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Born from “a little room,” The Center Will Not Hold is a short duet created and performed by Ephrat Asherie and Michelle Dorrance in December 2022. The now expanded and reimagined work features 11 singular performers deeply rooted in one or many street, club and vernacular dances: house, breaking, hip hop, tap dance, Chicago Footwork, Detroit Jit, Litefeet, Memphis Jookin and body percussion.
The Center Will Not Hold features original music composed by Donovan Dorrance with live percussion by world class drummer and percussionist, John Angeles. It premiered as a 30-minute piece at New York City Center’s 2023 Fall for Dance Festival and is currently being developed into an evening-length work which will be premiered at the Gogue Performing Arts Center.
“The work explores themes of isolation, community and solidarity. At one point, the whole cast lined up and performed a sequence of rhythmic pedestrian gestures. It seemed they were just humans, like us. But then they broke off into solos and dance-offs and we were reminded of their otherworldly talents. There was pain there, yes, but also so much joy.”
— Caedra Scott-Flaherty, Observer
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