Jody Oberfelder Projects Present Free Interactive Mobile Dance In Brooklyn

Jody Oberfelder Projects, known for their immersive dance experiences of inventive athleticism, wit, and whimsy, presents Walking to Present, an on-the-move immersive and site-specific dance performance that travels through Brooklyn landmarks and select noteworthy sites in an exploration of time, place, history, monuments, and future, June 3.

 

Fresh from their London performances at the Victoria & Albert Museum where they performed the jubilant Splash Dance --an excerpt from Walking to Present performed in the courtyard's fountain pool, Jody Oberfelder Projects return home to New York City to offer a version of the work focused in the rich history of Brooklyn. From Cadman Plaza to the Brooklyn War Memorial and stops along the way like the Center for Brooklyn History and the Juneteenth Grove, Oberfelder's artists will inscribe themselves into each space, calling upon spectators to experience movement and travel through a sensory and intellectual experience. The cast includes Christopher Matthews, Andrew Sanger, Maya Orchin, Jody Oberfelder, Mark Willis, Ching I Chang, Vanessa Knouse, Daniel Morimoto, and musical collaborators Ethel, Smetena, Missy Mazzoli, and Edwin Starr.

"In Walking to Present, we are creating a route for the audience to be engaged on many levels all at once," explains Jody. "How are we all making marks in time? How are we living, breathing momentary monuments? How do we imprint time as we move through history and what is the weight of our own footsteps on tomorrow?"

Walking to Present was originally commissioned by the DANCE München Festival in 2021. Due to the continued COVID-19 outbreak, the work will now be performed in the festival in 2023. These local performances are presented by the Brooklyn Public Library and BPL Presents and made are made possibly in part by the NYC department of Cultural Affairs and the Harkness Foundation for Dance.

 

Walking to Present will take place outdoors on Friday, June 3, at 4:00 p.m. and 5:45 p.m.

 

The performance is FREE to the public, and registration is required. All ages are welcome.

 

To attend the 4:00 p.m. performance, visit https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/jody-oberfelder-projects-center-for-brooklyn-20220603

 

To attend the 5:45 p.m. performance, visit https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/jody-oberfelder-projects-center-for-brooklyn-20220603-0

 

 

The performance will commence at the Center for Brooklyn History, located at 128 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights and accessible by the 3 and C trains.

 

 

Jody Oberfelder is a director, choreographer, and filmmaker, creating visceral experiences for audiences both onstage and in alternative sites. Focused on elements which link humans to one another, her work successfully maps internal dialogues and initiates opportunities for audiences to insert themselves into contemporary dance in a fun and accessible way, tapping into the tangible and visceral experiences presented by the movement. Through Oberfelder's raw, athletically expressive, and personal movement vocabulary, methodology and creative process, she attempts to portray and illuminate connectivity to one's own mind and to others. Oberfelder is interested in what it means to be present, affected by the environment, and to forge deeper connections. Her work has been shown internationally including St. Pancras Station (International Nanotechnology Summit, Museu dos Biskeniìnhos (Bara, Portugal), NoD (Prague), Gallus Theater (Frankfurt), Guelph Dance Festival (Canada), New York Live Arts PS 122, 92 Y, Dixon Place, Lincoln Center, and others. Her most recent project, "Walking to Present" (May 11-13, 2021) was commissioned by DANCE München Festival.

 

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