We regret to inform you that due to inclement weather, the REVIVAL 7 performance and All Together Dance Workshop scheduled for tomorrow, September 23rd at Yolanda Garcia Park, has been postponed. The safety and enjoyment of our audience and performers are our top priorities, and with the forecast predicting rain throughout the day, it is in the best interest of all to reschedule.
We will let you know the future date when we will dance at Yolanda Garcia Park as soon as we can!
Discover the transformative power of dance as Naomi Goldberg Haas, Founder of Dances for a Variable Population, shares her passion for promoting health and well-being through movement. In this insightful article by Lindsey Martell, learn how DVP’s inclusive creative-movement classes for older adults are empowering individuals to connect, express, and thrive. Read on to explore the incredible impact of dance on physical, mental, and emotional health.
Think You Can’t Dance? Naomi Goldberg Haas, Founder of Dances for a Variable Population, Thinks Otherwise
Join us for the highly anticipated REVIVAL 7: Revelries performance and workshop at Queensbridge Park tomorrow, July 10th!
Dances For A Variable Population proudly presents REVIVAL 7: Revelries, a series of dances that honor the lives lost during the time of COVID, transforming grief into a celebration of life through the lens of twentieth-century dance. This project brings together legendary older dancer artists and multigenerational communities in a powerful tribute to movement and legacy.
The premiere of REVIVAL 7: Revelries will take place at Queensbridge Park at 4 PM, followed by an All Together Dance Workshop at 5 PM. This unique event is part of DVP’s 13th year of free performances in iconic spaces, showcasing the talent and artistry of choreographers Ellen Graff,Audrey Madison, Myna Majors, Sandra Rivera, Marnie Thomas Wood, Alfred Gallman, and DVP’s artistic director Naomi Goldberg Haas.
Witness the beauty of movement as each dance piece is dedicated to individuals who have made a significant impact in their communities. From community organizers to grandmothers, friends, and neighbors, these dances will commemorate their legacies through the power of dance.
REVIVAL 7: Revelries also features the participation of older adults from DVP’s free MOVEMENT SPEAKS® Zoom classes and phone conferencing classes, representing the strength and creativity of the community from across the city.
This extraordinary event is free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the essence of Martha Graham, Charles Moore, and Alvin Ailey through the unique expression of older adults and the intergenerational connections they foster.
To learn more about the choreographers and reserve your spot, visit our website at dvpnyc.org or revival7.org. You can also follow the links below to reserve your seat!
Let’s celebrate life, movement, and the power of dance together at REVIVAL 7: Revelries!
We’re thrilled to announce the return of DVP’s in-person MOVEMENT SPEAKS® classes for the summer of 2023! Join us for an incredible journey of dance, creativity, and community.
MOVEMENT SPEAKS® is our signature program that offers free sequential dance instruction to seniors in low-income communities. Each session, ranging from 10 to 36 weeks, is a 75-minute experience filled with warm-ups, dance exercises for seated and standing participants, improvisation, memorization of movement phrases, and cool-downs. The program empowers participants to create their own original work, leading up to exciting public performances held at the workshop site or in the surrounding community. We’re proud to bring this transformative program to parks and senior centers citywide.
This summer, we’re excited to announce “Summer on the Hudson” classes as part of our offerings. These special classes will provide an opportunity to experience the joy of dance against the beautiful backdrop of the Hudson River. It’s a chance to connect with nature, embrace movement, and make lasting memories.
Join us as we embark on a summer filled with dance, joy, and community!
DANCES FOR A VARIABLE POPULATION PRESENTS REVIVAL 7 REVELRIES WITH FREE PUBLIC PERFORMANCES IN JUNE 2023
Performances will honor lives lost during the time of COVID, transforming grief into a celebration of life through the lens of twentieth-century dance.
NEW YORK, June 2022 – REVIVAL 7 Revelries will honor the beloved individuals who have been lost during the time of COVID through new dances that focus on joy: a transformation of grief into a celebration of life. This project is conceived in the context of a series of works that create opportunities for legendary older dancer artists, linking multigenerational communities in a celebration of movement. By devoting each dance to an individual person and their impact on the community, REVIVAL 7 Revelries will highlight the power of legacy, further extending the reach, impact, and artistic vision of this important project. The performances are envisioned as shared moments of celebration, remembrance, and catharsis emerging from the COVID pandemic as a period of significant loss.
Now, as part of DVP’s 13th year of free performances in iconic spaces, the world premiere of REVIVAL 7: Revelries will take place Saturday, June 10, at Queensbridge Park at 4 PM, and Saturday, June 17, at Grant’s Memorial Tomb at 5 PM and 7 PM. All events will include All Together Dance workshops that are open to the public.
The work is series of individual dances, with choreographers devoting each piece to one person, drawing on the memories of those who knew them but didn’t have the chance to publicly remember them. Individuals honored through these dances will range from community organizers to grandmothers to friends and neighbors.
For REVIVAL 7 Revelries, Dances For A Variable Population welcomes choreographers Ellen Graff (Martha Graham Company), Audrey Madison (Charles Moore Dance Theatre), Myna Majors (The WNBA N.Y. Liberty Timeless Torches), Sandra Rivera (founding member of Ballet Hispanico), Marnie Thomas Wood (Martha Graham Company) and Alfred Gallman (Pepsi Bethel, Talley Beatty and Alvin Ailey) along with DVP artistic director Naomi Goldberg Haas and the multi-generational DVP dance company. We also welcome back Daniel Carlton (NYC playwright) as dramaturg. REVIVAL 7 Revelries will also feature 50 seniors from DVP’s free MOVEMENT SPEAKS® zoom classes and phone conferencing classes, which take place in homes across the city.
