A dazzling array of boundary-pushing contemporary dance performances, dance films and artist/audience interactions.

With live performances from Kathy Westwater & Lance Gries (NY), Lacina Coulibaly (CT), and Molly Lieber & Eleanor Smith (NY). Plus Makisig Akin (Berlin) & Anya Cloud (CO), Alex Davis (MA), Barbie Diewald & Meredith Bove (MA), Daniel McCusker (MA), Nano (RI), Jessica Pearson & April Brown (RI).

Schedule of Events

February 26, 2025

7:30pm - Playing Favorites

Favorite dance films from the first seven seasons of ScreenDance RoadShow, our traveling dance film series that tours throughout New England.

February 27, 2025

7:30pm - Small Moves, Big Picture

A spunky mix of live dance performances on a small stage juxtaposed with dance films on a big screen.

Performances by Anya Cloud & Makisig Akin (CO), Alexander Davis (MA), Barbie Diewald & Meredith Bove (MA), Daniel McCusker (MA), Jessica T. Pearson & April Brown (RI), NANO (RI)

February 28, 2025

7:30PM - Live Performances

Until the Lion Tells the Story...
Choreographed & Performed by Lacina Coulibaly

A heartfelt tribute to the remarkable African scholars who have ignited a fire in Coulibaly. It is an attempt and desire of the Burkina Faso artist to envision an African Renaissance, a different Africa that is rooted in its own indigenous knowledge, drawing inspiration from its cultural diversity, from ancient Egypt to the Mali Empire. Until The Lion Tells the Story… is an invitation to embrace the wisdom and knowledge of Africa as an essential part of being in the world, and a reminder that the journey towards renaissance and transformation begins with building one’s inner pyramid.

March 1, 2025

7:30PM - Live Performance

Body Comes Apart
Choreographed & Performed by Molly Lieber & Eleanor Smith

Memories take on a mythology and fantasy of their own, making shared experiences of sexual trauma alive in the moment and fodder for manipulation. Body Comes Apart is a collage of dance, monologue, of teaching fake workout classes, telling real and fake stories of our pasts, speaking to ourselves as children. There is shedding and trying on; clothes become analogous to history. Language becomes a vehicle for representation and a gateway to performing enlivened imagination. As we implicate ourselves and the audience with mirrors, we implicate fantasies forced upon us and derived from us with the text.

March 1 & 2, 2025

Community Classes at Metamorphosis, 249 Roosevelt Ave (back of building), Pawtucket

Open to all levels. Class size limited; register to reserve your spot.

Saturday

10–11:30am: Kathy Westwater & Lance Gries—Shakewalk
Taking two everyday forms of movement, we will allow these forms to disorganize within, and to be disorganizing of, our bodies. This process will lead us into understandings of function and form, and into expressive potentials that arise within experiential states of disorder. As we explore in solo, duet, and ensemble improvisations, moving periodically with eyes closed, the lines between states of order and disorder will be at times stark and at others blurred. The sensations that arise within this unstable and unbound matrix range from relaxing to energizing, and from disorienting to freeing. All movement backgrounds welcome.

12–1:30pm: Lacina Coulibaly—Embodied Rhythm: Dance As Discovery, Unveiling The Essence Of Dance
An introduction to the core principles of West African Dance, with an emphasis on the intricate relationship between movement and music. We will explore how rhythmic patterns in the music translate into physical movements, illustrating the harmonious connection between rhythm and dance. A unique characteristic of dance in sub-Saharan Africa is its role as a vehicle for self-exploration and discovery through movement, achieved by experiencing and reinterpreting rhythmic cycles. This process encourages participants to immerse themselves in movement, focusing on the essence of each motion. Perfection is not the ultimate aim; rather, it is the authentic expression of each movement that defines the true nature of dance. We will engage with the rich cultural heritage of West African Dance and examine its principles, philosophy, and the transformative power it embodies. By exploring and internalizing these principles, you will gain the ability to create your own unique dance movements.

Sunday

12–1:30pm: Molly Lieber & Eleanor Smith—Collaborative Feminist Strategies For Dance
Class begins with an easeful warmup focused on tapping in to our bodies. Drawing on feminist collaborative strategies we spend time improvising in groups, practicing reciprocal recognition and resourcing what we already have. We will offer phrase material from our current work, Prairie Dawn (2024), and culminate with watching and supporting. We look forward to dancing with you in RI!

Cost: $20/class; $35/two classes; $50/three classes

Date: February 26-March 2, 2025

Locations:
The Wilbury Theatre Group, 475 Valley Street, Providence, RI 02909
Metamorphosis Dance Company, 249 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860

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