OnStage Summer Series Interview - Connections Dance Theater
We are excited to introduce the next choreographer from the OnStage Summer Performance Series... Jenny Oliver of Connections Dance Theater!
Don't miss their performance at OnStage Dance Company on Sunday, August 19 @ 4:30 PM! Use the VIP Code CDT20 for discounted tickets!
Nicole Harris: Can you tell me about the work you’ll be performing as part of the OnStage Summer Performance Series? Jenny Oliver: This performance includes sections from our upcoming evening length concert, ‘Hot Water Over Raised Fists’ that will be further developed during our DanceMaker’s Residency at the Boston Center for the Arts and premiered in June 2019. HWORF was originally inspired by my desire to create meaningful dialogue around the broad issue of water rights and protest. The Dakota Access Pipeline protests and the water injustices in Flint, MI have stayed with me for the past 2 years. These issues became the nexus of the two themes of my show. The first theme water, exploring its importance, the destruction it can provoke & the sustainability it provides. The second theme is protest, investigating why it is needed, how it is used & the longevity it provides. We are in the beginning phases of exploring the development of these ideas and this concert includes excerpts resonant of a flip book of different manifestations of the two themes through a visceral experience using modern dance combined with a mix of jazz and eclectic music. While allowing us to share our perspective about water and protest this concert also allows us to fulfill our mission of Philanthropy through Dance. A large percentage of the ticket sales will go towards the Rasin Foundation’s De-Worming Initiative that it provides to the community of Leogane, Haiti. As a Board member of the Foundation I am eager to create an intersection between art and health in a tangible way. We are currently serving 1,000 children and 168 peri partum women providing medication to help prevent intestinal parasites that potentially lead to death.