Risa Jaroslow Premieres TALKING CIRCLE In San Francisco May 2022

Risa Jaroslow & Dancers has announced the world premiere of TALKING CIRCLE, an evening-length dance for a multigenerational cast of six movement collaborators with music by Amy X Neuburg. Talking Circle explores the relationship between individual and collective, asking What will we risk for freedom?

Performances take place at CounterPulse May 12 - 15 and 19 - 22, Thursdays to Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 - $35, and may be purchased online at counterpulse.org/event/talking-circle.

Talking Circle is Jaroslow's fourth evening-length work since moving to the Bay Area from New York in 2013. In keeping with her longstanding practice of bringing together all kinds of movers in performance, Talking Circle will include two members of The Elders Project, a program created by Jaroslow in partnership with Sarah Crowell, artistic director emeritus of Destiny Arts Center in Oakland. The Elders Project provides opportunities for youth and elders to support and learn from one another, as well as to co-create work that expands movement possibilities for all ages.

Dancers Anna Greenberg, Chelsea Reichert, Cauveri Suresh and Erin Yen are joined by Pamela Wu Kochiyama, age 67, and Sharon Dalke, age 78, of The Elders Project.

Talking Circle imagines a turning point in the life of a small community. "There are many circles inside Talking Circle," said Jaroslow. "In a circle people can see each other. In this work, seeing and acknowledging one another's differences while holding on to each other and remaining in community, is its heart and soul."
"As has been widely noted, these are precarious times for democracy. Talking Circle has given us the chance to think about the ways societies both support and limit personal freedom and how individuals push against those constraints."

"The central questions in Talking Circle are: What is the freedom we long for, and what will we risk to achieve it?"

Additional members of the creative team include lighting designer Allen Willner and costume designer Callie Floor.

For more information about Risa Jaroslow & Dancers, visit risajaroslowdance.org.