The Interdisciplinary Arts Symposium at UNL’s Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts celebrates its fifth annual season this spring with an exploration of “Performing Partnerships: Great American Collaborations of the Stage.”
The symposium will look at how artistic partnerships form, what sustains them and what new hybrid forms are born from them in American modern dance, musical composition, choral singing, visual arts and filmmaking.
In February, it will feature multidisciplinary artist Richard Move, a director, choreographer, performing artist, filmmaker and artistic director of MoveOpolis and Move It! Productions, who will appear at three events:
A screening and discussion of his film about the life and mysterious death of a Cuban-American art icon, “BloodWork: The Ana Mendieta Story,” at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Sheldon Museum of Art, 12th and R streets (co-presented with the Sheldon);
A free-ranging lecture about his work at the Van Brunt Visitors Center, 313 N. 13th St., at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 27; and
A performance of his celebrated portrayal of 20th century dance icon Martha Graham in “Martha @ The Johnny Carson Theater” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Johnny Carson Theater, north of 11th and Q streets.
“Richard Move is a contemporary Renaissance man: he moves fluidly among genres, illuminating all of them with his rare, humane intelligence. We will get to experience many facets of his work during his residency with IAS. Richard’s interdisciplinary approach makes him a perfect guest artist for our program. Lincoln will be ‘Moved!’” said Rhonda Garelick, founder and artistic director of IAS.
In 1985, Mendieta fell 34 floors from the window of her apartment in New York City. The only person with her at the time was her husband of eight months, the sculptor Carl Andre. Was her fall an accident, suicide or murder? “BloodWork” is the first film to address this controversial subject and features Dawn Dunning as Mendieta. The film combines interviews with Mendieta’s friends, peers, scholars and transformative re-imaginings of many of her important works, art that includes revolutionary visual and performance pieces that some say foretold her tragic death. “BloodWork” explores connections between life, art and interpretations of the truth.
The two-person show, “Martha @ The Johnny Carson Theatre,” pays special tribute to Graham, the legendary grande dame of the dance. Move has won accolades and admirers worldwide with this highly developed, entertaining and carefully researched portrayal. As “La Graham,” he presides over the evening, presents loving and often satiric re-stagings of Graham’s epic ballets and weaves a witty, lyrical monologue around it all. The entire effect is to illuminate Graham’s unparalleled career and groundbreaking contribution to 20th century art while revealing what Graham called the “interior landscape” of the creative process.
Tickets to “Martha @ The Johnny Carson Theater” are $12 for adults, $6 for non-UNL students and free for UNL faculty, staff and students with valid NCards. Tickets are available through the Lied Center for Performing Arts Ticket Office at http://www.liedcenter.org or 402-472-4747.
The screening of “Blood Work” and Move’s Feb. 27 lecture are free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended at http://go.unl.edu/5y78.
The Interdisciplinary Arts Symposium is devoted to bringing new and exciting work to UNL and Lincoln, and to fostering appreciation and understanding of the performing arts. IAS is sponsored by a generous grant from the Hixson-Lied Endowment, and presented, in part, with the Lied Center. Information on all IAS 2014 events can be found at http://www.unl.edu/ias.
