Sounds of a Summer Night

Wednesday evening, July 27, at Reeves-Reed Arboretum 

For a week straight we all suffered from high heat and humidity.  Staff, visitors and even the flowers in the gardens seem to move and sway in a slow motion stupor.  Yet, at 7 pm Wednesday evening, July 27, with 250 people gathered at the Arboretum, as the chords of Val Vigoda’s electric violin sounded, the grounds of the Arboretum suddenly awakened.  Dancers elegantly moved from the upper lawn, through the gardens, striking poses and articulating moves, leading the audience to the Azalea Garden.  Once seated, we shared the pleasure of experiencing the musical virtuosity of Ms. Vigoda paired with the extraordinary choreography of Nancy Turano and the dancers of the New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble. 

“If music be the food of love, play on!” (Twelfth Night, Shakespeare) – themes of love, music, romance, relationships played out in front of us all, and as the evening drew to a close and the audience rose to its feet, we left the grounds in eager anticipation of the next dance and nature event at the Arboretum on August 31 featuring the NJDTE collaborating with Alvin Ailey dancer and choreographer, Elizabeth Roxas, the heat and humidity dispelled in the euphoria of cool music and dance.