Immovable: Ballet in the Gallery at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey

Immovable, a ballet choreographed by Julia K. Gleich and created in collaboration with artist Rachel Beach, is coming to the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey on Sunday, March 19, 2017, as part of the closing reception of the winter exhibitions. Performances will begin at 2:45 pm and 3:30 pm. Admission is $5 per family.

In the dramatic setting of the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey’s Main Gallery, the relationship between sculptor and choreographer, and between art and dance, will be magnified and intensified. The choreography, in three parts, examines how external pressures create substrates upon which structures develop. As rough-hewn geometries contrasting with precise intersections of pointed feet and elbows, the dancers reflect the sensitive weight of Beach’s large sculptures.  

Although Gleich and Beach created Immovable in early 2016, before the current political environment in the U.S., this dance feels particularly timely, as it suggests the tensions and frictions of disagreement. “We feel it is the role of a museum to be inclusive of all points of view, and to be a space that fosters dialogue and communication about a diverse range of topics including current events,” said Sarah Walko, Director of Education & Community Engagement at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.

Julia K. Gleich is a NYC and London-based choreographer interested in re-contextualizing ballet: creating new environments for traditional works and illuminating the relationships between the traditional and the contemporary. Her company, Gleich Dances, has performed in the UK and US receiving critical notice in the New York Times, Village Voice, The New Criterion, and Brooklyn Rail. Ms. Gleich received the Distinguished Alumna Award in 2014 from the University of Utah, College of Fine Arts. To learn more about Julia K. Gleich + Gleich Dances, visit www.gleichdances.org