About this project

Into the Dark Wood is a dance-theater collaboration following three timeless fairy tales, produced and performed by Brooks & Company Dance. As the choreographer for this work, I selected stories that spoke to me and inspired me and that would build one upon the next. The Ice Queen with its battle between cold perfection and warm human frailty, the wit needed to escape the machinations of Baba Yaga, the bravery required to stare down the murderous Mr. Fox. 

I've always believed that dance is a visceral way to explore a story. It frees us from the safe boundaries of language and lets us experience a tale through movement, breath, and emotion. Yet I realize that many audiences need a doorway into such tales, a guide to set them on the path. I began to collaborate with others - writers, actors, musicians - and we created something a little different, a performance style that I hope you will find as captivating as we do. 

Into the Dark Wood combines live and recorded music, a guide who weaves together audience and performers as she wends from tale to tale, and the emotive dancers of BCD. The dancers have been incredible throughout this project, which has been in development for over a year now. They have read through the stories to find just how the Ice Queen would gesture to her minions, how terrified a young heroine might feel stepping into Baba Yaga's creepy territory, or what could make a woman fall in love with someone hiding all the secrets that lurk in Mr. Fox's lair. These dancer-actors are evocative performers with well-honed technical expertise.

Such a complex production is expensive. We are asking for your help to bring this production to life. There are theater costs, technical personnel, marketing, and performers to pay. Not to mention costumes, make-up, and set design. We have been fortunate enough to have a wealth of volunteers donate their time already to help create the production images you see here, early stages of costuming, and some video work. The remaining elements require monetary compensation, however.

Into the Dark Wood is a lot of work, but we believe we can do it with your support! We look forward to inviting our backers behind the scenes to see the sweat, tears, and laughter that go into producing an outstanding production of this type. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at the show!

January 5-7, 2012 at Theatrical Outfit's Balzer Theater in Atlanta, GA

Brooks & Company Dance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.