Dance, Events

Memory, Identity, and the Moving Body: Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup Returns to NYC with a Radical Dance Diptych

In a culture increasingly shaped by fragmentation and impermanence, Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup’s Moving Memory Project offers a necessary countercurrent: a living archive of memory, movement, and transformation.

Returning to New York City on June 6 and 7, 2025, this two-night engagement unfolds at Broadway Presbyterian Church (601 W 114th Street) with DEA x DEA and Moving Memory: NEXT GENERATION. Tickets are “pay as you wish,” and early reservation is recommended. RSVP through Michelle Tabnick at michelle@michelletabnickpr.com.

Launched in 2019, The Moving Memory Project is a choreographic response to memory loss and dementia—an evolving platform that humanizes aging, rewrites stigmas, and renders personal histories in motion.

Friday, June 6 — DEA x DEA
Co-choreographed by Stefanie Nelson and Maya Orchin, DEA x DEA is a surreal excavation of feminine identity. Inspired by Bontempelli’s 1925 absurdist play Nostra Dea, the performance conjures a woman whose form morphs with every garment she dons—revealing not freedom, but erasure. Through layered, unpredictable choreography and symbolic use of the pendulum, the work draws a line between fashion and conformity, body and archetype, ultimately confronting the myth of the “defined self.” This evening-length work is the culmination of years of experimentation, now distilled into a single volatile, transformative performance.

Marjani-Forte Saunders w_ Idea Reid, 'A Black Hole is Everything a Star Longs to Be_Still
Marjani-Forte Saunders w Idea Reid, “A Black Hole is Everything a Star Longs to Be” Still

Saturday, June 7 — NEXT GENERATION
Stefanie Nelson’s curatorial instincts shine as she amplifies fresh voices in Moving Memory: NEXT GENERATION. Featuring award-winning choreographers and bold new collaborators, the evening spotlights:

Ervine-H-by-S-Nelson
“Ervine H” by S Nelson
  • Marjani Forté-Saunders & Idea Reid’s A Black Hole is Everything a Star Longs to Be, a stirring meditation on Black grief and legacy,
  • Nunzia Picciallo’s internationally celebrated solo WAMI, which explodes the binary lens of embodiment, and
  • Anna Rice’s dreamlike ensemble work smeard, which invites audiences into the fractured logic of subconscious memory.
Prodigal-Daughter-by-Eduardo-Ramirez
Prodigal Daughter by Eduardo Ramirez

The series is presented with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and West Harlem Development Corporation. Beyond the stage, it’s a movement—building an ecosystem where dance serves as a vessel for memory, resistance, and rebirth.

For Tickets: Dea x Dea Tix 6-6-25; & Moving Memory Next Generation 6-7-2025

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