We’re thrilled to share the news that Jody Sperling and her company, Time Lapse Dance, has been named a finalist for the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) production grants. Youth and Families Program Director Audrey Kindred brought Jody to the attention of the Society and we were entranced with her performances. From NEFA:
Arboreal Entanglement is a collaborative project between choreographer Jody Sperling, composer Matthew Burtner, and the performers of Time Lapse Dance, dwelling on the nature of trees. The work uses the parallel compositional modes of eco-acoustics and eco-kinetics, pioneered by Burtner and Sperling respectively, that relate human sounds and movement to ecological systems. The work premiered in a two-part iteration produced in collaboration with the New York Society for Ethical Culture. On April 1, 2023, Part I was offered as a birthday tribute to Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize-recipient Wangari Maathai, an environmental activist who founded the Green Belt Movement. It unfolds as a processional performance under the majestic limbs of a surviving stand of American Elms in Central Park. On April 22 (Earth Day), Part II took root onstage at Ethical NYC’s Adler Hall. Both activations involve multigenerational community engagement in the form of creative experiences and a tree symposium.
