excerpts of Honey.

Collaborators Side-by-Side

Image description: a colorful graphic shows three groupings of people in different silly poses. In the background are three big circles, one blue, one orange, one green. The background of the graphic is yellow.

December 13th @ 7 PM
Mascher Space Cooperative
1170 S Broad St

FREE! Donations Accepted

Featuring works by Chloe Marie, Shannon Brooks, and Shannon Murphy

Collaborators Side-By-Side incubates new creativity and individual projects from Collaborators (past and present) of The Naked Stark. This free event features 2-3 artists sharing work at any stage of development followed by a discussion. Each collaborator receives an honorarium for sharing. All donations go to the pool to support the honorarium fund.

Accessibility: The entrance to Mascher Space Cooperative is up 3 steps. There is no ramp. Two non-gendered bathrooms are located in the basement down a flight of stairs. There is no elevator.

December 13 Program

Chloe sitting on the floor, knees up, feet on the floor, arms resting on knees, hands extended forward, head dropped. Alex is resting on Chloe, chest toward the ceiling, head resting on Chloe’s head, hands on his face. In the background audience members sit and stand.

Chloe Marie & Alex Brazinski

Chloe Marie is a multi-disciplinary artist from San Diego, California who is currently based in Philadelphia. In 2013, Chloe moved to Philadelphia to attend The University of the Arts where they received their BFA in 2017. While at UARTS they worked with artists of many different dance styles. Chloe is currently a full time freelance dance artist, this includes, performing, teaching, choreographing, and directing movement for theater and music videos. Chloe has been dancing, collaborating, and learning with The Naked Stark since 2018.

Alex Brazinski is a licensed acupuncturist and movement specialist and focuses his practice on sports injuries, pain management, mobility issues, and stress management. Alex spent most of his 20s pursuing movement-based practices such as acrobatics, floorwork, yoga, and martial arts. Alex has studied intensively under Tom Weksler through Movement Archery and Zen Acrobatics and now teaches dance acrobatics classes at Urban Movement Arts in Philadelphia. Alex had spent the summer of 2023 working as a dancer/acrobat with the Des Moines Metropolitan Opera in it’s production of The Love of Three Oranges. Alex is also currently practicing acupuncture in Philadelphia.

About today’s work:
Alex and Chloe are sharing a duet we have been working on for a few months now. First premiered at the UMA floor fundraiser.

Photo by Shannon Brooks
Image description: Two feet are in the lower part of the frame. The top half of the left. The whole right foot is visible with seaweed attached to each toe. The feet are standing on sand and other seaweed and beech creatures are visible.

Shannon Brooks

I am a multisensory, multimedia artist. I am a self-identified freak/weirdo. My practice is iterative, takes time and shifts form to research an idea, a feeling, or a question often using movement, performance, sound, sculpture, video, social-based practices. I play with the range of our senses to investigate relationships between ecology, disability, systems of power, and material and immaterial worlds. As a Disabled/low-vision person, I understand accessibility as a creative force and experiment with decentralizing sight in my practice - reaching into what we cannot see. I am a long time admirer of The Naked Stark and have had the pleasure of documenting a few of the company's performances and their Collaborator's Side-By-Side performances!

About today’s work:
Sharing an experiment with the seaweed wrack zone.

Shannon in a black tank top and black pants draped over a rock bolder that is covered in moss. In the background rock and moss.

Shannon Murphy

Shannon Murphy (she/her) is a dance artist and educator whose work invites attention to complexity, differentiation, and resilience across classroom, studio, and stage. She holds an MFA from the University of the Arts and a BA from Point Park University, and is senior faculty in the Franklin Method for dance at the Franklin Method Institute in Switzerland, training educators internationally since 2019. Committed to radical sustainability in education, Shannon develops curricula that reduce injury and support performer resilience. She is an Assistant Professor at Temple University and has previously taught at Drexel University, Stockton University, and UArts, where she served as Curricular Head of Body Pathways for a decade. Her choreography—spanning contemporary performance, dance theater, and musical theater—has been commissioned by Subcircle Residency and presented at Cannonball Festival, the Penn Museum, and The Painted Bride Art Center. She has performed with artists including Charles Anderson, Nichole Canuso, Group Motion, Jaamil Kosoko, and Annie Wilson, and co-directed idiosynCrazy productions with founder Makini (Jumatatu Poe).
A Rocky Award recipient, Shannon’s work has been supported by residencies at New Edge, Live Arts LAB, Mascher Space Co-Op, the Whole Shebang, Archedream for Humankind, UArts, and Temple University’s Duckworth Scholars Studio. She is grateful to share her work again with the support of The Naked Stark and appreciates Katherine’s stewardship of a nurturing creative community.

