Looking Back, Stepping Forward

Artists: Rachel Linsky's ZACHOR Dance Projects in collaboration with Nat Seelen and Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band

BFNJM Season Premiere: 2026-2027 at the Takeda Theater, presented by Global Arts Live.

"Looking Back, Stepping Forward" is a collaborative work for six dancers and six musicians by choreographer Rachel Linsky, composer Nat Seelen, and Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band. It began as a commission from the Jewish Arts Collaborative and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where the first segments were premiered, and was expanded with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Combined Jewish Philantrhopies Arts & Culture Community Impact Grant Fund, the Urbanity X Residency, the Memorial Foundation for Jeiwsh Culture, Boston Moving Arts Productions, and the Somerville Arts Council. The full show premieres at the Takeda Theater, the centerpiece of the brand new performing arts complex in Cambridge, MA in December, 2026, after which it is available for touring internationally.

"Looking Back, Stepping Forward" is a beautiful and powerful production that reflects on diasporic identity: what it means to honor our histories while allowing tradition to live, change and evolve in our bodies. Through the dialogue between music and dance, past and present, individual and collective, and the tension that live sin each of those conversations, the work offers a joyful model of cultural exchange. It celebrates how these forms allow us to find space for our own voice within the context of a community, and how it is the questions that these traditions invite us to ask that get us there.

Featuring brand new contemporary compositions and choreography that draw from a deep well of Ashkenazi cultural traditions, specifically in klezmer music and Yiddish social dances, this piece is perfect for performing arts centers, theaters, and university presenters with audiences interested in world cultural traditions, modern dance, and virtuosic music. 

"Looking Back, Stepping Forward" is available for single run-out engagements, multiple-performance runs, and educational residencies. The performance works well paired with a public dance party with dance leading from the ZACHOR Dance Projects and live music by Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band. 

The artists are also gifted educators and come with a series of optional workshops and talks for students or general audiences. This is a perfect project for a university presenter to collaborate with various departments - music, movement arts, Jewish studies, Hillel - or community partners to get maximum value out of a campus visit.

Booking Contact: Nat Seelen nat@bostonjewishmusic.org