Daily Magazine

Posted on Tue, May. 18, 2010

By Merilyn Jackson

For The Inquirer

Before funders bowed to political pressure in the 1980s, they allowed grantees full artistic expression. You still see funder-driven work in the theater realm. But Terri Shockley, executive director of the 25-year-old Community Education Center, has valiantly given Philadelphia’s dance artists a safe place to take non-funded risks and try out works in progress.

Over last weekend’s annual New Edge Mix Performance Series run, Schockley stooped to a new high, helping mop up the floor after Nicole Bindler’s Sand in My Soda Pop, then promptly taking part as an onstage instructor in react/dance’s body/speak.


Steve Maturno
Shannon Murphy and Zachary Svoboda in “An Expectation of Violence” at the Community Education Center.

Spellbinding ‘Vested Souls’

Once in a while a dance leaves you breathless the instant it begins. That happened Friday night at the Community Education Center (CEC) with dancer/choreographer Nora Gibson’s work for four dancers, Vested Souls. From the first sweep of Michael Reiley McDermott’s electronic score to the last sweep of Eiren Shuman’s arm, and from the first pose of Jeffrey Gunshol in third position to the last of Gibson’s small ronde de jambes, this dance held me in its thrall. I don’t think I took a full breath until about 50 minutes later.

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