About today’s work:

Exploring the erosion and deposition of body and place, Shannon is sharing a solo work in process that was developed from the site specific performance journey, "To Enter We have to be Okay with Leaving." The Research for this work includes imagining a circulatory system that is connected to earth, and seeps into the space and pace of soil. The solo work remains untitled.

Collaborators Side-by-Side Past & Future!

UPCOMING February, 2026
Elizabeth Bergman
Kayliani Sood
Noel Price-Bracey

March 29, 2025
Dirtbaby Farm presented work by Amalia Colón-Nava, Evenlyn Langley, & Joseph Ahmed
Meredith Stapleton along with Wynn and Marland

April 18, 2024
Amalia Colón-Nava
Aubrey Donisch & Shana Crawford
Marcie Mamura

February 16, 2024
Chachi Perez
Chloe Marie & Lee Clarke
Katherine Kiefer Stark

A Series of informal events (2017 & 2019)

Before there was Collaborators Side-by-Side!
Motivated by our desire to share and discuss our own work-in-progress, paired with our philosophy that part of nourishing ourselves and creating sustainable movement-art practices is supporting other artists and working together to build a community, we created A Series of Informal Events.

Modeled after the old FringeArts ScratchNight series, our free series features 2-3 artists sharing 10-25 minutes of work, with each work followed by a discussion. Spring 2019, we collaborated with Shannon Murphy, guest curator, and Vox Populi, venue, hosted our events.

SPRING 2017, April, May, June: Curated by Katherine Kiefer Stark

Featured work-in-progress by Antonia Z Brown, Meredith Stapleton, stb x at, Teresa VanDenend Sorge, The Naked Stark

FALL 2017, October, November, December: Curated by Katherine Kiefer Stark

Featured work-in-progess by Amy Lynne Barr & Elizabeth Bergman, Lyons and Tigers,
Loren Groenendaal / Vervet Dance, Paige Phillips, Sean Thomas Boyt, The Naked Stark

SPRING 2019, February, April, June: Curated by Shannon Murphy

Featured work-in-progress by Chelsea Murphy, Harlee Trautman & Mary-Carmen Webb, Jhelan Gordon-Salaam, Meg Foley, Meghan Frederick & Kate Seethaler, Olive Prince Dance

Philadelphia Rising &

One Billion Rising Flash Mob

Philadelphia Rising

The Naked Stark co-organized the event Philadelphia Rising in collaboration with dance artists Saroya Corbett, Dr Colleen Hooper, and Barbara Tait.

1 in 3 women will be beaten or raped in her lifetime that is ONE BILLION women globally and 264,00 women HERE in Philadelphia.

VDay, an international organization that works to end violence against women and girls, asked ONE BILLION people to RISE UP on February 14, 2013.

We ROSE up in four locations around Philadelphia on 2.14.13 at 12:30pm to DANCE and DEMAND an end to violence against women and girls.

We ROSE up as part of Philadelphia Rising, we ROSE up as part of the global event One Billion Rising, we ROSE up to join women and men around the world to say, "ENOUGH. The violence stops NOW!

NEWS CLIP:

Watch us Rise Up:

Cedar Park
Rittenhouse Square
Temple University
East Parkside

One Billion Rising Flash Mob!

Katherine Kiefer Stark, taught 20 fabulous women a modified version of Debbie Allen's choreography to the One Billion Rising anthem “Break the Chain” written by Tena Clark. We learned the dance at Mt Vernon Dance Space / Philly PARD on 2.14.13. At 11am we walked to the corner of 18th and Spring Garden and DANCED! Joining millions of people around the world dancing in the streets on 2.14.13, RISING UP to demand an end to violence against women and girls.

Falling into Here

with Katherine Kiefer Stark

Photo: Sean Thomas Boyt, Movement Practice at Mascher Space Cooperative 2017

Falling into Here, a released-based movement practice for folks 14 and up, best suited for dancers with ‘intermediate’ to ‘advanced’ movement experience.

Join The Naked Stark’s founder and Artistic Director for an imaginative, sensation propelled, movement experience Sundays this fall!

“In an energetic exploration of movement from the inside out, my practice blends Kline, Safety Release, and release techniques. This blend allows us to move with and through momentum, spirals, and circles to arrive at predetermined and surprising destinations.

In this practice, we embrace the space through phrases that move in and out of the floor and carry us in and out of balance. Emphasis is placed on the initiation of the movement and the path our various body parts take in space to discover how our own bodies move with/in the offered movement.”

Class begins quietly and gradually builds in complexity, culminating in a dynamic phrase. There is space for participating in a variety of ways. Sleeves and knee-pads or long pants are recommended if you will be moving on the floor.

