Sunday, February 1 at 2:00 pm EST
In-person
Museum of Jewish Heritage
Edmond J. Safra Plaza
36 Battery Place
New York, NY 10280
Free, $10 suggested donation
Photos: Anna Sokolow in Slaughter of the Innocents by Barbara Morgan,
Samantha Géracht by Gary Spector
Anna Sokolow and composer Alex North connected as young artists in the midst of the 1930’s Great Depression. Both came from Russian Jewish immigrant families and were committed to the social justice issues of the time, including workers rights and anti-fascism. In 1937, Sokolow premiered Slaughter of the Innocents, her 1937 lament for Basque women suffering under Nazi aerial bombing set to an original score by Alex North.
Artistic Director Samantha Géracht will take the audience through the re-creation/reimagination process of this dance, which began with a set of photographic proofs and the discovery of the lost North score, while outlining the history of anti-fascist modern dance. Slaughter of the Innocents will be performed by members of the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble to the original music, as well as an excerpt from Sokolow’s Kurt Weill (music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Berthold Brecht).
Sokolow revisited the themes of anti-fascism long after they were artistically out of fashion. We will look at how and why the “priestess of doom and gloom” showed us our darkest selves and her belief in the triumph of humanity.
Coming soon at the Museum of Jewish Heritage
March 1, 2026 at 2:00 pm
America at 250: Anna Sokolow’s Rooms
The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble performs Sokolow’s enduring masterpiece, Rooms.
Part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival.