RDT's LINK Series Presents IN. MEMORY. OF.

Repertory Dance Theatre's Link Series presents In. Memory. Of., a dance concert produced by RDT dancer Dan Higgins in the Leona Wagner Black Box Theater at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, February 22-23, 2018 at 7:30 pm.

In. Memory. Of. is the second rendition of a movement performance that utilizes spoken text. This informed environment speaks to the many realities enveloping mental health and wellness. Choreographer Dan Higgins and his dancers wade into this subject with purpose to raise consciousness and cultivate a meaningful, viscerally-experienced evening. The hope is that within this space the experience will engender further conversations in support of those who battle these complexities and of those who care for them.

"Dan Higgins is not only a charismatic performer," says Linda Smith (RDT Artistic/Executive Director), "he is also a remarkable young choreographer who is able to create inventive movement filled with mystery and emotion. He blends dance and theater with an innate sophistication. This new dance-maker is someone to watch."

Mental illness directly affects twenty percent (one-fifth) of the adult population in the United States. It not only impacts the individual diagnosed but has profound repercussions for a patient's family and community. In order to cope, we tamp it down or mask it with temporary pharmaceutical treatments; it is never solved, but contained. Caged. Lurking in our depths.

"Astute as a storyteller and choreographer, Higgins captures the nature of trauma with the dancers on stage that reflects upon trauma's insistent pattern, which often resembles a pendulum, as one swings back and forth from the more peaceful moments of the present to the deeper shadows of a past trauma." -Les Roka, The Utah Review.

Higgins is intrigued by how theatre can be used as a vehicle of community action and societal change. Theatre is a place for us to have difficult, cathartic conversations. It is a place for joy, a place to be unapologetically open in hope to inspire others with courage to raise their voices and share their stories. Higgins is currently raising funds for this project on Indiegogo.

This concert is presented by RDT's LINK Series, an outreach program offering independent choreographers the opportunity to present their work in performance. RDT provides infrastructure and advisory support for production and marketing, while allowing the choreographer to retain artistic autonomy.

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