RDT to Present MISSA BREVIS: NEXUS OF FAITH, ART AND WAR, 10/2

In Repertory Dance Theatre's fall show LEGACY, a significant piece of history is being commemorated: the rise of a near-devastated people from the ashes of World War II. "Missa Brevis" is more than a dance, it calls to mind how humans navigate faith, art and war.

In conjunction with the performance of LEGACY, RDT invites the public to a symposium to hear the story behind "Missa Brevis," ask questions and contribute to an important conversation that is likely to continue as long as we're all human.

Contemporary religion and art are sometimes seen as being segmented from each other, even though, traditionally, art and faith have often been fused. What does art and an individual's response to art look like when survival in a time of war is at stake? Can art function as a prayer, as choreographer Jose Limon intended for his work "Missa Brevis"? Can a non-believer (like Limon) access and accent expressions of traditional faith through his/her art and thus provide a bridge of understanding among faith communities and nonbelievers?

These questions are arguably, at the center of our current "war on terror" and at the center of how we present the history of war, including WWII. They are also questions at the center of religious misunderstanding and, thus, the persistence of wars.

The symposium will take place October 2, 2013 at 7 PM at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. Admission is free.

Panelists include: Caroline Prohosky (Contemporary Dance, BYU), Dr. Jerry L. Jaccard (BYU School of Music, Kodaly scholar), Dodge Billingsley (CFR Media/Combat Films and Research), Maximilian Werner (Asst. Professor, Writing Program UofU and author), who will be the moderator .