VSA arts presents Liz Lerman Dance Exchange

April 30, 2007

“Farthest Earth from Thee” June 2 and 3

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2007 – VSA arts presents a Liz Lerman Dance Exchange original work inspired by Shakespeare sonnets as part of the Shakespeare in Washington Festival. Commissioned by VSA arts, “The Farthest Earth from Thee: A Suite of Sonnets” features company and guest dancers with and without disabilities at the Greenberg Theatre, June 2 at 8:00 p.m. and June 3 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

“The Farthest Earth from Thee” is a collection of contemporary dances that transforms Shakespeare’s words into explosive movement and vibrant video images. The Dance Exchange production will explore several of Shakespeare’s sonnets. The performances are accessible to all.

“Shakespeare wrote for the masses and dance is for everyone,” said Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. “Commissioning the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange is a great opportunity to show added dimension to the art form by exploring movement with performers of all abilities.”

“The Dance Exchange is honored to work with VSA arts,” said Liz Lerman, founding artistic director of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. “It is a wonderful opportunity to participate in the Shakespeare in Washington Festival with an organization who shares our commitment to the arts, creativity, and community. We are each interested in enlarging the image of ‘who dances,’ inviting us all to challenge and re-imagine our perceptions of beauty.”

The Dance Exchange will work closely with Suzanne Richard, director of Open Circle Theater, in the development of this new work. Peter DiMuro, producing artistic director of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and director of the piece said that while people usually think of choreographers employing music as inspiration for movement, the work at the Dance Exchange often begins with words. He explained that the language in Shakespeare’s sonnets gives the Dance Exchange some obvious places to start for dance.

All performances are at the Greenberg Theatre, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at www.american.edu/academic.depts/cas/greenberg or by calling (202) 885–2587.

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in more than 60 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information about VSA arts, visit www.vsarts.org.

Liz Lerman founded Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in 1976. Its unique brand of dance/theatre breaks boundaries between stage and audience, theater and community, movement and language, tradition and the unexplored. Through explosive dancing, personal stories, humor, and a company of performers whose ages span six decades, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange stretches the expressive range of contemporary dance. Its work consists of formal concerts, interactive performances, specialized community residencies, and professional training in the art of community-based dance. An artist-driven organization, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange employs a collaborative approach to dancemaking, administration, and implementation. Representing the multiple artistic voices of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, current choreographic projects include explorations of coal mining, genetic research, radical prayer and intergenerational LGBT communities. More information is available at www.danceexchange.org.

Media Contact:
Jean Wussow/VSA arts (202) 628-2800 ext. 3892
jeanw@vsarts.org