Did I ever tell you I used to be a dancer?

You would never know it if you saw how much of a total klutz I am now, but in a past life I was a dancer. 
As in, ballet, jazz, modern, pointe, 3 hours a day every day with dance intensives in the summer.  I wasn't particularly amazing, but I loved it.  Then, I graduated high school and quit cold turkey.

However, one of my closest friends growing up, is an incredible dancer and choreographer, and thankfully has never quit.  After high school she went to the Boston Conservatory and her success has only continued from there!

 {How we danced outside of the studio ;) p.s. check out that cellphone!}

Kate is currently the Artistic Director her contemporary dance company, The People Movers.  Her current project is the debut of her first evening length piece, HackPolitik, a ballet based on the hacker activist group Anonymous (and I bet you thought all ballet was dull and boring)!

The excitement over this project as been crazy.  It was featured in Boston Magazine and they are even being teased with a Forbes article.  Um... awesome!  So, if you are in the Boston area and are interested in dance, art, politics, or even just want to experience something new, you absolutely need to check it out!  

 

"Technology has redefined how we represent ourselves, how we engage each other, and how we engage in politics. It has undermined the global corporate and governmental power hierarchy in favor of a knowledge-is-power paradigm. A keen understanding of this technology has enabled a subculture of hackers, who are often at odds between their anarchistic and somewhat immature roots and a will to promote their own political ideologies.

 

The plot of HackPolitik follows a series of politically driven cyber-attacks by the hacker collective known as “Anonymous”. In December of 2010, thousands of hacktivists attacked the websites of some of the world’s largest financial institutions to avenge WikiLeaks. In following attacks protesting global government transparency and accountability, they infiltrated the governments of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, becoming a critical force in supporting the Arab Spring.

 

HackPolitik is a surrealist investigation, through music and dance, of how we engage politics through technology in the 21st century. It explores the thin line between activism and anarchy, anonymity and ego, gender identity and personality. HackPolitik is intensely character-driven, following the online personas of the main players in Anonymous and Lulzsec and how they play between immature mischief-making and true political activism. All of the choreography is a physical interpretation of the inherently abstract interactions that can only occur over the Internet." -Kate Ladenheim

 *All photos by Nir Arieli

I know Kate has huge things ahead of her in her career as a dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director, and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Get more information on The People Movers here // Follow The People Movers on Twitter here