Keely Garfield Dance's THE INVISIBLE PROJECT Will Have its World Premiere at NYU Skirball in March

NYU Skirball will present the world premiere of Keely Garfield's The Invisible Project, a ritualized performance inspired by Garfield's work as an enduring dance artist, and her covert calling as a hospital chaplain, running March 10 - 12 at NYU Skirball.

Garfield, with collaborators Paul Hamilton, Molly Lieber, Angie Pittman, and Opal Ingle, contends with presence and absence, emotionally extravagant embodiment, and understated disappearing acts to offer a glimpse of hope. Original music from Jeff Berman harmonizes spirited testimonials and percussive soundscapes to underscore the intimacy and largess in the body of the work. Costumes are by Morgane Le Fay.

"The Invisible Project is a container for things heretofore invisible that are made visible through the conjuring act of dancing. Things like endurance, rest, patience," said Garfield. "It is informed by my work, the job of being a chaplain in end-life and trauma. To do this work, chaplains employ a set of skills, or competencies. Among them is compassionate presence, reflective listening, bearing witness to suffering, affirming strengths, and facilitating expression of feelings, and meaning making. For me, dancing and making dances utilizes the same skills. Chaplaincy and dance are about being, and being seeds doing."

Keely Garfield, a native of London, England, is based in New York City. Her company, Keely Garfield Dance (KGD), founded in 1989, has been widely commissioned and presented at theaters and festivals nationally and internationally, garnering several Bessie awards and nominations. A spirit of philosophical investigation and compassionate concern continues to shape Keely's path as an artist and is central in her creative endeavor. Garfield has also made work for other modern dance companies, theater, musicals, ballet, film, MTV, site-specific projects, schools and universities. Garfield is a Guggenheim Fellow, holds an MFA from UWM, and teaches at The New School. Alongside her artistic career, Garfield works in the field of wellness, and is currently a chaplain at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn. www.keelygarfield.nyc

The Invisible Project was commissioned by NYU Skirball and made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.