Jane Franklin Dance to kick off season in art gallery August 27

A new dance by Roxann Morgan Rowley about resilience will be performed by dancers over 40.

Jane Franklin Dance will kick off its 2021/2022 season with an in-person performance at the Athenaeum, home to Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association, August 27, 2021. The program will feature company dancers Philip Baraoidan, Carly Johnson, Kelsey Rohr, Amy Scaringe, and Brynna Wilder, with music by Steven Rogers and choreography Philip Baraoidan, Roxann Morgan Rowley, and Jane Franklin.

In “Family Photos” with music by Steven Rogers, dancers are paired with projections, images from the performer’s childhood or from a past generation. The dissolving images hint at the passage of time and the persistence of change. The audience observes from the enclosed space of the smaller gallery, and then follows the dance as it resolves in the main gallery.

Jane Franklin Dance Forty+ Project. Photo courtesy of Jane Franklin Dance.

A new dance by Roxann Morgan Rowley—presented by the Forty+ Project—examines ideas of resilience, a relevant theme of change as we move from COVID-19 restrictions to rediscoveries. The work is performed by dancers past the age of 40.

“Tales of Moria,” choreographed by Philip Baraoidan, is a work commissioned by Jane Franklin Dance to open the 2021/2022 Season. The piece explores the consequences of fate meddling in relationships. Are we destined to be in partnerships because of our choices or are we on a predetermined track to meet people? With weight-sharing, touch, fluid movements, and storytelling, the dance weaves an exciting motif of fleeting partnerships.

Post-performance Q&A and refreshments conclude the performance. Learn about plans for the coming season of productions and educational outreach and chat one-on-one with the director and performers.

Jane Franklin Dance Season Kick-Off performs August 27, 2021, at 7:30 pm, at the Athenaeum, 201 Prince Street, Alexandria VA. Tickets, limited to 25 seats, are available at $20 online. Live stream access is also available online with a suggested donation of $10.

About Jane Franklin Dance
Jane Franklin Dance partners with music, media, visual artists and community participants. Jane Franklin Dance has been presented at multiple venues and festivals and internationally in Mexico. A recipient of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region Creative Communities Award, Jane has developed innovative and collaborative projects combining dancers with the round wall skateboarding community, with a life size kinetic sculpture, with the architecture of a specific site, with dogs & owners, and with interactive live video and sound for numerous public art projects. Jane Franklin is a recipient of the American Association of University Women Elizabeth Campbell Award for the Advancement of the Arts in Arlington, and her video work Four Mile Run Footbridge was selected for PHOTO/VIDEO 13: Juried Mid-Atlantic Exhibition. Jane Franklin Dance has been recognized by Virginia’s Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. The company tours for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Paul Mellon Arts in Education Program and the Virginia Commission’s Tour Directory.

Jane Franklin Dance. Photo by Andrew Bossi.

About Philip Baraoidan
Native of Arlington County, Va, is an alumnus of Virginia Commonwealth University. Performance Credits include Company E, Priore Dance, Sinclair Dance, and Clancyworks. Performance venue highlights include The Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Ed Mervish Theater (Canada), The Ballet Theater of Astana (Kazakhstan) and Richmond Dance Festival. He has performed in works by Robert Priore, Scott Putnam, Christian Von Howard, Kate Weare, Stephanie Martinez, Bob Fosse (Restaged), and Michael Bennet (Restaged). He currently acts as Department Head for both the Jazz and Tap Curriculum, at Perfect Pointe Dance Studio in Arlington, Virginia as well as a curriculum/programming consultant for schools in the greater DC area. He has also taught for numerous programs like, Dance Masters of America, Showstoppers Convention, Central Asian Dance Festival, and American Dance Festival. Philip has received the Dottie McGill Award from Dance Masters of America Teacher Training School, for showcasing excellence in teaching. Philip’s curriculum work and teaching application can be seen integrated nationally and internationally with schools, companies, and touring productions. Follow my adventures on IG:Philnthblnk

About Roxann Morgan Rowley
Next Reflex Dance Collective is an award-winning modern dance company based in Northern Virginia. It was founded by Roxann Morgan Rowley and Erika Surma in 2007 and has been presented throughout the region by multiple venues and festivals including the John F. Kennedy Center, The DC Dance Festival, The Charlotte Dance Festival, The DUMBO Dance Festival, The Cool NY Dance Festival, The Goose Route Dance Festival, The Howard Community Festival, Mason/Rhynes Productions “Late Night Series”, The Carter Barron Amphitheater, The Workhouse Arts Center, Dance Place, The Harman Center for the Arts, The 2010 Metro DC Dance Awards, and The National Theater. NRDC’s programs include en Route! A Touring Dance Project, A Late Night Series, and an Artist-in-residency program. NRDC has received support from the City of Fairfax Commission For the Arts, The Puffin Foundation, the Arts Council of the Valley, the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the Arts Council of Fairfax County. In 2009, NRDC was the proud recipient of the Metro DC Dance Awards’ “Founders Award” for innovation in dance and was a finalist in multiple award categories. NRDC was formerly in residency at American Dance Institute and is currently in residency at The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton , VA.

About the Athenaeum | Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association
The Athenaeum Gallery is open Thursday to Sunday 12pm to 4 pm.
The Athenaeum Gallery is the headquarters of the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA). Founded in 1964, the NVFAA is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in all forms of art, and to establishing programs that will enrich the cultural life of Northern Virginia and the surrounding metropolitan area. The Athenaeum Gallery exhibits work created solely by artists living or working in the region and strives to present visitors with a wide variety of excellent work and unique experiences.

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