JCWK Dance Lab presents “Harvest Moon,” a new virtual dance, music, and film collaboration as part of the 2021 Fringe Festival by FringeArts, Philadelphia, PA. Performances will be live-streamed September 18-26 in conjunction with the astronomical calendar’s Harvest Moon.
Over the past 7 months, dancers and musicians employed the serendipitous and unpredictable nature of the internet to engage Zoom as a compositional and choreographic tool. This process resulted in a 30-minute dance film reflecting on lunar cycles, cultural anthropology, the spiritual philosophy that human bodies are microcosms of the universe, and the Covid-19 pandemic. After the film, audiences are invited into a communal reflective experience, either through a group poetry creation or a conversation after each performance, completing the hour-long event.
“The playful and frustrating nature of Zoom so aptly reflects the possibilities we experienced through Covid. The Moon – with her constant cycles of shadow and light has been a vigilant observer and companion through the past year, and ‘Harvest Moon’ collects these experiences and metaphors,” said JCWK Dance Lab Director Jessica Warchal-King. “We’re bringing together so many elements of artistry through dance, music, film making, technological engineering, poetry, and theatre, creatively using the resources that have been available to us in isolation.”
The Reading Musical Foundation provided support for musician Jill Haley’s composition. Additional music is by Paul Fejko. Founder of Poetry that Works, Dr. Phillip Tietbolh, will lead three post-film engagements in a Group Poetry Creation. Alvernia University Theatre Director, Dr. Nathan Thomas, will moderate a more traditional post-film talkback for the remaining three experiences. Dancers include Sarena Kabakoff, Kalila Kingsford Smith, and Warchal-King.
Tickets are on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale.
JCWK Dance Lab is Warchal-King’s ongoing research project combining education, physical dance practice, and performance. JCWK Dance Lab investigates how dance can be a vehicle for non-violent, positive social change by creating Joy, Connection, and Wellness through Kinesthetic stories.
For more information, visit www.jcwkdancelab.org/harvestmoon
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