Not-About-AIDS-Dance was created in response to a horrific year in the choreographer’s life in which he lost his brother, AIDS activist Jon Greenberg, and eight other friends to AIDS. Before these events, and before the dance acquired its name, Greenberg had conceptualized a work in which the audience would receive extra-dance information about the dancers that usually remains hidden or unspoken, altering the relationship between audience and performers. Not-About-AIDS-Dance is a development of this previously planned dance. Via Greenberg’s signature use of slide projections of written text, the audience learns of the deaths of Greenberg’s brother and friends and the death of the mother of one of the dancers, all of which occurred during the rehearsal process.
The text also refers to Greenberg's HIV+ status, with the goal of giving this its due weight and integrating this information into his identity and the total landscape of the community of people on stage. In his use of text, Greenberg shows both his sly humor and his ability to create intimacy through unexpected disclosure.
Not-About-AIDS-Dance premiered at
The Kitchen in New York City
50 minutes, five dancers
Music fragments: Zeena Parkins
Lighting: Michael Stiller
Originally Performed by: Ellen Barnaby, Christopher Batenhorst, Neil Greenberg, Justine Lynch, Jo McKendry