“A fictional state where humanity lives in harmony. A place with total equality – without hate, discrimination, poverty or hunger. Where I feel completely accepted in community. A state of being. Right here, in front of our eyes. A sense of perfect joy, perfect peace, and perfect love. A world where people aren’t afraid to keep their hearts open, share their gifts, and experience joy.”
These are just some of the answers we have received to question, “What does Utopia mean to you?” This is the question at the heart of Dance Entropy’s new original work, Utopia, premiering in Manhattan just a few days from now.
During this performance, we ask our audience and our dancers to reflect on what Utopia is – an external, physical space or an internal sense of being. We also challenge both the audience and performers to examine what makes us feel unsafe, both externally and internally, and how we can achieve a sense of safety amidst perpetual motion and seeming chaos.
This very tension around finding safety in chaos is part of what I explore in my work with communities and groups across Queens – whether they be trauma and abuse survivors, veterans, immigrants and refugees, elderly people, young students, and people living in underserved communities. We have also explored this tension through larger international cultural exchanges in place like Cuba, India, Armenia, And Azerbaijan. Lifting up these diverse voices is fundamental to Dance Entropy’s mission to create a platform for multicultural understanding through dance. That is why, in the past twenty years, Dance Entropy and Green Space have become part of the fabric of the New York City community, known for bringing people a space for reflection, physical liberation, healing, and joy.
As we perform Utopia across Queens and New York City, we do not attempt to reveal the path to finding the ever-elusive utopia so many of us long for. Rather, this piece is simply part of the process of asking these questions about safety and perfect community, and how to find hope and transformation through the chaos around us. Dance Entropy has been a part of this transformation for many within the New York City community, and with your help we can continue to be.
I hope you will support Dance Entropy by attending our premiere of Utopia!
December 13-15 at Danspace Project @ St. Mark’s Church
If you are interested in supporting Valerie Green/Dance Entropy you can make a donation here
Valerie Green
Artistic Director
