Tag Archives: Spectrum Dance Theatre

What Happens to Professional Dance in a Socially Distant World?

by Beverly Aarons 


Dance is physical, primal, and ephemeral — bodies brush against each other, and sometimes audience members are so close that they could reach out and touch dancers as they glide by only a few feet away. So what happens to dance in a socially distant world where bodies must remain six feet apart and preferably masked? And how do dancers, choreographers, and the community adapt, change, and provide a sustainable model for the future? Donald Byrd, the artistic director of Spectrum Dance Theater, introspected about how he and Spectrum are transforming and how he hopes to leave a legacy that will provide a model for creating dance performance in the future. 

Continue reading What Happens to Professional Dance in a Socially Distant World?

White Silence Can Be Golden

by Marilee Jolin

On Saturday night, I had the distinct privilege of attending Spectrum Dance Theatre’s production of A Rap on Race.  The script is an adaptation of the 1970 recorded conversation between poet and author James Baldwin and anthropologist Margaret Mead.  Baldwin (portrayed by local, Tony-award winning choreographer Donald Byrd) and Mead (played by actress Julie Briskman) sit on a raised platform discussing race in America – their tense and powerful conversation reflected in the evocative movements of the superb dancers below them. Continue reading White Silence Can Be Golden