December 05, 2018
DANCE PERFORMANCE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE TO BE HELD AT ROTHKO CHAPEL
The Seldoms will perform an excerpt from Dancing on Thin Ice
The Rothko Chapel and DiverseWorks have collaborated to bring Chicago-based dance company, The Seldoms, to Houston for one-performance only on Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 7 p.m. at the Rothko Chapel. The company will perform Dancing on Thin Ice, an excerpt from their new dance theater work, Floe. The performance is pay what you can with a suggested donation of $20. Rothko Chapel is located at 3900 Yupon Street, Houston, 77006.
The Seldoms’ new work explores madness, delusion, oil extraction, the vanishing of Artic ice, and rising sea levels. Floe embodies the fragmentation of the global conversation on climate change as it veers from anti-science conspiracy theories to the very real impacts of global warming on communities from the Gulf Coast to the Arctic Circle.
With the 2018-2019 Program Season, the Rothko Chapel has launched a two-year initiative addressing the climate change crisis and its impact especially on vulnerable communities and our collective responsibilities to reduce our carbon footprint. Engaging a variety of media and programs, Dancing on Thin Ice is one of the many programs featured this season leading up to the 2019 Symposium “Toward a Better Future: Transforming the Climate Crisis” to be held February 28-March 2, 2019 in collaboration with the University of St. Thomas
“Thankfully there are a growing number of artists who are seriously engaging the issue of climate change as this is clearly one of the greatest moral issues we face,” said Rothko Chapel Executive Director David Leslie. “The arts are a powerful vehicle for engaging with diverse audiences and using creativity to create dialogue, posit new viewpoints, and invite more sustainable ways of living. We are looking forward to having the Seldoms in Houston to further the discussion of climate change through dance and are thankful to DiverseWorks for engaging with artists around the country to explore this topic.”
DiverseWorks Executive Director and Chief Curator Xandra Eden states, "DiverseWorks is excited to collaborate with the Rothko Chapel on the presentation of The Seldoms. We have a shared commitment to environmental sustainability and supporting art that carries the potential to open up new avenues for understanding complex issues. We are pleased to bring this innovative dance company to Houston to develop a performance that will explore the impact of climate change on the lives of those living in the Gulf Coast region and elsewhere.”
For more information about Dancing on Thin Ice and the Symposium, and to register, visit www.rothkochapel.org.
The Seldoms
The Seldoms are a Chicago-based dance company that values intelligent, visually rich dance theater driven by inquiry. The ground their inquiry in contemporary issues and the history of art and ideas, toward the pursuit of bold, exacting and potent physicality.
About DiverseWorks
DiverseWorks commissions, produces, and presents new and daring art in all its forms through innovative collaborations that honor each artist’s vision without constraint. Founded by artists in 1982, DiverseWorks is nationally known for its ground-breaking programming; as a resource for the innovative and meaningful engagement of communities; and as a force that has shaped contemporary thought and practice in Houston and the nation.
About Rothko Chapel
The Rothko Chapel is open to the public every day of the year at no charge. It is a contemplative space that successfully interconnects art, spirituality, and compassionate action through a broad array of free public programs. Founded by Houston philanthropists Dominique and John de Menil, the Chapel was dedicated in 1971 as an intimate sanctuary. Today it stands as a monument to art, spirituality, and human rights. As an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, the Chapel depends on contributions from foundations and individuals to support its mission of creating a space for contemplation and dialogue on important issues.