National Water Dances Performance (NWDP)

Program of Dance and Movement

Genesee Valley Park at Curtis Point (where the Genesee River and Erie Canal meet)

The NWDP is a collective of dance artists and educators stretching from coast to coast and from Alaska to Florida who create a “movement choir,” a simultaneous, site-specific performance of dancers and movers of all ages and experiences, to bring attention to the pressing issues of water in the United States. Several DANC classes and local Rochester artists will be performing.

Walking Directions

Follow the Genesee River path (north of Elmwood Avenue) past the giant split tree until you reach the confluence and the commemorative rock.

Overview

Contact: Anne Harris Wilcox @ awilcoxh@ur.rochester.edu

NWDP Link Live Stream link: https://www.nwdprojects.org/

FREE (bring blankets or chairs for sitting)

The Program of Dance and Movement is delighted to participate in the 2024 National Water Dance Project! Originating in 2014 by dance educator Dale André, the NWDP is a collective of dance artists and educators stretching from coast to coast and from Alaska to Florida who are creating a “movement choir,” a simultaneous, site-specific performance of dancers and movers of all ages and experience, to bring attention to the pressing issues of water in the United States. National Water Dance believes that the environment is the most urgent issue of this generation and that artists need to take the lead in addressing it. The University of Rochester Program of Dance and Movement has participated in the alternating-year event since its beginning in 2014. The performance is live streamed so that dances across the country can be shared. To access the live stream, go to the National Water Dance website (link above) on April 20 for the livestream link.

The Program of Dance and Movement honors the Genesee River which borders the university and has impacted the history of Rochester significantly. Students, faculty, and community guests will gather to share in this celebration. The DANC 235 (Change: Welcomed, Denied, Inevitable) and the DANC 267 (Choreographic Voice: Dance and Narrative) classes have choreographed dances that honor the river and waterways for this special occasion. Joining the celebration and helping acknowledge the original stewards of the land is guest educator/storyteller, Trish Corcoran enrolled Tonawanda Onondowaga (Seneca), of the Bear Clan. In addition, the event includes Lynn Malooly, Executive Director from Rochester’s Water For South Sudan organization, who will speak (with movement accompaniment) of the scarcity of water globally. Event director and dance faculty member, Anne Wilcox, is happy to lead this event and states, “We are in an area of the world with a rich supply of fresh water because of the Great Lakes and the smaller but still significant, Finger Lakes that run throughout this region. May we never take this for granted. The NWDP is a chance to recognize, appreciate, and remind us of our responsibility to care for and honor our waterways.”

Student and faculty dancers in the Rochester NWDP include: Rachel Bast, Lalita Dahal, Brianna Foster, Evelyn Pareja Garcia, Allison Jackson, Jasmine Joseph, Aubrey Lanham, Catherine Malone, Hailee Mitchell, Jules Pereira, Rina Peitropaoli, Nina Salerno, Anne Wilcox, and Roy Wood.

If you are interested in learning the opening phrase of the movement choir, contact Anne Wilcox, or simply follow along as we start the performance - All are welcome!

Guest Bios

Trish Corcoran

Trish is an enrolled Tonawanda Onondowaga (Seneca), of the Bear Clan. In addition to her work as one of the chairs of Rochester’s Indigenous Peoples Day, she is also on their Education committee. Trish proudly serves on the Indigenous Advisory Council for the Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Finger Lakes and the Seventh Generation Land Defenders. Trish currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Friends of Ganondagan and the newly formed Indigenous Health Coalition.

Trish is one of the directors and writers of Remnants, an immersive walking art installation involving multiple modalities that uncover the history of the land. Remnants has been performed at Rochester’s Fringe Festival in 2021 & 22, at the University of Rochester, to a sellout audience at the Memorial Art Gallery, and are scheduled to perform at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake summer of 2024. In conjunction with this, Trish has spoken to many classes at the UR over the past four years and has led numerous Nature walks along the Genesee for UR students, as well as for the Genesee Land Trust. In addition, she has served as a panelist on both Indigenous topics and environmental issues at the University.

At the Harley School Trish is working with students nursery through high school, on Indigenous perspectives and the environment. Last school year she wrote and performed a version of “Witness to Injustice” (with permission from NOON and Kairos) involving the Freshman class as part of the EE Ford foundation grant on Climate Change. In addition, she serves on both the DEI and Sustainability committees. Trish has designed and managed the Harley pollinator garden. In the Spring of 2022 Trish organized and oversaw the planting of one hundred Native trees in the Wildwood by Harley students of all ages.

Lynn Malooley

Lynn is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the Water for South Sudan organization, founded by Salva Dut, author of A Long Walk to Water. Lynn is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with experience in community relations and alternative education, Lynn joined WFSS in 2010 as the first U.S. employee.