RWDC's "They Sat There, Feeling Happy Together"

Rose Woods Dance Collaborative is a performance art-focused dance theatre company founded by New England dancers and choreographers, Jenna Gross and Jillian MacLaughlin. Their work approaches social commentary through pantomime-inspired comedy and absurdism. The main focus of their choreographic work is to make serious topics into jokes and to take jokes seriously. Jenna and Jillian are striving to bring New England comedic levity in dance. Their work brings together the excitement of full bodied athleticism while maintaining dramatic physicality.

On Sunday, April 7, Rose Woods Dance Collaborative will be presenting “They Sat There, Feeling Happy Together”, a theatrical modern dance performance at the Maine Jewish Museum in Portland ME. The movement behind this show is inspired by the choreographers’ favorite childhood stories written by Jewish authors. This performance will highlight the work of Arnold Lobel (Frog and Toad), Shel Silverstein (Where the Sidewalk Ends & A Light in the Attic), and Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are). RWDC will dive into the pages and bring audiences on an escape to the whimsical worlds inside of these iconic childhood stories.

Before the show, RWDC will be hosting a free movement workshop for kids 6 and up. This workshop will demonstrate the creative tools they used to make “They Sat There, Feeling Happy Together”. Students are encouraged to bring their favorite book(s) to help them create their own movement.

The creation of “They Sat There, Feeling Happy Together” has been a collaborative effort of dedication and passion. RWDC’s collaborative team consists of six performers, two musical composers, two costume designers and countless generous mentors behind the scenes. RWDC’s mission at its core is to create an equitable working environment for artists with compensation that reflects justly for their invaluable contribution to the art. With that in mind, this work has been fully self funded by RWDC’s founding directors, Jillian Maclaughlin and Jenna Gross, without any additional financial support from grants or organizations. We are reaching out to our community to help us support, not only our creative dreams, but our incredible collaborative team. If you are interested in supporting our team of local artists and our creative endeavors, please consider donating!

You can learn more about the total investment made by RWDC for this project by viewing our Price Transparency Breakdown: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-gJXKt8dLooDjmhpyZrUwj_q2fP-d5K4v_6iCLg3FlM/edit?usp=sharing

Directors/ Choreographers: Jenna Gross and Jillian MacLaughlin

Dancers/ Performers: Emily Bartnicki, Jennifer Binversie, Amy Jill Cane, Eliza Malecki, and Abigail Ripin

Musicians: Brian Fitzgerald and David Micale

Learn more about RWDC at rosewoodsdancecollaborative.com