In recent months the media has brought our attention to the terrible plight of many immigrants trying to reach new homes. For the past three years Drastic Action Company members have been steeped in immigrant stories as we develop "Dis/Location (Fort Tryon)," a multi-part project exploring the immigrant experience. The piece is rooted in Artistic Director, Aviva Geismar's, experience as the child of a Holocaust refugee and in interviews with New Yorkers from all over the world. 
 

The company is developing a site-specific piece for Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood. The piece explores the themes that emerged in the interviews: the trauma of leaving home, feeling unmoored and fragile, the awkwardness of trying to fit into a new culture, and the rituals we use to create a sense of home. Geismar chose the park because it has served as a refuge for generations of immigrants who have settled in Washington Heights.
 

This spring, Drastic Action company members will offer free creative dance classes to two groups of middle school children at City College Academy of the Arts. This school, across the street from the park, has a strong arts curriculum and a dance studio but currently no dance program. During the creative dance classes, the students, who mostly come from immigrant families, will develop their own dances about the experience of immigrating. The project will culminate with a series of free performances in the park June 16 -18, including the kids performing their original dances and Drastic Action company members performing the site- specific piece. The project is sponsored by the Fort Tryon Park Trust and supported by Jody and John Arnhold, The PSC-CUNY Research Foundation as well as numerous private individuals.