THIS MONTH’S UNDISCOVERED TALENT IS RHYTHM SPECIALIST MICHAEL FEIGENBAUM. HIS BEATBOXING TALENT AND ECLECTIC BACKGROUND MAKE IT HARD TO BELIEVE HE IS STILL UNDISCOVERED. MICHAEL CHATTED WITH BLEEP MAGAZINE ABOUT HIS CAREER, HIS TWO LOVES AND WHY HE HAS YET TO BE DISCOVERED: WHERE ARE YOU FROM? I was born in Bern, Switzerland and my parents moved us to Haifa, Israel when I was a year old. WHAT IS YOUR TALENT? My talent is rhythm. Today I am a performer and rhythm specialist. I perform, create and teach internationally as a dancer and musician for theatre and live television; specializing in the conceptualization and design of original performance pieces where rhythm meets music, movement and theatre.
WHERE HAVE YOU PERFORMED SO FAR? I have been on tour for the past 12 years, performing and teaching in musical-dancetheater companies in Paris, Madrid, Seoul, New York, Berlin, Toronto, Buenos Aires and Amsterdam, to name a few. Among the projects are: “1789 Les Amants de la Bastille” directed and choreographed by Giuliano Peparini (Paris 2013); “Momentum” by Mayumana (Broadway 2011); and “The House of Dancing Waters” by Franco Dragone (Macau 2010). WHAT IS YOUR DREAM? My dream is to help connect people with their art, as I believe this is an essential tool for creating happiness. I am very interested in the artistic community here in NY, as well as finding ways to inspire youth to discover their talents and pursue them. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT NYC? My favorite thing about New York is that I found the love of my life here.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER THIS ABOUT YOURSELF? I can’t think of a single point in time where I discovered my passion for rhythm and the arts. I grew up in a musical house, both my parents liked singing and my dad used to sing the lyrics of famous musicals and dance while doing so. I was playing the trumpet as a young teenager and started beatboxing when I was 13. I remember my passion for playing the drums as a child and I started dancing by the time I was 16. WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE USA? My art and heart brought me to NY. I fell in love with the city almost instantly on my first visit. Over the years the city became a big part of my artistic life; my first Off-Broadway show was in 2007. I returned to the city to perform occasionally, until finally moving to NY about two years ago. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU’RE STILL UNDISCOVERED? I think I’m still undiscovered for two reasons: First - I moved to NY not long ago and am still new to the city. Second - most of my work over the years has been touring internationally, and now a new chapter of my creativity has begun. I invite the city to discover me!
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