About the Artist/Ensemble
Jane Franklin Dance is known for its lively mix of dance, theatre, and humor and for the ability to engage audiences of all ages. Performances blend dance and movement with visual arts and original music. Community work incorporates active participation in dance by people of all ages. Several books for children have been adapted into performances, or are subjects for exploration for youth camps and after school workshops. Performances are designed for stage or merge with environment or community as Breaking Ground, a Creative Communities Initiative project inspired by round wall skateboarding, or The Migration Project with stories of relocation.
Concert/Performance Description
Performances merge movement, music, media and visual art.
In Incidence, a life-size kinetic sculpture is manipulated. As dancers reconfigure the puzzle-like parts from vertical to horizontal, the sculpture restricts and elevates.
In the light of an overhead projector, shadow puppets and recycled materials, Niche finds an unremarkable couple on a humorous search for a place called ‘home.’
In Wash Over You, the River is as unpredictable as the tornado that whisked Dorothy away in the “Wizard of Oz.” Pack your bag, stuff your friend into a trunk as word, movement, music and photos whip up whimsy.
Aflight – Experience the real, personal journeys of the people and ecosystems in our midst. Movement is layered with audio interviews. People new to the country recount the hardships of relocation or the difficulties and joys in making a new home. Naturalists, scientists and hobbyists talk about native plants, migratory patterns and interconnections of people and environment.
Link to Performance Excerpt
Link to Press Pack
Technical Requirements
Sound and lighting systems; splinter free wood or other smooth, clean surface, indoor or outdoor. We adapt to cement and outdoor surfaces, and can work with space limitations.
Educational Programs
Students find their passion in the performing arts through movement, theatre, dance and visual arts. Workshops may be coordinated with after school staff or parent-teacher organizations to meet academic goals for a specific area of study. Basic dance concepts are applied to thoroughly explore any topic through movement and creativity.
PERFORMANCES FOR CHILDREN
Mouse in House, adapted from the book by Elizabeth Spires, explores a friendship between reclusive 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson and a lively mouse. Moved by Emily’s evocative words, the mouse becomes determined to be a poet herself.
Link to Education Guide
The Big Meow is a story of hope, disappointment, courage and the need for belonging. These simple themes are part of every neighborhood, but in this wonderful tale told through the experiences of Little Cat, a potential weakness is a unique strength.
Link to Education Guide
Complete Dogness is inspired by an adorable family pet with bad habits but with the willingness to learn new tricks. A delightful yet mischievous little doggy eats a delicious wool sweater or a whole block of cheese in no time. The performance incorporates spoken word, movement, music and kinetic imaging and animation.
The Migration Project explores immigration and relocation. Jane Franklin Dance and voices from within the community share family histories. Stories by 15 individuals of all ages are layered with music and movement. Large fabric panels by visual artist Dawn Whitmore illustrate landscapes: city, rural, and the landscape of transition.
DANCE FOR OLDER ADULTS
PERFORMANCE
Forty + is a group of performers past the age of 40. Forty+ meets weekly with a local contemporary choreographer to build a new work for performance and the repertory is maintained year round.
WORKSHOPS
for older adults offer a heart healthy workout drawing on elements of improvisation and social dance, and utilize a music playlist of lively and well-remembered oldies, Latin rhythms and popular tunes.
Fees
- Performance: $3,000
- Virtual performance, previously recorded or live stream: $500 – $1500
- Informal Performance: $1,000
- Workshop: $100 – $250
- School Performance: $500 – $900
- Residency: $3,000 – $5,000
Audience
- All Ages