by JCWK Dance Lab
Apr 14, 2024
Choreographer and JCWK Dance Lab Director Jessica Warchal-King fulfills a long-time dream of highlighting local multigenerational talent and region-specific interdisciplinary research in “Regeneration.” JCWK Dance Lab presents “Regeneration,” a multi-media performance combining contemporary dance, new music, visual art, and storytelling. Inspired by agricultural regeneration research in Berks County, this STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) event also reflects on individual and social regeneration.
Professional dance artists Cady Monasmith and Arielle Ridley dart across the stage in leaps and bounds, their movement explodes like seed pods hitting the ground. Musician Riley Monasmith’s electronic soundscore electrifies the atmosphere. Sarena Gable and Megan Zalek intertwine and extend their limbs in a duet that emulates the need for community and the power of gentle, calculated strength. Warchal-King unfurls and undulates to celestial music by national park artist Jill Haley. The five dancers join in an uplifting funk finale composed by Marty Bonk. Visual artist Elaine Soltis lends her climate change art to the backdrop of the performance.
On stage, the professional dancers are joined by youth actors Aliyah “Li” Daniels and Milvia Cruz who lead a narrative web through Warchal-King’s choreography. Their text bridges the science of agricultural, individual, and social regeneration with the metaphor of dance.
The two day run at Alvernia University’s Francis Hall Theatre is approximately 60 minutes and is family friendly. Performances are Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 21, at 2 p.m. There will be a talkback with the artists and local leaders after each performance. There is on-site parking, and the venue is ADA-accessible. The performance coincides with Earth Day, National Youth Violence Prevention Week, and National Dance Week. Tickets are $15-20, and group rates are available. For tickets and more information, visit jcwkdancelab.org/regeneration.
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