Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company to ponder ‘What Problem?’ Feb. 11 at Eisenhower
The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zanes Company will explore the meaning of “We Are” and the nature of community in the experimental dance work “What Problem?” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Eisenhower Auditorium
In a nod to sociologist, equal-rights activist and author W. E. B. Du Bois, “What Problem?” deconstructs what Du Bois called “the problem of the color line” and elaborates on “otherness” by expanding the term to include sexual politics, gender identity, class struggle and immigration.
Purchase tickets, which are $46 for an adult, $15 for a University Park student, and $36 for a person 18 and younger. Tickets are also available by phone at 814-863-0255 or in person at Eisenhower Auditorium from noon to 4 p.m. weekdays. A grant from the University Park Student Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.
The presentation is part of “The Reflection Project,” a center initiative funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
“Much like our project examines the familiar chant ‘We Are,’ ‘What Problem?’ looks at who is meant and included when we as a nation say ‘we,’” said Amy Dupain Vashaw, the center’s audience and program development director.
“What Problem?” provokes the tension between belonging to a community and feelings of isolation that many feel during these divisive political times. Jones conceived of this highly personal work in pursuit of the elusive “we,” including references to text from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.”
“It’s about living in a community and learning to see, listen to and care for each other,” said a writer for CriticalDance.org of the work’s 2020 premiere.
In addition, “What Problem?” highlights the significance of personal connections in a section of the work that will integrate State College area elders, artists and activists.
After the performance, community participants and company artists will discuss the work with interested audience members.
Jones is an artist, stage director and author most widely known for winning Tony Awards for the choreography of Broadway’s “Fela!” and “Spring Awakening.” Last April, Jones was featured as the guest artist on the center’s online discussion series “Meeting the Moment with Michael Mwenso.”
Learn more about the presentation and the company.
Watch a preview of “What Problem?”
The presentation of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in "What Problem?" was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company appearance is part of the Center for the Performing Arts Fierce Urgency Festival, with a theme this season of “Hope-Resist-Heal.”