Pick Up Performance Co. (PUPC) is a development, production, and presenting organization. Originally founded by choreographer/director David Gordon (1936-2022), in 1992 PUPC expanded its artistic leadership to support the work of writer/director Ain Gordon, who now helms the company.
For more than forty-five years, PUPC has facilitated significant performance works via multi-year production/development models in partnership with leading performance venues, community organizations, and universities including BAM Next Wave, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Baryshnikov Arts, 651 Arts (all NY); UCLA Center for the Art of Performance, William Way LGBT Community Center (PA), the Mark Taper Forum (CA), International Festival of Arts & Ideas (CT), National Performance Network, and Williams College (MA), to cite a few.
In 2022, in recognition of its familial artistic roots, PUPC piloted a “friends & family” initiative to support the individual projects of artists who have previously collaborated with Ain or David Gordon. PUPC is partnering on projects with choreographer/writer Emily Coates and performance/visual artist John Kelly.
As an outgrowth of “friends and family,” PUPC has launched a multi-artist multi-year project creating then managing teams to facilitate the individual archives of eleven LGBTQIA artists who collectively mark seminal chapters in the last forty-plus years of New York’s alternative dance/performance scene. The goal is to assist the artists in preparing their archives for a permanent home and to find a way to make each of these archives available to the public. The artists are Five Lesbian Brothers, Ain Gordon, John Kelly, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Richard Move, Lola Pashalinski, Carmelita Tropicana
For more info about Ain's work:
Link to David's ARCHIVEOGRAPHY:
RECENT/CURRENT PERFORMANCE PROJECTS
Ain Gordon in collaboration with Josh Quillen/Relics And Their Humans
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (IL) Oct 2023
Wexner Center for the Arts (OH) Feb 2024
La Mama ETC (NY) June 2024
Arizona Arts Live (AZ) Fall 2024
Ain Gordon in collaboration with Emily Coates/WE
Dartmouth College (NH) June 2022
SUNY Purchase (NY) April 2023
Quick Center (CT) April 2023
Kaatsbaan (NY) June 2023
John Kelly/Underneath The Skin
La Mama ETC (NY) Dec 2022
Ain Gordon in collaboration with Emily Coates/New Work TBA
Quick Center (CT) Developmental Residency March 2024
Dartmouth College (NH) Developmental Residency TBA
Ain Gordon/Condolence (working title)
Creative Capital 2023 Award
John Kelly/Untitled New Work
Baryshnikov Arts Fellow (NY) 2024

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rhoda Cerritelli (President), Barbara Dufty (Vice President),
Kim Chan (Secretary/Treasurer), Linda S. Chapman, Ain Gordon,
Rhoda Grauer, Bill Kux, Jennifer Tipton, Suzanne Weil,
David Gordon, Founder/Director Emeritas, (1978-2022)
Special thanks to

We would appreciate your support.

