Dearly Departures is a contemporary dance performance created
by Blake Beckham and presented by The Lucky Penny, the non-profit Beckham co-directs
with production maven Malina Rodriguez. Conceived
as a meditation on leaving and loss, Dearly
Departures explores distance and connectivity using imagery around travel
and communication. Like Beckham’s other works from recent years – including the
outdoor romantic rambler PLOT (2011)
and monumental cardboard house project, Threshold
(2012) – Dearly Departures situates
its dancers in a highly designed environment with ambitious elements of
sculptural installation.
The set
design, by Rodriguez, centers upon a scrolling departure board (known as a
split-flap display), like the clattering electro-mechanical signs found in
airports and rail stations in the latter half of the 20th century. Beckham’s
departure board, featuring text she has composed in concert with the
choreography, displays poetic phrases in cryptic fragments. Building the sign –
from scratch – has brought together a
vibrant community of artists, makers, technical theater specialists, engineers
and programmers. Their achievements and ingenuity are simply extraordinary.
We are
raising 20% of the project budget here on Indiegogo. That’s $10,000. The Lucky
Penny is a non-profit organization, which means that a portion of your contribution
is tax-deductible. You can maximize your deduction by declining the awesome but
optional “perks” listed to the right. Your funding will directly support the
construction of the set, including the incredible team that has discovered how
to design, fabricate, and operate our split-flap display board.
The Lucky
Penny maintains a deep commitment to investing in the local arts economy by
paying artists for their work! Please consider supporting our devoted
workforce, ensuring they have the time and materials they need to complete this
ambitious project.
This
campaign is an all-or-nothing enterprise. We’ve got to reach $10,000 or we
receive zero! Broad participation is
key, so please consider pitching in at any level and sharing our story with
others who will appreciate the grit, guts and glory of The Lucky Penny’s
journey. With your support, we will push forward The Lucky Penny’s mission to
advance artistry and cultivate community through daring performance work. It is
only with your help that we can continue to take the big risks. Take a leap
with us this summer so we can deliver another transformative project for
Atlanta.
We’ll see
you at the show: July 24 – 27 and July 31 – August 2, 2014 at DramaTech
Theater, on the campus of Georgia Tech.
Learn more and explore our work at theluckypenny.org and blakebeckham.org
