Twin Cities based modern dance company ARENA DANCES will perform their new work, Erased Steps, at Union Depot on Thursday, August 24 and Friday, August 25 at 8:00pm.

Erased Steps will be an abstract dance theater work, taking place at Union Depot in St. Paul, MN. The work features an original score by local composer, Zack Baltich alongside 15 dancers whose relationships are gradually revealed through the works’ deft abstraction, incorporating dance, visual symbolism and imaginative staging. Shining a light on both personal and societal expectations, Erased Steps exposes themes of the past and the present; what things seem like on the surface versus what they might actually be.

The Union Depot, one of America’s great rail stations from the early 20th century, stands as the backdrop to this piece. With high ceilings, a vast waiting area and beautiful polished stone floors, it serves as a reminder of wealth and status. However, today it has become a home for many people facing homelessness.

Erased Steps takes on a personal note for Janczewski as well. Growing up in the 80’s as a gay child living in a small town with Catholic parents, Mathew suppressed his emotions and his true self to be accepted in society. He wanted so badly to dance in his youth, but boys were not allowed, leading him to hide his true self to get by. What would his life have been like had he been able to live his authentic self as a child?

This piece begins with an excerpt of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, read in tandem as the dancers emerge on stage. Eliot’s poem articulates the juxtaposing themes of grandeur and hidden reality; drawing connections between the mechanization and technological advancement of everyday life and the degradation of human dignity.

Erased Steps will take place in two parts. The first half of the dance represents the image of perfection – what society expects, how we present our “best” selves to others (or what we believe others want to see). Dancers move in restrained fashion, donning business wear and black shoes. Their movements are intentional and crisp; always in control. The second section celebrates flowing movements and joyous expression, with dancers shedding their proper suits for athletic wear and tennis shoes.

Tickets: $30 -no one turned away for lack of funds