"Privacy Settings" — a new dance for a connected world

Sonia Plumb Dance Company will premiere Privacy Settings at the Carol Autorino Center at the University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Avenue in West Hartford, CT. at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 20 and at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 21, 2014.

Choreographed by Sonia Plumb, and performed by her Company of professional dancers, the cornerstone piece in Privacy Settings explores our new “connected world” with our obsession with social media, selfies and the issues that made reality TV and the NSA overreach part of our daily lives.

“It’s been thrilling to integrate this new world of social technology into my choreography,” said Artistic Director Sonia Plumb. “In Privacy Settings, audience members will not only see the dancers performing live on stage, but you’ll see them backstage, offstage and even through an iPhone and GoPro® video camera. You’ll even be able to be part of this social experience by sharing your thoughts and photos before, during and after the performance on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #PlumbDance.”

Other dance pieces in Privacy Settings include “Bach in Space” (featuring the Company and Eric Dahlin, assistant principal cellist of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and faculty at the Hartt School, performing Bach’s cello suites — live on stage), “Displaced” (addressing the issue of climate change) and “Poseidon” (showcasing one section from Plumb’s full-length dance based on Homer’s The Odyssey, which will be restaged in 2015 for the Company’s 25th anniversary season). 

Performances also feature an “Encore Series” after each show, where local educators discuss related topics. Scheduled speakers include the artistic team behind Privacy Setting, Mala Matacin from the University of Hartford (speaking about “selfies” and the impact on our lives) and Eric Dahlin from the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Hartt School (speaking about Bach’s cello suites).

Privacy Settings is sponsored in part by The Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; Connecticut Humanities Council; and The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation.

Advance tickets are available through the University of Saint Joseph box office at (860) 231-5555 for $25/adults, $15/seniors and $10/students when purchased by September 15. (Add $5 per ticket for those purchased as of September 16 or on the night of the performances.)

To learn more about the artistic work and/or educational programs of Sonia Plumb Dance Company, visit their website at www.SoniaPlumbDance.org or follow them at www.Facebook.com/SoniaPlumbDance.