One Good Quote: Ciarra D’Onofrio + Dancers in “Heart String”

June 8, 2025

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Back in Fall 2017, Life as a Modern Dancer launched a new concept for post-performance discussion and writing. The goals were multi-fold:

What are new ways to invite post-performance writing (since so few publications now print dance reviews, and there are fewer and fewer dance critics in the United States)?
How can choreographers hear and read more from audience members about their impressions and experiences of dance events?
Can we offer new mechanisms for choreographers to gather language about their work, to further their work and to promote their work?

The premise is simple, and 7 years later, still offers a valuable platform for artists and audience members alike. If you experienced the live performance of Ciarra D'Onofrio + Dancers in Heart String, May 30-June 1, 2025 at Zaccho Studio in San Francisco, please take a few minutes to leave a comment. Write down images, impressions, appreciations, and questions from the performance. These can be words, phrases, or a few sentences.

We thank you for your time, support, and thoughtfulness. Here's to more dialogue, more reflection, and more writing on the dance performance experience. As choreographer Mariah Steele noted, we are "democratizing dance criticism."

4 responses to “One Good Quote: Ciarra D’Onofrio + Dancers in “Heart String””

Jill Randall

Jun 8, 2025 at 10:43 am

Thank you for a magical experience. Earnest, invitational, and generous.
The movement was big and expansive. I appreciated that the choreography included both vertical dance/aerial work as well as dancing without harnesses. I also appreciated the arc of the piece and the variety of sections – whether all 6 dancers together, solo and duet moments, someone speaking, or the choir in the spotlight. The whole cast – dancers and singers – were so present and dropped in to the work.
Thank you for inviting us in.

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Robin Taylor

Jun 13, 2025 at 7:42 am

Deeply moving melding of modern dance and songs for the dying

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Gene Urbain

Jun 13, 2025 at 10:57 am

Very uplifting and creative work. Deeply heartfelt. A salve for the pain of loss we all at times must face, times when we enter into the unknown and spirit rises and expands.

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Renee Emunah

Jun 13, 2025 at 4:11 pm

I found the show exquisite from start to finish. It was aesthetically and emotionally evocative (in a profound way, that avoided cliche and sentimentality). The contact and interrelationships between the dancers’ as they physically supported each other – with loving presence – further deepened the experience.

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