Thursday, October 13, 2011
N.Y.-based troupe of disabled, non-disabled dancers to hold class, workshop
Post Gazette: It's not unusual for Billy Hartung's student dancers at the Center for Theater Arts in Mt. Lebanon to fret over the frustrations of everyday life: car problems, a bad score on a test, difficulty performing a pirouette. They are the day-to-day nuisances everyone experiences. On Thursday, Mr. Hartung, the executive director of the center, plans to introduce his students to people who haven't let much larger frustrations get in the way of their accomplishments.
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2 comments:
I was really moved by the idea that there are programs such as this and that they are performing for others and spreading the idea to overcome immediate disabilities. It is so important to remember that fact before anything else, to continue doing what you love to do. Nothing should try and stop that from happening. What makes this even better is how the disabled dancers and the non disabled dancers are combined to create one show. The article describes it as a show that merely showed talent and as little disability as possible. There really should be more acting, dancing, etc... companies that should look into these opportunities. If not, at least expose their companies to companies like this.
I would love to see how the dancers "embrace their possibilities" rather than "show us their limitations." I'm sure this will be an incredibly powerful piece. Dancers are often expected to conform to a certain physical standard. A company of dancers with and without disabilities will be sure to change that preconceived image of dance. Everyone can dance - with or without disabilities, it's just about challenging people to accept different interpretations of "dance." There's no reason why someone with disabilities couldn't give a performance as effective and moving as someone without disabilities. This type of inclusion seems like an obvious possibility to me, but in reality it's pretty novel, which is disappointing. However, I'm thrilled that this is being produced.
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