We've read the books. We've seen the pictures. We've attended the lectures. We've watched the movies. We have learned everything there is to know about the Holocaust. Or have we?
Francis Cohen, renowned modern dance choreographer and co-founder of the dance program at the UA, has breathed new life into the famous story of Anne Frank, in "The Attic."
"Well, you know I was a teenager when the Holocaust happened," she said. "The diary was found in 1952 and I was in college. I read the diary, and the first thing I thought was, 'This would make an incredible dance.'"
The Center Dance Ensemble, a nonprofit professional dance company from Phoenix, is performing Cohen's "The Attic" as part of the "Looking Glass Series." The series is sponsored by the UA School of Music and Dance and is showing at the Stevie Eller Dance Theater Feb. 6-8.
"I think the way she depicts the story of Anne Frank is really poignant without being melodramatic - without being sappy," said Jory Hancock, the head of the Dance Division.
Cohen expresses the grim realities of the Holocaust in a new and abstract way, she said. She choreographs to the music of Franz Schubert ("Trio in E Flat, Op.100") and Dmitri Shostakovich ("Trio No. 2, Op. 67"), who lived under the artistically oppressive dictatorship of Josef Stalin.
"I think everyone should come see it, because you get drawn into the story more than the movement," Geoff Gonzalez, a dance freshman and a guest dancer in "The Attic" said. "Nobody has ever thought to put Anne Frank into a dance just because it is so overwhelming. But it is amazing to watch."
Using film footage of the rise of Hitler, emotional music and readings from the diary, Cohen is able to make modern dance - a form of expression not well-known to mainstream America - accessible to her audience.
"These young people today may not have had the experience of modern dance. I think that in order to be a 'university education,' it has to include all sorts of experiences," Cohen said. "In order to be a university student, you have to universalize your outlook."
While many people today find it hard to relate to the symphony or ballet, Cohen has found a way to engage a wide range of audiences to unique forms of expression, with a well-known and beloved story.
"I want (my audience) to have an emotional experience. I want them to respond. They either love my work or they hate my work. And I think that's a good credo. Just react to it. If you don't react to it, then I have failed," Cohen said.
The Center Dance Ensemble will also be performing "Dance of the Spider Women," choreographed by Cohen as well. Center Dance Ensemble's performance is $10 for students, and is playing only this weekend.
"I hope that (through this piece) I would open up a little window of understanding and love of dance and art in general," Cohen said.