Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Abel.
Deborah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After graduating with a BA in Dance from Connecticut College in the 80’s I returned to Boston and began my school of Modern Dance in Lexington. The school has been flourishing ever since. Within a few years I began choreographing, dancing and producing performances in the Boston area. We incorporated as a 501-c3 and became the Deborah Abel Dance Company in 1992. . My husband Lee Perlman is the composer, music director and co-director of the company. Together we create evening length works with a large company 10 dancers and 8 musicians. Recently we have been performing over the last few years at BU’s Tsai Performance Center. The company did a 3 city tour of India in 2012 sponsored by the Indian Government. In Dec/Jan 2015-16 we toured India again with our Bhakti Modern Master Classes. We have created the genre Bhakti Modern.
Bhakti Modern, is concert dance that creates an intimate ecumenical experience of our connection with the divine. For us, this translates into a deeply felt exploration of love. Our work seeks out the call of the beloved, the place of meeting between divine love and earthly love in all its manifestations: Love within couples, family, friends, and community. Love of self and soul blended with the beauty of union with the divine.
I have received the Massachusetts Council of the Arts Fellowship in Choreography 2010 as well as serving on the panel of Judges for the Fellowship in 2012.
We are working on a new evening length work “The Wild Divine” which will premiere on March 17, 18 2018 at the Tsai Performance Center BU. We are collaborating with the MIT Media lab with a projection specialist to create another world as we journey to the “wilds of the heart”.
https://www.deborahabeldance.org/events
The dance school has been a blessing and consistently going strong as generations of children, teens and adults take classes. Many children grow up in the school, taking classes for years. I am the only teacher in the school. It was a decision I made to keep the school small and focus on teaching rather than being an administrator.
The philosophy of the Deborah Abel School of Modern Dance is both to teach Modern Dance technique and to inspire creativity and self-expression in students through creative movement for the youngest children, choreography for the older children and teens, and Bhakti Modern Dance for the adults.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are always struggles and challenges along the way. The school has had a lot of blessings beginning with the two churches that have been housing the school, the First Baptist and First Parish churches in Lexington. They opened their doors to us many years ago and have generously welcomed us to be a part of their communities. I have nothing but gratitude to them. Of course over the years we all have had to find a way to coexist and move through normal rental challenges. Kindness and generosity always won. There are years when there have been more or fewer students but mostly abundance. Being a small school and doing both the administrative role, the director and sole teacher has been a challenge of time while also juggling a professional dance company and a family. There is also the challenge that no matter how many years and how much expertise one develops, every single year something new will develop , a problem, a situation that reminds you there is always more to learn and mistakes will always happen. It is very humbling.
With the dance company the challenges never end. Problems of not having enough money- always!!, company members turning over and having to find new people, the endless search for rehearsal space that can accommodate our needs, trying to get ourselves produced outside of Boston, the challenge of getting the attention of producers, trying to keep up with social media and falling behind, not having enough help with the administrative aspect of the company, the logistics of creating, producing, advertising , getting media attention, the list goes on and on. It is a huge effort, and huge learning curve always with no end in sight. It is also the most rewarding , satisfying and inspiring work that creates the most profound feeling of accomplishment both for the art form itself and the accomplishments of dealing with and overcoming the endless flow of obstacles. However the abundance of help, ease, joy, support, community and excitement also never ends.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Deborah Abel Dance Company and School of Modern Dance – what should we know?
For the school it is the mix of modern dance technique and creativity/self-expression in the class room. The students are supported and honored and nurtured in their own creativity and individuality and personal artistry. In addition to technique the older students get to choreograph in groups and create and share their pieces with the class and in the end of year student performance. The youngest students create through improvisation and spontaneity. As a professional choreographer, dancer and teacher I bring my own creativity and expertise to the classes. The work we do together is artistic and excellent.
The company is quite different from other modern dance companies. We are a Bhakti Modern dance company. We take the audience on a journey of love, healing and inner seeking. The audience can expect profound beauty in both the dance and music that transports and moves them. As the show continues a shift has happened, an experience forged, the audience is held with love from the inside. I don’t know of other companies doing this kind of work. We also began selling cd’s of the music at the performances after years of people asking how they could get the music.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are so many people over the years who have helped. My college experience and teachers prepared me to go out in the world and begin teaching, dancing and choreographing. My family believed in and supported me always. They have given selflessly in many ways to the school and company. Many people have volunteered their help in so many ways to the company and school that it would be too numerous, too big to share each one. I am reminded every single year and just recently again after my student performance that any big endeavor needs many, many helping hands. “It takes a village……” Over the years people have come and go and are thankfully replaced with others. Ultimately my husband more than anyone has completely helped and supported me in every aspect of my work for all the years we have been together. Without him there would be no dance company.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deborahabeldance.org
- Email: info@deborahabeldance.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=deborah%20abel%20dance%20company
Image Credit:
Ganesh Ramalingam
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