THE CHIRON FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS AND ENVIRONMENT 2018
Sunday, December 2nd, 11AM
The Mark O’Donnell Theater

The Phantastic Theater presented the World Premier of Doctor Christopher Kaufman’s cinematographic ballet
DANCING NIGHT HAWK 
a new work based on Native American Mythology in time for Thanksgiving!

CHIRON ’18 began with Doctor Kaufman’s The Phantastic Theater production of Dancing Night Hawk. Like the other of these unique and enthralling productions,  DNH combines symphonic music pouring through speakers as illustrative art flows on screen. Dance, puppetry and voice acting participate in vivid storytelling as world-class musicians, such as star of the Metropolitan Opera Jennifer Roderer and world renowned flutist/composer Robert Dick perform virtuosic music integrated into the production. Young artist/dancer Sofia Rose Kaufman performs the lead role of Dancing Night Hawk.

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Following the world premiere of Dancing Night Hawk Daniel Rieppel (concert pianist) addressed the audience and performed the music of Claude Debussy.
Jennifer Roderer will join Daniel in the performance of an operatic aria.

Robert Dick improvised on contrabass flute with his world famous sounds to a short film of Kaufman’s creation titled ‘Story of a Tardigrade’.  This film tells a theoretical tale of how this amazing creature (the tardigrade or water bear) may have traveled the solar system to our planet long ago on the back of a comet.

Emmy Award Winning composer and steering committee member, Joe Carroll, briefly addressed the audience.

The event ended with Kaufman’s brilliant environmental work, Hudson Valley Music, which features hundreds of natural sounds, a video of natural and artistic images.  Hudson Valley Music takes you on a journey from the Long Island Sound, through the primeval forest and into mythological space while making a powerful environmental message.  For this last we were be joined by french hornist Karl Kramer, winner of many international awards.