LIGHT / THE HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY PROJECT

Trailer by Paul Michael Bloodgood

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

LIGHT / THE HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY PROJECT is a multi-faceted work, which at its core, seeks to use dance as a convener of conversation around issues related to the protection of human rights against bigotry and hate.

“Illuminated through the tragic personal story of Holocaust survivor Naomi Warren, the dance takes the audience on a journey that is simultaneously situated in the past while making relevant connections to the present. We watch as a young woman’s journey takes her from the comfort of a loving family with a rich cultural history, to a place of unimaginable degradation and dehumanization.

Historically, the Holocaust stands alone in its depth of destruction. And while the catastrophic loss and suffering of the victims cannot be measured, alarmingly, the history’s underlying narrative – Anti-Semitism, other-izing, propaganda, poverty, and demonizing of migrants – continues. These issues can only be confronted through dialogue. My hope is that LIGHT / THE HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY PROJECT can encourage community wide conversation.” – Stephen Mills

Choreography: Stephen Mills

Music: Steve Reich, Evelyn Glennie, Michael Gordon, Arvo Pärt, & Philip Glass


Photography by Anne Marie BloodgoodTony Spielberg

All rights reserved | No unauthorized use


HIGHLIGHTS

  • Choreography: Stephen Mills
  • Music: Steve Reich, Evelyn Glennie, Michael Gordon, Arvo Pärt, & Philip Glass
  • Sets / Costumes: Christopher McCollum
  • Lighting Design: Tony Tucci
  • Media Design: EXOPOLIS
  • Run-time: 84 minutes
  • Dancers: 20+ (10 women & 10 men)
  • Awards: 3 accolades ranging from “Best Dance Concert” to “Best Choreographer”
  • Films: LIGHT has been the focus of multiple Lone Star Emmy®-winning documentaries:

Austin PBS / KRLU’s Arts in Context: Ballet Austin’s Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project (2005)

Ausitn PBS / KRLU’s Producing Light (2012)

BG Pictures’ Finding Light (2024)


PREMIERES

ARSHT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS – Miami, FL

ACCO FRINGE FESTIVAL – Acco, Israel

SUZANNE DELLAL CENTER – Tel Aviv, Israel

GERARD BEHAR CENTER – Jerusalem, Israel

THE KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS – Washington, DC (excerpt)

THE KRAVIS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS – West Palm Beach, FL

THE LONG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS – Austin, TX

THE JOYCE THEATER – New York, NY (excerpt)

BYHAM THEATER | PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATER – Pittsburgh, PA

XVII INTERNAZIONALE ABANO DANZA – Abano Terme, Italy (excerpt)

BASS CONCERT HALL – Austin, TX

FESTIVAL LJUBLJIANA – Ljubljana, Slovenia (excerpt)

THE NEWMAN CENTER | COLORADO BALLET – Denver, CO

POLK THEATER | NASHVILLE BALLET – Nashville, TN


PRESS

“…romantic…expression of tender sentiment…”

New York Times

“A passionate plea for human rights.”

Miami New Times

“…beautiful storytelling has, perhaps, never been so dramatically felt.”

Broadway World

“[Mills’] creative imagery was surprisingly concise and his choreography, with its endlessly original movement and partnering, was distinctive and powerful.”

Palm Beach Artspaper

“This is a way to build on our past and create a new future,”

CBS12

“A frenzied flurry of hands and lights opens a ballet scene…to promote tolerance, fight bigotry and hate.”

YNet News | Israel Culture

“The abstract scene with its single spotlight could represent a church in Rwanda, a labor camp in Cambodia or a gas chamber in Europe.”

Associated Press

“…A masterful exposition on one of history’s darkest episodes. Visually and emotionally gripping…”

Austin American Statesman

“…A powerful, emotional experience that doesn’t let go when you leave the theater.”

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

NAOMI WARREN: LIGHT’S INSPIRATION

The inspiration behind the story of survival and triumph of the human spirit in LIGHT.

Photo by Hannah Neal

Naomi Warren grew up in Wolkowysk, a small city in Eastern Poland. In 1939, the war broke out and by the summer of 1941 the Nazi army invaded Poland. The Nazis very quickly began systematically isolating, interning and murdering the Jewish population. Naomi and many family members were rounded up and sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau in January of 1942. Arriving at the camp, Naomi was torn from her family. Her mother was selected for immediate liquidation. During her time in the death camp she lost her husband, sister-in-law and others. Naomi survived three years at Auschwitz, was transferred to Ravensbruck and was eventually liberated from Bergen-Belsen. At the end of the war, Naomi settled in Houston, Texas where she remarried and built a successful import business. She served on the boards of Holocaust Museum Houston, the Jewish Federation and the Southwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League. Among her many honors are awards from the Jewish-American Committee, Holocaust Museum Houston and the Government of Denmark. In honor of Naomi’s 80th birthday, her family established the Warren Fellowship for Future Teachers at Holocaust Museum Houston.


SYNOPSIS

Section I:
Steve Reich (Tehillim, Track #1)
Life begins with man and woman, Adam and Eve. Civilization develops; families and cultures evolve to include a pattern of daily life and valued traditions, a wedding. As this section ends, change is imminent.

Section II:
Evelyn Glennie (Greatest Hits, Rhythm Song)
Those deemed “different” become exploited. What is familiar slowly disappears. People retreat from one another, beginning to socially isolate; to hide in hopes of survival.

Section III
Michael Gordon (Weather Track #3)
No longer seen as individuals, life or death is determined by powers outside of their control. People are treated as property and transported to camps. Many do not survive the trip.

Section IV:
Arvo Pärt (Tabula Rasa)
How do relationships develop within confinement? The circle of life is complex with acts of kindness, rescue, survival, frustration and anger. We enter and leave alone.

Section V:
Philip Glass (Movement 2, Tyrol Concerto, performed by Dennis Russell Davies)
The final section represents the power of the human spirit to cling to hope. Survivors create new relationships; build families and careers, and productive lives.