Throughout the world, International Dance Day is a chance to celebrate dance, revel in the universality of this art form, cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers, and bring people together with a common language – dance.
At Arts Access this year, we are spending International Dance Day reflecting on the theme of Communicating Through Movement.
Celebrating dance with Ellen, Cindy, and Kevin
Ellen Kane, Cindy Shanks, and Kevin White have each honed their personal dance style in unique ways that speaks directly to their artistic sentiments. You can see their uniqueness not just in the different moods of their pieces, but the kinds of movements employed by the various dancers. A wide, sweeping gesture of the arm says something very different than a subtle turn of the head, the flick of a dancer’s wrist. A solitary figure onstage versus a crowd of dancers moving in sync with each other sends a different message to the audience.
Every choice and detail was decided by these choreographers and speaks to who they are as artists. Every dance they create is a conversation with the world around them.
Ellen Kane - "Cherokee"
“Cherokee” is a jazzy dance that Ellen Kane created and performed solo for Full Circle 2021, our first ever (and so far only) virtual edition of Full Circle. Throughout the performance, you can see clearly by Ellen’s expressions how much joy and excitement she feels onstage!
Cindy Shanks - "Waltz of the Flowers"
Waltz of the Flowers” is the first piece from an ambitious project by Cindy Shanks. She has been working dutifully for years on her own interpretation of the entire Nutcracker Suite, featuring a diverse combination of able-bodied and wheelchair using dancers. “Waltz of the Flowers,” the first dance from the collection that Cindy completed, was performed at Full Circle 2015. Since then, Cindy has continued to work on the other dances in the Suite. Recently she finished the second dance, which may be debuted soon!
Kevin White - "Untitled"
Kevin White was a creative powerhouse. During his life and time at Arts Access, Kevin created an impressive portfolio of work, including choreography, paintings, and sculpture. This choreography, “Untitled,” was performed at Full Circle 2016. It is a tender duet with sweeping turns about the stage and gentle pacing. Kevin’s face clearly shows the joy and pride of performing his work live onstage to a captivated audience.
Thanks to Ellen, Cindy, and Kevin for helping us celebrate International Dance Day this year!
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