Program II Featuring Blue Pencil
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Explore the power of dance as a form of resistance and reflection at Miami Theater Center. On Friday, February 28, Dance NOW! Miami (DNM) presents Program II of their 2024/2025 season featuring Blue Pencil, a world premiere of politically charged ballet created in collaboration with Portugal’s Dança em Diálogos. This compelling performance confronts themes of censorship and repression, drawing inspiration from Portugal’s “Blue Pencil” censorship during the Salazar dictatorship from 1933 to 1974.
Choreographed by DNM Co-Artistic Directors Hannah Baumgarten and Diego Salterini, alongside Dança em Diálogos Artistic Director Solange Melo, Blue Pencil serves as a cautionary tale on the impact of government interference on the arts, journalism and society. The work underscores the role of artistic expression in challenging illegitimate authority, a theme made particularly timely in the context of today’s sociopolitical climate. This premiere marks the beginning of a cultural exchange, as DNM will travel to Portugal in March to perform the full ballet in collaboration with their Portuguese counterparts.
As part of Dance NOW!’s 25th anniversary celebration, the evening will also feature audience favorites from the company’s repertoire. Highlights include Court Dance, Baumgarten’s Machiavellian “political tribal dance” and Salterini’s Drawing Circles, a tribute to Miami’s MiMo architecture.
Dance NOW! Miami, voted “Best Dance Company” by the Miami New Times in 2022, is renowned for its innovative performances and collaborations, presenting original works and reconstructions of historic dance pieces. Their commitment to storytelling through movement continues to engage and inspire audiences locally and globally.