GRAND RAPIDS BALLET, 2018
“Using a myriad of intricate hand and arm gestures that built on each other like a Jenga game, along with a rich, flowing, contemporary ballet movement aesthetic, Rowe constructed a captivating and brutally emotional work that was as brilliantly crafted as it was expertly danced.” Steve Sucato, culturedGR
Music: Alton San Giovanni
Lighting Design: Matthew Taylor
Costume Design: Brennan Smith & Danielle Rowe
Adam's Key illuminates the world of Adam, a child with Autism, and the perspectives of the people living with, working with and interacting with him as they attempt to unlock and understand his world. The external world overwhelms Adam with its dissonance of sound, activity, color and change. Order and routine allow Adam to regulate his response to the constant and confusing bombardment of incoming information. He retreats to his safe inner world, disconnected from those who love him. Slowly the isolation and pain initially felt by Adam's family diminishes as their world expands to accept help and support from the wider community and enables them to embrace Adam's uniqueness. Adam brings joy and teaches patience to the 'village' in which he is being raised. With understanding, the community accepts and celebrates Adam's differences.
[16 dancers, 20 minutes]
Micaelina Risch & Branden Reiners in Rowe’s Adam’s Key (© Ray Nard)