How Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre Pushes the Boundaries of Dance

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre dancers rehearsing for their upcoming performance, Interactions © Shoccara Marcus

One Atlanta-based ballet company is bringing together art and science during its upcoming spring /summer performances.

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre is working on two pieces that explore the intersection of movement and mental health in a way that keeps its audiences engaged and entertained. One is a socially distanced outdoor performance, and the other is a cinematic experience. But first, a little backstory.

Founded by five principal dance artists, Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre is an Atlanta-based ballet company that combines classical and contemporary dance forms. What does this mean? It means some of the best professional dancers come together to create works that are rooted in classical ballet but aren’t limited by it. Their performances are infused with modern aspects of dance across its choreography, music, costumes, performance venues, and collaborations.

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre dancers in their Atlanta studio © Shoccara Marcus

And in the case of Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre’s two upcoming pieces, it’s the collaborations that make them so unique.

Let’s take The Poet, the company’s new dance film. That’s right – it is a performance made explicitly for the camera, and Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre has collaborated with director and cinematographer Joseph Guay to create a big-screen-worthy experience. The film also has an original score by Andy Kurtz and features the poetry of Kahlil Gibran.

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre’s upcoming dance film, The Poet © TMBT

Tara Lee, the creator and choreographer of The Poet © TMBT

The Poet tells the story of an 80-year-old man with Dementia, where choreographer Tara Lee delves into the difference between reality and imagination through movement. "My interest for this piece is to find the beauty that potentially remains in one's mind amidst the fundamental losses that come with dementia," says Lee. “Despite the fading of memory, can someone still find themselves through art and remember what is most emotionally life-affirming?” 

The Poet will be available for purchase starting June 11, and audiences will be able to watch the film on-demand any time, as many times as they’d like.

And expect to see more dance films from Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre in the future. “Film opens up a whole new world of opportunity for dance as an artistic expression,” says John Welker, Director of Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. “It’s a lesson we learned during Covid, and it’ll be part of our ongoing content we create.”

Another performance where Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre explores mental health through movement via collaborations is Interactions | Boundaries of Identity & A.I. Through a partnership with leading neuroscientists from Georgia Tech and Emory University, Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre explores the role of artificial intelligence inside the human body.

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre dancers preparing for Interactions © Shoccara Marcus

In other words, Interactions sheds light on the idea of the human cyborg. Specifically, it focuses on the ethics around using neurotechnology to treat mental illness. The technological change is outpacing the ethical conversation around this subject, and this performance helps the audience navigate the line between technology and humanity as parts of their identity.

If you think about it, movement – and dance, in particular – is the perfect way to explore the role of A.I. inside the brain. “The ability of the human body not just to move, but to express through movement emotions and feelings is very much a mystery,” says Welker. “With neurological disorders that medications fail to treat, movement can bring some of the issues to light in a way that is evocative and thoughtful,” he adds.

Interactions is part of the Georgia Tech Arts Skyline Series, so it’s an outdoor performance that takes place on the Georgia Tech campus. Tickets for the May 18 performance are on sale now, and the seating is sectioned off into two or four-person socially distanced pods.

Following the Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre program, choreographer Troy Shumacher and some of the neuroscientists will hold a panel discussion to give insights into the research and collaboration behind Interactions. The May 18 show is the first part of a three-part performance, so be on the lookout for part two and three throughout late 2021 and early 2022.

Personally, I hope you get a chance to partake in both the live performance and the digital film. This way, you’ll get to know Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre across multiple mediums, which truly showcases the company’s extraordinary ability to mix storytelling with dance. Be sure to check out their website for more details about all their offerings.

Anna Lanfreschi is a digital content creator and strategist based in Atlanta. She posts about food and travel on her blog, AnnaFeasts, and on Instagram @AnnaFeasts.

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Internationally Acclaimed 'Immersive Van Gogh' Exhibit To Make Its Mark In The Heart Of Los Angeles

Lighthouse Immersive and Impact Museums, the catalysts of the mesmerizing digital art space, brings its worldwide sensation, Immersive Van Gogh, to the heart of L.A. for the first time ever! The visually-striking exhibition encourages guests to experience the awe-inspiring works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh through 500,000 cubic feet of immersive projections, 60,600 frames of video and 90,000,000 pixels. The Los Angeles site will be the company's fourth location, following the successful on-going exhibits in Toronto, CAN, San Francisco, and Chicago. Pre-sale tickets will be available for purchase Wednesday, February 10th at https://immersivevangogh.com for the exhibition's opening on Thursday, May 27, 2021. Public sale starts on February 13th.

Following a sold-out run in Toronto, Immersive Van Gogh will be making its mark at a secret location, soon to be announced. The exhibit is a strikingly spectacular digital art exhibition that invites audiences to "step inside" the legendary works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh, evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement, and imagination. Featuring stunning towering projections that illuminate the mind of the artistic genius, the exhibition will feature a curated selection of images from Van Gogh's 2,000+ lifetime catalog of masterpieces, including Mangeurs de Pommes de Terre (The Potato Eaters, 1885), Nuit étoilée (Starry Night, 1889), Les Tournesols (Sunflowers, 1888), and La Chambre à coucher (The Bedroom, 1889). Paintings will be presented as to how the artist first saw the scenes, based on an active life and moving landscapes turned into sharp yet sweeping brush strokes.

