New York dance piece inspired by Jewish motherhood

Choreographer Ariel Grossman asked her all-women modern dance company what they wanted and what was stopping them from getting it; this work was the result

IN JUNE 2021, at the end of last year’s dance season, choreographer Ariel Grossman posed a question to all the members of the Ariel Rivka Dance Company, her all-women modern dance company. “I said, ‘Tell me what it is you want and what is stopping you from getting it,’” she told the New York Jewish Week.

The members’ responses resonated deeply with Grossman. Some said they were afraid or embarrassed by disappointment, or had gotten in their own way. For example, admitting that all you want is to dance a solo performance at Lincoln Centre was also to admit that you failed to accomplish your dream. Community, meanwhile, could offer support, but it could also deter dreams.

Grossman, 40, had been having these same doubts and questions. They kept nagging her — particularly during the pandemic, when three generations of Grossman’s family squeezed into her childhood home in East Hampton for 18 months: Ariel; her husband, the composer David Homan; her two children, now 8 and 5, and her parents.

This unforeseen intergenerational experiment allowed Grossman to reflect on her Jewish upbringing, as well as the deeper nuances of motherhood. These experiences, her questioning and the experiences and answers of the women of her company inspired her latest dance piece, “What You Want,” which will have its world premiere at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Centre May 19-21.

Photo: Members of the Ariel Rivka Dance Company in 2021. (Whitney Browne)

FULL STORY: Jewish motherhood inspired this new and deeply personal modern dance piece (JTA)