Thank you for all the support in 2022!!
Video / Photo Credit: Meg Goldman | Berta Jottar | Will Kitchings | Matthew Dameron
Editing by: Matthew Dameron
Dances for Seniors – Don’t Miss the Last Performances!
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!
Revival 6 Home / Body / Care Fall 2022 – A Look Back!
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.
Video by: Will Kitchings
Check out the latest article in The Spirit featuring our last Revival 6 Performance in Washington Square Park!
“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.”
– Karen Camela Watson
Read more HERE!
DVP’s 2022 Dances For Seniors Announced!
Part Performances and Part Interactive Workshops for older adults of all ages and abilities for individual expression and community empowerment at nine NYC older adult centers!
DANCES FOR SENIORS
During the Fall 2022 season, Dances For A Variable Population (DVP) will bring DANCES FOR SENIORS, free, community based performances with interactive creative movement for all ages and abilities. Presented by five members of DVP’s multi-generational company and featuring highlights of dances performed in public performances at Washington Square Park, Grant’s Memorial Tomb, and Yolanda Garcia Park, these 75 min community events will feature dances from the styles of modern dance, jazz, flamenco and hip-hop. The performances will be followed by a creative movement and dance experience highlighting moving together in fun and friendship.
Adults of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate!
The entire event is designed to be accessible to individuals of all abilities, bringing the power of dance in connecting communities. The performance presents dances from concert stages and social dance; the workshop invites the audience to dive into individual expression and discover new possibilities inspired by our company dancers and seasoned guest artists.
Through performance and a following interactive experience, New Yorkers become participants as well as audience members.
Participants should wear comfortable clothing and shoes for moving!
LOCATIONS AND DATES:
- Oct 12 Wednesday at 1 PM: Park Slope Center for Successful Aging, 463A 7th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
- Oct 19 Wednesday at 1 PM: Morningside Retirement and Health Services, 80 La Salle Street, New York, NY 10027
- Oct 26 Wednesday at 1 PM: Jackie Robinson Senior Center at Grant Houses, 1301 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027
- Nov 2 Wednesday at 1 PM: PSS Manhattanville Senior Center Manhattanville Community Center, 530 W 133rd St, New York, NY 10027
- Nov 9 Wednesday at 1 PM: Queensbridge Senior Center, 10-25 41st Street, Long Island City 11101
- Nov 16 Wednesday at 1 PM: William Hodson Senior Center, 1320 Webster Ave, Bronx, NY 10456
- Nov 30 Wednesday at 1 PM: Central Harlem Senior Center, 34 W 134th St New York, NY 10037
- Dec 7 Wednesday at 1 PM: Penn South Social Services, 290 9th Avenue, Suite 21K New York, NY 10001
- Dec 14 Wednesday at 2 PM: Hudson Guild Fulton Senior Center, 119 9th Ave New York, NY 10001
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ABOUT DANCES FOR A VARIABLE POPULATION
Founded in 2005 by Naomi Goldberg Haas, Dances for a Variable Population (DVP) promotes strong and creative movement among people of all ages and abilities with a focus on seniors. The organization’s programming includes: a multigenerational performance company that engages community members as participants and audiences; MOVEMENT SPEAKS® and Dances for Seniors, which are free, community- based programs for modest income and culturally underserved older adults, annually serves over 700 seniors; ALL TOGETHER DANCE and Fitness classes for adults of all ages, offered year- round; and performance and training opportunities for older professional dancers and choreographers. DVP’s site-related performances have been presented in some of New York City’s most iconic public spaces, including Times Square, the New York Botanical Garden, Washington Square Park, and the High Line. Naomi Goldberg Haas is the 2019-2020 recipient of a Dance/USA Fellowship to Artists, for artists addressing social change,
The development and presentation of Dances For Seniors has been made possible 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, Gale Brewer, Christopher Marte, Althea Stevens, and Julie Won. Support is also provided by the Alpern Foundation, Jody and John Arnhold, Columbia Community Service, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and the West Harlem Development Corporation.
Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY), a project of the Tides Center, is a three-year, $125 million investment in the financial stability of New York State artists and the organizations that employ them. This program was made possible through support from CRNY’s Artist Employment Program.
Check out the latest article in Chelsea News featuring our last Revival 6 Performance in Washington Square Park!
