Mommy Dance History

THE MOMMY DANCE was originally produced in 1994 as part of Out North Theater's "Under 30" program.

The Mommy Dance is an original work written and performed by Jill Bess. Lyrics by Jill Bess. Music by Jill Bess and Darcy McMullen Kreger. It was first performed in May 1994 as part of Out North's "Under 30", a program of works under 30 minutes in length by Alaskan artists. Out North Theatre Company is an Anchorage, Alaska based theater. On October 28, 1994 excerpts from The Mommy Dance were performed as the dedication ceremony of Grandview Gardens Cultural Center, home to Out North and two other nonprofit cultural organizations.

An expanded version of The Mommy Dance with new material from Jill Bess' evolving experience of motherhood was performed again at the following events:

- February 1995 for Out North at Grandview Gardens
- April 1995 for Out North at Grandview Gardens

In April 1995 Jill Bess performed a 52 minute version of The Mommy Dance in Haines, Alaska at the bi-annual ACT-FEST. The production won several awards, including Best Production, Best Actress, Best Technical Direction and Best Original Play. It went on to compete, two days later in Haines, for the regional competition and won Best Production and Best Actress.

The show was again produced in May 1995 at Cyrano's Theatre in Anchorage as a benefit for Out North in preparation for the National AACT-FEST competition.

In June 1995 in Midland, Texas, The Mommy Dance took first place for Best Technical Direction, a Best Actress award, and first runner up in the category of Best Production at the bi-annual National AACT-FEST.

The Mommy Dance has seen several productions throughout the state of Alaska including productions in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The latest version, a full 2 act show, was produced by Anchorage Community Theatre at Alaska Pacific University's Grant Hall in April of 2002.

Look for the upcoming production in September of 2003 at Alaska's Perseverance Theatre in Juneau.