{"id":1998,"date":"2013-06-18T05:16:56","date_gmt":"2013-06-18T05:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.danceanywhere.org\/news\/?p=1998"},"modified":"2014-05-05T03:39:44","modified_gmt":"2014-05-05T03:39:44","slug":"finding-one-another-at-the-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danceanywhere.org\/news\/2013\/finding-one-another-at-the-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding One Another at the Library"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"DSDT\/Elizebeth<\/a><\/p>\n

DSDT\/Elizebeth Randall & Derek Harris,
\nPhoto by David Papas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 When Beth Fein invited Choreographer\/ Artistic Director, Deborah Slater, of Deborah Slater Dance Theater, to choreograph a Dance Anywhere piece at the San Francisco Civic Center library, Slater leapt at the chance. She was excited to choreograph for Dance Anywhere 2013 as she found the library a compelling space for her work, one that inspired new and unusual choreographic possibilities.\u00a0 <\/span>She says, \u201cThe beautiful staircase offered itself to me. No one would be expecting me to dance on the staircase.\u00a0 <\/span>The library is a public space with unexpected activity\u201d. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To prepare for Dance Anywhere, Slater held rehearsals in the space, where she negotiated several challenges with her dancers, Elizabeth Randall and Derek Harris. She realized that creating dance on the staircase presented significant site-line limitations, which she negotiated to ensure the visibility of her dancers to those in the library. Because of the size and bustling nature of the space, Slater feared that her dancers wouldn\u2019t visually register in the space<\/p>\n

\n

\"DSDT\/Elizebeth<\/a><\/p>\n

DSDT\/Elizebeth Randall, Photo by David Papas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Slater found that her use of a live-singer, Rabbi Susan Leider helped to draw in the audience and added to the unexpected nature of the piece. According to Slater the rabbi\u2019s song was \u201can emotionally charged Jewish hymn that echoed and enlivened the space\u201d. Her two dancers performed in bright red attire, which stood out against the white backdrop of the library. The audience was visually drawn to the dancers. Slater says, \u201cThe moment when people started looking up and realized what was happening was magical. Suddenly people gathered around the core of the staircase. People looked like they were part of the story about people trying to find each other\u201d.
\nBecause of the centrality of the space in which the dancers performed, audience members often walked into the dance and then, embarrassed would leave. Slater says that anybody who entered the space would be addressed, and thus, the audience was integral to the piece. Her choreography told the story of two people trying to find each other, and the audience participated in this concept as Slater says, \u201cthe people reached for each other across the large expanse of space, drawn together through the dance\u201d.<\/p>\n