The Longfellow Summer Arts Festival brings music, poetry, and community to the East Lawn of the Longfellow House on Sunday afternoons through the summer. All events are free and open to the public.
2:00 Performance: trembled to walk on
Experience Henry Longfellow’s The Skeleton in Armor come to life! Taking its name from a line in the poem, trembled to walk on blends dance, music, poetry and history as it features a live duet, an adapted score, the writings of Longfellow, and the real history of the skeleton in armor. The program will begin with a reading of The Skeleton in Armor followed by the presentation of the dance duet. We will then unpack the images, inspirations, and history of the real skeleton in armor that was found buried in a seated position in Fall River, MA in 1831. This skeleton inspired Longfellow and the composer Arthur Foote to create new poetry and music, forever immortalizing the discovery. Together, we will question how art is used to shape our present day view of the past and how inspiration can come even from beyond the grave.
3:00 Workshop: Dancing History Through Poetry
Utilizing the Henry Longfellow poem The Skeleton in Armor as a guide, this movement workshop peels apart art and history, providing a space to experience a creative practice first-hand. You can expect a structured warm up led by Alexandria Nunweiler, an introduction to her piece trembled to walk on that was inspired by the poem and the history of the real skeleton in armor, and to put improvisational and choreographic processes to the test as we work in groups to create movement inspired by poetry. This workshop is suitable for all ages and abilities, but it is suggested for ages 14+ due to the themes of the poem.
Also check out other Arts events in Cambridge, Workshops in Cambridge, Literary Art events in Cambridge.
