Karen Peterson & Dancers Present the 4th Annual FORWARD MOTION Physically Integrated Dance Festival & Conference

After a successful national tour, the acclaimed Miami-based dance pioneers, Karen Peterson and Dancers (KPD) welcome back their fourth annual Forward Motion Physically Integrated Dance Festival & Conference (FM4) taking place in Miami from October 27-29, 2022.

This three-day event features Full Radius Dance, esteemed choreographer Victoria Marks and KPD themselves in a full program including performance premieres, panel discussions and educational workshops.

With leading support from the National Endowment of the Arts, KPD presents a powerful line-up of never-before-seen works in 2 evenings of performances gracing The Miami-Dade County Auditorium stage. The creative forces behind these will host classes teaching their techniques in a full day of workshops and discussions at Koubek Center. Cameron Basden, director of Miami Dance Hub, facilitates the discussions with a slew of prominent figures in the dance community.

Produced by KPD annually, Forward Motion is one of the first festivals and conferences anywhere in the world showcasing physically integrated dance companies and choreography. "We're pushing the boundaries of physical differences to discover new vocabularies and possibilities within the physically integrated dance form," says Karen Peterson, KPD's Artistic Director. This groundbreaking contemporary dance form - inclusive of those with and without disabilities, on stage, and in the audience - challenges artistic and societal perceptions of what defines physical beauty and beautiful movement. "Physically integrated dance celebrates the power, potential, and artistry of the body," says Douglas Scott, Artistic Director of Full Radius Dance.

KPD takes the stage in a new work by acclaimed LA-based choreographer Victoria Marks, an Alpert Award winner and Guggenheim and Rauschenberg Fellow. Bay Area composer ONIKHO performs original music and live vocals with 5 KPD dancers to perform with both mobility devices and static dining room chairs. Marks intends to flip the script on the kind of PI dance that seems to feature the non-disabled performers at the expense of the dancers with disabilities. Marks adds, "can our physical imagination elevate equity between all of us?"

Full Radius Dance presents two works at FM4 to share with South Florida. The first is a series of excerpts from their latest work examining the fantasy novels Alice in Wonderland, Peter and Wendy, and The Wizard of Oz through a disability-centric lens. Another piece to look forward to from this Atlanta-based dance company includes Undercurrents, which embodies currents of movement where partnerships are created and washed away, where subtle shifts create dramatic effects, and hidden feelings and impulses run below the surface.

Performances are held at The Miami-Dade County Auditorium (2901 West Flagler Street, Miami) on Thursday, October 27th at 7:30PM and Friday, October 28th at 7:30PM. Tickets are available on MDCA website (MiamiDadeCountyAuditorium.org) for $25. For students with ID, seniors 65+ and people with disabilities, tickets are $18.

Workshops and the conference at the Koubek Center (2705 SW 3rd Street, Miami) are on Saturday, October 29th from 10am-5pm. Workshop and conference passes are $10, and one can pay at the door. Visit www.ForwardMotionMiami.com for information, schedules and ticket links. All venues are fully wheelchair accessible and have free onsite parking.

To arrange for group sales discounts (10 or more people), for any questions, and to request materials in accessible format, sign language interpreters, and/or any disability accommodation call 305-298-5879 or email ForwardMotionMiami@gmail.com.

Support for Forward Motion comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, SouthArts, The Miami Foundation, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

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