WHERE SHE ONCE STOOD
bringing the Crane House & Historic YWCA to life through dance
in partnership with Montclair History Center
Performances:
September 20, 2025, various times 10am-6pm
Location:
Crane House & Historic YWCA
110 Orange Rd, Montclair, NJ 07042
Free street parking available. Performances are accessible by ramp or elevator, with a gravel parking lot located within 30 feet of the entrance. For further accommodations, please contact TMA 2 weeks prior to performance.
Tickets:
Available August 2025
Behind-the-Project:
Follow the process: Project Blog
Read more about the project: Crane House Preview Media Kit
Press Release (July 2025): Where She Once Stood Press Release
Where She Once Stood is a dance performance project that brings to life the rich history of the Crane House & Historic YWCA. In partnership with Montclair History Center, this site-immersive performance weaves dance and music together with the spaces and historical narratives.
Grounded in the company’s signature aesthetic of strong, fiercely feminine dance, the project’s choreography blends bold, innovative physicality with moments of tenderness and subtlety. Audiences are guided through the house and grounds to witness intimate and captivating performances by an all-female cast. Each room reveals a different era, from the lives of three generations of the Crane family and the enslaved people and servants who were part of the household (1796–1900), to the period when the home was a segregated YWCA for Black women and girls, including boarders (1920–1965).
The dances crafted for each room and era reflect their emotional, spiritual, and everyday realities, thoughtfully shaped through shifting movement dynamics, evocative live music, period-inspired clothing, and resonant tone. From controlled to free, from restrained grace to expressive strength, the choreography is rooted in each dancer’s deep connection to the stories and to one another. This project honors the women of the Crane House & Historic YWCA by giving physical form to their experiences and centering women’s voices in the spaces where they once stood. Where She Once Stood builds on The Moving Architects’ extensive history of producing innovative, community-focused, and feminist-driven dance work.
Artists – current roster
Choreographer: Erin Carlisle Norton
Dancers: Mariah Anton, Nicole Arakaki, Emily Cicio, Kelly Guerrero, Karma Chuki, Cecilia Mitchell
Historical Overview
Montclair History Center’s Crane House & Historic YWCA holds the history of three generations of the Crane family and the enslaved people and servants who were part of the household (1796-1900), the period when the home was a segregated YWCA for Black women and girls, including boarders (1920-1965), and the early preservationists who saved this piece of Montclair history in the formative years of America’s historic preservation movement (1965-1970). The Crane House & Historic YWCA uncovers America’s history from its early years as an independent nation to a country embroiled in the civil rights struggle.
This project is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. For more info: The Moving Architects Grant Press Release
This project is made possible by funds from the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
top photo: Parlor (1796-1840) with Nicole Arakaki and Mariah Anton-Arters, photo Julie Lemberger
bottom photo: Dining Room (1840-1900) with Cecilia Mitchell, Karma Chuki, and Kelly Guerrero, photo Julie Lemberger
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