Lehigh Valley performance premiere
“The Body Keeps the Score: Dancing with Trauma and Recovery”
promotes social awareness and healing
Choreography by Sarah Carlson
Original Music by Vernon Mobley
March 23 & 24
Allentown, Pa. (March 2, 2018) — The IceHouse Tonight presents “The Body Keeps the Score: Dancing with Trauma and Recovery”, a choreographer/composer collaboration at the Bethlehem Ice House on Friday, March 23 at 8pm, and Saturday, March 24 at 3pm and 8pm. Sarah Carlson, the Artistic Director of DanceLink, teams up with composer Vernon J. Mobley to explore the universal spectrum of trauma in a program inspired by Bessel van der Kolk’s well-known text of the same name. Tickets are $20/$15 student (cash or check at the door) Group rates available. Reservations recommended: scdancelink@gmail.com
“The Body Keeps the Score” will use movement, music and text to unpack the idea that trauma must be addressed on an individual body level first before greater communal (or “big body”) change can follow. “The impact of trauma affects the lives of so many of us,” states Carlson. “It interrupts our ability to be present, to function and most tragically, to connect authentically with others. Most of us aren’t even aware of how this traumatic residue is affecting our lives.” The creative process invited cast members to draw from personal experience to fuel movement invention. Joseph Kelly, a Licensed Professional Counsellor based in Bethlehem, was invited to meet with cast to ground their understanding of trauma and provide additional support as necessary.
In his text, Van Der Kolk explains that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can fragment a holistic sense of self connected to the here and now. Everyday sensory input can trigger flashbacks or emotional outbursts that disturb normal functioning and healthy relationships. As such, disassociation can be born out of simple survival techniques. Reclaiming an awareness of the breath and physical sensations can be powerful forms of healing. These dynamics will be explored onstage.
Carlson and Mobley previously worked together on “What Lies Within”, a project about racial injustice, and hence they are particularly interested in the cycle of trauma caused by oppression. “Trauma caused by oppression is the most insidious,” muses Mobley. “Belittlement or abuse at the hands of another is never justified, but when you consider the perpetrator can often be acting out from a foundation of trauma sometimes generations in the making, it makes you think.” Understanding the dynamics of this cycle can be the first step towards awareness and healing.
A panel discussion led by Rebecca Glassman, a Direct Services Supervisor for the Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, will be held following the Saturday matinee performance to discuss the major themes of the show and promote awareness of community resources.
“The Body Keeps the Score: Dancing with Trauma and Recovery” has received generous support from the Pennsylvania Partners for the Arts.
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