CLIMATE: MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE Uses Ballet To Spark Action For Climate Change

MOVEIUS Contemporary Ballet (MOVEIUS), creating a path for ballet to speak to political and societal issues, will perform a trio of climate-inspired works to The Ailey Citigroup Theater, September 23-25, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. Climate: Movement for Change is part of the high-profile New York Climate Week which starts with the United Nations Secretary-General's Climate Change Summit 2019. The evening features a trio of pieces that unite art and activism. GLACIER: A Climate Change Ballet, which imagines dancers as melting polar ice caps, Rite of Spring, Crash of Fall, plays off Stravinsky's score to explore the 2008 financial collapse, and a new piece, tentatively titled Ground Control, is inspired by the first pictures taken of Earth from space.

MOVEIUS' work explores the intersection of policy and performance, thanks to the unique background of Artistic Director Diana Movius, who trained under Charlotte Ballet's Patricia McBride, and who has conducted climate policy work for the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Center for Clean Air Policy. The GLACIER broke ground in 2015 as the first ballet about climate change to be choreographed by a climate policy expert, and in 2018, it became the first ballet ever presented as part of an international climate conference last year in San Francisco. Climate Week NYC 2019, aligning with the United Nations Secretary-General's Climate Action Summit, creates the perfect opportunity for a New York premiere of the dynamic work.

In GLACIER: A Climate Change Ballet, dancers ripple, crack and plunge amidst video projections by Robin Bell, (renowned for his witty guerilla #resist projections on DC's Trump Hotel), creating movement that connects the audience-member to the impact of global warming. Set to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring score, Rite of Spring, Crash of Fall employs Stravinsky's storyline-along with pedestrian props drawn from everyday spaces such as corporate offices-as the company of dancers inhabits the stage in an examination of power and accountability. Ground Control (working title) is inspired by the early pictures of the earth taken from space during the Apollo missions, and explores the emotional impact of large-scale photos of earth, and how it affects our sense of belonging and of agency.

"Live performance is a powerful medium for confronting some of the most challenging issues of our time. I want the audience to leave with a visceral understanding of why many care deeply about this issue and why more action is needed to protect our environment," says director Diana Movius. "Whether the immediate threat of global warming, or the effects of a financial crisis, ballet provides a unique opportunity to lend emotion to these challenging political and social issues. I want audience members to leave with a desire to take action."

Climate Week NYC 2019 will align with the second United Nations Secretary General Climate Action Summit, and will run the week of September 23, 2019. It is a place for the world to showcase climate action and includes panel discussions, concerts, exhibitions, seminars and more.

Tickets are available at moveiusballet.org and climateballet.org.