Greenway Conservancy Releases Request for Qualifications for 2023 Site-Specific Dance Series

Greenway Conservancy Releases Request for Qualifications for 2023 Site-Specific Dance Series

The Greenway Dance Series is presented by Amazon

 August 19, 2022 – Boston, MA – The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy today announced the request for qualifications process for a new site-specific dance series to debut in fall of 2023. 

The Greenway Conservancy is partnering with Boston-based choreographer/director Peter DiMuro on a major new dance project that will develop, present, and document four site-specific works by local choreographers of diverse ages, races, ethnicities, and dance genres. DiMuro will guide the cohort through a year-long development process that includes workshops with guest artists, peer critical response, rehearsal space, mentorship, public work-in-progress performances, and documentation. The Conservancy has presented dance projects through partnerships and commissions in the past, but this will be the first major commissioned series of dance performances on The Greenway. 

"As a child, I rode on the stacked highway that is now submerged below The Greenway, and as a young adult I witnessed the (seemingly endless!) Big Dig. Any grand interruption of space interrupts and reveals legacies and histories. Our work as site-based artists is to illuminate facets of this multiplicity, so present day viewers of the performance experience this space with a new view, new information, and a new perspective,” said Peter DiMuro, “My company and I are eager and grateful for the opportunity."

The Conservancy has already selected DiMuro’s company, Public Displays of Motion, and Jean Appolon Expressions as part of the project’s development funding phase. They are now seeking two choreographers/companies to join the cohort through a Request for Qualifications. Each choreographer will select a portion of the 1.5-mile-long Greenway on which to base their work. Their 15-30 minute dance will respond to the context of the site, whether historical, social, anthropological, or environmental. All dances will be performed for the public over a series of weekends in September 2023, culminating in a final festival day of performance in early October 2023. The Request for Qualifications is due on September 14, 2022 and can be viewed on the Conservancy’s website. 

“This program aims to bring the power of dance directly to the public, through free, outdoor works immersed in their locations,” said Keelin Caldwell, Director of Programs and Community Engagement. “The Greenway Conservancy is thrilled to work with four choreographers and companies in creating a collaborative and immersive series of new performances.”

This series is made possible by presenting sponsor Amazon, as well as additional enhancement funding from the Greenway Business Improvement District (BID) and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Greenway Dance series is funded exclusively through competitive grants and private sources.

 “Amazon is honored to continue to invest in Boston’s thriving local arts and culture programs, building a more inclusive and equitable arts community for all,” said Jerome Smith, Amazon’s Head of Community Engagement in New England. “There’s something so special about watching a live outdoor performance in the heart of our city. We look forward to enjoying the Greenway Dance Series with everyone next fall.”