The Work:
The Institute for Folding is an interdisciplinary dance work in layers, literally. Through movement, language, live sound, and 30 sheets of cardboard, the work unpeels our human relationship to knowledge—our drive for scientific understanding, the ebb and flow of our ignorance, and our current disregard for what has been discovered. This is a dance for our precipitous moment when adult trust in knowledge (such knowledge) has faltered and we have lost the collective wonder (such wonder) that once filled the eyes of our children and early civilizations. And it lasts about an hour.
About Michael:
Michael makes interdisciplinary dance works. Many integrate objects, place and sensorial stuff. His process involves wide-ranging research and both serious and silly play. And collaborators vary from project to project. Michael’s past works have included dances choreographed to oral histories of immigration, a pageant set in an apple orchard, and a dance iteration of Foucault’s Corps Utopique. Prior to The Institute for Folding, he created a dance project centered on grain—how it is sown, gathered, cared, hoarded and lost.
He is honored to sit (and move) on the board of advisors of The Field Center in Rockingham, VT, and has served on the board of the Society of Dance History Scholars (now Dance Studies Association). He fancies writing about historical pageantry and embodied cognition, and works daily as the Director of External Affairs at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth. Michael lives with his family in the fields of Putney, VT.
Vermont Dance Alliance (VDA) is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to uplifting dance as a vital and transformational art form. Founded in 2016, VDA works to expand the visibility, accessibility, and economic viability of dance across Vermont. Through a growing digital platform, statewide residencies, and public programs, VDA connects artists and audiences, combats rural isolation, and fosters greater understanding of dance in all its forms.
Recognizing that dance is often underfunded and undervalued—especially in rural areas—VDA invests in artist career pathways through its flagship Residency Program, which provides paid creation time, touring support, and ensemble funding for Vermont-based choreographers. VDA also advocates for the arts at the policy level and serves as a fiscal sponsor for independent dance artists and grassroots projects seeking grant support.
VDA would like to thank the following partners and venues for their support in making this residency possible: Vermont Arts Council, the Byrne Foundation, Briggs Opera House, The Dance and Movement Center, First Congregational Church, Junction Arts & Media, Junction Dance Festival, LINES Vermont Dance Studio, Highland Center for the Arts, Middlebury Dance Department, Mascoma Bank, Next Stage Arts, and The Putney School.
You may also like the following events from Next Stage Arts:
- This Thursday, 18th September, 05:30 pm, Meet Our New ED, Natalie Dreyer! in Putney
- This Sunday, 21st September, 07:00 pm, Tim Weiner: The White House Wars on Intelligence, Free Speech, and the Press in Putney
- Next Saturday, 27th September, 04:00 pm, Bandwagon Summer Series: Hazmat Modine in Putney
Also check out other
Arts events in Putney,
Festivals in Putney.
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