A fusion of poetry, music, and modern dance is coming to Bismarck.
BISMARCK ND (KXNET) — A fusion of poetry, music, and modern dance is coming to Bismarck.
“Word Dances: Poetry in Motion” is a performance that features dances choreographed to select poems from a new poetry book, “Time to Soar: Word Dances and Bird Songs for Every Season,” written by dancer-poet Katie Bruckbauer of Fargo and illustrated by Mary Jo Savageau of Bismarck.
Fellow choreographer, Barb Wieland of Park Rapids, MN will join Bruckbauer on stage with a small ensemble of dancers from Fargo and guest performers from Bismarck.
“I was primarily writing poetry for myself, to process some hard things and some simple joys of life. And when I shared with a few people, I was strongly encouraged that I needed to put it out there and not just keep it for myself and that other people could benefit from it as well,” Bruckbauer shared.
Bruckbauer says the book of poetry was the result of writing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She then got the idea to publish her book. She reached out to her cousin Savageau to illustrate it. She then reached out to another cousin, Wieland, to help choreograph the poems into dance.
“It’s pretty cool. We grew up together as cousins from birth, all the same age. So, to be combining our talents, creative talents, together is pretty exciting,” Bruckbauer said.
The trio says that working together as a family has made the project that much more special.
“We all were kind of exploring our own creative juices I guess and coming up with different careers, but to come back together and then to find how we can just compliment each other and work together and become closer than ever, I think is just is honestly it’s priceless. It’s great,” explained Savegeau.
The cousins say the book of poetry, “Time to Soar: Word Dances and Bird Songs for Every Season,” takes the reader on a journey through the seasons of life.
They hope that those who read the book or see the performance are able to take something away from it.
“The performance is cool because the people who don’t understand dance, understand this because it’s interpreting the poetry. And the poetry isn’t hard to understand, but the dance really brings it to life,” said Wieland.
The dance performance along with the poetry intertwine for an experience that is both inspiring and moving.