FALL AWAY (2023)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 7:15
This solo pays tribute to the enduring human spirit, and brims with a poignant interplay between holding on and letting go. Set to music by the incomparable soprano, and exquisite accordion player, Nicole Renaud, this piece trembles through the space, as it touches the heart.
BLACK & BLUISH (2021)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 6:42
This duet depicts the bruising of humanity from the pandemic, in addition to the leftover wreckage from the last administration. An inane mix of music and movement, merges with contemporary beauty in this peculiar piece that explores unconventional territory.
GOING SOLO (2019)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 5:20
This solo digs into depths of expression, creating a terrain of movement exemplifying the unsteady nature of life.
SHORT STORY (2018)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 12:37
This dance trilogy was inspired by our current political climate. The deeper contours of relationships are explored through a duet, solo, and trio.
IT’S EASY TO DROWN (2018)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 5:57
This solo was inspired by the delicate nature of the human spirit and how easy it is to drown in life, yet resolves to achieve hope and strength to overcome.
WILLING to CATCH (2017)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 8:07
This duet depicts the yearnings of our hearts when being called to catch others when they fall. If willing to fall, we learn to let go, and trust being caught at just the right moments. This piece speaks to the humanity’s vulnerabilities in this age of our fragile environment.
DREAM SPELL (2017)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 8:43
Using eight dancers, this Jiffy-Mix piece about disjointed dreams, goes retro with an undercurrent style from the 40’s and 50’s.
SENTIMENTO SPIRITUALE (2016)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 5:17
Imbued with a sense of spirituality, this solo honors those that have suffered through violence and oppression, and seeks to bring a message of reconciliation.
DRIFT (2015)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 7:10
This solo, told through poetry, images and dance, conveys the idea of transitions in life, and how they inspire us to move to new places.
DESCENDENCE (2014)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 7:19
A couple’s journey together glances into the mirror of life’s unpredictable losses, eventually leading to illumination and hope.
GODDESS DANU AND BIRDS OVER LOWER LOUGH ERNE (2014)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 4:30
This solo, inspiring themes of Celtic mysticism, was commissioned by award-winning composer, Claudia Howard Queen, who envisioned this work after a trip to Ireland.
Flight (2014)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 5:52
Exploring the emotional depths of the willingness to survive no matter the odds, this rare solo touches the heart with beauty and grace. The film Sea Chapter is based on this solo.
BARN BIRDS (2013)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 1:54
This quartet mimics the words to a poem, about four flickers caught in a barn. This peculiar piece, danced with high stylistic phrases, carves through the space with a narrative that speaks of confusion and chaos. This piece was made possible by The Dragon’s Egg, in Ledyard, CT, during a residency. Music granted by Maria Schneider.
SOLSTICE MORNING (2013)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 3:34
This quartet, set to poetry, begins with dancers in reverence of a peaceful, solstice morning, then spirals through the space with fast partnering and sensitive phrases that whisper the promise of the season. This piece was made possible by The Dragon’s Egg, in Ledyard, CT, during a residency. Music granted by Maria Schneider.
DUST DEVIL (2013)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 2:45
This thematic solo was choreographed to enliven the spirit of a poem. The athletically danced, theater-style piece, reminisces about life on the plains, with the swirling, little tornadoes that the poet recalls in the bean fields of the Midwest. Music granted by Maria Schneider.
AVEC MOI (2012)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 6:03
Another in a series of “Jiffy Mix Dances,” this solo, made in two hours and twenty minutes, invites a French flair to the dance floor. A porkpie hat fancies up this quirky piece, set to a collage of music, a la Francais.
ITTY BITTY NITTY GRITTY (2011)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 10:15
This upbeat, thematic trio, alternates between balletic grace and tension, in a whimsical dance that plays with the idea of a game of musical chairs. With music ranging from classical to contemporary, this light-hearted piece has a folk-frenzied feeling that is sure to delight.
SHELTER (2011)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 8:45
French composer Nicole Renaud’s unconventional accordian music, along with a picture of a red umbrella and people running for cover, was the inspiration to this piece made for seven dancers. This piece creates a theatrical atmosphere, evoking a sense of urgency and in a tentative world. Hauntingly beautiful partnering and obscure dance phrases make for a production that combines an medley of drama, in an austere, unsuspecting range of dynamics.
PIE, PICKET FENCES & PURGATORY (2011)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 30:00
Through the mediums of film and performance art, this piece attempts to reveal how the euphemistic “American Dream” falls between the cracks of the perfect picket fence/apple pie-idealism. This stroll down retro lane displays how the ideal 50s and 60s sometimes painted a picture-perfect image of the American life, but simmering beneath the surface, were always subversive leanings toward immorality and injustice juxtaposing it. A curmudgeonly old man plays the role of the narrator, who shows the skewed side of Americana in comical vein, while the dancer’s story-line moves in a variety of funny and thought-provoking scenes.
