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Kinetic Light's "Descent" Inspires Education at Rutgers University


By Gina Marie Rodriguez, JerseyArts.com

originally published: 09/16/2022


The world-renowned disability arts ensemble Kinetic Light will perform “Descent” at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center Sept. 30, sponsored by the Dance Department at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Kinetic Light’s work is created, designed and performed by disabled artists. The ensemble’s mission is to emphasize that disability is not a hindrance but rather a "powerful, intersectional creative force."

The Dance Department in Mason Gross has newly minted an Integrated Dance Collaboratory (IDC), "a hub of interdisciplinary research exploring dance’s unique rehabilitative potential for individuals with a wide range of physical and mental health conditions such as autism, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, chronic pain and fibromyalgia, and mental illness and cognitive decline," explains Jason Geary, Dean, Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Jeff Friedman, professor of Dance at Mason Gross and director of the IDC says, "We have already been benefiting from Kinetic Light’s support on multiple fronts to offer accessible performances at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. With the very substantive support of NBPAC’s staff, we hope that we can carve out a new template for future disability arts performances in the future."

Correspondent Gina Marie Rodriguez speaks with Kinetic Light Founder Alice Sheppard; Dancer, Choreographic Collaborator and Engineer Laurel Lawson; and Scenographer Michael Maag, as well as Rutger’s Jeff Friedman, and gives us a glimpse of the choreography of “Descent.” Tickets are available for purchase here.




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About the author: Gina Marie Rodriguez is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and actress. Her foray into filmmaking began at a young age as a way to avoid public speaking in school. From there, it grew into a love of telling stories and creating new worlds. Gina Marie boasts a Bronze Remi win from Worldfest Houston, Best Female Filmmaker from the Cosmic Film Festival, and a Best Actress in a Comedy from the Hang Onto Your Shorts Film Festival alongside nominations from the Golden Door International Film Festival, Official Latino Film and Arts Festival and Los Angeles Cinefest among others.

Content provided by Discover Jersey Arts, a project of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts.




 

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