saw merged IV today, a blend of dance, music and film at Kilbourn Hall The Eastman School Of Music. it’s part of the Rochester Fringe Festival. the first piece “continuum of solace” is choreographed by heather roffe to “continuum,” a captivating musical score written by jane antonia cornish for string instruments, and played live on stage. cornish describes the piece as connecting time, tides, and place. it is so full of longing, it’s impossible not to be moved. this yearning for connection is visualized with lyrical dance choreography. dancers unite to support and lift one another only to unlink. the stage is partly lit and imbues them with the delicate quality of renaissance sculpture. so beautiful.
the second piece “dust” is choreographed by james hansens and inspired by the homily “if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake the dust from your feet when you leave the house.” he’s contemporized it to reflect the current political climate in america.
“reflections” choreographed by roffe, is a collaboration with filmmaker Johannes Bockwoldt and includes both dance and film. how appropriate that it’s on the subject of intersectionality. johannes interviewed local artists, innovators and mavericks to talk about their work, their passions, their vision for the world (including yours truly) and then intercut the footage in a most dynamic way.
the last piece is choreographed by hansens to jeff buckley’s music including “lilac wine” (i’m obsessed by nina simone’s interpretation but this was also amazing). all in all, a brilliant evening. you can still experience it on sept 19 and 20, at 7pm, at kilbourn hall. don’t miss it!