Dominic Moore-Dunson, one among Dance Journal’s 2023 “25 to Watch,” first encountered The Bear in mind Balloons throughout a library go to along with his kids. Creator Jessie Oliveros and illustrator Dana Wulfekotte inform the story of a boy, James, and his grandfather, who share reminiscences by passing balloons between them. The grandfather, who has Alzheimer’s illness, slowly loses his balloons over the course of the story.
Moore-Dunson and his spouse, Ashley Moore-Dunson, had been moved to boost consciousness round Alzheimer’s and impressed by the opportunity of reaching new audiences via reside efficiency. They secured the unique North American rights to create a stage manufacturing primarily based on the image e book, with an October 18 premiere scheduled in McLean, Virginia, adopted by performances in Sheridan, Wyoming, on November 7 and in College Park, Illinois, on November 12. Deliberate tour stops in 2025 to date embrace Luling, Louisiana; Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; Knoxville, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; and Des Moines, Iowa.
The Bear in mind Balloons is written and illustrated for youngsters, however it made an enormous impression on you as an grownup reader. What was it about this story that was so shifting?
My spouse and I’ve two toddlers and as we had been on the point of depart the library, I noticed a shelf labeled as kids’s books about troublesome subjects. I’m drawn to troublesome subjects. I pulled out this e book illustrated in grayscale, with colourful balloons, and I used to be skeptical that something with balloons could possibly be so arduous.
I used to be bawling within the library. That night, my spouse advised me her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s and that she might nonetheless recall the day her grandmother forgot about her.
So straight away, the e book was already sparking conversations about Alzheimer’s illness.
No one talks about this illness. I’ll ask individuals to boost their hand in the event that they’ve been impacted by it and 75 % of individuals in each room increase their hand. It’s staggering.
Why do you suppose there’s a lot silence round Alzheimer’s?
Private loss and ache can really feel shameful. And it’s a scary illness. It’s scary to observe an individual you’re keen on change in entrance of your eyes. In our manufacturing, Grandpa’s demeanor modifications over the course of the present. The best way you make one thing much less scary is by speaking about it.
Does your stage model differ from the e book?
Our stage adaptation brings the mom ahead. Within the e book, James and Grandpa are individuals of shade, and we develop up in multigenerational properties. I needed our onstage household to be multigenerational. Statistically, in-home caregivers usually tend to be girls. We would have liked to point out the caregiver who’s caught between elevating her kids and caring for the aged. Who’s caring for her?
What was your inventive course of for bringing a e book to life onstage?
The dancers are shut private associates of mine, individuals who I like and belief. I needed that relationship as a result of I knew we had been going to speak about one thing arduous. The composer, Theron Brown, has challenged me to turn out to be a musician and I’ve challenged him to turn out to be a dancer. He’s been within the studio with us daily, improvising on the piano because the dancers improvise to search out these characters.
Our motion palette is an fascinating juxtaposition of up to date dance and what we name, internally, “the get-down.” It’s how individuals boogie of their residing rooms and at household reunions. Individuals acknowledge the get-down from their very own properties, and you may see the viewers smiling. This familial and acquainted motion permits individuals to see the emotional reality inside summary dancing, too.
How do you strategy theater for younger audiences (TYA)?
I’m a contemporary-dance maker who occurs to be venturing into the TYA house. My function is to determine how one can speak to kindergarteners a couple of troublesome matter in an accessible manner. Youngsters are prepared for these conversations as long as adults put together them to be in a troublesome house.
One other factor to contemplate is that children won’t sit via a present to be well mannered. You must make sure that the excessive and low factors are clear, that every character has a starting, center, and finish. As quickly because the present begins, youngsters must be leaning ahead of their seats. They’ll yell out, “That is boring!” They’re ruthless.
The place do you see this venture going, long-term?
Certainly one of my goals is to associate with a chapter of a nationwide group, just like the Alzheimer’s Affiliation, to boost consciousness. One of many issues we’re actually attempting to get throughout is generational trade, asking grandparents about their tales but in addition listening to the youngest youngsters, as properly. We’re actually attempting to be trustworthy in regards to the battle, but in addition the love and pleasure that’s current.
