RDT Travels to Bears Ears with ZviDance to Kickstart Choreographic Process

Repertory Dance Theatre's newest commission, Sacred Lands/Sacred Waters, kicks off this week with a trip to Bear Ears National Monument. The dancers of RDT are traveling around the area with guides from Utah Diné Bikéyah to be inspired by the stories imbedded in the landscape and the people who call it home.

RDT is traveling with choreographer Zvi Gotheiner who has been commissioned to create this exciting new work. In addition, Gotheiner has brought 5 of his own dancers from his NYC-based company, ZviDance. Two separate pieces will emerge from this one-of-a-kind experience in southeastern Utah.

The dancers from both companies will explore and visit sacred sites with tour guides Jonah Yellowman (Diné) and Mary Benally (Diné). Some sites include White Mesa, the Cave Tower Ruin, and Moki Dugway. They will experience traditional cultural practices like collecting firewood, pinyon nuts, herbs, and hunting.

In addition, the two companies will participate in a special public event funded by Utah Humanities titled "Healing Through Motion: Art, Dance, and the Bears Ears National Monument." This event will feature history, Native traditions, and envisioning a future through art & story for this living cultural landscape. It takes place May 11 at 4:00 pm at the Bluff Community Center in Bluff, Utah.

After traveling the area for 5 days, RDT will return to the studio at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City to create a new work. This creation will be a contemporary ritual that can be shared globally to raise consciousness about these sacred lands.

The premiere of Sacred Lands/Sacred Waters will be in October 2017 in Salt Lake City.

To help fund this ambitious project, RDT is currently running a crowdfunding campaign, titled DANCING THE BEARS EARS where they hope to raise $7500 in the next 45 days. Learn more.

RDT is the nation's oldest and most successful repertory Dance Company. Unlike conventional modern dance organizations, we present you with a diverse range of modern dance styles and choreographers paired together in dynamic and unexpected performances.