The 乐播传媒 Dance Festival is turning 40 this summer, and in fitting fashion, plans for the anniversary celebration will pull together the many elements that have made this renowned festival endure for four decades: world class dancers, enthusiastic students, and a celebration of dedicated individuals who have made the festival a uniquely 乐播传媒 event.
There will be legendary artists, from Reggie Wilson and his Fist & Heel Performance Group to David Dorfman Dance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a confluence of astounding talent,鈥� says BDF Director Shoshona Currier.
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Visiting or vacationing in Maine this summer? Take in a , or one of the events of the , July 29鈥�31.
After being canceled in 2020, the festival returned in 2021 鈥� but on a smaller scale. This year will be a return to almost-normal: Hundreds of student dancers will be on campus, studying with accomplished teachers and living, eating, and working together in a flurry of creativity. 鈥淲e feel so lucky to be welcoming so many students and artists for the first time since 2019,鈥� Currier says.
Capping the festival鈥檚 40th anniversary season is a three-day celebration, July 29鈥�31, featuring on the Olin Arts Center terrace honoring Carol Dilley, who retires from the 乐播传媒 dance faculty this year.
Dilley, who joined 乐播传媒 in 2003, led the expansion of dance within the curriculum, culminating in dance being made a major in 2011. Along the way, Dilley integrated the festival into the 乐播传媒 dance curriculum in meaningful ways. 鈥淐arol works closely with the festival to chart a course for those students that enhances the learning they receive during the academic year,鈥� Currier says. 聽This year, about a half-dozen 乐播传媒 students will earn academic credit for assisting with the dance festival.
In this video by Ariel Abonizio 鈥�20, 乐播传媒 dance students talk about their experience with the 乐播传媒 Dance Festival.
The BDF锚te on July 29 for Dilley will immediately be followed by a , a work by Rennie Harris and Puremovement that Dance Magazine calls 鈥渟eminal鈥� and which itself is enjoying an anniversary, its 30th.
In addition to celebrations, this year鈥檚 festival includes聽a memorial of sorts for another festival stalwart. Arthur Fink, a gifted photographer who lovingly chronicled the festival from 2006 to 2017, died on April 21, 2021. will be featured at The Hartley Block, located on Lisbon Street in the center of the Lewiston’s downtown arts district.
The richness of the 2022 festival owes something to the rebound effect after being shuttered or half-shuttered for two years (last year鈥檚 programming made creative use of outdoor locations in Lewiston).
One festival artist this year, Miguel Gutierrez, shifted gears in response to the challenges of remounting a show two years after it was originally scheduled to appear at the festival. He鈥檒l be with Laila Franklin, 鈥渕ostly inspired by Willie Colon, Stevie Nicks, and the all consuming sadness that envelops everything.鈥� Gutierrez met Franklin at the festival in 2021, when she took part in the training program. The work will be performed on Aug. 3 and Aug. 4.
Another group whose BDF appearance was derailed by the pandemic is Reggie Wilson鈥檚 Fist & Heel Performance Group. The Brooklyn-based dance company will perform in two campus spaces, at and in .
鈥淲e鈥檙e so excited to be able to make good on these previous commitments,鈥� Currier said. 鈥淎nd in the case of Reggie Wilson, to actually expand upon it, thanks to our partnership with Indigo Arts Alliance as well as significant relief grants. We鈥檙e thrilled to involve community members in this project, as well as our Young Dancers. I think that is going to be truly spectacular.鈥�
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