Daina Shukis is #Flyah
The
first album Daina produced from her vintage catalogue, Daina and the
Tribe LIVE at "Soundscape" with Jeremy Steig and "CBGB's" power trio, is
in the artist spotlight for the 13th annual IMA music awards after
having been reviewed by their judges in the LIVE performance
category. You can go to this site http://www.
Daina
Shukis received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance/Drama from New
York University as well as studying voice and specialized in writing her
own musical and vocal accompaniment for her choreography. As a dance
accompanist at Skidmore College, Daina choreographed and wrote music for
their dance group, as well as studied piano with Impressionist
specialist Professor Housman and later with Julia Ryauskas in New
Jersey. She brought the Skidmore dance group to her Alma Mater Emma
Willard School. She directed the production of the William Butler Yeats
play "Only Jealousy of Emer " at Skidmore, where she met Don Alias, Gene
Perla and Jeremy Steig when they performed with Elvin Jones at a
concert. These friendships lasted many years and their support of her
music and dancing career influenced the albums and videos presented on
this website.
You may remember Stuart Klines View of Culture in his New York City
News cast. Daina can be seen dancing at the Port Said where she was
house dancer for many years. Prior she danced at the Egyptian Gardens
and later other notable clubs in the New York area as well as Ft.
Lauderdale and the West Coast. These clubs brought the best musicians
from the Middle East to perform in New York and her love of Greek,
Turkish and Arabic music shows in some of her writing and performances.
She also had a great love for the art of ballet and took class regularly
at the American Ballet Center in New York City and studied with Mellisa
Hayden, Ola Fatum and Elizabeth Carrol at the Saratoga Performing Arts
Center. She studied Baharata Natyam with Sukanya the daughter of the
famed Indian dancer Indrani, African Dancing with the great performer
and teacher Chuck Davis, Modern dance with Paul Sanasardo, Arlene Laube
and Stuart Hodes. Her choreographic piece danced to her own music and
the improvisation of Jeremy Steig and Eddie Gomez, "Tlalocs Forest,
Cocoon into Butterfly" was shown on cable TV on occasion.
Daina has sung for "Sesame Street" animations for children's television
and performed for many years with her own band "Daina and the Tribe" in
the New York City area at such notable clubs as the Bottom Line
(opening for James Cotton), The Lone Star (opening for Jaco Pastorious),
CBGB's and many others. Her song "Long John Silver" was incorporated
into a play at the La Mama theatre in which Daina had a role as "Baby
Doll"and choreographed the presentation. The Villager newspaper stated "
Great Double Bill at La Mama". She was assaulted and severely injured
and was not able to continue her career. On the road to recovery she is
still composing and more recently performed her one woman 3 1/2 hr Patsy
Cline tribute with originals on guitar and piano at the end of every
set. She has produced 4 albums from her vintage catalogues, one
instrumental album, "Mystic Rendezvous" instrumental Daina and the
Tribe, on which Daina plays impressionist compositions on synthesizer.
New material is in the works for the late fall. On a recently released
album "Dance Of the Spirits, Daina's Tribe" are live audio recordings
of the exciting singers Judy Niemack and Carolyn Coppolla who performed
with Daina and the Tribe on occasion. More to come.
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