Artichoke Dance Company in the News
“…I try to offer a vision of hope and of the future.”
“(Within my projects and performances) I try to show an interconnectedness and possibility. It’s like: We can get through this. There is a way forward.”
“…organic, flowing and changing.”
“Visioning Bodies is organic, flowing and changing.” This “artistic engagement with the river is designed to draw attention not only to the river itself, but also to how decisions about its future are being made, and who makes them.”
“Hands-on visual components get people involved in Neuman's process."
“"Lynn Neuman became preoccupied with single-use disposability after she started wondering about waste and who was responsible for it. She has collected massive quantities of discarded plastics, like bags and six-pack rings, and invited community members to contribute their own.”
“…the dancers illustrate the challenges for humans operating in a shifting environment…”
“..she -Lynn- encourages people to approach the problem not with fear and guilt, which often leaves people feeling overwhelmed and crippled, but with love…”
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While the world is drowning in plastic, Neuman’s troupe is dancing in it.”
“While the world is drowning in plastic, Neuman’s troupe is dancing in it as a way to get people to really see the garbage they generate and discard and understand the damage it causes to the environment. When Neuman and her colleagues went to New York’s capital in Albany to lobby for a ban on single-use plastic bags, they took trashion with them.”
"…work that fosters compassion and empathy.”
"Neuman strives to make work that fosters compassion and empathy. Indeed, her work that takes on environmental issues has brought her out of the dance studio and into the 'real world’.”
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Dancers are bringing attention to one of the nation's most polluted bodies of water…
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“The Gowanus Canal has been designated as a Superfund site, marking it as one of the most contaminated areas in the country. Artichoke Dance Company is raising awareness through a series of artistic performances, as part of Global Water Dance Day.”
"…the usage of performance art is a way to allow people to empathize and become aware.."
“Plastic shopping bags littered the Main Mall of ACAD as students collaborated with two prominent New York-based artists for their production.The bags, which students cut, ironed, and attached together are to create a glacier, a piece of their set,”
"…I’ve paid a lot more attention to what I’m stepping over, buying, and throwing out."
“When she -Lynn- speaks about these issues, she is serious but not preachy.”
“…it was heartening to see this unique moment take place…”
“As a site-specific work, it was heartening to see this unique moment take place as joggers or pedestrians passed by. Some stopped, others went on their way. Even local children and dogs entered the scene, creating the once-in-a-lifetime interaction particular to time and place that only site specific work can induce...”
Can rituals transform our relationship to our home planet?
“Neuman wanted to illustrate what happens to litter, bring attention to the volume present in New York City, and encourage active participation in remediation. She was also reflecting on how native rituals and dances have historically fostered a connection to the Earth and paid homage to nature’s power.”