(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- Mason Gross School Dance Department Artistic Director Julia Ritter of Metuchen is collaborating with Zishan Ugurlu, a resident director at New York City’s La MaMa Theatre, to choreograph Marathon Dancing: Letters to Wall Street in the Era of Wonderful Nonsense at Rutgers.  The event is free and runs December 3-6, 2015 at Loree Dance Theater of the Douglass Campus. The performances are inspired by the 1969 Sydney Pollack film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and the Horace McCoy novel of the same name.

“I wanted to explore marathon dancing, an endurance contest in the late 1920s-‘30s, which was a popular form of entertainment and a product of the economic crisis of the time,” says Ugurlu, who conceived of the piece. She says McCoy’s novel, which portrays the grueling and competitive world of dance marathons, inspired her to explore the 2008 economic crisis.

Ugurlu says the original script is fused with letters by those who, angered by their sudden financial ruin in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, wrote to executives of large banks. The letters are collected in the volume The Trouble is the Banks: Letters To Wall Street. On December 6, Mark Greif, co-editor of The Trouble is the Banks, will be on hand for a post-performance Q&A.

“The dance marathons of the 1930s were like gladiator competitions–often people in unfortunate circumstances, economically disadvantaged, and searching out any possibility to make money, including subjecting their bodies to torture and abuse,” Ritter says.

Sound familiar?

“These early marathons have been reiterated in culture, television, and film, through reality-TV shows, most specifically Survivor and movies like The Hunger Games,” Ritter says.

Ugurlu adds: “The play makes us question if life should have some more dignity, while reminding us that the ruins of the economic crises are still part of our daily lives.”

Marathon Dancing: Letters to Wall Street in the Era of Wonderful Nonsense is free, but reservations are suggested. For reservations, call the Mason Gross Performing Arts Center ticket office at 848-932-7511. Loree Dance Theater is at 70 Lipman Drive on the Douglass Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. More information about events at the Mason Gross School of the arts is at www.masongross.rutgers.edu/events.

This performance features loud noises, gun shots, nudity, strong language and adult themes. Not appropriate for anyone under 12.

New Jersey cast and crew members are:

Theron Alexander (Stage Manager – BFA III) is from East Orange, New Jersey

Kelley Arney, from Caldwell, New Jersey, is a fourth-year BFA Dance major

Oluwadamilare “Dare” Ayorinde, from Teaneck, New Jersey, is a fourth-year BFA Dance major

Bria Symoné Bacon, from Rahway, New Jersey, is a third-year BFA Dance major

Nicole Cameli, from West Orange, New Jersey, is a fourth-year BFA Dance major

Rebecca Cooney, from West Orange, New Jersey, is a fourth-year BFA Dance major

Maria Dorado, from Belle Mead, New Jersey, is a fourth-year BFA Dance major

Spencer Grossman, from East Brunswick, New Jersey, is a second-year BFA Dance major

Nia Imani Jackson, from Rahway, New Jersey, is a third-year BFA Dance major

Sean Langford from Manalapan, New Jersey, is a fourth-year BFA Dance major

Joselin Martinez, from Secaucus, New Jersey, is a second-year BFA Dance major

Sara Martino, from Edison, New Jersey, is a third-year BFA Dance major

Neal Rodgers, from East Brunswick, New Jersey, is a fourth-year BFA Dance major

Elias Rosa, from Piscataway, New Jersey, is a third-year BFA Dance major

Andy Santana, from North Bergen, New Jersey, is a fourth-year BFA Dance major

Adriana Santoro, from Montgomery, New Jersey, is a third-year double major in BFA Dance and BS Exercise Science

Helen Snelgrove, from Galloway, New Jersey, is a third-year BFA Dance major

Isabella Vergara, from Westfield, New Jersey, is a second-year BFA Dance major

Jose Vidal, from Union City, New Jersey, is a second-year BFA Dance major

Photo of Marathon Dancing cast members Sean Langford of Manalapan, NJ, and Lillian Jorgensen

by John Evans for Mason Gross School of the Arts