ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ Department of Dance to present ā€œForces of Graceā€

KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 26, 2021

Evening of contemporary and classical choreography includes two guest artists

pic of Ido Gidron
Israel Institute Visiting Artist Ido Gidron has created a new work for ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ Dance students to perform in "Forces of Grace."

ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ā€™s Department of Dance will present ā€œForces of Graceā€ Nov. 12-13 at the Marietta Dance Theater. This evening of contemporary and classical choreography features original works by two faculty members and two guest artists, culminating in one of the strongest performances ever produced by the Department of Dance. 

Israel Institute Visiting Artist brings his work ā€œNadirā€ to the stage in which he examines constant growth and healing. As this semesterā€™s Artist in Residence, Gidron says his new piece relates to the ā€œrock bottomā€ feeling as a source of inspiration, especially coming out of a pandemic.  (In Hebrew, nadir means both rock bottom and extremely special.) ā€œNadirā€ examines how feeling that one is at rock bottom may also be a source of inspiration. He created the work specifically for ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ students, becoming an integral part of the Dance community while sharing his own aesthetic and art-making practices.

ā€œThanks to ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬, the , and philanthropists Norman and Lindy Radow, I was able to come here from Israel and share my story, to exchange knowledge, and to practice art and dance. I am very honored to be here as a guest artist, and to be able to create a piece together with this talented group of dancers,ā€ says Gidron. 

, Chair of the Department of Dance, believes that a contemporary guest artist provides a crucial element for Dance students. She said Gidron has bolstered the mission of Dance while ā€œexpanding knowledge of modern Israel and recognizing that Israel is one of the nexuses for the contemporary dance scene.ā€ 

Guest artist , Resident Choreographer from Atlantaā€™s Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, brings time to the stage in ā€œElapse,ā€ which explores ancient Greeksā€™ perspectives of the passage of time, Chronos and Kairos.

, Artistic Director and faculty member, and faculty member Andrea Knowlton also created original works. Lockā€™s ā€œFlight Feathersā€ is an exploration of the migration of a new community that integrates foreignness into a supportive flight pattern. Knowltonā€™s work, ā€œProximity Distorts,ā€ explores scenic design through kinetic, modular plexiglass structures that are operated by the performers in a magical and shifting world. 

ā€œForces of Graceā€ will take patrons ā€œon various journeys and into the worlds of different choreographers. It will carry them into a new world, a different world from their every day lives,ā€ says Lock. 

Barsky adds, ā€œWhatā€™s special about this moment is renewal, the return to live art, and celebrating the artform. The dances all celebrate the process of working together in community, as appreciators of live art.ā€ 

Tickets for ā€œForces of Graceā€ are $15-$20. To buy tickets, please visit ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬Dance.com. To coincide with Gidronā€™s residency, the ĪŽĀė±äĢ¬ Department of Dance and will present an Israeli Dance Panel on November 2 at 7 p.m.; the panel is free and available in-person or virtually.   

--Kathie Beckett

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