Isadora, Shanda, and An American Lyric for Juneteenth

There is A Place
Let's Celebrate
Lost Nation Theater is proud to be part of and supporting Montpelier's Juneteenth Celebration 

We've commissioned choreographer Isadora Snapp to create a new dance she will perform to Shanda William's reading of Amanda Gorman's "There is A Place - An American Lyric"

And we are over the moon!

 

We got to be in the theater last night rehearsing - bringing reader Shanda Williams together with dancer Isadora Snapp for the first time.
It was a sight to see them inspired by one another.
And we are inspired to be working with Isadora for the first time, and are already looking forward to future collaboration.

 

With coaching by LNT's Founding Artistic Director Kim Allen Bent, assisted by our new Associate Managing Director Brandy Perez (who is also a choreographer), the power of this 2017 poem by the sublime Amanda Gorman is coming to life in a new way.
Working on it has given us even more respect for Gorman's incredible craft, skill, and talent.
We are so excited to share it with you.

Mara Iverson (LNT Board Member who spear-heads LNT participation) deserves big thanks and kudos for suggesting this particular poem for this event.

As we all worked on this theatrical version of "In this Place - An American Lyric", we were all struck by how perfect it is for the moment and how it seems to be addressing exactly what we are trying to do.
So Thank You Mara!   And Thank You Amanda!!

Plus, we are very grateful to the artists, Isadora and Shanda, for being willing to allow us to record a rehearsal run-through (for anyone who might not be able to see them perform it on Juneteenth).   
A few refinements were made after this taping, but - hey, we had to save something for its official premiere on Saturday!

The video is below!

For an overview on LNT's participation, click here.

Click this link for Montpelier's celebration Juneteenth: Living Liberation Facebook Page

 

"There’s a poem in this place—
a poem in America
a poet in every American
who rewrites this nation, who tells
a story worthy of being told on this minnow of an earth
to breathe hope into a palimpsest of time—
a poet in every American
who sees that our poem penned
doesn’t mean our poem’s end."