The performance will be followed by a discussion with the congregation, facilitated by Senior Minister Dave Grishaw-Jones. 

The title of the piece (MOSAIC) refers to the range of subjects that inspired the choreography, from the Palestinian/Israeli struggle to the mosaic tilings common in Middle Eastern art.

Included in "MOSAIC" are several dances set the Jewish Diaspora and Arabic folk songs sung by the Santa Cruz world music group Zambra.  The mathematics of Islamic tiling designs will be portrayed through live "video tessellations," or video mosaics, of dancers.  Other dance works include:

"MACHINE GUN"--a tap dance to the rapid-fire machine gun sounds of a Jimi Hendrix song, about the relentless march of death in contemporary warfare.

"INTO A BAR"--in which two dancers spar via popular online jokes about Palestinians and Israelis.

"THE MOURNING AFTER"--a solo set to Bach, depicting the loss of a child in war, performed by Maria Basile, co-director of sjDANCEco.

"BOMBINGHAM"--a solo by Karl Schaffer exploring his growing up Jewish in the Deep South during the civil rights era, and his connecting these experiences to the situation in Palestine and Israel.

Karl Schaffer is co-artistic director with Erk Stern of the "Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern Dance Ensemble," which has performed nationally and internationally for 25 years.  Dancers in the 12/1 show are: Maria Basile, Libbey Blumberg, Simon Harrison, Jane Real, Lila Salhov, Karl Schaffer and Laurel Shastri.

Santa Cruzans from all walks of life are welcome to attend and experience the power of dance--to inspire peacemaking and provoke conversation.