ZACHOR
Embodied Holocaust Education Teen Workshop Series
August 15-19th, 2022
Monday - Friday 10:00 am-3:30 pm
For Intermediate/Advanced Dancers Ages 14-18
Location: Urbanity Dance Headquarters, 1180 Washington St. #100, Boston, MA
Tuition: Free
Sample Daily Schedule:
10:00-11:00 Contemporary Technique Class
11:00-12:00 Improvisation or Composition Class
12:00-12:30 Lunch Break
12:30-2:00 Conversations Based on Holocaust Survivor Aaron Elster’s Memoir
2:00-3:30 Rehearsals
Leading up to the intensive, each participant will be mailed a copy of Aaron Elster’s memoir, “I Still See Her Haunting Eyes: The Holocaust & a Hidden Child Named Aaron” and provided with a few reflection prompts. Aaron’s son Steven Elster, who now shares his father’s story as a second-generation speaker, will be guiding conversations with the participants. During the afternoon rehearsal block, Director Rachel Linsky will be leading the teen participants in a collaborative creative process to build a five-minute ensemble work based on the participants' reflections. This five-minute ensemble work will be included in the premiere of “Hidden” to be performed alongside ZACHOR’s cast of professional dancers at the Boston Center for the Arts, October 20-22, 2022.
*No previous experience with Holocaust education is required
About ZACHOR:
ZACHOR is a Boston-based project series, which seeks to preserve the words of WWII Holocaust Survivors through dance. ZACHOR creates opportunities for diverse groups of artists and audiences to study and reflect on these testimonies in a non-religious setting. Director Rachel Linsky strongly believes that thorough Holocaust education, especially when explored through the universal language of movement, has the power to bring people together to find common goals that bridge pre-existing divisions.
Learn more and see past works of ZACHOR here:
https://www.rachellinsky.com/zachor.htmlAbout the artist:
Rachel Linsky is a Boston-based contemporary dance artist. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.A in Arts Administration from Elon University where she graduated summa cum laude. Rachel directs and choreographs ZACHOR, an ongoing project series that seeks to preserve the words of WWII Holocaust survivors through dance. Rachel’s choreography has been presented in national and international dance festivals such as Earl Mosely’s Diversity of Dance “Dance is Activism Film Festival”, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, Prague International Film Festival, and many more. Her work has been awarded funding by the New England Foundation for the Arts, The City of Boston, The Russell J. Efros Foundation, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and The Beker Foundation. Rachel has been an artist in residence at the Boston Center for the Arts, and at Chelsea Theatre Works. She was recently commissioned by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Jewish Arts Collaborative to choreograph a new work for their 2021 Hanukkah celebration. Rachel is currently a dancer with KAIROS Dance Theater and The Click Boston. She is on the teaching faculty at Koltun Ballet Boston, Broadway Bound Dance Center, and Urbanity Dance.
Applicants must be available for the full summer workshop, all technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and performances. Please send any questions to Rachel Linsky, at
Rachellinsky411@gmail.com, with the subject line “ZACHOR Teen Workshop”
Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis. The application will close on July 10th, 2022.
