Library of Congress: Anna Sokolow & the Reimagined Roots of Anti-Fascist Dance

Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble's Artistic Director Samantha Géracht introduces the story of restoring early activist dances of American choreographer Anna Sokolow with a program of performance, panel discussion, and movement as demonstration. When the Library of Congress Music Division made the extraordinary discovery of handwritten scores composed by Alex North for two of Sokolow's dances, Géracht reimagined the dances using archival evidence and the music. Ballad in a Popular Style is a wistful lyrical excursion into jazz first performed in 1936. Slaughter of the Innocents is Sokolow's 1937 lament for Basque women suffering under Nazi aerial bombing. Both will be performed by members of the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble to the original scores for the first time in 80 years, showing that the creative collaboration of Anna Sokolow (1910-2000) and Alex North (1910-1991) remains fresh, compelling, and relevant for today's audiences. 

A panel discussion of the revival of the music and dance and the lives of North and Sokolow will be followed by an audience Q&A session.  

Seating will be by general admission. You will receive a confirmation of your registration by email, with information about the Library of Congress Health and Safety Protocols. 

About Concerts From the Library of Congress

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About Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble

The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble is the living legacy company dedicated to presenting Anna Sokolow's vast body of emotionally riveting works that are relevant to the times we live in and that touch the hearts of all people, everywhere, struggling with the universal issues of living regardless of differences in place and culture.