CLEARWATER — projectALCHEMY, the St. Petersburg–based nonprofit dance company, will present “Above/Below,” an immersive contemporary dance and visual art experience created in collaboration with resident artist Joey Clay, photographer and filmmaker. Performances will take place Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28, in the Murray Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater.
Performance times are Friday, 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are priced at $20 and $15 for students and seniors. Call 727-791-7400 or visit www.RuthEckerdHall.com.
This immersive dance and photography experience is presented in partnership with the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall.
More than a traditional dance performance, “Above/Below” transforms the theatre into a living gallery where photography, embodiment, and movement intersect. Audience members are invited to arrive early and remain after the performance to explore a curated exhibition of seven photographic works by Clay, each developed through the company’s movement research and embodiment practice. The photographs will be available for viewing before and after the performance, with selected works available for purchase.
Inspired by the embodiment of tarot and the psychological process of shadow work, “Above/Below” follows dancers as seekers navigating the confrontation and integration of the shadow self. The work draws from Major Arcana tarot cards that appeared through Artistic Director Alexander Jones’s personal shadow work practice over the past year. These cards — Wheel of Fortune, The Devil, The Tower, The Moon, The Hermit, The Hanged Man, and Death — guide the performance’s emotional arc, embodying cycles of upheaval, illusion, reflection, surrender, and transformation.
Through movement, light, and shadow, the dancers navigate moments of rupture and renewal, exploring what it means to become more whole by embracing the hidden parts of ourselves.
For this production, the Murray Studio Theatre will be transformed into an intimate, immersive performance environment. Audiences are encouraged to sit on the floor, take a chair, or stand, allowing them to experience the work from multiple perspectives as dancers move throughout the space. This flexible environment dissolves the traditional boundary between performer and viewer, inviting audiences into a shared landscape of vulnerability, reflection, and transformation.
“We have been so fortunate to have Alexander Jones on our team as a choreographer and are now thrilled to welcome his company into our family of artists. The message and mission of projectALCHEMY aligns beautifully with our own, and we look forward to bringing their beautiful work to our audiences — they are in for an unforgettable experience,” said Sharon Reid-Kane, Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts vice president and chief education and community engagement officer.
projectALCHEMY is a nonprofit international dance company based in St. Petersburg, dedicated to engaging the dance community and local audiences through immersive interdisciplinary performance, affordable movement classes, and dance artist development opportunities. Through intentional collaboration, the organization works to create a thriving dance ecosystem where artists and audiences can experience meaningful artistic exchange.