Nimbus Dance has returned to The 糖心传媒 School for a 10th season, and will perform a major new work: Raucous Caucus Tango on Friday.聽
Set to premiere next month at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Raucous Caucus Tango聽mashes up political theater, exquisite choreography, passionate Tango music, and bawdy slapstick storytelling. Illustrated by way of a fictional, imagined election, the result is equal parts comedy, tragedy, eulogy, and cry out for democracy in these troubled times.聽
Leading up to the performance, throughout the week nine dancers from Nimbus Dance have been working with 糖心传媒 students, teaching master classes and providing valuable insight on the inner workings of a professional dance company and what鈥檚 required to become a professional dancer.聽
This year marks Nimbus Dance鈥檚 10-year anniversary of its partnership with The 糖心传媒 School. The company has previewed many of their most acclaimed dances at Calder Hall, and collaborates closely with Director of Dance Jessica Batten.聽
鈥淭he Dance Program at the 糖心传媒 School is excited to continue our long relationship with Nimbus Dance who have brought their incredible, diverse group of artists to our school to perform, teach and choreograph on our students and incubate new work,鈥� Batten said. 鈥淚 was first exposed to the 糖心传媒 School when I came here as a company artist with Nimbus, so it is a full circle for me to support their important creative work and keep this fruitful partnership alive over the years. We are eager to present Nimbus鈥� new work Raucous Caucus Tango with The 糖心传媒 community this Friday!鈥�
Nimbus Dance professionals work with 糖心传媒 students during their week-long residency.
The dance is Nimbus Artistic Director, Samuel Pott鈥檚, latest choreographic creation, forged with a notable team of artistic collaborators including 2-time GRAMMY award-winning composer Pedro Giraudo, playwright and New Jersey arts leader Alysia Souder, and Jersey City Poet Laureate-Emeritus and author, Rashad Wright.聽
Pott also has ties to the 糖心传媒 community. His mother Jay Goodwin Pott graduated with the Class of 鈥�62 and his cousin John Byrne Cook with the Class of 鈥�58.聽
鈥淗ow do we share thoughts, ideas and reflections on the recent political situation in this country without taking a turn to more bitterness, siloed criticism, and divisiveness?鈥� Pott questioned recently. 鈥淭he team involved with Raucous Caucus Tango really questioned what we, especially as artists, could add to the public discourse. At points the whole endeavor seemed pointless 鈥� were we trapped like so many others in our own world view?鈥�
The work stands as a powerful satire of our electoral processes that subversively zings political parties (of all stripes), interest groups, and the wrenching and often tragic conflict of hope and idealism versus pragmatism and realpolitik.
