2 Neighborhoods, 2 Cultural Organizations, 2 Friends
40 Years of Arts, Friendship, and Community Revitalization
Class- The Carla Perlo Story
Since 1980, Carla Perlo’s Modern Dance class has been a consistent home for new and seasoned dancers on Saturday mornings. Carla Perlo, Dance Place’s Founding Director Emerita, takes the stage with students and professional colleagues for a live dance performance to celebrate Carla’s passion for dance and the history of Dance Place. Divided into five sections, each dance portion precedes a segment of a documentary film that represents a distinct period in Perlo’s life and in Dance Place’s evolution.
The performance will feature choreography based on the flow and movements utilized in Carla’s signature dance classes performed by some of her most dedicated students. In addition, the remarkable percussionist Sam Turner, who has played for this class for over 36 years, will be playing live at the performance. Robin Lyttle and Ruth Rivin are consultants on the project and Robin will also be providing the lighting design for the performance.
Documentary Screening
Interwoven into the performance will be a documentary film about the life and career of Carla Perlo that will provide the context and backdrop for the live performances. In partnership with Dance Place, the film and live performance are produced by Karen Brooks Hopkins, President Emerita of the Brooklyn Academy of Music along with support from the Jerome L Greene Foundation, where Karen is a Board member, and Dance Place. The creation of the film was a large collaborative effort, with the script written by Carla Perlo and DC dance critic, Lisa Traiger, and includes interviews with colleagues and students, the videography and editing has been done by Deanise Seals, David Dowling, LInda Lewitt and other noteworthy videographers. The documentary will also feature archival photography shot by a wide range of professional photographers spanning across Dance Place’s rich 42 year history. The score for the film features recorded music by Duende Quartet, Harry Appelman on piano, Josh Schwartzman on bass, and Mark Merella and Sam “Seguito” Turner on percussion. Duende Quartet will make a special appearance on Sunday, playing live at the performance, reception and book signing.
Conversation and Book Signing Sunday at 6:00 PM at Bus Boys and Poets/Brookland
Following the Sunday, March 27th, performance, Dance Place will host Karen Brooks Hopkins and Carla Perlo as they dialogue about their parallel careers leading cultural institutions. The two became friends in 1969, when they served as co-counselors at a summer camp in West Virginia. Their personal and professional friendship has endured for over 53 years with Karen serving as President of the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Carla founding and leading Dance Place.
Karen Brooks Hopkins will share her new memoir, “BAM… and Then it Hit Me”, where she writes about her wild ride of 36 years at the world-famous Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), America’s oldest performing arts center. The memoir is filled with stories and photographs of unlikely theatrical productions, entertaining and sometimes difficult celebrities, guidance on fundraising and leadership, the glory of the arts, and the evolution of Brooklyn, the coolest neighborhood on the planet. Perfect for any lover of the performing arts, this page turning read is filled with stories about artists and icons, such as Princess Diana, Peter Brook, Ingmar Bergman, Chuck Davis, Philip Glass, Robert Wilson, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Pina Bausch, LL Cool J, John Turturro, Rufus Wainwright, Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones and Paul Simon among others. AND at the same time, this book is an inspiring and constructive read for any not for-profit organization or your local arts center, offering detailed key strategies for institutional success as well as hands-on practical advice on topics ranging from fundraising and leadership to how to best manage complex organizations.
A reception will follow the conversation. Seating is limited and all audience members must show proof of vaccination and wear masks. For ticket information visit www.danceplace.org .
Who:
What:
Carla Perlo & Karen Brooks Hopkins
Carla Perlo & Dancers
Dance Performance, Documentary Film and Conversation & Book Signing –
LIVE EVENTS
Where:
When:
Contact:
Dance Place 3225 8th Street NE Washington, DC 20017
AND
Busboys & Poets Brookland 625 Monroe St NE, Washington, DC 20017
March 26 7:00 PM Dance Place
March 27 4:00 PM Dance Place
March 27 6:00 PM Busboys & Poets/Brookland 625 Monroe St NE, DC
dani tirrell at danit@danceplace.org Carla Perlo at carlaperlo@gmail.com Mary Reilly for Karen Brooks Hopkins at placide.mary@gmail.com