Claire Porter and Paul Rabinowitz have worked for decades exploring the intersection of spoken word and dance. Porter writes and performs her own material, while Rabinowitz performs his texts while dancers embody the language in movement. Both incorporate original music.
Porter will be performing "Sexy Grammar" & "Falling for Prepositions"
Rabinowitz will be performing "Villa Dei Misteri" and "Little Gem Magnolia"
About the pieces
Villa Dei Misteri and Little Gem Magnolia.
These two dance / poetry pieces blend the lines between spoken word and movement and draw connections between the dream world and the conscious one, the past and the present between shadow and light.
Villa Dei Misteri
Written by Paul Rabinowitz
Choreographed by Elaina Stewart
Performed by Elaina Stewart and Anna Hershinow
Music Written and Performed by Barry Spatz
Little Gem Magnolia
Written by Paul Rabinowitz
Choreographed and Performed by Oksana Horban
Music by Richard Sears
Sexy Grammar & Falling for Prepositions
Sexy Grammar (2022)
Written, choreographed, and performed by Claire Porter
Music by David Rose
Created with support from Jody and John Arnhold
An earnest librarian tries to arouse her audience to the love of grammar, performing burlesque to get their attention. It’s a strip.
Falling for Prepositions (2013/2022)
Written, choreographed, and performed by Claire Porter
Music by Mary Ellen Childs
Commissioned by the New Music USA Live Music for Dance Program with generous support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Developed while in residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and created with support from Lisbeth Eltgroth, and Jody and John Arnhold.
On Preposition Awareness Day, a librarian replaces the scheduled singer to celebrate the songs composed by the one man who devoted his life to the preposition.
About the Artists
Claire Porter
“Porter, mistress of the short, sharp character portrait, is that rare breed - nimble witty comedian. A soloist with a neat collection of personas, Porter sketches them with the perfect physical gesture ... Porter is always delightful, often wickedly funny.”
— Sally Sommer, The Village Voice
Choreographer Claire Porter, known for her comedic text and movement work and her skilled teaching, has received many commissions and honors including those from The Guggenheim Foundation, The National Endowment for Arts, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Live Music for Dance Commissioning Project, The Rockefeller Foundation and The Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. Porter has an MA in Dance from Ohio State, a BA in Mathematics, and is a Laban Movement Analyst. Porter teaches at Fairleigh Dickinson University, in the MFA program at Montclair State University, and is often a guest teacher and choreographer at universities, for both faculty and students. For upcoming shows: https://www.cportables.com/upcoming.
Paul Rabinowitz
Rabinowitz is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit arts organization ARTS By The People, which is based in New Jersey. Established in 2009, ARTS By The People’s mission is to create and conduct educational programs and classes in the creative arts for the public–especially for seniors and youth. Paul founded ARTS By The People with the belief that individuals can find empowerment through collaborative acts of self-expression.
Part of ARTS By The People’s mission is to expose participants to a diverse range of creative mediums and encourage artistic collaboration among members. In doing so, the organization aims to build small communities with shared interests, while creating intergenerational connections, bridging social divisions, and strengthening understanding, collaboration, and acceptance in communities of diversity and need.
Under Rabinowitz’s leadership, ARTS By The People has become an established name in the arts community throughout New Jersey and New York City and has enjoyed steady growth in the number of workshops, events, and international collaborations. Through ARTS By The People, he teaches creative writing workshops for adults, produces mixed media performances, and is always exploring innovative ways to integrate technology with the creative arts.
Currently, ARTS By The People offers over 80 monthly classes, workshops and events. All programs and classes are run by talented resident artists who are experts in their fields. With public support, ARTS By The People’s programs are free for the public, as it’s the organization’s belief that the arts should be accessible to all.
Funding has been made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.