Six Dancers, one double bass & Narrator
DANCE THE RAINBOW
“Dance the Rainbow” kicked off Traverse City Pride Week on September 26th, 2023 at ”The Alluvian” with a modern dance program addressing the dismantling the patriarchy to make room for free expression. Inspired by the work of visual artist Winnie van der Rijn, painter and award winning dancer/choreographer Peter Sparling as narrator and dancer is joined by 5 dancers and double bass. Part TED Talk, part catwalk, part improv jam, the performance features Michigan-based dancers Katie Dorn & Leslie Williams, (Interlochen Arts Academy), Finley VanPatten (Crooked Tree Arts Center Petoskey), Ben Cheney (Croft Residency/Horton Bay), Yali Rivlin (Manistee), and Peter Sparling (former head of Dance Department, U of Michigan Ann Arbor), with double bassist Paul Erhard. Erhard provides musical commentary the blends improvisation and composition to reflect the expressive themes each of the six dancers is tasked with conveying. The music is tailored for each specific dancer.