PA Faculty Member to Present Original Dance Progra

Judith Wombwell will perform on September 12 in Cambridge.

September 05, 2008 - Experienced choreographer and Phillips Academy theatre and dance instructor Judith Wombwell will present “Strung Together,” a series of loosely-related dances investigating time and place on Friday, September 12 at 8 pm at the Green Street Studios at 185 Green Street in Cambridge. The work, funded by a Kenan Grant from Phillips Academy, will be repeated in early January on the Andover campus.

A well-known choreographer with more than 25 years of experience, Wombwell said she used the grant as an opportunity to experiment with “unfamiliar choreographic techniques and the integration of provocative visual and multi-media elements.” She has created two new works: “Time & Place”-largely completed in one weekend in an intense workshop-style environment, is described by Wombwell as quickly involving the audience in the inner and outer world of the dancers, at once funny and poignant.

The second work, “Figure/Ground,” is an elegant exploration of spatial relationships accompanied by projections that expand the context of the dance, according to Wombwell. She said that in these two works, she “strove to keep the creative rehearsal process of equal value to, if not

more important than the final product.” She added that the other dancers shared responsibility for this process. Dancing with Wombwell will be PA theatre and dance instructor Erin Strong and three other dancers-Lauren Kepes, Shannon Gauthier, and Cynthia Williams-whom Wombwell has recruited for this performance as well as others in the future.

Also on the program will be performance of “Shed,” a powerful duet first presented in 2004, which Wombwell will perform with her former student Renee Amirault '07, and “Integral.” Amirault is currently a student at Temple University in Philadelphia. Tickets are $5 and can be reserved by calling 978-749-4682.