Tanzspiel: A Spectacular Evening Celebrating Karen Montanaro

Join us for a performance by—and a celebration of—Karen Montanaro!

The first half of the program features Tanzspiel, a one-woman tour de force and a triumph of athleticism, artistry, and imagination. In this show, whose title means dance-play in German, Karen blends the art forms of mime and dance to create theater with rare physical and emotional power. Each scene brings to life a whole new world: One moment an old gunslinger reminisces about his youth, the next an entire baseball game plays out in front of you with Karen playing all the roles, including the avid baseball fan, the patient catcher, and an incredibly flexible pitcher.

After a brief intermission, the second act will feature a reimagined version of our annual Spectacular, with performances, remarks, and other festivities celebrating Karen, who will be presented with the Tony Montanaro Award which honors her extraordinary contributions, as a teacher, artist, and leader, to the Barn.

This performance is sponsored by The Ballroom, in Harrison, Maine.

Runtime

1 hour and 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission

About Karen Montanaro

Karen is a world-renowned dancer and mime artist, an award-winning choreographer, and the innovator of mimedance, a fusion of two classical art forms.

Karen studied ballet at Cantarella School of Dance (Pittsfield, Massachusetts), Ram Island Dance Center (Portland, Maine), and on scholarship at the Joffrey Ballet School (New York, New York). She danced professionally with the Ohio Ballet (Akron, Ohio) and the Darmstadt Opera Ballet in Germany before joining forces with mime master Tony Montanaro to study, perform, and teach internationally.

Since 2010, Karen has committed herself to bringing scientific rigor to the defense of arts in education. An exquisite logic reveals the singular capacity of the arts to meet the individual’s most basic need for both autonomy and connection (i.e., to both “stand out” and “fit in”). Karen presents her unique and inspiring insights in an informance titled "Seeking the Source of Our Highest Goosebumps: Rethinking the Role of Public Education in Raising a Happier, Higher-Performing Generation.”

In 2022, Karen premiered her one-woman show Tony Montanaro: A Love Story. This show, directed by Robert Post, was funded through a generous grant from the Maine Arts Commission that was matched by television host Tom Bergeron.

Karen currently tours her one-woman shows and offers residencies in movement, mime, and dance in schools throughout the United States.