The New York State DanceForce, SUNY Potsdam Department of Theatre and Dance, and St. Lawrence University Department of Performance and Communication Arts will present choreographer, JoAnna Mendl Shaw in a residency September 12-19.

Her residency culminates with two performances of a site-specific dance that she will create with SUNY Potsdam dance students. It will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, at noon and 3 p.m. on the Crane Plaza at SUNY Potsdam.

There will be two screenings of Shaw’s documentary film Hästdans på Hovdala (“Horse Dance at Hovdala”). Håstdans på Hovdala is a film about a unique creation process when, in July 2013, Shaw’s company, The Equus Projects spent three weeks in a Swedish forest creating an evening length theatre work that brought together four dancers, four horses and a cast of Swedish performers with autism. Filmmaker David Fishel follows the progression of the creation process, the equine training, and the deepening connection that develops between the human and equine performers.

Screenings are Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Proscenium Theatre in the Performing Arts Center at SUNY Potsdam, and Thursday Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. in the Peterson-Kermani Performance Hall at St. Lawrence University.

Over the course of a week, Shaw and members of the cast will create a 45-minute work that weaves together elements of dance and theatre in the large, open space of the Crane Plaza on the SUNY Potsdam campus. Shaw is noted for transforming ordinary venues into dramatic performance sites.

Shaw is a choreographer and teacher whose work stretches the boundaries of traditional dance. The recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Choreographic Fellowships, Shaw has choreographed for dance companies throughout the States and Europe. Shaw is the Artistic Director of The Equus Projects, a company of professional dancers trained in natural horsemanship and committed to the investigation of the dynamic physical dialogue between horses and humans.

Her residency includes teaching in the dance programs at SUNY Potsdam and St. Lawrence University.

Performances, documentary screenings, and open outdoor rehearsals on the Crane Plaza are free and open to the public.

The Crane Plaza is located between the Sara M. Snell and Hosmer performance halls. Audience members will be invited to change their viewpoints throughout the dance and interact with the performers. Chairs will be available or you may bring your own.

Info: Robin Collen at 267.2234 or collenrl@potsdam.edu.