Modern dancer and choreographer Mary Wohl Haan has been a deeply-inspiring collaborator and artistic friend to Sound Circle for many years and we are thrilled to have her with us again. She says "I've heard Praises a number of times and have been moved by it. It's a gentle reminder of our humanity, which I feel is my strength as a performer."
"...lush, supple movement, imbued with strength, wisdom and maturity." "Haan is a very brave performer, never shunning vulnerability..." “...the mystery and magic of pure on-stage, visceral energy.” “...elegant and polished...eccentric moves and an elastic face.” “No other dancer can move quite the way she does...” "Mary’s work always leaves me feeling saturated with the richness of human experience." Mary is artistic director of Boulder’s HAAN Dances, which serves as a vehicle for her creative work as a soloist and as a pick-up company for group pieces and projects. She is also Coordinator of the Boulder Arts Commissions’ Dance Bridge, a resource and networking project for dance and the Boulder community. In her artist statement, Mary Wohl Haan says, “Through creative exploration I play to the extremes, using full expansive movement that either devours space and is shaped by an infectious musicality, or mines stark, minimal moments, and movement images, each helping me to develop a unique voice on this artistic path.” |
We find magician Erica Sodos to be a wonderfully simpatico partner for Sound Circle. She says: "As a magician, everything I do has to have meaning for me. I believe the magic in the Solstice concert will bring the element of surprise and feelings of wonder and awe. I will be making objects magically appear and disappear, levitating the impossible and miraculously restoring what is broken."
"Erica Sodos is magical on the inside and the outside. She inspired and empowered all the participants of our event and filled the room with light and laughter. Erica is a true light worker... or light player!" "Erica’s performance today was nothing short of jaw dropping. She is amazing, so beautiful inside and out... I was truly amazed by her ability to fool the eye and the senses...I was truly impressed. I want to be in her audience again and again." Erica is a Magician, Psychic Entertainer, Transformational Speaker and one of the few female Mentalists in the world. Erica has been inspiring people with her personal brand of ‘spiritainment’ for over three decades. She has performed across the country for all kinds of audiences ranging from women’s conferences and Fortune-500 corporate events to Las Vegas theaters and university campuses. Erica is quickly becoming highly regarded in her field and was featured on National Public Radio in a story exploring why women magicians are so rare. For the past two years Erica has been packing the house performing at the iconic Mercury Café downtown Denver in her own monthly psychic show, The Magic Within which explores the mystical power that resides within each of us. For 30 years Erica has been creating her own theater, characters and shows. As an actress she has performed in numerous productions including dramas, musical comedy and children’s theatre. She shares her extensive knowledge by leading drama classes and workshops. She is also the only “Officigian”, a Magical Officiant, weaving magic and theater while facilitating rituals of all kinds. |
Praises for the World:
The major work on the program is Jennifer Berezan’s Praises for the World, a simple and captivating 45-minute chant with layers of vocal and instrumental improvisation and spoken word performed over the chant. The chant is like a canvas or a vessel; each performance emerges with different textures, colors and feelings. The audience will be invited to sing at times throughout the performance. Sound Circle’s performances of this unique piece have received tremendously strong audience response.
Jennifer Berezan’s lifelong involvement in environmental, women’s, and other justice movements, as well as an interest in Buddhism and earth-based spirituality, are at the heart of her writing. Berezan’s vision is for this work to be a celebration that will “deeply inspire all people to join in the vital work of social activism... and to find a renewed reverence for our world.” She says, “we need to find ways to keep our hearts open in the midst of the fear, loss, and turmoil...People throughout time have understood the power of ritual to focus our intentions, create community and healing, and empower us to act in awakened compassionate ways.”
The major work on the program is Jennifer Berezan’s Praises for the World, a simple and captivating 45-minute chant with layers of vocal and instrumental improvisation and spoken word performed over the chant. The chant is like a canvas or a vessel; each performance emerges with different textures, colors and feelings. The audience will be invited to sing at times throughout the performance. Sound Circle’s performances of this unique piece have received tremendously strong audience response.
Jennifer Berezan’s lifelong involvement in environmental, women’s, and other justice movements, as well as an interest in Buddhism and earth-based spirituality, are at the heart of her writing. Berezan’s vision is for this work to be a celebration that will “deeply inspire all people to join in the vital work of social activism... and to find a renewed reverence for our world.” She says, “we need to find ways to keep our hearts open in the midst of the fear, loss, and turmoil...People throughout time have understood the power of ritual to focus our intentions, create community and healing, and empower us to act in awakened compassionate ways.”