| Carolyn Dorfman Dance, whose bold and dramatic works connect life and movement, hosts its annual performance and gala benefit at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, where ten of Dorfman's stunning dancers will present the world premiere of Traces, which includes a commissioned score by Svjetlana Bukvich and video design by Kate Freer. The program will also feature Dorfman's riveting and explosive Echad and the sensuous duet Keystone. Traces, Dorfman's newest work, is a full-company work that captures the richness and depth of the multi-ethnic artists of Carolyn Dorfman Dance. The work explores the forces that create and change us -- divide and connect us. At its core, it is a work about memory, history, and now. From our creation to migration, from our awe of the universe to our attempt to control it and each other, Dorfman continues her exploration of the dynamic and shifting equilibrium that is essential to our survival, individually and collectively. Wallace Stegner once said, "There is a sense in which we are all each other's consequences." "This quote encapsulates the inspiration behind Traces," shares artistic director Carolyn Dorfman. "Every single person and culture matters and has an impact on the world. No gesture is too large or small, local or global, you change the world and those in it. To be human and alive is both a great privilege and responsibility." Traces is presented as part of the Jersey Moves! Festival of Dance and made possible by a generous grant from The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and in part, with support from The O'Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation and New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and endowment gifts from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Echad, the Hebrew word for "One," refers to the power of one community; the uniqueness or oneness of each individual and the delicate balance between the two, that is the essence of our humanity. At the center of the work is The Wheel. Both abstract and metaphorical it signifies the circle of life and community. It can embrace, imprison, give birth, cause death, create conflict or support, separate or join, burden or free, thus creating a shifting, changing image of human/community equilibrium. Set to classic songs by Rufus Wainwright, Louis Armstrong, and Jamie Randolph, Keystone is a duet that explores the endurance of relationships and the concept of staying power in a world that continues to embrace fast digital communication that is not aligned with the human pulse or true intimacy. Presented as part of the Jersey Moves! Festival of Dance. | Dance Diversity in NJ: Jersey Moves! Festival of Dance at NJPAC | http://www.njpac.org/events/detail/jersey-moves-festival-of-dance-carolyn-dorfman-dance |
