A dance interpretation of the book "They Marched Into Sunlight," by Pulitzer Prize
winning author and Washington Post senior editor David Maraniss
Like most authors, I've occasionally imagined my books as movies, or documentaries, or plays,
but until Robin Becker came along I had never thought of one being transformed into dance.
Of all my works, They Marched Into Sunlight, with its themes of struggle, dissent, bravery,
and overwhelming loss, is best suited for this art form, and I am absolutely thrilled by the
prospect of seeing what a choreographer with Robin's insight and emotional power will do with it.
Dance is a universal language, which is also the language in which I tried to write this book.
DAVID MARANISS
They Marched Into Sunlight
I strive with this new work to make a statement about the reclamation and renewal of soul in the world.
The body is our connection to the earth and to each other. When one deeply tends and listens to the
voice of the body, it is impossible to consider harming another being because one feels one's profound
relationship to all life.
Robin Becker, choreographer
Into Sunlight
What happens when war becomes just one more spectacle
in our crowded, comfortable lives? How do the daily
dead become mere numbers we learn to accept over
dinner? Human beings objectified - death becomes
unreal -
How have we come to accept such destruction?
How have we come to accept such destruction?
These questions are powerfully confronted by New York City choreographer Robin Becker in her latest work,
inspired by author David Maraniss' critically acclaimed masterpiece They Marched Into Sunlight. Maraniss'
gripping account of the intersection of the Vietnam War and the antiwar opposition is vividly brought to
life by Becker's layered choreography and her unmistakable reverence for the human form and spirit.
Becker's passionate exploration of our humanity in the face of the destruction of war is slated to premier
as an evening length work in 2009. The impact of Becker's interpretation of Maraniss' book will undoubtedly
be both immediate and long-lasting.
"Towering...Maraniss has assembled a vast array of
participants and witnesses. And he has woven their
memories into a
potent, humanizing mixture of the epochal and the mundane...Inspired use of narrative
cross-cutting to produce devastating culture-shock."
Janet Maslin, New York Times
potent, humanizing mixture of the epochal and the mundane...Inspired use of narrative
cross-cutting to produce devastating culture-shock."
Janet Maslin, New York Times
"Her quiet intensity made her always compelling"
Jack Anderson, New York Times
Jack Anderson, New York Times
"One dancer not afraid of eloquent simplicity was Ms. Becker..."
Jack Anderson, New York Times
Jack Anderson, New York Times
