Sponsored by New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) and presented by New Hampshire Humanities, The Shire takes place on Friday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Lebanon Opera House. 

Created by Zackery Betty, co-founder of NSquared Dance Company in Manchester, The Shire is a bioregional exploration of the state of New Hampshire through the lenses of location, economics, historical references, agriculture, nature, and the region’s culture.

“The performance represents the culmination of 10 days of site visits across the state,” explained Betty, who noted the concept of “shires” is expandable for future use. “Although they represent the 7 distinct regions I visited in New Hampshire, they can be interpreted as environmental, scientific, politics, or cultural—there is room for growth.”

According to NHDC Founder Joan Brodsky, “room for growth” also applies to the role of dance in New Hampshire.

“Dance represents a universal language that deepens our understanding of each other and our shared world,” she said.

This message, however, must be “curated” for broader audiences, which underscores NHDC’s Excerpts and Investigation (E&I) series. Providing a brief preview of a show’s first full performance followed by a moderated discussion with the choreographer and dancers, each E&I is designed to help broader audiences develop their ability to interpret dance.

“Often for the public, dance can seem mysterious or intimidating, but it does not need to be that way,” said Brodsky. “E&I can help lift that veil of mystery.”

An E&I was held for The Shire in September 2022 at The Factory on Willow in Manchester followed by a full performance in October 2022 at The Rex Theatre in Manchester.

According to Brodsky, promoting The Shire and NSquared Dance statewide is “a big part” of NHDC’s current focus through its NH Dance Accelerator program. Launched in 2022, NH Dance Accelerator is designed to rapidly accelerate the growth and sustainability of New Hampshire-based dance companies and solo artists. NSquared Dance Co-Founder Zackery Betty is NH Dance Accelerator’s first Fellow.

“It is our goal to promote him and NSquared Dance throughout New Hampshire while educating audiences as to the inherent power and relevance of dance,” said Brodsky. “We are thrilled to work with New Hampshire Humanities to promote this together and develop relationships with new partners like Lebanon Opera House.”

The Shire takes place on Friday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Lebanon Opera House. General admission tickets are $30 and $18 for students. Tickets may be purchased at lebanonoperahouse.org.

In 2022, nonprofit New Hampshire Dance Collaborative (NHDC) launched NH Dance Accelerator, a program designed to rapidly accelerate the growth and sustainability of New Hampshire-based dance companies and solo artists. The program, according to NHDC Founder Joan Brodsky, is starting to take hold in the state and beyond.

“Our first Fellow, Zackery Betty of NSquared Dance in Manchester, is quite busy right now with a number of upcoming performances,” she said.

These performances include Synergy, presented byBoSoma Dance and NSquared Dance, on April 1 and April 2 in Beverly, MA followed by Betty’s The Shire on April 21 at Lebanon Opera House.

Previously performed at several venues, including The Rex Theatre in Manchester, The Shire is the result of Betty’s bioregional exploration of New Hampshire’s 7 regions. “I took into consideration the location, economics, historical references, agriculture, nature, and culture of each region,” said Betty. “I then transposed my experiences through a concert dance work that assimilates movement based upon improvisations done throughout spaces and places in these regions.”

Noting she is helping Betty make connections with new theaters and organizations, Brodsky said another aspect of NH Dance Accelerator is advocacy for dance’s importance and relevance in broader contexts. She noted these broader contexts include “the state of the current world” and what she believes can be the role of dance to help improve it.

“Dance is a form of expression that has enabled humans throughout evolution to build and maintain social bonds and cooperation,” she said. “This kind of expression is especially needed in these dark and complex times.”

Referring to it as “a universal language,” Brodsky acknowledged that dance is a form of communication that must be taught in order to be understood, which is part of NHDC’s deeper mission.

“We have been taught to dismiss our bodies as ‘less than’ our minds, which even science is now discovering is false,” she said. “The body knows and can express so much more than our brains can articulate in words.”

In looking to the future of NH Dance Accelerator, Brodsky said she and the NHDC team are working on formalizing the process by which Fellows are evaluated and selected for the program. Once selected as Fellows, NHDC invests up to $10,000 to accelerate their growth and sustainability.

This investment includes covering the cost of theater rentals, payment(s) for dancers, and additional expenditures related to performances. Financial support also includes the indirect costs of the NH Dance Accelerator team, which provides communication expertise, business coaching, strategic planning, and social media promotion.

“We will work with dance companies and solo artists who have viable products but require assistance on the business side of their craft,” said Brodsky. “With strategic support of selected Fellows, we believe we can transform the public’s appreciation and understanding of dance and its potential to heal and deepen our understanding of one another.”

Founded in 2017, NHDC’s mission is “to present and develop dance as an accessible and utilized art form to deepen our understanding of each other and our shared world.”