Pam Fabri Pisani of Plainsboro is making her New York debut at the age of 49. She is part of Susan Tenney’s “Je me souviens. . . I remember. . .” on stage on Saturday, October 29, at 7:30 p.m. at New York’s Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, in Manhattan. The performance will be followed by a VIP cocktail reception. Tickets are $25 to $75 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000.
“Susan invited women she’s danced with and they were each able to internalize pieces differently,” says Pisani. “It’s a very loose story about a child’s journey and she’s hoping audience members can draw their own meaning.”
Tenney, a Princeton native, has assembled a company of New Jersey-based dancers, including Pisani, Naoko Cojerian of West Windsor, Gary Echtermacht of Pennington, Yoshie Driscoll of Princeton, Samantha Gullace of Monroe, Alexandra Fredas of Westfield, Anya Kalishnikova of Highland Park, Alexis Branagan of Roselle Park, and Cynthia Yank of Lawrenceville.
The multi-generational cast of nine members ranging from 9 to 67 years of age performs in a production incorporating modern and classical dance styles with the pedestrian and theatrical. The evening presents part three of the piece in its entirety, as well as selections from parts one and two. Excerpts from Pascale Cuenot’s new documentary film “In the Tracks of Georges Delerue” will also be shown as part of the evening’s presentation.
Delerue, a French film score composer, scored more than 200 feature movies, 125 short films, 70 television films, and 35 television serials.
Pisani, known as a community theater choreographer, has staged more than a dozen musicals for Playful Theater Productions at Kelsey Theater. “I love being on the other end,” says Pisani. “The medium that an artist works on is the artist’s clay.”
Pisani takes ballet and modern dance classes with Tenney and has performed with her company in the past, appearing in “The Tower” and “February Farewell.” “The latest section was first performed as a studio piece at Princeton Ballet this past May,” says Pisani.
“The dance is open to interpretation, but to me it’s the story of family — a duet that represents her engagement to her husband; a section reflective of a mother; and a haunting section of a girl and a letter she receives,” she says.
Pisani was born in Trenton, raised in Willingboro, and spent her teenage years in Hopewell.
She began dancing in Willingboro but took a few years to return after the move to Hopewell, “I was very shy and it was hard to start at a new dance studio.” She performed in plays in high school and then began studying ballet, jazz, and modern dance at American Repertory’s Princeton Ballet School in 1977.
A resident of Plainsboro for 18 years, she also acted and danced as a member of the ensemble in the McCarter Theater production of “A Christmas Carol” about 17 years ago. “It was an interesting experience and I’m glad I did it,” says Pisani. “The kids were four and five and my mother pitched in to help with childcare.” Her husband, Fred, an attorney at Ramp and Pisani in Tenafly, works from home two to three days a week, and was a big help.
Their daughter, Courtney, 22, graduated from High School North in 2007, and the University of Maryland. She is in her first year of teaching sixth grade in Fairfax, Virginia.
Their other daughter, Megan, 21, graduated from North in 2008, and is a senior at Rider. She is majoring in secondary math education and begins her student teaching at North in January.
“It’s never too late for dreams to come true,” says Pisani about her New York debut.
Je me souviens…I remember, Susan Tenney, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, New York City. Saturday, October 29, 7:30 p.m. VIP cocktail reception follows the performance. $25 to $75. 800-845-3000. www.susantenneydance.com.
