The New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Elm City Dance Collective have been working with the Mystic Aquarium to present a “cutting edge contemporary dance piece depicting the amazing aquatic life on land and in the sea,” as described in a joint press release issued on Monday. The work, Aquatic Dances/The Blue Project, features choreography set to music by J.S. Bach, Jeremy Cohen, Philip Glass, and Vivaldi.
The work will be performed at the Mystic Aquarium as part of an Aquatic Dance Festival scheduled for May 14 and May 15.
The festival will also showcase the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s “Instrument Discovery Zone” and glass-harp performances by Brien Engel, as well as family-oriented dance workshops with the Elm City Dance Collective.
Through the project, which was launched in September 2010 and has been chronicled on the Elm City Dance Collective’s blog, Aquatic Dances is being presented in schools throughout the state.
Erin Merz, the Mystic Aquarium’s media and public relations manager, said, “The New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Elm City Dance Collective conceptualized the idea,” and, “They used our animals as their inspiration.”
When Aquatic Dances is brought into Connecticut schools, Merz said, “an Aquarium educator is there as well. … We talk to the students about our animals.”
Merz said the partnership is “definitely a unique opportunity for our guests,” who are often mesmerized by the many creatures who call the Aquarium home. Watching dancers mimic the animals’ movements, Merz said, will be quite special, as will the opportunity to enjoy hands-on experiences with orchestral instruments in the “Instrument Discovery Zone” — which will be reflective of the many hands-on experiences the Aquarium offers.