‘iStand’ explores America’s contemporary civil struggle through dance

After premiering late last year at Powelton’s Community Education Center, the Putty Dance Project’s iStand: Stories of an American Civil Struggle is returning for a special one-time performance at the Painted Bride on October 9.

Dancer/choreographer Lauren Putty White is the founder of Putty Dance Project, and her latest creation is a physically and emotionally wide-ranging meditation on “civil struggle and self-preservation,” which “suggests one’s personal well-being hinges upon the wellness of the whole society.”

The choreography of iStand is rooted in Putty White’s own reactions to recent civil unrest in America on painful topics like racism and inequality in the criminal justice system. The piece particularly speaks to Putty White’s experience after the violence following the death of Freddie Gray — she’s a Baltimore native.

Putty White collaborates with her Putty Dance Project partner and husband, composer and musician Brent White, who scored seven original tracks for the performance (the show also features vocals from Alexis Joi). In the show’s second half, White appears onstage in a duet with the principal dancer, improvising music on his trombone. Phil Sumpter is the show’s producing director.

Putty Dance Project’s iStand: Stories of an American Civil Struggle is coming to the Painted Bridge Art Center (230 Vine Street, Philadelphia) on Sunday, October 9 at 3pm. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.