The Shire

The Shire

by | Oct 13, 2022 | Past Performances

The Shire.
The Shire.
The Shire.

The Shire — a celebration of New Hampshire’s seven distinct regions through dance. It was created by Zackary Betty, Artistic Director of NSquared Dance

Location: The Rex Theater, Manchester, New Hampshire

Date: 10/13/2022

While many contemporary dances often delve into somewhat esoteric and philosophical themes, The Shire is a sharp departure from that model. Choreographer Zackery Betty traveled through the state of New Hampshire and took his physical cues uniquely from a sense of place. New Hampshire is diverse in almost all ways, and our regional differences reveal cultural, geographical and environmental elements that set each region apart. The Shire pulls all of this information together into a one powerful, mysterious and joyful dance while also capturing the essence of region.

When a place is experienced physically, the sensory stimuli provides bareboned, transparent inspiration. Betty choreographed in fields, on the seashore, in the mountains and in the mills that characterize New Hampshire. While he did “learn” about the regions through reading, he reflected the regions through the “felt sense” and sent videos of himself back to his dancers for them to interpret. Through the universal language of dance, the audience tours the state via their own sympathetic ability to feel the movement as much as watch exquisite dance.

The Shire will have its place in the cultural and educational offerings of New Hampshire. If someone wants to understand the complexity and beauty of the state, witnessing The Shire in-person or even through video will be transformative.

New Hampshire Dance Collaborative to Present ‘The Shire’

by | Oct 2, 2022 | Press Releases

On Thursday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. at The Rex Theatre in Manchester, New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) will present ‘The Shire,’ a performance by NSquared Dance. ‘The Shire’ is a bioregional exploration of the state of New Hampshire through the lenses of location, economics, historical references, agriculture, nature, and the region’s culture.

“I developed the concept through my graduate studies while working on my MFA at Wilson College,” said NSquared Dance Co-Founder Zackery Betty, who cited a deeper purpose behind his work. “If the community can see the caliber of local dance talent that is in their backyard of New Hampshire, I think there would be a different appreciation for the art itself.”

Joan Brodsky, founder of NHDC, agrees and said dance talent like Betty led to her selection of NSquared Dance as the first recipient of their Accelerator program. Launched in June, Accelerator was designed “to support dance professionals as they seek to further enhance their artistic content and professional abilities.”

“Dance has the transformational power to further develop human understanding and tolerance for one another,” explained Brodsky. “Accelerator is an initiative whose primary goal is to make the case that dance is an important and relevant part of human experience. Dance can bring people together.”

Regarding the performance, ‘The Shire’ is a mixture of contemporary dance occasionally juxtaposed with contradance, while the choreography is inspired by the history, culture, geography, and economics of New Hampshire. Honoring its distinctive character, the costume design, compositional qualities, filming locations, and dancers all hail from New Hampshire.

‘The Shire’ takes place on Thursday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. at The Rex Theatre. Admission is free.

Founded in 2014, NSquared Dance strives to energize audiences through movement and enhance creativity, artistry, passion, and drive of youth and aspiring dancers. To learn more about NSquared Dance, visit nsquareddance.com.

Founded in 2017, NHDC’s mission is “to make dance a more well understood, accessible and utilized art form.”