Trav'lin Home Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kandice Grossman (573) 815-9187
May 5, 2008

“Trav’lin Home” Photography and Dance Fusion
Benefit for Veterans of the Iraqi War via Military Families Speak Out
May 31, 2008, at Launer Auditorium – Columbia College 7:30pm

COLUMBIA – Columbia enjoys a fresh new fusion of dance and photography when “Trav’lin Home” comes to Launer Auditorium on May 31. The show – which brings many of Columbia’s most exciting dancers together onto a single stage as a form of community expression and activism– is the brainchild of Kandice Grossman, owner and artistic director of Columbia’s own Moon Belly Dance Studio.

“This production is about community, activism, diversity and the unique contributions of the individual,” says Grossman, whose sensual and intensely personal choreography has been seen throughout Mid-Missouri since 2004. “Community because it brings together artists and performers who are rooted here. This show is definitely by the community for the community. Diversity because it presents a wide range of performers and artists – it’s not every day a belly dancer shares the stage with a tap dancer and a hip hop company! Most importantly, it is an expression of the need to actively support our troops through the medium of dance. It is dance activism at a grassroots and intimate level.”

The show is about the individual journey each one of us makes through life, in particularly the female journey. All performers in the show are women. Their gendered roles as women, mothers, wives and workers influence Grossman’s choreography and vision. Women are socialized into the role of caregiver, responsible for the well-being and maintenance of the family and home. This “politics of care” along with the experience of motherhood as a powerful political identity has galvanized Grossman’s movement to speak out on behalf of US military veterans who are suffering upon their return home form the Iraq war. Grossman is excited to be performing the Middle Eastern art form of belly dance while also addressing an issue relevant to Americans fighting in the Middle East.

Multi-layered visuals and movement will encompass: Scene 1 regarding birth and childhood; Scene 2 carries us through the most challenging aspects of life, including adolescence, love, parenthood, sex and gender, and the reality of the urban environment; Scene 3 concludes with a powerful look at death and rebirth. “The theme of traveling home is both literal and symbolic. It is about the journey to find peace within our selves and our community and to develop the ability to listen to our hearts,” says Grossman.

Grossman – who was voted Best Belly Dancer in Columbia 2008 by Inside Columbia magazine – has invited a host of local and Midwestern artists to interpret different aspects of the human condition. Performers include:
• The Dragonflies Belly Dance Company, a five-member performance troupe known for its fusion of modern dance with traditional belly dance, as well as outstanding technique and artistry
• Members of Moon Belly Dance Studio performance groups
• The Outer Limits Dance Team, a high-energy collective of University of Missouri students who perform, teach and compete in hip hop dance
• Stacie Strong, a rhythm tap dancer and dance journalist who recently moved to the Columbia area
• Youth jazz dancers from Dance Arts of Columbia

A speaker and representative of Military Families Speak Out will be offering a testimonial about their personal experiences as a veteran of the Iraq War to begin the show followed by dance segments interwoven with photography and projections by Chicago photographer Nichelle Lawrence. The production also boasts stage installations by Columbia College student Angie Taylor and costumes by House of Van Sickle, led by Columbia designer Suzanne Van Sickle.

“This collaboration is about celebration of life, movement, birth, death and community. It is about women carving time out of their busy lives to express care about issues and people outside of themselves. It is about community artists sending a message to others: let’s motivate!” says Grossman.

“Trav’lin Home” will show one time only at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, 2008, at Launer Auditorium on the Columbia College campus (1001 Rogers St.). Tickets available at the door ONLY.
Adults: $7 - $10 sliding scale
Children under 12: $4
Children under 5: FREE


Contact information:
Kandice Grossman, Moon Belly Dance Studio, The DragonFlies Belly Dance Company
Parkade Plaza, Business Loop 70 W, Suite #124, Columbia, MO 65202
bellydance@moonbelly.org
www.moonbelly.org

Nichelle Lawrence, Life Photography by Nichelle
nichellelawrence@gmail.com
www.lifephotographybynichelle.com

Stacy Hafley, Military Families Speak Out
Stacy@mfso.org
www.mfso.org