Peter Stathas Dance presents the virtual premiere of What We Have To Give, June 18, 2021. The evening is a fundraiser showcasing a stripped-down assortment of solos and one duet that were conceived through a process of remote creativity and capture different moments in time throughout the last year. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $10 for dancers and are available at https://secure.givelively.org/event/peter-stathas-dance-inc/what-we-have-to-give-fundraiser/what-we-have-to-give. The piece will be available from June 18, 2021 at 7pm ET through June 20, 2021 at 10pm ET.

“Shortly after the pandemic began, everyone at Peter Stathas Dance knew that our creative and performing lives were going to be interrupted in a big, impactful way,” said choreographer and Artistic Director Peter Stathas. “We knew that coming together in a studio to create new work was impossible, so we embarked on a process of remote creativity. We all saw this as a golden opportunity to collaborate together in a way that would not have presented itself if the pandemic had not happened.”

This time period was filled with unrest, and the dancers’ intention was to create work that reflected this specific moment in time–where they could be themselves and really be present. 

“By allowing ourselves to revisit our artistry at a time when we found ourselves so uninspired, our brains were reignited in a creative and collaborative way,” Stathas continued. “Stepping into the unknown together, at a time when everything was unknown, allowed us to heal. As a choreographer, I wanted to capture each dancer’s desire to be somewhere else, wanting to move, looking for connection, but stuck.”

Utilizing the technical means they could access, Stathas and the dancers began the collaborative process of crafting a dance, reflecting on the times, their hardships, and the meaning of the spaces they all found themselves in. The outcome is a collection of solos and one duet that has a stripped down, raw, and honest value.

What We Have to Give is simply a collection of dances that explains the love and commitment Peter Stathas and his dancers have to their art form and how the separation of the pandemic manifested for each dancer. The dancers worked to create truth, beauty, and meaning without being in one another’s physical presence, relying instead on what connects us in ways we could not have previously known. After much reflection about whether to somehow weave these stories together and make some alchemy, it was decided there was more integrity in keeping things simple–to allow the audience into the intimate lives of these gifted performers; presenting each piece in the chronological order it was made.

Dancers: Ty Graynor, Selina Hack, Andrew McShea, Paulina Meneses, Jesse Obremski, Emilee Pratt, Sasha Rydlizky, Lauren Twomley