by RICKLEN NOBIS The best part of the job of booking Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) on tour is the opportunity to develop long-standing relationships with wonderful and enlightened community arts presenters all over the country. The job of community arts presenters in turn is a true balancing act: how to present a season of local performances to their respective
By Katherine Kain I never quite know what's in store for me when starting a SummerDance workshop at Repertory Dance Theatre. I know that I'm going to be challenged to think outside the box, to consider new perspectives, to be pushed to new physical extremes, and that I'm going to grow into a more thoughtful, passionate dancer. In the past, RDT has
by Stephen Trimble The leaders of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition use the word “healing” whenever they define their relationship with the redrock of Utah's public lands. Eric Descheenie says, “By protecting these sacred ancestral lands we can take an important step towards healing.” Descheenie, a Navajo, emphasizes this “indigenous truth” as the foundation for all discussions about why
In Part II, Linda C. Smith, RDT's Executive/Artistic Director, reported on the group's visit to Fry Canyon Ruin, the precipitious switchbacks of Moki Dugway and a kiva at the Cave Tower Ruin before the dancers spent time doing improvisation, culminating in a shamanic healing ritual by one of the Native American guides, Ida Yellowman (Dine). Here in the final
In Part I, Linda C. Smith, RDT's Executive/Artistic Director, talks about the origins of RDT's new commission, inspired by the recently proclaimed Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. To tour the Bears Ears is to enmesh in oneself in the cultures of Native Americans who have lived in this area from time immemorial. It is not only
By Linda C. Smith Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT), believes that each of us has a unique “sense of place” that can be explored through movement and art. Out of this impulse now comes RDT’s new initiative “Sacred Lands/Sacred Waters” and its first iteration, linked to the newly-proclaimed Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. Titled “Dancing the Bears Ears”
Repertory Dance Theatre believes that each of us has a unique “sense of place” that can be explored through movement and art. RDT’s newest commission by Zvi Gotheiner, Sacred Lands/Sacred Waters, is the Company’s latest exploration, this time, linked to the newly-proclaimed Bears Ears National Monument in south-eastern Utah. This new work will be a tribute to Bears Ears, to
Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) had a wonderful weekend of performing April 6-8, 2017 RDT's Season closer DABKE, one of the dancers' favorite pieces to perform. We had three straight nights of standing ovations, heartfelt comments from audience members, and an amazing emotional connection to the work and to the audience. RDT dancer Efren Corado Garcia epitomizes the gratitude and enthusiasm
Choreographer Zvi Gotheiner explores the choreography of DABKE and his relationship with RDT. DABKE runs April 6-8, 2017 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. This video will open the show. Learn more and get tickets here. ABOUT ZVI GOTHEINER ZVI GOTHEINER was born and raised in a kibbutz in northern Israel. Zvi began his artistic career as a gifted violinist with
Many countries have a national dance. The Polish have the polka, the Catalans have the Sardana, the Greeks have the Kalamatianos dance. Jordan and much of the Arab world refer to their ritual line dance as the dabke, while the Chinese are perhaps best known for the dragon and lion dances which stem from the Han Dynasty. But what is the