Check out the full article HERE!
“It was certainly a happy atmosphere at the recent Saturday evening event in bustling Washington Square Park where the crowd quickly filled to standing room only at the start of the “Revival 6” dance performances.”
– Karen Camela Watson, Chelsea News
Revival 6 Home/Body/Care ANNOUNCED September 10th & September 24th!
PROGRAM and VENUE INFORMATION
Saturday, Sept 10
Live In-Person Performance at Washington Square Park at 6 PM
Pre-Performance All Together Dance workshop at 5 PM
Washington Square South
Garibaldi Plaza (east of the fountain)
New York, NY 10012
Must have reservations: Go to revival6.com
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M55 to East 8 St & 5 Avenue, M8 to E 8
St & 5 Av
Subway:
A, B, C, D, F, N to W 4 St – Wash Sq
1 to Christopher Street R, W to
8 Street Station Train:
PATH to 9th Street
Saturday, Sept 24
Live In-Person Performance at Yolanda Garcia Park at 4 PM
Pre-Performance All Together Dance workshop at 3 PM
Melrose Ave and East 159 St
Bronx, NY 10451
Must have reservations: Go to revival6.com
Bus:
BX15, BX21 to 3 Av/E 158 St
BX41 to Melrose Av/E 160 St
BX6, BX13, BX6-SBS to Elton Av/E 161 St
Subway: 2, 5 to 3 Av – 149
DANCES FOR A VARIABLE POPULATION PRESENTS REVIVAL 6 Home/Body/Care A Live Performance Festival in September 2022: A EXPLORATION OF AMERICAN HEALTHCARE AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGH THE LENS OF 20 TH CENTURY DANCE!
NEW YORK, Sept 2022 – Celebrating the joy of age in response to innovative ways lessons
learned from COVID-19 and how to take care of one’s health, Dances For A Variable Population
(DVP) will present, REVIVAL 6 Home/Body/Care, featuring 6 seasoned dance artists and 50
non-professional senior dancers, who reflect the innovation and beauty of older age.
Home/Body/Care will be an exploration of self advocacy in American healthcare, strategies for
maintaining good health, managing the affordability of healthcare, and how movement, diet,
holistic approaches and spiritual practices have made a difference in people’s lives as they age.
Through their experience and example of shared vitality and a spirit of unity, we are reminded of
the importance of community and connection in spite of the difficulties of these times with
healthcare. Revisioning healthcare facilities as places of healing and action, involve senior
citizens as knowledge-centers and creators, and the public in dances that showcase seniors as
architects of their health. REVIVAL 6 Home/Body/Care connects a multi-generational dance
company with choreographers in their 60s, 70s, and 80s through live performances. Now, as
part of DVP’s 12th year of free performances in iconic spaces, the performances and workshops
of REVIVAL 6 Home/Body/Care will take place Saturday, Sept 10 at Washington Square Park in
Garibaldi Plaza at 6 PM and Saturday, September 24 at Yolanda Garcia Park at 4 PM with
preshow workshops of interactive “All Together Dance” open to the public.
For REVIVAL 6 Home/Body/Care 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 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.
In a project of historical, social, and technical innovation the online portion of, REVIVAL
highlights five choreographers, extraordinary artists who trained in dance traditions of the 20th
century. They transmit and interpret the essence of Martha Graham, Charles Moore, Katherine
Dunham, 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 6
Home/Body/Care 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. Covid restrictions will allow socially distant
seating for audience members, at the performances featuring the guest artists and DVP teaching
artists. 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, visit our website dvpnyc.org.
REVIVAL 6 Home/Body/Care PROGRAM and VENUE INFORMATION
Saturday, Sept 10
Live In-Person Performance at Washington Square Park at 6 PM
Pre-Performance All Together Dance workshop at 5 PM
Washington Square South
Garibaldi Plaza (east of the fountain)
New York, NY 10012
Must have reservations: Go to revival6.com
Bus: M1, M2, M3, M55 to East 8 St & 5 Avenue, M8 to E 8
St & 5 Av
Subway:
A, B, C, D, F, N to W 4 St – Wash Sq
1 to Christopher Street R, W to
8 Street Station Train:
PATH to 9th Street
Saturday, Sept 24
Live In-Person Performance at Yolanda Garcia Park at 4 PM
Pre-Performance All Together Dance workshop at 3 PM
Melrose Ave and East 159 St
Bronx, NY 10451
Must have reservations: Go to revival6.com
Bus:
BX15, BX21 to 3 Av/E 158 St
BX41 to Melrose Av/E 160 St
BX6, BX13, BX6-SBS to Elton Av/E 161 St
Subway: 2, 5 to 3 Av – 149
Summer Schedule 2022!
Movement Speaks® outdoors and Senior centers July 7th, 2022 – August 19th, 2022
Save the Dates for REVIVAL 6: Home/Body/Care on Sat, June 11 & Sat, June 18
Revival: A Meditation on Aging, Dance, & Community – The Review
Read Karen Hildebrand from Fjord’s review of the documentary “Revival: A Meditation on Aging, Dance, & Community” in its entirety below. (Thank you to Fjord for allowing us to share!)
In spring of 2017, Ellen Graff, Stuart Hodes, and Marnie Thomas Wood, all former members of the Martha Graham Dance Company, and Tony award-winning Broadway choreographer George Faison, set out to make dances for a group of older adults, many of whom had never performed onstage. Josefina Rotman Lyons, an older dancer herself, volunteered to film the project. The resulting documentary, “Revival,” is an honest and engaging take on what it’s like to dance in later life. Now available for streaming at Revivaldocumentary.com, the film won jury and audience awards when it made the rounds of film festivals. At a screening hosted by MGDC last week at its Westbeth studio theater in New York City, artistic director Janet Eilber framed the film’s topic as “longevity, aging, and beauty in the world of dance” when athleticism and youth are now so highly valued. “We celebrate that dance isn’t just for those under 40,” said Thomas Wood during the question and answer session that followed.
The dancers in the film are part of Naomi Goldberg Haas’ Dances for a Variable Population classes that take place at various senior centers in NYC. Most are well over 40. “Naomi is enlarging the definition of dance,” says Stuart Hodes. “As did Martha Graham [in her time].” Hodes, who partnered Graham herself when he was a company member, is an especially articulate and physically vibrant presence. He acknowledges that at 92 he doesn’t have the mobility or balance do what he used to—this project focuses on the opposite. “I wondered if I could make a dance of things they can do,” he says.
Graff speaks very candidly in the film, “I’m very aware of the ways in which I don’t like looking at people who aren’t much older than I am—struggling. And at the same time knowing if only I could see this more lovingly, then it wouldn’t seem so fearsome to me. Because that is afterall, what inevitably happens when we age.” She and Thomas Wood, both veteran dance educators, used Graham’s “Appalachian Spring” as a model for their group of dancers because of its folk dance foundation. “It’s well designed for our age group,” says Thomas Wood. We hear strains of the familiar Aaron Copeland music and watch Thomas Wood marking a series of 8-counts around her dining room table while Ellen makes notes on the computer. “Keeping the mind alert is another aspect of this,” says Graff.
Meanwhile Faison sets to work on a jazzy piece evoking the Harlem Renaissance period. There’s a wonderful scene where he’s sitting with a lap full of sequined and feathered headresses, scarves, and gloves for his cast as they put together their costumes. “I have a long history of making a way for everyone,” he says, recalling how he helped non-movers like actors and singers look good on Broadway.
Hodes’ contribution is a touching duet about older love for Graff and Chet Walker, the choreographer who originally conceived the musical, “Fosse.” Walker’s presence in the film is especially poignant as he died at 68 this past October.
“Revival” is Rotman Lyons’ first film. A lawyer, she had been studying filmmaking and had assisted others with their projects. She learned about Goldberg Haas’ ambitious plans when she happened to be taking a Dances for a Variable Population class at 92nd Street Y. Rotman Lyons handles her topic with patience and obvious appreciation, circulating between the four choreographers and following the progress of their rehearsals. When it comes to the much anticipated final performance that takes place outdoors at Grant’s Tomb in Morningside Heights, she samples judiciously from the show itself and lets the camera pan out to the crowd so we see firsthand the reactions of passersby. Completely absorbed in their activity, the pure joy on the dancers’ faces is contagious. We felt it too in the screening room. “I learned not to fear aging,” said Rotman Lyons about the process of making the film. “You change,” said Goldberg Haas. “But you can always do something.”
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