October 14 // 2:00 PM
Space Place Theater

Presented by the Department of Dance, International Writing Program, Hancher, and the Office of Performing Arts and Engagement as part of Hancher's Infinite Dream festival.

 

Writers from the annual International Writing Program (IWP) fall residency provide written texts as inspiration for University of Iowa dance students to choreograph new work, resulting in a performance at Infinite Dream. This year's prompt is: Which dreams and myths do you hold of America? And do you also have fears? What are your hopes for the American story and what role, if any, do you play in it?

This longstanding collaboration between the IWP and Dance explores interdisciplinary practices across literature and movement and, over the years, has become an annual tradition at the University of Iowa. Dance faculty member Christopher-Rasheem McMillan will steward this remarkable collaboration as part of The Contemporary Dance Scene fall course—exposing students, visiting writers, and our overall community to the breadth, tensions, and joys of the creative process.  

This event is  FREE and OPEN to the public . General admission seating begins at 1:30 p.m.

Program

Click on the title of the work below to read more about the creative team for each piece.

American Butterflies

Let History Sing Itself Tomorrow

Hum in the Night

Elementary Latitudes

Characters You Meet In Your Dreams

– Intermission –

Winterized Trees

Let The Redeemed of the Lord Say So

Tell me I Belong

The International Writing Program (IWP) is a unique conduit for the world’s literatures, connecting well-established writers from around the globe, bringing international literature into classrooms, introducing American writers to other cultures through reading tours, and serving as a clearinghouse for literary news and a wealth of archival and pedagogical materials. Since 1967, over fifteen hundred writers from more than 150 countries have been in residence at the University of Iowa.

The International Writing Program and the Department of Dance owe thanks to the outstanding staff who have helped us with our prompt, with wrangling our artists, with our online presence and video editing and marketing: Shelly Criswell, Brianna Maxwell, KatyBeth Schmid, Andre Perry, Chris Merrill, and Kayla Schindler.

Special thanks to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, who made the participation of the international writers possible.