Disabled-led dance company to perform excerpt of new works later this month

In celebration of July being Disability Pride Month, Kinetic Light Dance Company (KLDC) will perform excerpts of its new works, including The Next T.i.M.es, at Poster House, on July 26, the day the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law 34 years ago. 

Poster House, located at 119 W. 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011, as the first poster museum in the U.S., is “dedicated to presenting the impact, culture, and design of posters, both as historical documents and methods of contemporary visual communication,” according to its website.

KLDC Founder and Artistic Director Alice Sheppard, a Black woman, shared more about the concept behind The Next T.i.M.es, saying that creating a new work is always exciting, and scary. 

Sheppard will be at the event with Laurel Lawson, who is a choreographic collaborator, dancer, designer, and engineer with KLDC. 

“Right now we are in the development phase – experimenting with different ways of moving, new technologies, new ways of partnering with each other, and what happens when our movement engages with new sets, scenes, props, and more. It’s a very special time for artists,” she said. 

“The Next T.i.M.es offers hope that we have survived this time, into a near, yet unknown future. But survival comes with both ghosts and premonitions.” 

The final work will include stunning video and dynamic, real-time projection tracking. All KLDC works, including The Next T.i.M.es, have principles of equitable aesthetic access for the audience and artists at the center of its creation.

While Sheppard is so pleased that the Poster House team has shared in and supported the company’s dedication to access for this event, she states that the work of KLDC is not about disability representation, inclusion, or overcoming. 

Instead, she stated, “Our work is by disabled people, for disabled people. All are welcome, and we center the experiences and culture of disabled folks.” 

To those in the disability community, Sheppard wants you to understand: “Disability is a powerful creative force – it is generative, it is an artistic aesthetic, it is a culture. Access is art – it is essential and integral. I hope our audiences at Poster House leave with this message in mind.”

The performance will be from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, and masks are required. Accessibility Note: This performance is expected to include ASL Interpretation from a Deaf Interpreter/Hearing Interpreter team, Assistive Listening Devices, audio description, fidgets, earplugs, expanded accessible seating including wheelchair and companion seating, chairs with backs, and stools.

Please contact access@posterhouse.org or (914) 295-2387 to address any further accessibility needs. For other event related questions, please contact info@posterhouse.org.

Those who want to support KLDC can follow the company on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kineticlightdance/, and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/KineticLight.  

To stay updated on their work, those who are interested can subscribe to the company’s email list here: https://kineticlight.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9f4c8d7fc9f853556760d6c95&id=e0b4a28ffd.