collaborating with david parsons
choreographer, founder of parsons dance company
David and Rita Blitt during the 2002 photo shoot that resulted in the film "Caught in Paint"
Photo by Lois Greenfield
1975
“The poise and the graceful movements of the little boy on stage, dancing with a Kansas City children’s dance group, not only caught my eye, but wouldn’t allow me to look at any other dancer. After the performance, Irwin and I went back stage to tell David Parsons and his mother that someday David could become a great star. Shortly after that encounter, David came to our home and I shared my art with him. Thus, began our over forty years of discussing creativity and life.”
1987
In Rita Blitt's first collaboration with Parsons, she made an acrylic wall sculpture for the performance of “Dream Against Day,” which was danced at Dance Theater Workshop.
1992
Blitt sketched Parsons as he taught a class in grade school. Later, these drawings were in an exhibition accompanied by Haiku poetry by poet Collette Inez, who wrote a poem specifically for each drawing.
In 2005, Inez recited these poems in a New York program entitled "Rita Blitt and Friends." The poems were accompanied by Jason McDole improvising a dance and Dr. Michael Udow playing percussion.
1996
Parsons and Blitt collaborated for “The Dance Technology Project” with The Atlanta Ballet and Georgia Institute of Technology. Images of Blitt's dancing lines appeared on the dancers' bodies and moved with them as they danced.
2002
Photo by Lois Greenfield
In 2002, Parsons and Blitt met with Lois Greenfield and the dancers of the Parsons Dance company at Lois’s Tri Becca studio for a spontaneous photo shoot, which resulted in the 6-minute film "Caught in Paint." The video is an amazing creative success that has won 16 awards and been presented in over 130 film festivals. Motion Picture Magazine showed it at a 2008 party in Cannes, after it won first prize in their competition.
2015
Parsons selected Blitt's 1980s oval series for inspiration for his new dance, “Finding Center.” This dance, projecting Blitt's art 26-feet tall, premiered at the Kaufman Center for Performing Arts in Kansas City, and had its New York premier at the Joyce Theater in January 2016. Among other American venues, it has also been performed in Milan, Venice and Rome, in 2017.