Sonia Plumb Dance Company Celebrates 25^th Anniversary with a season of programming that brings Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ to life.

Submitted by Herb Emanuelson, Sonia Plumb Dance Company

Photo credit: Members of Sonia Plumb Dance Company; Carrie Ricciardelli, photographer

Sonia Plumb Dance Company celebrates its 25^th anniversary with a season of events culminating with the staging of a multimedia production based on Homer’s epic poem — The Odyssey. The Company’s journey includes free previews of the work in progress this spring and summer, a library talk this fall, educational workshops for local schools beginning this fall, pre-show conversations with high school teachers and college professors, AND a full-length dance production of The Odyssey at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT, October 2–4, 2015.

“When I was assigned The Odyssey in ninth grader, I was immediately captivated by the mythology,” recalls Artistic Director Sonia Plumb. “In fact, I once created a holiday performance of The Odyssey in our basement for my parents and grandparents when I was 13 years old—with my sisters and I playing all of the parts. In fact, my youngest sister, Sharon, is haunted by the memory of having to ‘travel’ down the River Styx to encounter Hades in the Underworld…when she was just six years old.”

Sonia Plumb. Submitted photo

And, Plumb’s plans for her 25^th anniversary season are as epic as Odysseus’ journey:

• Free Previews: Staging free showings of the work in progress in towns like Canton, Farmington and West Hartford this spring and summer.
• Library Talk: Local educators will join Plumb to discuss Homer’s epic poem and the dance production on September 22 at the Noah Webster Library in West Hartford.
• Educational Workshops: Performing for students in October and teaching residencies at Classical Magnet High School and a number of Hartford middle schools in the fall and the spring of 2015.
• Special Education Programs: Movement classes that combine dance and literature for students with Autism and Down Syndrome.
• Pre-Show “Prep Talks:” Discussions before each dance performance led by educators such as
  James Shivers, Ph.D. (Hall High School in West Hartford), Clare Stone (Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts) and Nina Papathanasopoulou (Connecticut College in New London).
• Dance Performances: Multimedia performances based on The Odyssey that combine dance choreographed by Artistic Director Sonia Plumb, storytelling, video, costumes, masks by Puppeteer David Regan, original music by award-winning Composer Cory Gabel, and more. Performances will be held October 2–4 at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford and October 8 at the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Center in Old Saybrook.

Learn more about the artistic work and educational programs of Sonia Plumb Dance Company’s season of The Odyssey at www.SoniaPlumbDance.org or www.Facebook.com/SoniaPlumbDance.