GREAT BARRINGTON, MA—Friday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m., Simon’s Rock will host the dance performance “Ephemera” by Fern Katz Projects. “Ephemera” is an evening of contemporary dance and sound.
Fern Katz is a freelance contemporary dancer and choreographer originally from the Berkshires. Her training has spanned from Massachusetts to New York City, to Europe and Israel. She has had the honor of studying with monumental teachers such as David Zombrano, Ohad Naharin, Judith Sánchez Ruíz, and many others. For three years, she danced in the works of Belarusian choreographer, Olga Rabetskaya and previously danced in the projects of Rebecca Pappas, Sharon Fridman, and many more. She now creates and performs work in many places, including the Berkshires and NYC, from Jacob’s Pillow to Triskelion Arts. She is currently in residence at Performact in Portugal. Fern is most curious about the intersection of dance and dramaturgy, and how to transmit raw emotion from the stage to the audience.
Piece Descriptions
Head On
Choreographed and performed by Sierra Hendrix.
This is a solo that was originally crafted in Fall 2021 and a part of “Wreck,” an evening-length piece premiering in October 2022 at Coffey Street Studio. This was made from the support of the ‘Triskelion Arts’ Space Subsidy program supported by the New York State Council on the Arts.
The space you left
The space you left explores grief, loneliness, and a yearning for interconnection and restoration. Before replenishing can occur comes great loss; this dance was created in the void that loss leaves behind. Although conceived in the context of personal grief and loss, it exists in the omnipresent sorrow that comes from universal degradation of land, water, soil, and biodiversity.
In this space, the dancers follow their own paths to find connection with themselves, each other, and their surroundings. Each dancer must first carve their own map to uncover not only what they truly desire but how to ask for fulfillment. By following their impulses, they uncover what is inside, hidden below the surface, at their centers. The dancers find regeneration and mending of fractured connections through shared energy, emotion, sweat, and spirit. In the wake of loss, what will grow?
Cast Members include: Alice Chacon, Sierra Hendrix (performing her solo, Head On, and part of the group piece). Elisa Hernandez, Fern Katz, Leighann Kowalsky, Catherine Messina, Mariya Vasilevskaya (violinist).
Please note all audience members must be masked. For more information, visit here.
About Simon’s Rock
Bard College at Simon’s Rock is the only college in the country specifically designed for highly motivated students ready to enter college after the 10th or 11th grade. Simon’s Rock offers a challenging program in the liberal arts and sciences, taught exclusively in small seminars by supportive, highly trained faculty, who are leading scholars in their fields. The College grants degrees in more than 35 majors. The Princeton Review’s Best 380 Colleges rates academics at Simon’s Rock higher than Harvard and Princeton.
Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock is the nation’s first two-year boarding and day program designed to prepare 9th and 10th graders to start college early. A student entering Bard Academy as a high school freshman will earn an Associate of Arts degree from Bard College at Simon’s Rock after only four years and a Bachelor of Arts degree after only six years. The Academy curriculum is designed and taught by students’ future college professors who are leading scholars in their fields.
For more information, visit simons-rock.edu and bardacademy.simons-rock.edu.