Harmony in the Woods
Dingmans Ferry. Celebrating 10 years of Hanna Q Dance company performances.
| 16 Aug 2023 | 04:32
The dancers: Keyveontae’ Martin, Arthur Trace Yeames and Breauna Williams. Photos by Marilyn Rosenthal.
Dancers Arthur Trace Yeames, Keyveontae’ Martin and Breauna Williams with Johanna LjungQvist-Brinson.
Some of the guests enjoying the evening.
On the morning of Saturday, Aug. 12, Johanna LjungQvist–Brinson, founder, director and choreographer of the Hanna Q Dance Company, sat looking out the window at the teaming rain and pondered what to do.
The tenth anniversary gala fundraiser was scheduled to take place that evening on the stage in her (and husband Max Brinson’s) woods.
The dancers were on their way from New York City. She hadn’t even started cooking for the event. And people were calling.
Should she cancel?
Should she see if she could transfer it to a local indoor space?
Or should she just go ahead and hope that everything would be OK and that people would be able to sit outside and enjoy this very special dance performance that she had planned on their stage in the woods?
Plan A
LjungQvist–Brinson, being the eternal optimist that she is, decided to proceed with plan A.
After all, this is a woman who loves nature, and as she posts on her website, “draws inspiration from the forces of nature and uses its elements to create dynamic narratives through movement.”
Guests were also praying, everyone wanted to be here, everyone was putting out good vibes and positive thoughts, and sure enough, the performance and dinner afterward went on without a hitch.
The three dancers are fairly new to the dance company and LjungQvist–Brinson remarked on how they were able to perform the pieces so well, given such a short time with the company.
There two male dancers were Arthur “Trace” Yeames and Keyveontae’ Martin and the female dancer was Breauna Williams. Their colorful costumes were part of the meaning of the dance itself.
LjungQvist–Brinson points out that “they start in black outfits, then Williams is in bright pink, and the men are in light blue and turquoise, and finally these hues merge into a royal purple, which in itself is a unifying color uniting people together in harmony.”
Just like in these woods where the movement was unifying with the music, the movement and the sound of nature.
‘If you enjoy dance ....’
LjungQvist–Brinson thanked the sponsors and the board for helping her and HQDC to achieve this 10-year milestone. There were about 40 people sitting at tables spread out on the lawn enjoying the dinner that LjungQvist–Brinson prepared.
The atmosphere was one of support, admiration and love.
“It was a lovely experience,” said Susan Czarecki, visiting from neighboring Bucks County. “If you enjoy dance, it’s something you should come out and participate in. It was a very cozy atmosphere, a great performance, and a wonderful meal.”
Peter Naccarato, Vice President of the HQDC board and interim president of Marymount Manhattan College in New York, remarked that Marymount has a strong dance program and that he hopes to see Hanna and her company perform there in the future.
A pact with Mother Nature
What was clear was that all of the guests support LjungQvist–Brinson and HQDC.
The night was almost balmy, the sky was also clear and then, at the exact moment the last guests were leaving, the sky opened up and torrents of rain came pouring down.
It was almost as if Johanna LjungQvist–Brinson had made a pact with Mother Nature to just hold off and not “fool around” with the performance.