The Elders Ensemble 10th Anniversary Project -- in the Spring 2015

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Feb. 27, 2015 - PRLog -- The Elders Ensemble 10th Anniversary Project is a multi-media documentation of The Elders Ensemble's decade of empowerment through dance, an artistic process that has also proven to revitalize their multi-generational audiences. Their two Spring 2015 events, to be held on March 7th in the Downtown Lynn Cultural District and then on May 2nd & 3rd in Central Square, Cambridge, will combine live dance/theater pieces with sound bites from their “Here and Now” (NPR) radio interviews, as well as video footage from the making of one of their signature dance pieces "Parish Blues" (filmed at the Yard on Martha’s Vineyard). Each program will include a celebratory gallery reception.

The 10th Anniversary Project's live performance component draws from the Elders' ten years of intergenerational repertory ... from “Apokalypsis”, created in 2002 and funded by the National Endowment  of the Arts, providing the impetus to form the Elders in 2004 ...  to “Memory”, a new work developed this past year.

Prometheus Dance (www.prometheusdance.org), who serves as the umbrella for The Elders Ensemble (www.prometheusdance.org/elders-ensemble), has also created an entirely new work entitled “The Past is a Foreign Country” in honor of the 10th Anniversary. The dance, which was originally conceived for three women from the Prometheus core company, will be reconstructed for five Prometheus core members and five Elders. Both "Memory and "The Past is a Foreign Country" echo the politico-cultural climate that is currently unfolding and both works serve as testaments to the beauty and resilience of the human spirit in spite of these unsettling times.

Other live work to be included in the 10th Anniversary Project:
“Escape Artist” : a dance addressing particular behavioral patterns that arise from inner turmoil, often surfacing during difficult human interactions. The piece was first performed at the State House in 2012 as part of a conference on "Transforming Violence Through Arts" ;
and,
“There’s a Dance in the Ol’ Dame Yet” : the first project performed under the newly formed The Elders Ensemble of Prometheus Dance. This dance was the catalyst for the Elders receiving a 2004 Massachusetts Cultural Council Gold Star Award. Choreographed by Diane Arvanites and Tommy Neblett , this original signature work performed by the Elders is a dance/theater piece that tells the bittersweet stories of each performer's lives ... as dancers, daughters, mothers and friends ... conveyed through movement, theater, and text. Several of the Elders have studied with the greats of modern dance throughout the 1930's, '40's and 50's (Martha Graham, Hanya Holm, Anna Sokolow, José Limón, Alwin Nikolais) and are living links to the origins of contemporary dance.

The Elders Ensemble of Prometheus Dance currentlyfeatures ensemble members Eleanor Duckworth, Karen Klein, Susan Lane, Eliza Mallouk, Sue Penney, Vicky Steinitz, Anne Tolbert and Dorothy Elizabeth Tucker. Prometheus and their Elders are committed to providing free to low cost performances for senior citizens and other underserved communities. They have partnered with senior citizen centers throughout the metropolitan Boston and North Shore communities, as well as continuing to develop partnerships beyond these areas, in order to promote and implement activities modeled after the performance work of the Elders. Besides offering low cost performances, Prometheus' outreach also includes offering creative movement workshops and discussions geared towards motivating those primarily in their elder years. The Elders' performance planned for Lynn Arts on March 7th is an example of the partnerships that Prometheus has already established.

Artistic Directors of Prometheus Dance Diane Arvanites and Tommy Neblett have received numerous awards for their work, including a Creativity Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and six Artists Fellowships for Choreography from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.  They are full-time members of the dance faculties of The Boston Conservatory and Walnut Hill School; as well as teaching at the Boston Ballet and The Dance Complex.  Visit www.prometheusdance.org for complete information on Prometheus Dance.

Specifics on the upcoming shows: The Elders Ensemble 10th Anniversary Project (www.prometheusdance.org/performances-2):

The Elders Ensemble 10th Anniversary Project
held at Lynn Arts
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Pre-Show Reception 2:00 pm; Performance 3:00 pm, followed by a Talk Back
Tickets (available at the door, cash or check only): $10, free for Seniors
Lynn Arts, Neal Rantoul Black Box Theater, 25 Exchange St., Lynn, MA, 01901
For further information, contact The Downtown Lynn Cultural District: www. (http://dtlcd.org)dtlcd.org, 781.581.6211, info@dtlcd.org

The Elders Ensemble 10th Anniversary Project
held at the Dance Complex
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Pre-Show Reception 7:00 pm; Performance 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 3 2015
Pre-Show Reception 5:30 pm; Performance 6:30 pm
Each show followed by a Talk Back and Reception
Tickets (available in advance and at the door, cash or check only):
$25, $20 Seniors/Students/BDA Members
Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02139
For further information: www.dancecomplex.org, 617.547.9363

“The Prometheus Dance Elders Ensemble is breaking down barriers by providing opportunities for older dancers to perform ... Their audiences are enlightened with positive images of elders as graceful and vibrant dancers.” (The Cambridge Arts Council)