The hour-long, timed-entry, walk-through experience is designed with health and safety as a priority. Capacity will be limited in accordance with the City of Los Angeles' safety protocols.  Additional safety precautions include touchless ticket-taking, temperature checks upon arrival, hand sanitizer stations, social distancing markers throughout the venue, and digitally projected social distancing circles on the gallery floors to ensure appropriate spacing. All guests must wear a face covering at all times during their visit. 

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Designed by Creative Director and Italian film producer Massimiliano Siccardi, Immersive Van Gogh contains original, mood-setting music by Italian multimedia composer Luca Longobardi and Vittorio Guidotti as the Art Director. Siccardi immersive productions in Paris have been seen by over 2 million visitors and were featured on the Netflix TV show "Emily in Paris," episode 5.

"We've created a unique and enthralling production that functions safely during this pandemic," says Co-Producer, Svetlana Dvoretsky. "Over 200,000 guests have seen Immersive Van Gogh in small, socially-distanced safe groups. It is an honor to bring the arts back into peoples' lives during these times," adds Co-Producer, Corey Ross.

"Despite being unknown throughout his life, Van Gogh's artwork has created a lasting impact through its emotional richness and simple beauty," said Massimiliano Siccardi, Immersive Van Gogh designer. "Both myself and Luca Longobardi are very excited to visit Los Angeles and once again bring Van Gogh's legacy to life in a way that is unique to the city."

Immersive Van Gogh has already entertained more than 200,000 guests since its North American debut last July, receiving rave reviews from critics worldwide. The Toronto Sun declared it "intense and emotional, cathartic and liberating." Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star stated, "I wondered: could projections of paintings on walls and floors be thrilling? The answer is 'yes.'" Called "dazzling" by Lonely Planet and a "blockbuster digital experience that has taken the art world by storm" by Artnet News, it was summed up by CTV's as "a completely new way of encountering art."

For more information about Immersive Van Gogh, visit https://immersivevangogh.com/ or call 844-307-4644.

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Evocative Art Projection To Illuminate Iconic Downtown Atlanta Fountain on New Year's Eve

A 2-month art exhibition exploring the theme of water. Featuring three light-based landmark sculptures installed on the park's main lawn as well as a project...

To welcome 2021, Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and Arts & Entertainment Atlanta (A&E Atlanta) have commissioned a special projection artwork by local artist Kris Pilcher to debut on New Year's Eve on the Woodruff Park International Peace Fountain water wall.

Pilcher's piece, "Perseverance," will be featured alongside projection artwork installations by Amelia Carley, NNEKKAA, and Joseph Peragine that are part of the PRISM: Winter Lights at Woodruff Park temporary exhibition curated by Dashboard.

PRISM: Winter Lights also features three light-based, landmark sculptures by MaDora Frey, Jason Sweet, and Ellex Swavoni installed on the park's main lawn. View the PRISM: Winter Lights exhibit guide here.

"Perseverance is a digital monument to the people of the second decade of the 21st century," said Pilcher. "We have survived a struggle unlike any in our lifetimes, and perseverance is a message of hope that we may break our confinement and close the distance between us in the New Year. This is a series of advanced particle generation and computer rendering techniques used to turn the numbers 2021 into alive and dynamic digital ephemera."

"Perseverance" will be on display December 31 through January 10. All other PRISM artwork will remain on display through January 31. Projection mapping artwork runs daily from sunset to 10:00 p.m. The park and exhibit are free and open to the public.

Park patrons are reminded that physical distance must be maintained between them and anyone outside of their party and are encouraged to follow the CDC's guidelines for visiting parks.

For more information about PRISM and Woodruff Park, including park hours and directions, visit www.WoodruffPark.com.  

PRISM: Winter Lights at Woodruff Park is made possible through the generosity of Delta Air Lines. Additional support has been provided by the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, Arts & Entertainment Atlanta, and the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation.

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The Wasteland: The Secret Life of T.S. Eliot

The Wasteland is a controversial new novel by Author Harper Jameson that puts T.S. Eliot's sexuality in the spotlight.

In The Wasteland, Author Harper Jameson brings readers into the extraordinary mind of T.S. Eliot as he rises from an obscure bank clerk to the world's most famous poet. The book explores his profound struggle to accept his sexuality. It weaves a narrative inspired by Eliot's poems, his letters, and his iconic characters, and is as much a meditation on art, intolerance, and demagoguery as it is a story about the poet's life.

T.S. Eliot's sexuality has never been settled, historically. In fact, Eliot publicly denied being gay, then burned nearly all letters that might have contradicted this. But on January 2, 2020, over 1100 letters written by Eliot were published by Princeton University. Emily Hale, the recipient of these letters, donated them with the instruction to publish them 50 years after she and Eliot died. They give insight into Eliot's true character, a side of him shut off from the public.

In The Wasteland, Eliot begins as a hollow man trapped in the dreary world of a London bank in the 1920s. One day Eliot intervenes to save a man being badly beaten. He discovers Jack, an out and proud gay man. Jack introduces Eliot to the gay underground and unleashes a torrent of creativity that begins to transform his life.

Meanwhile, lovable but naïve Vivienne is also falling in love with Eliot. Eliot finds that as his fame increases, pressure for conformity increases as well. Religious intolerance, increasing Fascist inspired anti-gay violence, and an ever brighter public spotlight push him to sacrifice.

The Wasteland is the untold story of T.S. Eliot.

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