Hidden
Hidden is an evening-length contemporary dance work is inspired by the story of Holocaust survivor Aaron Elster, who survived at the mercy of a Polish family who kept him hidden in their attic for two years. This piece tackles the pressing question of what the future of Holocaust education might look like, especially in this pivotal time where so few survivors are left to tell their stories first-hand.
Created with the support of the New England Foundation for the Arts “New Works New England Grant”, the Combined Jewish Philanthropies “Arts & Culture Community Impact Grant, as well as support from the Beker Foundation.
Excerpts from “Hidden”
Boston Center for the Arts, 2022:
Inspired by the story of Aaron Elster
“Hidden” is the culmination of a multi-faceted research project that also included multiple community workshops, and the creation of dance film project. The work was developed through a highly collaborative creative process geared towards creating a resonant and embodied Holocaust education experience for the artists involved in the work.
In addition to ZACHOR’s cast of professional dancers, Hidden features a cohort of teenage dancers who participated in a free, week-long “Embodied Holocaust Education” workshop through ZACHOR. Throughout the week students took classes in contemporary technique and improvisation and discussed Holocaust survivor Aaron Elster’s memoir as well as the importance of keeping these testimonies alive today. They then worked collaboratively to build a 5-minute piece of choreography inspired by Aaron’s story and their reflections, that serves as the ending to this work.
Hidden premiered as a dance film in September of 2021. The choreography in the film served as a launching point to be developed further into our live performance. The film was created in residence at Chelsea Theatre Works with videography by Olivia Moon.
