BEACON – the critically acclaimed platform for producing dance and multidisciplinary collaborations – returns to the Palladium for its 9th season, bringing another evening of movement and expression!
Since its electrifying debut in 2015, BEACON has helped propel the ever-expanding local professional dance community into unique collaborations, and nurtured the growth of both emerging and established dance artists who call St. Pete home. Co-producers Helen French and Lauren Slone are thrilled to announce that BEACON ‘24 features four world premieres, 20 dance artists, two local dance companies, two live musicians, one spoken word artist and one dance film.
BEACON24 includes St. Petersburg-based dance company, projectALCHEMY’s Within.Without. Conceived during the pandemic, this work explores the sensation of being lost within a spectrum, and how the emotions that arise resonate within the body, ultimately manifesting in movement.
Also featured is Sarah Walston Philips’ Atlas Modern Ballet with their premiere of Frozen Angels. Inspired by an exhibit of Greek sculptures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, this dance work explores how myth and lore reveal truths about our human nature.
In their first co-creation, Heidi Brewer and Sharon McCaman explore the passage of time through light play in their neighborhood. Their cinematic exploration pays homage to historical gems of the Old Northeast, seamlessly merging dance film with live performance. The work prompts audiences to reflect on markers of time, the pull and dependency of natural rhythms, and the tangible presence of the here and now.
BEACON24 also includes beloved dance educators and critically acclaimed performers Andee Scott and Bliss Kohlmyer in the premiere of a duet – a portrait of unrelenting sisterly womanly love – created for them by the world-renowned choreographer Robert Moses.
Dance artist Helen French, working in collaboration with choreographer, Andee Scott, will premiere a solo that abstractly explores the nature of motherhood and the ongoing interplay between love and labor. Charlotte Johnson presents the multi-disciplinary work, iN tHEir miNd, which highlights the reality of mental illness within our community, within those we love, and within ourselves.
Presented by The Palladium at SPC.
Additional support by Kahwa Coffee, Sally & Tom Baynard, and The Rays & Rowdies.