Three masters of minimalism, choreographer Lucinda Childs, composer Philip Glass, and conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, collaborated to construct this seminal work of dance—one of the purest examples of interdisciplinary art-making ever created. An exploration of musical movement, rhythm, and harmony, Dance is a bold statement on the very nature of movement.

A vast, transparent scrim stretches across the front of the stage. Projected upon it is LeWitt's 35mm black-and-white film of the original dancers from 1979, including Childs, performing Dance on a white grid floor that seems to float in darkness. Concurrently, the work is performed on stage by a new cast and in time with the film’s close-ups, diagonal views, overhead shots, split screens, and freeze-frames. Surrounding this visual experience is Philip Glass’s score, a masterwork of modular patterns that form the perfect counterpoint to Childs’s choreography.

“Dance . . . conveys the elemental desire to move to music, to dance.”
The New York Times

In short: pure sound and movement, masters of minimalism, art film meets dance, synchronicity, keeping it in the grid, live classic.

Lucinda Childs is an American choreographer at the forefront of contemporary dance. She began her career as choreographer and performer in 1963 as an original member of the Judson Dance Theater in New York. Lucinda Childs's groundbreaking work has influenced generations of contemporary dance-makers.

Choreography Lucinda Childs Film Sol LeWitt Music Philip Glass Lighting Beverly Emmons Costumes A. Christina Giannini Produced by Linda Brumbach Production Management Pomegranate Arts Performers Ty Boomershine, Katie Dorn, Katherine Fisher, Joshua Green, Travis Magee, Vincent McCloskey, Sharon Milanese, Patrick O’Neill, Caitlin Scranton, Shakirah Stewart

Pre-show conversation with Lucinda Childs and Philip Glass at 6pm on September 10.

To read blog articles about this show, click here.

To read an introduction about this show's significance, click here.

Through a film series, lecture, moderated discussion, and a master class, Festival Plus programming for Dance offers audiences a deeper insight into the artist and her work. Click here to browse.

Tickets to Dance must be purchased through the Kimmel Center Box Office HERE, unless you are purchasing tickets to Dance and other Live Arts shows simultaneously, in which case you can purchase through the Festival below.