Jenny Rocha, artistic director of the Rocha Dance Theater, presents Pistol Pretty, a multi-media production involving dance, live music, costume design and video projection. 
Rocha combines her feisty styles of vaudeville, burlesque and stomping with her modern repertory to create a fiery blend of dance theater that is both technical and witty. Pistol Pretty is based on Rocha's creative interpretation of how the "The Painted Lady" emerged in society.  By using transformative movement vocabularies, costume manipulation, live music and video imagery, Rocha will transcend a cast of uptight proper women into zany, stomping female forces. Past works such as "Proper Thang" and "The CanCan" were catalysts for this production.  Eva Yaa Asantewaa wrote "frisky percussive stylings...Lousiana gumbo style stomp" about the two pieces. Gay City News wrote "funny and entertaining" about "Proper Thang" and Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times called it "a hilarious trio for manic tootsies." 
This production is an evening-length work with choreography/direction/costume design by Rocha.  Live music will be performed by The Woes, a New York City-based band whose music is described as a stew of Delta blues, early Country, bluegrass and a New Orleans marching band sound.  Video design is by Joseph Rivas.  The cast of dancers are members of the Rocha Dance Theater.

Jenny Rocha is the artistic director and choreographer for her New York City-based dance company, Rocha Dance Theater. She is also a dancer currently working with Heidi Latsky, Sean Curran and Kelli Wicke Davis and is a costume designer for dance and theater.  Her choreography has been described by Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times as "authoritative work...evokes strong emotion physically." Rocha's choreography has been produced by numerous venues and events in New York City such as Symphony Space, Danspace Project, Joyce Soho, Lamama ETC, Dixon Place, the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Mulberry St. Theater, PS122, Chashama Theater, DanceNOW at Joe’s Pub and DTW, Dance Conversations at The Flea Theater, variety shows at comedy clubs such as The Improv and the Medicine Show Theater and more. She has also presented work out of state in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Jenny has created 8 evening-length productions for her company since 2001. Just last year, she was presented by Danspace Projects City/Dans Commissioning Initiative for her work entitled "Just Barely..." in June of 2007. The same year, Rocha was a resident artist at Galapagos Art Space and Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction where she and her company performed over 20 shows of “The Painted Ladies” dance project.  Rocha has been a guest artist at West Virginia University (2007) and a revisiting artist at Roger Williams University (2001-2007). She was commissioned to perform with her company at The Alive Arts Series at Roger Williams University in 2006.  Jenny has also choreographed the off-off broadway theater productions “La Sombre” (2003), “Shirley at the Tropicana” (2005), “Fishbowl” (2006), and “Your Mama’s Feet” (2006).  Jenny graduated with a BA in dance from Roger Williams University where she received the Thomas Paolino Award for her choreography and also received the Outstanding Achievement in Dance Award. Rocha received The Emerging Artist Award by Greenstreet Studios in Boston, MA in 2004. In 2005, she received support from the Thomas Moore Foundation. In 2006 she received a grant from The Puffin Foundation for the first production of "The Painted Ladies" Project.
 
The Woes is a group of musicians based around the songs of Osei Essed (Banjo, Guitar, Vocals) and longtime collaborator Cicero Jones (Organ, French Horn, Piano.) The music of The Woes is a recombination of varied and distinct styles of American vernacular  music such as early New Orleans Jazz, Delta Blues, Country and Gospel..  The songs are generally performed by one of two groups: The Woes brass band and The Woes string band. The string band is most often a five piece, featuring upright bass, violin and percussion. The brass band is a seven to nine piece mini orchestra with tuba, trumpet, saxophones, accordion, drums and mouth harp. Both groups feature Essed and Jones on their various instruments.

". . .avant-minded hillbilly music. The group’s old-timey textures come across as fantastical rather than merely retro."
 - Time Out New York