PATRIOT Project
Dance, theater, and storytelling – a living memorial of emotionally charged, eloquent dancing examining the service and sacrifice of military- connect communities and those they serve.
The PATRIOT Project invites veterans, active duty military, local artists, and the community-at-large to workshops and performances examining the complex challenges facing our military. The 2021 PATRIOT Project tour will include community-based residences in Greenville, Morganton, Asheville, Durham, Elizabeth City, and Goldsboro – each culminating in a main stage performance.
In 2019, partnering with the NC Arts Council and the USO, Black Box Dance Theatre began the creation of PATRIOT, an evening length work of multimedia dance, theater, and story telling that is a living memorial of emotionally charged, virtuosic dancing examining the service and sacrifice of US veterans, active duty military and their families.
BBDT has a long history with the USO of NC as part of its nationally recognized Warrior, Spouse and Family Reset Programs. Aimed to build resiliency, Resets support military service members and their families through movement, dance and storytelling workshops to help them deal with the ongoing mental wellness challenges of military life, including deployment and reintegration. In addition to the Resets, PATRIOT is an invitation for participants to bring their experiences and stories to a larger platform.
The performance of PATRIOT, is inspired by the non-fiction stories collected during Resets and first hand experiences of BBDT dancers. The choreographed framework of PATRIOT allows for the integration of community performers. The lens of hero, veteran, spouse, and protestor are threads that have emerged. Alfredo, a Purple Heart Veteran injured by a 400 lb bomb in Iraq; Roy, a non-combat veteran who was drafted out of school; Nikki, a military spouse and mother who carries the stress of her husband’s deployments; and Steven, a war protestor who struggles with supporting his brother who recently joined the Army all bring authentic voices to the art making. Moments of pageantry, humor, physicality, and humility have surfaced in the making of PATRIOT.
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Friday, August 13 @ 7PM at CoMMA : What does it mean to be a PATRIOT? BLACKbox Dance Theatre explores the question with an evening-length work of multimedia dance, theater and storytelling that examines the service and sacrifice of U.S. veterans, active duty military and their families.
Tickets at: www.commaonline.org
General Admission: $9 (+$1.50 svc charge)
Veterans and Active Military – Free
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Interested in a Workshop?
Tuesday, August 10 @ 5PM on the WPCC Campus (Main Campus – J-Building:J30) Please join the Black Box Dance Theater Team for a workshop that will provide interactive methods that elicit personal stories, unearth multiple meanings, and generate authentic movement responses; allowing participants to experience differing viewpoints and understand their own story in a new way.
This workshop structure has a proven record of effectiveness having been developed over the last three years for the USO of NC as part of its nationally recognized Warrior and Spouse Reset Programs. This workshop is free and open to the public – no registration is necessary. We’ll direct you to the J-Building when you arrive on campus.
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Movement and Storytelling: With Michelle Pearson
Becoming Human Again – Injured War Veteran Finds Meaning Through Dance
