Baltimore, Md. – March 7, 2005 – Planit today announced that it has been chosen by ARTSEDGE, the online education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., to design an interactive Web site in support of its presentation of the world renowned Martha Graham Dance Company.
“The Kennedy Center Education Department was searching for a dynamic, non-traditional way to engage audiences in Martha Graham’s dance form,“ said Matt Doud, president and co-founder of Planit. “We helped them develop a vibrant, encompassing site that not only involves users, but utilizes the medium to make them active participants in Graham’s contemporary dance movement.”
The flash-based Web site chronicles the experiences of Jordy, a fictional dance protégée who has recently joined the Martha Graham Dance Company. Upon entering the site— A Dancer’s Journal: Learning to Perform the Dances of Martha Graham—users follow Jordy to the first stop on her journey, her dance locker. There, users are presented with four books—Lamentation, Appalachian Spring, Diversion of Angels, and Errand into the Maze—one for each of Martha Graham’s famous dances.
Designed to entertain and educate through exploration, each book contains interactive journal entries, video clips, music, photos and animation that showcase Martha Graham’s history, as well as the motion and technique behind her choreography. Phase One of the site, featuring Lamentation and Appalachian Spring, launched on February 16 to coincide with the company’s first stop at the Kennedy Center. The remaining books, Diversion of Angels and Errand into the Maze, are scheduled to launch in early March as the company travels to other destinations on its tour.
“We are very pleased with the way Planit was able to use technology to illustrate our message and to create an educational site with the feelings of discovery, surprise and playfulness,” said Darrell Ayers, vice president for education at the Kennedy Center.
A Dancer’s Journal is a collaborative effort among Planit, the Martha Graham Dance Company and ARTSEDGE, the online project of the Kennedy Center’s Education Department that provides resources, lesson plans and media-rich activities for students and teachers.
