Choreographer Alexis Robbins with cast of The Mercy Velvet Project. Photos courtesy of Kamrdance.
Dance comes to the city with a new work on Thursday, July 24.
The Mercy Velvet Project is a tap dance and rock opera now under development, conceived by choreographer Alexis Robbins. To help prepare it for the 2026 premiere, ArtsWestCT is supporting her dance company for a one-week creative residency in West Haven. The end result of this dedicated time for the dancers and musicians to work together will be a work-in-progress showing at Music Back Then Performance Theater, located at 221 Bull Hill Lane.
The event is free and open to the public, and will include a 630pm pre-talk on tap dance as an art form, followed by a 7pm performance.
The work explores what makes us human, our collective needs for community to survive—with musicians and dancers moving as one. Nine songs from the 1999 album, Live in Vain by Mercy Velvet serve as the score. The show tells the story of the album through tap dance as percussion, contemporary dance, original text, and instrumentation via bass, guitar, vocals, and electronics. Says Robbins, “What I hope people will take away from this work is that by giving and receiving the gift of mercy, we are able to find the bridge to survival, wholeness, and hope. That is how we lead meaningful lives.”
Live in Vain by Mercy Velvet is the music that Robbins grew up with, the percussive rhythms and lyrics that inspired living room dances. Her father, Mark Robbins, was the drummer and co-composer for Mercy Velvet, alongside lyricist Deb Lili, and guitarist Lou Lili. Her father’s love and direction has deeply influenced the music Alexis listens to and the music she creates as a tap dancer. Now, Alexis, Associate & Musical Director Christie Echols, and their collaborators bring Live in Vain to audiences for the first time.
Says Elinor Slomba, Board member of ArtsWestCT, “We thought that bringing this work to West Haven would, number one, allow people to appreciate in person the passion and athleticism that these dancers embody. It will also show how movement fused with music can tell a powerful story.” Along the same lines, Clare Byrne of the CT Examiner has written that the Mercy Velvet Project “demonstrates dance and music as indivisible.”
The pre-talk will cover tap dance history pushing back on stereotypes that suggest it’s a dying art form. Beer, wine, and snacks will be available for purchase at the venue. There is a suggested donation of $10 cash or Venmo at the door, and a link to rsvp in advance so the hosts can have an approximate head count, but everyone will be welcome at the door.
More details can be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/s/the-mercy-velvet-project-work-/1071973468363126/?rdid=vVANFKmOo6mpqOgA&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1Ec4Hqe2BC%2F#
More about ArtsWestCT: https://www.artswestct.org/