DANCING IN ABSENTIA (2009)
Music by Bang On a Can, Theo Bleckmann/Janis Brenner
Performers: 6 Dancers, 2 Vocalists
Time: 23 minutes
Photo Credit: Julie Lemberger

"It’s been a while since I witnessed a piece about AIDS that was really affecting. Janis Brenner’s new Dancing in Absentia at Joyce SoHo treats the ongoing tragedy with sensitivity and respect...The duet for the two men of the company was really moving. The soft extended lines, tender touching, and occasional sudden holds or grabs brought out the compassion in the two dancers, Aaron Selissen and Moo Kim. At certain times photos of male dancers who died of AIDS were projected onto the upstage screen and tumbled away or dissolved or broke up into a thousand little pieces. The two-dimensional photos became ghosts."   
Wendy Perron, DANCE MAGAZINE BLOG, New York, November  2009