Music by Bonia Shur

This dance is a poignant memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an uncompromising reminder of the impact of our choices on humanity. The work, using challenging movement of artistic strength to explore the vocabulary of some irreducible truths, is performed on a single unit of metal scaffolding. One dancer dressed in luminous crimson soars and plunges through the imprisoning bars yearning for freedom and connection while two figures in a black silk fabric stealthily try to consume her magnificent force. The music for trumpet, choir and eight celli seamlessly creates, with the dancers, a haunting and visually stirring experience of the world’s apathy dialoguing with the force of freedom.

In 2007, Crimson Prayer was rejuvenated with new ideas.  The refreshed version engages a new trio of performers, as well as four additional dancers. These added performers will construct and deconstruct the scaffold boundary between freedom and totalitarian oppression as a way of further symbolizing the powerful effect we have on our surroundings.

Another innovative highlight of the new version is the presence of local Holocaust survivors re-telling their stories during the live performance. This element benefits an aging population of world citizens by connecting them and their stories with a youthful population of dancers and audience members.

Crimson Prayer from Fanchon Shur on Vimeo.

If you are interested in making this new version a reality, contact us here at Growth in Motion.

Crimson Prayer has been performed at:

– The National Convention of American Cantors; Washington D.C.
– Dance Theater Seattle: Poncho Theater; Seattle, WA
– Temple Shalom; Cincinnati, OH
– Unitarian Church; Edmunds, OH – Robert Fulghum, narrator and minister