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.

Excerpts and Investigation of The Shire – a dance/ theater piece in Hip Hop/street style dance created by Anthony Bounphakhom

Location: The Factory on Willow in Manchester, NH

Date: 9/14/2022

This event was created in order to preview the performance of The Shire in an intimate environment where the audience was situated on the same level and just feet away from the dancers. The dance portion was kept to 20-30 minutes so as to whet the appetite for more. It was moderated by Matt Cahoon, Artistic Director of theater KAPOW who asked dance maker Zackary Beatty and the NSquared dancers compelling questions which provided context and an explanation to the audience.

Because dance can baffle the general audience, Excerpts and Investigation was designed to provide a learning experience for the viewer and also to provide them an opportunity to ask their own questions. Dance creates waves of energy. The audience was able to hear footfalls and breathing and witness the hard, physical work involved in this craft. The goal of New Hampshire Dance Collaborative was to better prepare the audience for the full performance on the proscenium stage a week later.