NEW BERN – Craven Community College's Lifetime Learning Center (LLC) and co-sponsor Atlantic Dance Theatre will host a live performance, documentary film screening and conversation, featuring Black Box Dance Theatre (BBDT). This event will be held Saturday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. in Orringer Auditorium and is free and open to the public.
BBDT is a Raleigh-based modern dance company known for powerful storytelling, emotionally compelling performances, and a deep commitment to using movement as a catalyst for connection—building bridges across communities, disciplines, and lived experiences.
The program will begin with a short live performance featuring excerpts from Patriot’s Path, performed by BBDT dancers including founding member Alfredo Hurtado, a Purple Heart combat-wounded U.S. Army veteran. This performance sets the stage for a screening of "We Lift Each Other," a documentary film that bears witness to BBDT’s artist-led model of hope and community engagement.
A facilitated talk-back conversation will follow the screening, inviting dialogue with artists and participants about art, service and the power of belonging.
Funding for this LLC Explorations in the Arts program is provided in part by Brice Pointe - A Thrive More Community, Independent Living Home Care Agency, LLC and Signature Wealth Strategies.
About Atlantic Dance Theatre
Atlantic Dance Theatre is a non-profit service organization promoting the art of dance in Craven and surrounding North Carolina counties. Our mission is to bring the joy of dance to Eastern North Carolina through collaborative educational opportunities and public performances. Founded in 1985 by Elizabeth Pope, we continue impacting the community by providing financial support to bring professional dancers such as Solo Sana – a West African dancer and drummer, Onslow Veteran’s Pow Wow – Native American dancers, Carolina Ballet – traditional ballet dancers, Flamenco Vivo – Spanish dancers, and Highland Echoes – Celtic musicians and dancers.
About Black Box Dance Theatre
Black Box Dance Theatre’s (BBDT) work with veterans has been a defining part of our mission for over a decade. We hold a deep commitment to honoring the stories of those who have served and to creating spaces where service members, their families, and the broader community can connect through the language of movement.
BBDT is proud to collaborate with partners such as the USO, Brothers and Sisters Like These, and Buncombe County Veteran Treatment Court. Together, we bring stories to life through movement—whether performing alongside veterans, leading USO Warrior Reset workshops, or hosting weekly creative gatherings.
In 2021, after years of intentional choreography, generative workshops, and work-in-progress showings, BBDT premiered "PATRIOT"—an evening-length work of multimedia dance, theater, and storytelling. PATRIOT stands as a living memorial: an emotionally charged, virtuosic performance that examines the service, sacrifice, and resilience of U.S. veterans, active-duty military members, and their families. The work continues to evolve, expanding with each new story entrusted to us by those who have served.
Tony Award-winning producer Mara Isaacs has announced the launch of a bold new documentary anthology exploring how the arts shape, uplift, and define communities across the United States. "We Lift Each Other" is a powerful documentary that reveals how transformative art can change lives, heal communities, and illuminate the extraordinary resilience of our nation’s veterans. The film follows a group of veterans—including participants in a Veterans Treatment Court—over the course of one remarkable week: from their very first meeting to their courageous participation in a fully produced public performance of original choreography. In that short time, they move from uncertainty to trust, from isolation to connection, and ultimately into the creation of powerful art that reflects their lived experiences.
Through BBDT’s healing-centered process, these veterans navigate recovery, reclaim their stories, and discover new pathways toward connection and hope. Their journey demonstrates how non-fiction dance can foster belonging, ignite resiliency, and mend what trauma has fractured. The project has been recognized statewide and nationally as a model of hope—a testament to the ability of the arts to transform lives.