Karen Peterson Dancers’ Forward Motion Festival: Champions Of Inclusion

“The Axis” was performed by Karen Peterson Dancers in South Korea and will once again be performed as part of the Forward Motion Dance Festival in Miami on Saturday, March 8 at the Sandrell Rivers Theater. (Photo courtesy of Karen Peterson Dancers)

Weeks before the sixth annual Forward Motion Dance Festival, Karen Peterson and a group of her dancers gathered for a rehearsal in her studio space in Kendall. One dancer set up a white partition while the others settled into place. As the music started, violinist Polina Mahova emerged first from the folded screen. Slowly, more dancers appeared and suddenly, chair dancer Adam Eckstat rolled onto the scene. The energy continued to shift as the dance progressed.

The 14-minute “In the Blink of an Eye” will be one of six dance works that is part of the weekend-long festival consisting of a full day of performances on Saturday, March 8, and a set of workshops on Sunday, March 9 at the Sandrell Rivers Theater.

Dancers Penelope Huerta and Jesus Vidal show how chair and non chair dancers can
create something beautiful together in “The Axis.” (Photo courtesy of Karen Peterson Dancers)

“Throughout the festival, audiences will see a really broad spectrum of inclusive dance,” says Peterson.

As it pertains to the all-new dance number, “In the Blink of an Eye,” the seasoned choreographer explains her inspiration behind its origins. “I was thinking a lot about immigration and the news that’s going on in our atmosphere today,” says Peterson. “And, you know, what if something drastic happens? In the blink of an eye, your whole life changes. I love that the dancers really internalize this fear in their performances.”

[RELATED: Artburst Guest Column/VOICES: Karen Peterson, Navigating Dance, Disability and DEI]

She explains how the music is pivotal in the piece, which is why she brought in violinist and dancer Polina Mahova. As Mahova’s violin strings vibrate, they help to dictate the emotions felt both on and off stage, according to Peterson. Although there will be a large screen in the background of the performance space with visuals flashing and propelling audiences through the story, the music and the dancers are what will guide the audience’s journey.

At first, the piece starts off light and cheerful before — suddenly — switching to a more dramatic and darker tune. “My inspiration for this performance is Lindsay Sterling, a very talented violinist who also dances,” says Mahova.

South Korea-based dancers Sunsik Yoo and Jeonghoon Kim perform “The Moving
Mountain”. (Photo by Raquel Alvarez)

She mentions the relevance of the piece to today’s state of affairs – natural disasters and wars.

“I think that this is something that everybody can relate to and it’s really genuine.”

This will be Mahova’s first performance with the Miami-based dance company. “Dancing is not new for me,” says Mahova. “My mother (was) my teacher and I’ve been practicing it for many years.”

The violinist, who recently moved to Miami from Israel, will be sharing the stage with her mother, Anna, who has been dancing with Karen Peterson Dancers for nearly two years.

Another dancer sharing the stage with Mahova is Eckstat, who is both a wheelchair dancer and a drummer. Eckstat has been with the Miami-based dance company for many years and has performed at nearly all of the Forward Motion festivals.

Despite his history with the company, the drummer admits, “This is the first time I’ve ever done dance and drum together.”

Karen Peterson Dancers Penelope Huerta, Sun Young Park, and Jesus Vidal perform
“The Axis”. (Photo courtesy of Karen Peterson Dancers)

In the piece “In the Blink of an Eye,” Eckstat uses his chair as an instrument and beats his drumsticks against the wheels as he works to match the pace of Mahova’s violin. “The dancing part, I do what Karen tells me to do,” he says. “But the drumming part I put together myself, and then I blended it with Polina’s violin.”

One special aspect of this year’s festival is the international collaboration with Sunsik Yoo and the Light on Friends dance company based in Seoul, South Korea.

Karen Peterson Dancers performed its “The Axis” at a festival in South Korea in late 2024. While representing the United States at the Korean International Accessible Dance Festival, Peterson met choreographer Sunsik Yoo and invited his company to attend Forward Motion. Yoo is one of four guest choreographers, which also include Erica Lessner from Brooklyn and Christina Acosta from Tampa.

Another aspect of the Forward Motion festival is the interactive workshop. Whereas the performances are ticketed, the workshops are free to attend. Guests will be treated to a conversation with Miami dancer and choreographer Pioneer Winter as well as a movement class with Sunsik Yoo and his Light Sound Friends company, and a workshop with the Tampa-based REVolutions Dance.

In the collaborative piece, “The Axis,” dancers from both the Karen Peterson Dancers and the Light Sound Friends come together. (Photo courtesy of Karen Peterson
Dancers)

Peterson, who founded her dance company more than 35 years ago, reminisces on its humble beginnings. The dancer and choreographer has dedicated her life to the craft, specifically inclusive dance. While Peterson herself is not disabled, she says she was inspired to start an integrated dance company after attending workshops in San Francisco at the start of her career. “They invited people with disabilities to be part of the workshops and that was in the ‘90s when the ADA laws were just starting to get federally mandated.”

She acknowledges that people with disabilities have shown up more and more on dance stages throughout the world, which is what Peterson calls a movement in the United States. Once she opened her dance company, they were invited to perform worldwide. “There was a high degree of curiosity about inclusive dance.”

WHAT: Forward Motion Dance Festival

 WHERE: Sandrell Rivers Theater, 6103 NW 7th Ave., Miami

 WHEN: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 8. Workshops, noon and 6 p.m. Sunday, March 9

 COST: $20 for Saturday’s performances, free for Sunday’s workshop. Tickets at SandrellRiversTheater.com or karenpetersondancers.org.

 INFORMATION: (305) 298-5879 or karenpetersondancers.org.

 ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don’t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com