By David Rogers. NEW YORK CITY — Amidst a cacophony of urban street sounds — fire truck, ambulance and police sirens; rattling manhole covers; and a virtual cornucopia of human-made noises — the beauty, artistry, emotion, romance and inspiration of Project Dance fit right in.
Almost 30 dance companies from all over the U.S. performed a free, outdoor and open-air dance concert for nearly seven hours on April 22. Among them: the High Country’s Carolina Snowbelles, a performance team out of The Space at Project Dance, director Cheryl Cutlip’s dance studio in Boone.
Cutlip, who with her husband and two teenage children call Blowing Rock home, performed with the Radio City Music Hall’s Rockettes for 15 years and, in 2002, founded Project Dance to inspire hope and healing in New York City after 9/11. She formed The Project Dance Foundation as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of providing training, networking, education and performance opportunities for dancers worldwide.
With over 100 free, open-air concerts to their credit in urban centers of cities like New York, Washington, D.C., London and Hong Kong — 13 countries in all, to date — Project Dance is a welcome addition to performance artistry. In short, it is achieving its mission 100-fold.
The Carolina Snowbelles had 19 members performing in New York City’s Times Square for the Project Dance event, including Cutlip and fellow instructor/director/choreographer Claudia Palta.
The High Country-based group featured nine performances during the day and roughly 10 percent of the almost 100 acts.
The performances and the company members in each included:
- “On Broadway,” directed by Claudia Palta, including performance members Claire Anderson, Genevieve Goff, Mallory Habich, Vera Kwong, Journey Lockhart, Ann Mellon, Skylar Moss, Cameron Parker, Luci Pedroni, Emma Pinnix, Everlie Powell, Anasofia Salinas, Maggie Schlake, Autumn Walker, Carly Watson, Avery Willingham, Rachel Witmer, Cheryl Cutlip, and Palta.
- “Sing” (Tall), directed by Cheryl Cutlip, including performance members Claire Anderson, Mallory Habich, Journey Lockhart, Ann Mellon, Skylar Moss, Luci Pedroni, Autumn Walker, Carly Watson, Rachel Witmer.
- “Sing” (Short), directed by Cheryl Cutlip, including performance members Claire Anderson, Genevieve Goff, Journey Lockhart, Ann Mellon, Cameron Parker, Anasofia Salinas, Maggie Schlake, Autumn Walker, Carly Watson.
- “Like This,” directed by Cheryl Cutlip, including performance members Claire Anderson, Brooke Church, Genevieve Goff, Mallory Habich, Journey Lockhart, Ann Mellon, Skylar Moss, Cameron Parker, Luci Pedroni, Emma Pinnix, Anasofia Salinas, Maggie Schlake, Autumn Walker, Carly Watson, Rachel Witmer.
- “Dream,” directed by Brooke Church, including performance members Genevieve Goff, Cameron Parker, Luci Pedroni, Maggie Schlake.
- “Not Home Yet,” directed by Emma Pinnix, performed by Emma Pinnix.
- “Won’t Let Go,” directed by Emma Pinnix, including performance members Claire Anderson, Ann Mellon, Autumn Walker, Carly Watson.
- “Joyful, Joyful,” directed by Sarah Matzke, including performance members Claire Anderson, Genevieve Goff, Mallory Habich, Journey Lockhart, Ann Mellon, Skylar Moss, Cameron Parker, Luci Pedroni, Emma Pinnix, Anasofia Salinas, Maggie Schlake, Autumn Walker, Carly Watson, Rachel Witmer.
- “2nd Line Live,” tribute to the late Chet Walker, directed by Ava Cutlip, performed by Ava Cutlip.
RANDOM BONUS PHOTOS
