SUMMERWORKS 2024 IS BACK IN AKRON!
Final preparation for SummerWorks 2024 are underway! The Movement Project has been working this summer on the restaging of two company works, which will be presented on July 27th at the Sandefur Theatre at The University of Akron, home of Rubber City Theatre! Alongside TMP, three works choreographed and performed by our annual Summer Intensive Guest Artists will also be making their debut!
The evening will open with TMP’s Dark Rooms (2018) and close with Hold Still (2017), both works choreographed by artistic director and founder, Megan L. Gargano.
Hold Still made its debut in 2017 as part of TMP’s winter series at Pilgrim Church and was presented in 2017 at Going Dutch Festival in Elgin, IL. The 2024 cast will feature Cristina LaRocca, Emilyann Dustman, Madison Burris, and Kylie Karam.
Hold Still is a dynamic work which serves as a statement on the “forces which hold us back or silence who we are.” In creating and presenting this work, the choreographer’s message and hope is “To keep people conscious. To be aware of what is happening to ourselves and those around us. We aim to stay present, take action, and to fill space. We as people need to unite for not just ourselves, but for the voices and causes of others.” Choreographer, Megan L. Gargano, states,
“something we’ve been working on as a company this past season is going back to works and envisioning and reworking in a way to better understand them. In early years, we were more strapped for time and restricted by budget, often having to work in a much more accelerated process. We didn't really have the ability to think of and process things to the degree in which we desired to. This idea of coming back to the works has given us the ability to talk through the intentional coaching and the ways in which dancers can invest and contribute to the work.”
This new approach to Hold Still gives the piece a new, fresh feel, personalized to the intricacies and nuances of the current cast.
Dancers: Jon Lawson (former co. member), Rebecca J. Leuszler (TMP founder). Photo Credit: Amber Patrick
Dancers: Grace Auble (former co. member), Megan L. Gargano (artistic director/founder), Jon Lawson. Photo Credit: Amber Patrick
Dark Rooms premiered in 2018 at TMP’s evening performance at Transformer Station. This work “navigates the space between two people, the indescribable energy and bonding of two souls.” It brings to the forefront, the “often isolating experiences we endure in our pursuit for a meaningful connection and the toll we take when our bonds are severed; the embodiment of trauma, deep grief, shock.” The 2024 cast will feature Elyse Morckel, Liz Conway, Cristina LaRocca, Emilyann Dustman, Madison Burris, and Kylie Karam.
Dancers: Kristyn Lein (former co. member), Grace Auble, Irene Honora (former co. member). Photo Credit: Black Valve
Dancers: Rebecca J. Leuszler, Elyse Morckel (associate director). Photo Credit: Black Valve
“I would say too,” Gargano comments, “on my personal end, as the choreographer for both works, my understanding of what these pieces mean and why I created them needed more life experience in order to truly process what I was feeling at that time. During their creation, I didn’t have the language to express my thoughts to the cast, as I was still processing these monumental moments in my life.”
Gargano recollects the time in which Dark Rooms was choreographed in response to her firsthand experience of witnessing a loved one’s loss of their spouse. She elaborates on new connections she’s made within the work by stating,
“Going back into it, I now had all these years of being able to think about that time. Also, I had a great deal of personal investment too, with losing our daughter Luna in 2019, I lived that kind of deep grief, giving me more understanding. There were so many layers that I’ve lived and have had time to step away from or sit with, and in return have gained a greater perspective. It really has brought the work to another level, especially the ways I can now communicate those lived experiences to the dancers, bringing a new dimension to physicalizing those times in my life.”
TMP associate director, Elyse Morckel, shares her personal sentiments on returning to the work as a performer in the following statement,
“This [our 15th] season continues the theme of reflection for us as an organization. Returning to “Dark Rooms” has been a special treat. Reprising my original role after six years has taken me back to the physical memories that I collected during the creative process with [artistic director] Megan all those years ago, while building on to the lived experiences that I have had since that time; being a part of The Movement Project for over 8 years. It also comes at a time where there has been great change in my personal life, taking risks, stepping into the unknown. It's an interesting dynamic to play with internally as I step back into this role. It allows me to see the character I portray not to be stagnant, but to experience the shifts that time gives in order to deepen my sense of feeling, and the physicality with my partner (Liz Conway) throughout the work. I hope that audiences will come away with a feeling of beholding the moment with us, and have care for times within their own lives that mirror the experiences we bring to the stage.”
Dancers: Kristyn Lein, Rebecca J. Leuszler. Photo Credit: Black Valve
Dancers: Elyse Morckel, Kristyn Lein. Photo Credit: Black Valve
In addition to Dark Rooms and Hold Still, TMP 2024 Summer Intensive Guest artists will present three new works on the concert. The first piece, TMP Summer Intensive Repertory, was created in collaboration with TMP company members and the summer intensive students. The second two works, TMP Summer Intensive Composition, features original choreography by the students themselves, working collaboratively as a cast. Each work will be created in a one-week timespan, the week leading up to SummerWorks, a true testament to the hard work and dedication of each summer intensive. Operations coordinator and company member, Liz Conway comments on the integration of the summer intensive students as TMP’s guest artists for the SummerWorks concert.
TMP Summer Intensive 2023 Guest Artists
“The Summer Intensive dancers have the opportunity to choreograph and perform a brand new work all within one week's time. We get to share the art and skill of choreographing with our students, and they are able to build a new dance collaborating with each other. It’s really great to see them have ownership over what they put on stage, and with this, we hope to instill a love of choreography in our students.”
Please join TMP company and guest artists for another exhilarating SummerWorks performance, Saturday, July 27th at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Please visit our website for more information regarding the performances, location, parking, and ticket prices. We look forward to welcoming you!