HEART SONG (2011)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 5:20
This duet explores the universal statement of love and passion. The rich, melodic musical score supports the flow of energy between the two dancers, grasping for each other in a soft and tender dance, combining technical prowess with sentiment.
MY ROOM (2010)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 5:47
An opening slideshow with images from Korea, combine with a sensitive, heartfelt dance about a young woman’s adoption. This tender solo, danced to neo-classical piano music, interprets a story from the Far East.
LOVE LESSON (2010)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 8:00
This piece, in three sections, engages a comical, musical-theater playfulness, with humor and guts. An impish male slowly builds his confidence, as a love triangle ensues, with two women vying for his attention. From fast-paced antics, lifts and precise articulations of a rapidly moving hat that cleverly changes from head to head, this fanciful piece scores high on the entertainment meter.
Commissioned by Connecticut Ballet; Stamford, CT
MILES (2010)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 9:02
This emotionally driven duet glances into the mirror of the unknown journey of life. The eloquent partnering and passionately danced sequences are supported by the rich, waltz-like adagio music. The graceful lifts are contrasted by vigorous solos, as the dancers showcase their technical virtuosity.Their inner world resolves to a reality that “life goes on,” through sensitive carrying, lifting and supporting of one another.
The music for this piece was made possible by Grammy Award winner, Maria Schneider.
CHEAP SEATS (2009)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 10:00
This saucy ballet, for two men and a woman, flirts with the idea of the battle to get the girl, while the centerpiece of a turn-of-the-century couch remains an object of desire for the best seat in the house.
The music for this piece was made possible by Grammy Award winner, Maria Schneider.
SLATE (2009)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 9:29
This duet interprets the ebbs and flows of a love relationship that tugs on the heart strings. The daring partnering hangs on the precipice of tension, daring to break boundaries of safety. The subtle nuances of the movement, coupled with the music help to create a landscape of struggle, and eventually, understanding and resolve.
The music for this piece was made possible by Grammy Award winner, Maria Schneider.
AT EASE (2008)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 10:00
This quartet, danced by one man and three women, was created in reaction to the dumbing down of America through our impatient, “instant messaging” approaches to communication. Costumed in formal wear, this high-octane piece attempts to grab your attention through mockery and tongue-in-cheek humor. Chock full of acrobatic tricks and contact-based, lumbering phrases, this grand, energetic dance turns inside out and upside down, capturing the trends of our diminishing thirst for more knowledge. “Lazily we loll… curious beneath our non-chalance.”
3 DOORS (2008)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 12:20
This piece, set for twelve dancers, opens three different doors into dream-like settings, all with their unique moods and music. Contrasting upbeat, flirtatious characterizations, to somber passages of building alliances with one another, this multi-faceted dance is like watching a triple feature film. As high heels walk down a quiet hallway, a door creaks open with each new section. Its resolve becomes a meditation on the breath, with a soundtape of an inhale and exhale, leading the dancers into a tranquil state of peace.
This piece was created during a residency at Western Kentucky University, Spring 2008.
BACK LIFE (2008)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 6:10
This piece, set for eleven dancers, commemorates those who have spent their lives serving the welfare of others, but whose lives were cut short by sudden death. It dives deep into the experience of the human condition during times of unrest and times of great strength. This ensemble lifts up hearts and dances its way through technical phrases, interwoven with lyrical passages, gently comforting the fallen angels to their final resting place.
This piece was created during a residency at Tony Calucci’s Dance Extension Studio in Columbus, OH, June 2008.
UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENTS (2008)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 3:57
This solo honors the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Maneuvering with a brushed aluminum chair, this piece, fervently danced, is about the triumphs and shortfalls of a nation’s great hero.
HOME FOR THE HOMELESS (2007)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 5:10
This solo was created to honor the homeless for their courage and perseverance. Making her entrance jingling change in a paper bag, the soloist portrays the tough life on the streets, through her circular upper body movement and gestural arms. She moves on and off a park bench, until she finally realizes that the only way to gain more money is to give it all away. The dramatic closing sequence involves emptying her paper bag of money into the hands of another homeless person, more unfortunate than she. This graceful, poignant dance is reminiscent of Pagliacci.
I WILL SHOW YOU AN OCEAN (2007)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 7:00
This passionate duet is about the power of the human spirit. Its exhilarating message of possibility and hope is revealed through spiraling undulations and wave-like images. This piece was inspired by a cell phone conversation heard on a New York City subway platform.
