EMPAC to Premiere “ANTHEM”, Which Examines the National Anthem through Dance

TROY – On Nov. 4, EMPAC at Rensselaer will present ANTHEM, a new dance performance by choreographer-in-residence Adam Weinert. It dissects the national anthem and considers what it means to evolve beyond nostalgia for an America-that-never-was.

What would our national anthem be if we wrote it today? What would it sound like, look like, and who should it serve?

Adam Weinert spent years investigating the imagery of The American Dream and the radical patriotism of early American modern dance. In his new EMPAC-commissioned piece, “ANTHEM”, Weinert seeks to reconcile dewy Americana with our society’s deep fissures, inequalities, and environmental degradation.

The movement in ANTHEM draws from a fake news article describing imagined original choreography from 1916 meant to accompany the national anthem. The performers begin to dissect the song and its various incarnations to relate it to a 21st-century America. The choreography reinforces the familiar and patriotic sounds of American nostalgia, yet, the work takes us into new territory that is only achievable through systems of mutual support.

TICKET INFORMATION:

The performance takes place Friday, Nov. 4, at 8 pm. Tickets are general admission, priced at $20 for the general public (with discounts for students and others), and can be purchased here. Visit empac.rpi.edu for more information.