Photo by Bill Hebert

Bodies of Text is a series of collaborative dance performances and art exhibitions tied to the book and its interdisciplinary interpretations.   Premiering in April as a part of the 2011 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, continuing with shows at multiple venues in May and now part of Philly Fringe this September—Bodies of Text is rooted in the idea of Art à la Rue and brings Art to the Street in Philadelphia’s Rive Gauche, West Philadelphia.

In total, Philadelphia dance companies interpret seven unique books, selected from many submissions by Philadelphia Center for the Book members.  This third installment of these choreographic creations, all world premieres, is FREE and open to the public and will be performed on September 3^rd at Clark Park C (corner of Woodland Ave and 43^rd/45^th Streets) at 4 & 7 pm and will feature site-specific dance works by Stone Depot Dance Lab and Melissa Diane.

Stone Depot Dance Lab’s new work is a collaboration with visual artist Nicole Donnelly, who will create large outdoor sculptures for the piece.  Anna Mavromatis’ provocative book, In the Wings, which utilizes a curved structure, pattern and multiplicity, provides the inspiration for Stone Depot choreographers Eleanor Goudie-Averill and Beau Hancock and Donnelly to create a unique outdoor performance environment.  The piece also uses source material from early motion study photographs by Eadweard Muybridge.

Melissa Diane (Jacelyn Biondo and Kristen Shahverdian) is a site-inspired, movement-driven performance company. For Bodies in Text III, Melissa Diane presents City Calm Down, inspired by Bonnie Whitfield’s heavily altered book, A Den Brooklyn Nights, in which Whitfield utilizes Thoreau’s exploration of isolation in the wilderness in Walden to describe her personal isolation within her relationship as well as in her new city of Brooklyn. The work juxtaposes inside and outside worlds and explores how we act when we are alone and how we interact intimately when with another person. Often contradictory emotions explode in the work as Melissa Diane uses the backdrop of a West Philadelphia location, Whitfield’s book and their own character studies to explore subversive and aggressive behaviors, feminism and what it does to our behavior when we are seen or hidden.

This performance is an opportunity for audience members to experience dance in an unusual setting, and reinvents the usual surroundings of the park for passersby.  Site-specific works provide the audience with the agency to connect with the performance in their own way.  So often dance performance is limited to proscenium stages, expensive concert halls, and obscure or inaccessible venues.  In placing this performance in Clark Park and charging no admission creates a welcoming environment for all members of Philadelphia’s diverse community to share in the artistic process of the Bodies of Text project. The audience is invited to bring chairs or blankets for their comfort. The artist books will be on display at the event, and the dances will be followed by a discussion between choreographers and book artists.

Philadelphia Center for the Book
Drawing on the rich cultural traditions of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Center for the Book serves as a catalyst to advance the book as a vital contemporary art form, connecting the diverse community of institutions and individuals whose passion is books, PCB facilitates exhibits, workshops, and book fairs, as well as collaborations with Philadelphia-area special collections libraries.  Quarterly members and friends meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about the organization.

Bodies of Text III
A unique collaboration between Philadelphia’s Dance and Book Arts Communities
Featuring Collaborations between:
Stone Depot Dance Lab & Anna Mavromatis
Melissa Diane  & Bonnie Whitfield

September 3rd, 2011 at Clark Park C
Corner of Woodland Ave and 43rd/45th Streets in West Philadelphia

Reserve your place today at the Festival Website: http://ticketing.theatrealliance.org/sites/livearts/details.aspx?id=18868