49 Days: Women Who Count

6860458Donna Sternberg & Dancers, in collaboration with visual/installation artist Doni Silver Simons presents 49 Days: Women Who Count. The piece incorporates a multitude of female performers, 7 speakers, a 49 channel sound installation, an installation documenting the creation of the work, and a post-performance discussion by the collaborators. The work explores time, memory and counting as well as the role of ritual and cultural identity.

The inspiration for the work is the Omer, a 7-week Jewish counting ritual, characterized by a daily oral tally. Counting is universal, being conscious of time and marking its passage is common to mankind through the celebration of birthday, anniversaries and holidays. We create calendars and mark off days; we leave our marks on the world and on each other. In 49 Days women serve as the “keepers of time”. They are the ones who count.

The performers represent days and as the performance progresses more performers move simultaneously, overlapping one another. Similarly the sound builds, filling the space. Rhythms begin to echo heartbeats creating a cacophony of sound. Voices and movements occur simultaneously as time becomes both past and present. 49 Days shows the evolution of ritualistically marking time.

The program will be presented on April 2 at 8:30 P.M. and April 3 at 6:00 P.M. at Arena 1 Gallery in the Santa Monica airport, 3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90405. Tickets are $20 general admission, $17 students/seniors in advance and can be purchased at http://49days.bpt.me. Tickets at the door are $25 general, $20 students/seniors.

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