Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet is set to honor late Penn Memory Center research participant Toni Hamilton with a performance inspired by her writing.
Beginning Wednesday, July 6, BalletX will hold its two-week Summer Series 2016 at The Wilma Theater, featuring choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Matthew Neenan, with virtual art shop Klip Collective.
Neenan, BalletX co-founder, has been hailed as “one of the most appealing and singular voices in ballet today” (The New York Times). Neenan’s piece will honor the late Toni Hamilton, writer and longtime friend of BalletX. Following her passing after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, a close family member entrusted Neenan with a collection of Hamilton’s manuscripts.
“Solitude was important to her writing,” said Neenan, who connected with a side of Hamilton he never knew in life, and found inspiration in the manuscripts’ capacity to expand and intensify his memories of her.
Klip Collective will explore the dichotomy of light and dark with a dynamic use of shadows and video projection, incorporating scenic elements right from Hamilton’s manuscripts. Geometric shapes and optical illusions will create a dramatic environment as the work wrestles with the notion that memory fades, and sometimes reappears in unexpected ways.
With Summer Series closing out BalletX’s 10th Anniversary, a season marked by both forward thinking and reflection, Neenan emerges as providentially positioned to woo audiences with a meditation on the mysterious powers of prophecy and recall, while paying tribute to a dear friend.
Hamilton was interviewed about her response to her mild cognitive impairment diagnosis for a story on Making Sense of Alzheimer’s.
Tickets are general admission and range from $35 to $45 with discounts available to seniors and students. Tickets available through The Wilma Theater box office and online at http://www.balletx.org/.