The Impetus Behind Edward Henkel's Movement Talks
Ed Henkel brings together artists and intellects to show how dance can be used as a catalyst for change in our world in ways other than as, and as well as, entertainment and social activity. He talks about and shows short clips of various models that use dance as an educational tool and as an agent for social change. Dance is a vital force in our city that can speak to environmental and social issues in a powerful way. Movement Talks reaches out to a general audience to give them a better idea of the different ways that dance is a potent force in our community. Unless the public is informed about the power of the arts to affect change, how can we expect to understand and support the value of the arts to civic life and arts relationship to our green spaces?
A History of Edward Henkel's Movement Talks Programs
These programs cover a surprisingly wide range of topics with many more ideas to come.
Escape Velocity/The Dancing Earth
A discussion about dance and the environment, with 3 choreographers: Christopher Caines (Oxfam Project, "Time is Running Out" which was filmed in Central Parks Wollman Rink with 1,200 dancers, Hilary Easton ("The Reclamation" about natures insistence on balance) & Jill Sigman ("Our Lady of the Detritus" performed at Bronx Botanical Garden, Battery Park, the Port Authority Bus Terminal among other places. About trash and recycling).
Embodying Empathy; Dance and Social Integration
With David Allen Harris a dance therapist who worked with 12 boy soldiers in Sierra Leone and created an amazing model of how dance therapy was able to successfully integrate these boy soldiers (still only 15 & 16 years old when he worked with them) back into their village. Perhaps an inner city model could be evident in this?
Don't Dis Abilities: Where Dance and Disability Collide
with Heidi Latsky and Kitty Lunn both having dance companies that use people with disabilities in their work. This was a revelation for all of us present. People with disabilities have so much to share and I believe I successfully presented it not as therapy for people with disabilities but what people with disabilities have to bring to dance as an art form.
Dance Education Matters: Unleashing Awe in Every Body
With Joan Finkelstein, Director of Dance Programming for the New York City Department of Education, Holly Fairbank, for many years one of the Assistant Directors of the Lincoln Center Institute and currently Adjunct Professor in Education at Hunter College and Consultant for The Center for Arts Education, and Ellen Robbins, renown children's Modern Dance Teacher.
Dancing in the Cloud; Dance For Small Screens
With Richard Daniels, iPod Dances , Peter Kyle's, Tiny Dances and Dawn Paap VideoDanceTV(About the use of ipods, cell phones, YouTube and the media to bring dance to countless numbers of people who might not have been exposed to dance otherwise.)
Dance, The PlayField of the Hounded
With Foofwa De'Imobilete, Alan Sondheim & Azure Carter (About the use of the artists creative process as a model for problem solving in other areas of civic endeavors and conflicts.)
Cry For Nature/Dance For Water
with Dr. Martha Eddy and guests from Global Water Dances & the NYC Dept of Parks, Andrea Haenggi, Charles McKinney, Mary Rohe, Natasha Jones talking about the local and global issues that Global Waters addresses.
Edward Henkel: A Personal Statement
For 35 years I was a dancer/choreographer and danced in the companies of Erick Hawkins, Elliot Feld, Merce Cunningham and Jean Erdman's Theatre of the Open Eye, with 15 years of performing at Radio City Music Hall, in two Broadway Shows, "Indians" & Two Gentlemen of Verona", and in "Liza With a Z" with Liza Minnelli. As Assistant Director of the Y's Harkness Dance Center for the past 12 years I've continued to consider myself as an artist first. "MovementTalks" came out of my need to connect with that part of me that loved to explore and learn through creativity and to be of service to the New York community in a more meaningful way.
Just this past month I attended a powerful performance at NYU's Skirball Theater called, "Water is Rising" performed by tribes from three Atols in the South Pacific. These people, as I write, are losing their islands to climate change. Within 50 years the islands will be gone. Through dance and song they are reaching out for help. They are like the canary in the mine warning us of what is happening and they are doing it with dance. Their issue with water is that it is rising but also already polluting their drinking water. Movement Talks bring together Dance and Words to awaken to meaningful social issues and wake up New York to more of its glory!
Edward Henkel, Assistant Director
92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center 212.415.5554 ehenkel@92y.org