The Philadelphia Matter - 1972/2020

Christ Church Preservation Trust will host pioneering postmodern choreographer, theatrical director, and writer David Gordon in a residency that will produce a new performance work titled The Philadelphia Matter - 1972/2020. Connecting live performers at Christ Church’s Neighborhood House in Philadelphia with a simultaneous video stream of performers in Manhattan, the multi-site work exemplifies Gordon's career-long interest in exchanges: among performers, between choreographers and dancers, and between artists and audiences. Gordon, who is a founding member of New York’s experimental Judson Dance Theater and the improvisational dance group Grand Union, will develop “visual scores” to devise movement with the performers in both cities while recording and making publicly available the entire six-week creation and rehearsal process. Valda Setterfield—Gordon’s wife and longtime collaborator, who is noted as a member and soloist of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company—will serve as the primary dancer in Philadelphia. An accompanying exhibition at the Neighborhood House will survey the evolution and significance of Gordon's prolific career that spans more than five decades, as well as the role of sacred, historic spaces such as Judson and Christ Church in fostering creative practices.

Additional unrestricted funds are added to each grant for general operating support.