REGISTER

PHILOSOPHY AND ROOTS

Movement practice is a space for taking risks, making mistakes, and honing craft. My teaching approaches aim to create a holistic study of release-based techniques that explores movement as culturally informed, politically charged, and aesthetically particular. This philosophy is deeply informed by theories from the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, Dr. Ann Dils, and Dr. Brenda Dixon Gottschild. My physicality is strongly influenced by the studio practices of BJ Sullivan and Jeremy Nelson.

Among the movement/dance techniques I have studied, release techniques and Safety Release Technique fit best with how I like to move and with my values. These techniques appreciate and make space for the uniqueness of each mover’s body. Movement is learned through understanding the initiation of the movement, the path the various body parts take in space, and in discovering how one’s own body moves with/in the movement. This approach to movement values, develops, and supports self-awareness. My language around movement is continuously evolving as I search for words and imagery that resonate with the folks who are in the room.

In semester long courses, I explore postmodern movement aesthetics in relationship to the principles of Africanist aesthetic - Polycentrism/Polyrhythm, Embracing the Conflict, High-Affect Juxtaposition - and European aesthetic - Monocentrism, Resolving the Conflict, Arch Between Ideas - as outlined by Dr. Brenda Dixon Gottschild, as well the qualities - indirect/direct, heavy/light, quick/sustained, bound/unbound - from Laban. I weave these in more sporadically during weekly drop-in movement practice.

FALLING UP: WORKSHOP

Saturday 12/17 & Sunday 12/18, 10 AM - 4 PM
Public Showing on Sunday 12/18 @ 5 PM

Falling Up: workshop

Saturday 12/17 & Sunday 12/18, 10 AM - 4 PM
Public Showing on Sunday 12/18 @ 5 PM

Falling Up: Workshop participants are invited to join dance artist Katherine Kiefer Stark at Mascher for a two-day workshop delving into the themes of The Naked Stark’s new project Falling Up. We’ll investigate transparent illusions to create alternate spaces / worlds that require imagination from the performers and audience. And we’ll explore sensation and momentum driven phrase work and partnering as we engage in a collaborative creative process. Our time together will culminate in a public showing.

REGISTER BY 10/18, $65
REGISTER BY 11/18, $80
REGISTER AFTER 11/18, $95

*no one turned away for lack of funds. Contact info.thenakedstark@gmail.com to make an alternative contribution or for a reduced rate.

Workshop and showing are in-person
@ Mascher Space Cooperative
1170 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA

Creative Movement Workshop

creative movement workhop

Facilitated by Aubrey Donisch & Katherine Kiefer Stark

2026 dates coming soon!

The Cedar Works, 4919 Pentridge Street

This is a workshop for all ages, folks with and without disabilities, and any amount of dance experience. Dance teaching artists Katherine Kiefer Stark and Aubrey Donisch invite you to practice play through guided improvisation, movement games, and dance-making. Learn from each other as we build something together!

We’ll spend 4 Sundays creating a dance! Explore movement through games and learn tools for collaboration in dance-making. We’ll share what we’ve made for family and friends at an informal showing at the end of our last class.

All-levels for folks of all ages with and without disabilities.

Sliding-scale suggested contributions - $5-$25

**No one turned away for lack of funds, reach out to offer an exchange or pay what you can.

ADA Accessible

FACILITATORS

Aubrey is a teaching artist from Minneapolis, MN where she grew up dancing in a company for youth with and without disabilities. With ten years of teaching experience, Aubrey has taught modern dance to all ages, folks across the spectrum of disability, and those with varying relationships to dance and movement. She currently teaches at The Creative Living Room and has been a teaching artist with Allens Lane Art Center, the Park Avenue Community Center, Bryn Mawr College, University City Arts League, Young Dance, Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts, and the Semilla Center for Healing and the Arts. Aubrey loves to facilitate dance as a creative process and space for discovery, fostering positive body awareness and celebrating personal expression and collaboration.

Katherine is a philadelphia-based teaching artist and artistic director of The Naked Stark. She has been teaching modern dance for close to twenty years, working primarily with adults and teens. Katherine has been a teaching artist with a variety of organizations and institutions including, Bryn Mawr College, Stockton University, Cultivate Dance Festival, American College Dance Association, Durham Juvenile Detention Center, and Enloe High School. Currently she is adjunct faculty at Widener University and offers a weekly drop-in release-based movement practice at Mascher Space. Katherine loves to facilitate dance as a community practice and creative space, deepening awareness, exploring how one’s own body moves within the movement, and finding joy and power in our creative bodies.

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