Butterfly lead character, Helen Bernard, portrayed in previous performance
Störling Dance Theater’s Butterfly is a favorite production for both audience members and dancers.
The moving story of Helen Bernard and her family as they navigate the effects of Alzheimer’s disease in their lives is one that strikes a cord.
Many people have been affected, even if indirectly, by an Alzheimer’s disease or dementia diagnosis. Butterfly masterfully highlights the beauty of life in each of its stages, even when that beauty seems trapped inside a cocoon.
The production offers a level of humanity with which it is easy for audience members to identify – in part, due to the artistic genius of Störling’s Artistic Director, Mona Störling-Enna, and, in part, due to the personal experiences and integrity the dancers bring to their respective roles.
Making it Personal
Courtney Kierl-Bourman, a former principal dancer with Störling Dance Theater and the Director of Dance for The Culture House Conservatory of the Arts, returns to the stage to dance the role of Helen Bernard.
She is as generous in her acting as she is exquisite in her dancing. [Read her bio here.]
Previously as a company member, Kierl-Bourman played the role of a younger Helen hosting Christmas dinner. She pulled from personal experience with her own grandmas to embody her character.
As she steps into the role of the elder Helen for the first time, Kierl-Bourman continues to pull from personal experience.
Since last dancing in Butterfly 13 years ago, she walked through losing both of her beloved grandmothers, one to Alzheimer’s disease.
“Now I’m seeing the role of Helen with totally new eyes,” Kierl-Bourman said in an interview.
Offering Healing
The aim of the production is for all those involved, both those dancing and those witnessing, to collectively experience a level of comfort and healing in journeying with Helen and her family and to leave hopeful, reminded of the beauty life has to offer in each of its stages.
Of Butterfly, Störling-Enna said, “If you’ve experienced having a loved one getting Alzheimer’s and kind of shrinking away into their hidden cocoon, I think that seeing this show will be very healing.”
Performances of Störling Dance Theater’s Butterfly are Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at Folly Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information and tickets, visit www.storlingdance.org/new-events.
For a fun look behind-the-scenes with the Artistic Director and returning cast members, check out this short video of their favorite moments and memories.
Störling Dance Theater has been a force of beauty and impactful art in the Kansas City community since 1996. The neo-classical modern dance company has nearly three decades of experience bringing to life stories that speak to the human experience and connect with diverse audiences throughout the city, country and world.
