Spirituals by Helen Tamiris

Elizabeth staged, rehearsed and performed this suite of dances with Avodah Dance Ensemble from 1993-2001 as part of programming which was initiated with the choreographic work Let My People Go (choreographed by Louis Johnson and JoAnne Tucker) and designed to foster interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

She staged the suite of dances for the Montclair State University dancers 2009-2010.

She staged the suite of solos only for Ella Rosewood in 2014.

All stagings were from the Labanotation score, by arrangement with the Dance Notation Bureau.

That Tamiris was appropriating from a culture outside her own is problematic. Issues related to Tamiris interpreting spirituals from the Black community through her choreography is an ongoing area of my examination, research, and writing that will be addressed more fully in my forthcoming biography of Tamiris.

The eleven solos [from a range of choroegraphers], not a dud in the lot, are succinct; the movement, dynamics, and spatial design deliberate and personal. The impetus behind the dances is communication of specific emotional states - never flash or athleticism - often relayed through clear imagery and gestures.... The reconstructors Gail Corbin, Lynn Frielinghaus, Jim May, Elizabeth McPherson, Martin Lofsnes, and Toby Nicholson must be applauded, along with the costumers!"

-- Deirdre Towers, The Dance Enthusiast, 2017

"Avodan opened the program with 'Go Down Moses,' given a dramatic performance by Elizabeth McPherson."

-- Doris Diether,  The Villager, 1995

Videos from performances of Tamiris' Spirituals performed by Avodah Dance Ensemble at Hebrew Union College in 1995, courtesy of JoAnne Tucker from her blog Mostly Dance