ASHES AND GRACE (2007)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 17:17
This piece, for ten dancers, meditates upon the dualism of flesh and spirit and the symbolism of grace in the midst of strife. Through an eclectic sound score that takes one on a journey through a quiet and serene environment, to a hard-driving, fast-paced tour of duty, then back to a peaceful landscape, this piece depicts war-torn reality in the Middle East. From darkness and chaos emerges grace and hope for a better tomorrow.
Choreographed during a professorship at Western Michigan University’s Dance Department
TRUTH BE TOLD (2006)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 26:00
This piece is about the robbing of the sacred human spirit and the right to privacy. Using a harsh interrogation lamp, a simple desk, and aluminum chair, this piece, using eleven dancers, dives into the shifting tides of egocentrism, and how a media-slanted society slowly breaks down the truth. Through a film noir-like lens, this intriguing dance questions our government’s equality.
Choreographed during a residency at Alma College’s Dance Department
IN THE WAKE (2005)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 23:46
This piece for seven dancers is dedicated to the victims of the season of the hurricanes in 2005, beginning with Hurricane Katrina. To those who lived, and to those who have passed on, we remember them in honor.
Choreographed curing a residency at Eastern Michigan University’s Dance Department
SOUL STORY (2005)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 7:56
The whispering voice of the soul describes a journey in this dance of longing and passion. Through attempts of tenderness and sweeping passages of emotion, this rhapsodic duet portrays a relationship that discovers its ultimate solace in separation.
DANCE FOR PEACE (2004)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 6:46
This piece was a commission for the Bernier Dance Company for a fund raising concert for Darfur, South Africa. Weaving a spiritual theme throughout, this piece idealizes a harmonious state of existence.
GRANDFATHER’S TALE (2004)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Narration Excerpts: George Halley
Time: 10:53
Using various suit jackets and an old-fashioned coat rack, this piece symbolically seeks to tell the tale of the dancer’s real-life grandfather. Poignantly told through music, movement and authentic sermons from his grandfather’s archives, this whimsical piece touches the heart with spiritual metaphors and comedic gestures.
RUBY (2004)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 7:43
Through a veil of mystical images, bursts a jazzy, upbeat solo about a woman daring to confront her fears and overcome tragedy.
SMALL VOICE (2004)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 7:38
This whimsical solo portrays the loss of innocence from childhood, into the complications of adulthood. From the fondness of hopscotch to the gestural entanglements of emotion, this piece reads like a storybook of memories and makes a statement about the process of growing into responsibility.
WATER’S EDGE (2004)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 5:40
With a soundscape of water and a rhythmic overlay of World music, this solo seeks to create a sense of freedom for a woman who abandons her past, and artfully embraces new life.
UNTHINKABLE EQUATION (2001)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 13:00
This septet was created during a three week guest-artist residency at Wichita State University. It was inspired by the events of September 11, 2001 and was included in the Kansas Dance Festival.
Choreographed during a residency at Wichita State University’s Dance Department
CROOKED DREAMS (2000)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 14:00
Entangled in a stream of unconscious, this powerful quartet explores the bizarre aspects of dreams. From subversive images to engaging family-like portraits, this piece ensures relatable themes from our dark side.
Commissioned by The Movement Source Dance Company in Phoenix, AZ
7th DEPTH (1999)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 10:00
This piece reveals the efforts in life in channeling our understanding of faith. Through its lyrical design and daring partnering, this energetic quartet, danced by three men and one woman, and set to an imaginative musical collage, seeks to arouse the idea of our passage to truth.
LOST AND FOUND (1999)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Time: 8:30
This whimsical solo, with narration by the choreographer’s first dance teacher, connects past and present in a tribute to healing and hope. Lifted from a desolate reality and shown a renewed passion for life, this piece contracts and expands, depicting these rippling themes through jagged edges and graceful exuberance. Imbued with the strength to overcome, this light-spirited, colorful dance pays respect to the sentimental journey of the heart.
MOTHER’S DAY (1998)
Choreography: Mitzi Adams
Text: Mitzi Adams
Time: 9:45
This dramatic solo explores dreams that the choreographer and her mother had before her mother’s death. Set to an original text, combined with a haunting music collage, this solo forms a partnership to arouse imagination about the mother/child relationship.
STILL… WITHOUT WIND (1998)
Choreographer: Mitzi Adams
Time: 7:35
This duet creates an emotional terrain of tension between a male and female who struggle to embrace love. Accompanied by a stark musical score, this piece provokes questions of devotion.
COLORS MAY BLEED (1993)
Choreographer: Mitzi Adams
Text: Mitzi Adams and Paul Dennis
Time: 9:00
This athletic duet blends the tug-of-war between society’s pressure to conform and a human’s right to freedom of choice. With original narration and a hard-driving musical score, this agitating piece depicts tolerance over fear.
Chosen by Gus Solomons for the Juror’s Choice Award in the NewDance New Haven ’93 competition
(works prior to 1993 have not been listed on this site)