DANCE FOR THE RIVER BY PHOTOGRAPHER CHRISTINE RUCKER

DEBUTS AT YADKIN CULTURAL ARTS CENTER

By Phoebe Zerwick

Winston-Salem, NC, September 20, 2017 – DANCE FOR THE RIVER, an exhibit an interdisciplinary education and awareness program spearheaded by Photographer Christine Rucker, will make its debut on Saturday, October 21, from 5:30 to 8PM, at the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center in Yadkinville, NC. Tickets to the exhibit and opening are free. VIP tickets to see the interdisciplinary performance from 7-8PM in the Willingham Theatre that night also are free, however reservations are required by calling 336-679-2941. The exhibit runs through November 27.

DANCE FOR THE RIVER has been a year-long project for Rucker. It brings together dance and photography to educate about clean water. “The Yadkin is North Carolina’s second longest river and one of the largest watersheds in the state,” said Rucker. “However, so few people have awareness of the river’s beauty, and its importance when it comes to providing clean water. I wanted to show an uncommon perspective about the river; and offer an unusual way for people to learn about its benefits to our region.”

The program is a collaborative effort between Christine Rucker Photography, Phoebe Zerwick, Helen Simoneau Danse, UNC School of the Arts’ School of Dance, Yadkin Arts Council and Yadkin Riverkeeper. Wake Forest University Humanities Institute. Sponsors for the program include Wells Fargo, the John W. and Anna H. Hanes Foundation, the Yadkin Arts Council and Wake Forest University Humanities Institute.

Rucker traveled the length of the river with UNCSA dance students and professional dancers; and used dance and photography to interpret the variety of the river and environmental threats to this water source. In addition to the exhibit, an accompanying education program will travel throughout North Carolina for the next year. Phoebe Zerwick, the director of journalism at Wake Forest University, co-produced the video and the exhibit.

The photographs will travel to cultural centers along the river and be on display for one-to-two months in each location. The Yadkin Cultural Arts Center kicks off the tour, which will then move to Forsyth County in Spring 2018, Lexington in Summer 2018 and Salisbury in Fall 2018.

An educational performance will take place in schools in each area. The performance, Choreographed by UNCSA dance students brings the images in the exhibit to life. An educational packet will be available to students at each performance, along with a teaching guide and the Waterkeepers Carolina Report that can be used for supplemental classroom instruction.

#            #            #

About Christine Rucker Photography

Christine Rucker has been making photographs for over 20 years. She learned the craft of storytelling while working as a newspaper photographer out of college. She learned the fragility of life while volunteering for Operation Smile and other non-profit missions in third world countries. Her camera has taken her places that she would never have gone without it; and she has been fortunate to meet some amazing people along the way. Her current clients include: Winston-Salem Foundation, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, The Duke Endowment, Wake Forest University, UNC School of the Arts, OUR State Magazine, BIKE magazine, The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, Z Smith Reynolds Foundation, Yadkin Riverkeeper and more.

About the Yadkin Riverkeeper®:

Yadkin Riverkeeper is a 501(c)3 organization based in Winston-Salem, NC. The organization’s mission is to respect, protect and improve the Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin through education, advocacy and action. It is aimed at creating a clean and healthy river that sustains life and is cherished by its people. For more information, visit YadkinRiverkeeper.org or call 336-722-4949.

About Yadkin Cultural Arts Center

The Yadkin Arts Council is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Yadkin County citizens through the arts. Opened in September of 2010, the Cultural Center provides a home for the arts in Yadkin County.

About Phoebe Zerwick

Phoebe Zerwick is a freelance journalist and director of journalism at Wake Forest University, where she teaches writing and journalism. She and Rucker have collaborated on numerous documentary projects, including the Yadkin River Story, The Story of My Life, and Sacred Rivers. Contact her through: http://www.phoebezerwick.com/