Kim Engel, Ivan Sygoda, 2026-2027

Heidi Latsky at Capital Region Colleges

Year: 2026-2027
DanceForce Member: Kim Engel
Partnering DanceForce Member: Ivan Sygoda
Artist: Heidi Latsky
Community Partners: Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Dance Alliance; Russell Sage College’s Visual & Performing Arts Program and School of Health Sciences
Audience: 250
County: Rensselaer

Heidi Latsky in LIVING IN THE GREY. Photo courtesy of Heidi Latsky Dance

Members Kim Engel and Ivan Sygoda are pooling resources to support two fall visits to the Capital Region by dancer/choreographer/disability advocate Heidi Latsky.

Originally from Montreal, Heidi began her dance career in 1983, most significantly as a principal dancer for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (1987-1993). Her style and philosophy of dance were shaped by this experience, leading her to co-found Goldhuber & Latsky (1993-2000). In 2001, she established Heidi Latsky Dance with which she made her mark in the physically integrated dance field.

After undergoing an 11-hour brain surgery in 2024, Heidi discovered she wasn’t alone— many dancers she knew, ages 35 to 60, were quietly dealing with similar neurological challenges. Instead of continuing to feel isolated, she invited them into her creative process, transforming shared vulnerability into a powerful community and a new artistic vision.

The result was the film “Living in the Grey,” a moving 35-minute documentary that addresses two questions:

  • When our worlds turn upside down, what are the stories we tell?
  • What if dancers could provide vital insight into how the body and mind heal?

Conceived with cinematographer Sebastian Lasaosa Rogers, the film pairs raw, intimate interviews with striking movement—shining a light on the often misunderstood and stigmatized world of non-apparent neurological disabilities. By sharing their dancing and stories, the dancers assert: “While we do talk about our diagnoses, we are NOT our diagnoses. We are human and have full and vibrant lives.” The film is a tribute to people living in the grey and thriving there.

On November 12, Heidi will visit the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to participate in their new Interface series which features artists in conversations with scientists.  Heidi will be paired with a faculty member from RPI’s Biological Neuroscience Program and will discuss her work with dancers who have non-apparent neurological disabilities and their experiences together.

On November 17, Heidi will return to the Capital Region this time to visit Russell Sage College to teach a class, screen “Living in the Grey” and participate in a discussion of the film. These events will broadly share what it is like to have a non-apparent neurological disability through the lens of five very different people and to reveal the various tools that dancers have cultivated as athletes that people with any sort of trauma can utilize to, not just recover, but to heal.

While students, faculty and the campus communities are expected to attend, these events will be open to the public, allowing medical professionals, caregivers, therapists, disability advocates, artists, etc. to be present and participate.