The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE) will commemorate the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht with a dance performance based on testimony from survivors and witnesses.
The event will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6:30 p.m. at The White Theatre (5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, KS).
This year’s commemoration seeks to recognize the human experience of Kristallnacht. The performance, “Beyond Broken Glass,” explores universal experiences of childhood, school, community, home, family, citizenship, race, religion and relocation shared through eyewitness testimony within the framework of Kristallnacht.
Beyond Broken Glass features the music of composer John Currey and the choreography of Suzanne Ryanstrati. This is Ryanstrati’s second project presented with MCHE. Currey and Ryanstrati’s research in collaboration with the MCHE informed the movement of dancers Nora Burkitt-Davis, Katarina Fitzpatrick, Maggie Nicholls, Kerry Miller, Andrea Wolfe, and three from Encore! at The J.
The commemoration is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested — more information and reservation details can be found at mchekc.org.
For many years the violent attack on German, Austrian and Sudetenland Jews on Nov. 9 and 10, 1938, was referred to as Kristallnacht. This name, meaning “night of broken glass,” conjures images of shattered windows and burned synagogues, but MCHE staff said it does not capture the personal violence experienced by hundreds of individuals during this period. People were attacked and beaten in their homes, and women experienced sexual assault. Kristallnacht went far beyond property damage. For this reason, Kristallnacht is now increasingly referred to as the November Pogrom.
