Cutting-edge contemporary dance.
Hope College Great Performance Series

Ghost Factory, a 55-minute-long stage work that merges live performance with video technology, is inspired by the vast deserted factories in upstate New York, specifically in Johnson City, the former home of the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company. Choreographed and performed by Artistic Directors, Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, the work melds their live dance performance with haunting video imagery of the abandoned factories. By multiplying and transforming their video images, they evoke the humanity these massive spaces witnessed.

In the process of creating the work, Bridgman and Packer interviewed over thirty people of various ages and backgrounds from Johnson City; some had worked in the factories; some grew up in the post-industrial town. 

Places With Hidden Stories is an audio/visual lobby installation created in conjunction with Ghost Factory. It further brings alive the oral histories of the people interviewed in Johnson City. While the stage work distills and fragments these stories, the installation gives them a more linear context. This installation will be in the Knickerbocker lobby and available for viewing prior to the performances.

Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, Co-Artistic Directors of Bridgman|Packer Dance, have collaborated in choreography and performance since 1978. Decades later, they continue to be a vital and present voice in the dance ecosystem. In 2001, they expanded their choreographic vision, stretching the boundaries of dance by merging it with video technology. They continue to receive international critical praise for seamlessly melding these two art forms. In 2017, they received a New York Dance and Performance Award for Outstanding Production (The Bessies).

The 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship awarded to Bridgman and Packer was the first in the history of the Guggenheim Foundation to be given to two individuals for their collaborative work. The recipients of numerous awards and grants, Bridgman|Packer continue to perform throughout the world.

Website: https://www.bridgmanpacker.org/

Quotes:

"Let's have more of this in the dance world, please." (Broadwayworld.com)

"The boundary between reality and imagination is brilliantly blurred…Welcome to the future of dance." (Star Tribune – Minneapolis)

"Gorgeous, and deeply moving." (Huffington Post)