Town Hall Theater Presents:
27 BREATHS
A Live Music and Movement Experience
Sunday, May 5, 2024 @ 2pm
Free with registration
27 Breaths is a live music and movement piece that invites the audience to breathe in unison.
Created by composer Matthew Evan Taylor and choreographer Laurel Jenkins, this groundbreaking piece is the first to utilize Taylor's compositional system, AfroPneumaism, where time and action are determined by the breath. AfroPneumaism emerges from the interplay of Black liberation, accessibility, radical rest, and aesthetics.
Audience members will sit in a loose circle as dancers and musicians encircle them, creating a shared experience that breaks down the barriers between performers and spectators.
Join us on the main floor, where chairs will encircle the performance space, with additional seating available on stage and in the first rows of the balcony. Children and those who prefer are welcome to sit on the floor for a closer view of the action.
Laurel Jenkins, dancer, choreographer, educator, and mother has showcased her work at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center, Disney Hall, and the Getty Center. A former member of the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Jenkins has also performed in works by renowned artists like Vicky Shick, Sara Rudner, and Merce Cunningham. She teaches in the Dance Department at Middlebury College.
Dr. Matthew Evan Taylor, composer and improviser, has had his music performed by esteemed ensembles such as the Cleveland Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony. His innovative projects, including Say Their Names, Postcards to the Met, and The Unheard Mixtapes, demonstrate his commitment to creating new templates for composition and performance in the face of adversity. Taylor’s music is sparked by his curiosity about the surrounding world and the inherent social bonds built through music. Whether he is addressing issues about the nature of time or the bounds of the human breath on musical performance, Dr. Taylor writes music that is engaging, surprising, and unmistakably human. His aesthetic is typified by vibrant instrumental colors, mercurial juxtapositions, and an affinity for groove. He serves as a member of the music faculty at Middlebury College – where he is Assistant Professor of Music – and the composition faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.