REVIVAL 7 Revelries is a series of individual dances, with choreographers devoting each piece to one person, drawing on the memories of those who knew them. Individuals honored through these dances will range from community organizers to grandmothers to friends and neighbors.
The REVIVAL series begun in 2017 is a project of historical, social, and artistic innovation highlighting six choreographers, extraordinary artists who trained in dance traditions of the 20th century. They transmit and interpret the essence of Martha Graham, Charles Moore, and Alvin Ailey, celebrating the past performing careers of these artists and the impact these techniques have had on dance history and their lives in a completely new way. Through exploration in rehearsals, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, REVIVAL 7 Revelries will bring audiences the unique expression of older adults mixed with the power of older trained professionals.
This one-of-a-kind event will be free to the public. Reservations are recommended. The event will provide diverse audiences an opportunity to see movement distilled from the seminal techniques of legendary geniuses, to see the eloquence of the older brain/older body, and witness the intergenerational connection in the spirit of creation and collaboration. Performances will also include daily interactive, free, open-access workshops for adults of all
ages and abilities. Through these workshops, audiences, including adults of all ages and abilities, will dance in ways that are new to them, be stretched physically and intellectually, and gain new experiences of personal mastery. To learn more about the choreographers, please visit our website dvpnyc.orgorrevival7.org.
REVIVAL 7 REVELRIES PROGRAM & VENUE INFORMATION
Saturday, June 10, 2023, Queensbridge Park
Live, In-Person Performance: 4 PM
Post-Performance All Together Dance workshop: 5 PM
41st Avenue and Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101
Founded in 2009 by Naomi Goldberg Haas, Dances for a Variable Population (DVP)’s mission is to promote strong and creative movement among older adults of all abilities, enabling them to build creativity, improve their mental and physical health, strengthen social connections, and enhance quality of life. Our artistic vision is to bring participatory dance experiences and performances to older adults throughout NYC, and to train teaching artists to expand our impact across NY and beyond. DVP’s free workshops and public performances promote a democratic, interactive, and inclusive vision of dance that highlights the power and beauty of older bodies.
During Covid 19, the company served more than 500 older adults with free daily movement classes. Through classes held at citywide senior centers, outdoor parks, and remote classes, DVP monthly currently serves over 1,100 NYC older adults.
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
The development and performance of REVIVAL 7 Revelries has been made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. This program is also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York City Department for the Aging, in partnership with the City Council and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. Special support is provided by Council Members Shaun Abreu, Erik Bottcher, Shahana Hanif, Christopher Marte, Althea Stevens, and Julie Won. Support is also provided by the Alpern Foundation, the Jody and John Arnhold, Columbia Community Service, Morningside Heights Community Fund, the Pasculano Foundation, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation administered by LMCC, and the West Harlem Development Corporation. This program was also made possible through support from CRNY’s Artist Employment Program, a three-year, $125 million investment in the financial stability of New York State artists and the organizations that employ them.
Dance for Seniors is part performance and part interactive workshop. This city-wide tour visits nine separate NYC senior centers from October through December, and invites older adults of all abilities to join in on individual expression and community empowerment!
Check out this video of our recent Nov. 9th Dances for Seniors 2022 performance/workshop at the Queensbridge Riis Senior Center in Long Island City!
Don’t miss out on our last few performances! Join us:
Nov. 30th at 1:00 PM- Central Harlem Senior Center at the Kennedy Center Site @ 34 W 134th St. New York, NY 10037
Dec. 7th at 1:00 PM- Penn South Social Services @ 290 9th Avenue Suite 21K New York, NY 10001
Dec. 14th at 2:00 PM – Hudson Guild Fulton Senior Center @ 119 9th Avenue New York, NY 10001
Hope to see you dancing soon!
DFS at Queensbridge Riis Senior Center. Video by: Berta Jottar
We invite you to join us as we look back at our September production of Revival 6: Home / Body / Care! Dances for a Variable Population’s Fall 2022 Revival 6 performances featured six seasoned dance artists and 50 non-professional senior dancers, who use dance to reflect on the innovation and beauty of aging. This was DVP’s 12th year of free public performances in iconic spaces like Washington Square Park and Yolanda Garcia Park. Every performance included a pre-show workshop with an interactive and inclusive “All Together Dance”. With each performance we bring our dancers and the public together to learn and enjoy to the power of movement and dance. Please enjoy this beautiful highlight video as we reflect back on what we are thankful for this week! We are so thankful to be able to share the power of dance with our communities and see the joy it brings!
Special thanks to all our choreographers Ellen Graff (Martha Graham Company), Audrey Madison (Charles Moore Dance Theatre), Myna Majors (The WNBA N.Y. Liberty Timeless Torches), Sandra Rivera (founding member of Ballet Hispanico), Marnie Thomas Wood (Martha Graham Company) and Anthony Howell (Dances of the African Diaspora) along with artistic director of DVP Naomi Goldberg Haas and the multi-generational DVP dance company. We have also engaged Daniel Carlton (NYC playwright) as dramaturg. REVIVAL 6 Home/Body/Care will also feature 50 seniors from DVP’s free MOVEMENT SPEAKS® and zoom classes as well as phone conferencing classes which take place at numerous senior centers and in homes across the city.
“When the actual show started, the performances ranged from invigorating clap-along quick foot movements to soulful sways, African drum beats leading dancers clad in white, and various mixes of modern dance – a lot of smiling, moving, energized seniors in motion – a few seated on chairs set up on the stage, but still participating.”
