Amplify

April 23, 2020

Jacob Jonas the Company was presented at the Center for the first time as part of the 2019–20 Dance Series.

Miguel Alejandro of Jacob Jonas The Company taken during the 2019 #CamerasAndDancers Instameet in Scottsdale. Photo: Tyson Wheatley.

For those who are uninitiated, Jacob Jonas’s creativity is not limited to choreography and dance. His passion for art and human connection extends beyond the stage and can be seen in his #CamerasAndDancers program.

#CamerasAndDancers is a location specific Instameet planned by Jacob Jonas The Company to invite dancers and photographers together to create striking imagery in real time. Check out a roundup of beautiful dance movements captured behind the lens of a few local and national photographers from the January 2020 event in Scottsdale.

https://www.facebook.com/ScottsdalePerformingArts/posts/10157954941197641

It was mere days after the first states in the United States were suggesting stay-at-home orders that Jacob Jonas The Company announced their #ADigitalDance campaign. For anyone who has met Jonas, you will not be surprised that he has found a way to connect us and keep us moving during our collective time of separation. #ADigitalDance is described as “a movement project encouraging creativity through digital platforms.” With the goal being to “make something together while we are apart.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-IZlEKjvjR/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Every Monday a new collaborator posts the instructions for the week’s task. These can range from personal interpretation of 15 single words to the challenge of holding onto one foot for the duration of the dance. #ADigitalDance allows artists to share their own vision through the framework of the weekly challenges.

Screenshot from @adigitaldance Instagram story describing instructions from week 4.

Collaborators so far have included dancers and choreographers from:

Paul Taylor Dance Company

Pilobolus

The 7 Fingers

Martha Graham Dance Company

Tiler Peck, a Principle dancer with New York City Ballet Instagram.