Patty Smith's FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH Set For Town Hall Theater, 8/24

Ever since a protest on the site of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in 1977, dancer/choreographer PatTy Smith has been personally and physically involved in numerous public acts of protest. In her new recital at Town Hall Theater, For What It's Worth, she explores the power of private, personal, and physical protest.

"Protest can take many forms," says Smith, "but whether it is public or private, I believe it is a matter of putting one's body on the line." The dances in this recital speak to her concept of dominion – dominion of one species over another, dominion of one person over another, dominion of one group over another. As always in Smith's work, music is a catalyst. Smith dances to traditional folk music as well as selections from Scarlatti, Bartok, Kurt Weill, Janis Ian and David Byrne.

PatTy Smith is not an artist for the faint of heart. She combines entertainment with cutting edge commentary, eliciting laughter, tears, and a wide range of responses. "I think Patty creates the most meaningful dances of any choreographer I know," says THT executive director Douglas Anderson. "Of course she has great technique and the movement is always lovely and interesting, but at the core of each dance is a knot of challenging ideas. These are dances that you want to talk about afterwards."

PatTy Smith's For What It's Worth will be presented at Middlebury's Town Hall Theater on Friday, August 24, at 8 pm. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at www.townhalltheater.org, 802 382-9222, at the THT Box Office (Noon- 5 pm, Mon-Sat), or at the door.