Assitant Professor Matt Pardo, who is also co-director of The Blanket, was interviewed for the October edition of Departures Magazine, the magazine for American Express Card Members.
Pittsburgh has “quietly become a cultural capital”, according to Stephen Heyman of Departures Magazine. Though this may be a surprise to many, those working in the community, have seen a steady and committed push forward in the cultural landscape, including Matt Pardo, assistant professor of dance at Elon.
In his recent article for Departures Magazine, the magazine for American Express card members, Heyman interviewed several artistic figures around the Pennsylvania city who are working to bring in outside voices.
The Blanket, a production entity co-founded/directed by Pardo and Caitlin Scranton, is one of the organizations featured in the article. Pardo and Scranton briefly discuss their experiences inside of the Pittsburgh artistic scene and talk about The Blanket’s first project.
The Blanket is a producing organization that exists to expand and improve dance in Pittsburgh. It seeks to help artists realize collaborative projects that bridge the gap between the city and the global dance community.
The Blanket commissions choreographers and artists from the wider dance world to create work on Pittsburgh dancers, in Pittsburgh venues, in collaboration with Pittsburgh artists/organizations. It facilitates and produces new projects and bring revivals to Pittsburgh, giving local artists and audiences the opportunity to experience (and take part in) the broad spectrum of dance as an art form.
The Blanket’s first project (“Lucinda Childs: The Early Works”) was presented in the summer of 2017. The project was reviewed by several publications/organizations including Dance Magazine-Online, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, WQED, and Departures Magazine, among others.
For more information about The Blanket, visit theblanket.org or matt-pardo.com