We are thrilled to announce the official press release for Revival 8: Then and Now, Dances For A Variable Population’s upcoming celebration of dance and community. Set against the stunning backdrops of Queensbridge Park and Grant’s Tomb, these performances promise to be a vibrant fusion of choreography inspired by dance legends of the 20th century. To read the full details of what’s sure to be an unforgettable series of events and workshops, please click on the press release below.
Discover the uplifting story of Naomi Goldberg-Haas in Our Town Downtown’s feature, ‘Reaching for the Sky, Dance Leader Helps Seniors Combat Loneliness and Stay Fit’. Naomi’s unwavering spirit shines through her dance classes that bring mobility, creativity, and companionship to seniors in NYC’s public spaces. Dive into the full story and see how DVP’s ‘Movement Speaks’ classes are turning the tide against loneliness.
Exciting news! Broadwayworld.com recently featured an article about Dances for a Variable Population (DVP) and the much-anticipated event, REVIVAL 7 Revelries. The article highlights how this project, presented by DVP, honors the beloved individuals lost during the time of COVID through new dances that focus on joy, transforming grief into a celebration of life. Each dance is dedicated to a person and their impact on the community, showcasing the power of legacy and extending the reach of this important project.
Read the full article on Broadwayworld.com to learn more about the incredible choreographers involved, the inspirational multigenerational DVP dance company, and how the event will bring together diverse audiences to witness movement distilled from legendary geniuses. Witness the eloquence of the older brain and body and experience the intergenerational connection in the spirit of creation and collaboration.
Check out the article here.
Don’t miss the chance to be part of this one-of-a-kind event as REVIVAL 7 Revelries takes place at Washington Square Park’s Garibaldi Fountain on September 9 at 6 PM, and at Yolanda Garcia Park in the Bronx on September 23 at 4 PM. Join the All Together Dance workshops before the performances for an interactive experience, open to the public.
Mark your calendars and be part of the celebration, remembrance, and catharsis emerging from the COVID pandemic. Reserve your tickets at www.revival7.org. See you there!
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.”
