DANCE

Set to music from the Mississippi Delta, "Parish Blues" is a rollicking adventure about rural church ladies as they meet to gossip, celebrate, bury, baptize, and spar over the perfect tuna fish casserole. Also on the program is last years Velvet Helix, a gorgeous graceful dance set to Gabriel Faure's "Piano Trio in D minor."

For their 6th annual spring performance, The Elders Ensemble of Prometheus Dance will feature ensemble members Eleanor Duckworth, Karen Klein, Susan Lane, Eliza Mallouk, Sue Penney, Vicky Steinitz, Anne Tolbert, & Dorothy Elizabeth Tucker.

The evening will also include a screening of “The Making of Parish Blues,” a documentary by Werner Grundl, filmed last August during the company’s choreographic retreat at The Yard in Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard.

Prometheus Dance created their second company The Elders Ensemble seven years ago. The Elders perform with the main company throughout the year in various special choreographic projects. But it is their annual spring concert that is eagerly anticipated by their already large fan base.

"Parish Blues" was choreographed by the co-Artistic Directors of Prometheus Dance, Diane Arvanites and Tommy Neblett, in collaboration with the Elders, who are all post-professional dancers ranging in age from 60-87. In April 2006, The Elders Ensemble received a Gold Star Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their outstanding and inventive arts programming throughout the Boston-area, performing in many community events, as well as in senior centers and healthcare facilities. They are praised for their grace and depth of artistry that often only someone with age and experience can express.

“The Prometheus Dance Elders Ensemble is breaking down barriers by providing opportunities for older dancers to perform ... Their audiences are enlightened with positive images of elders as graceful and vibrant dancers.”
(The Cambridge Arts Council)