Step into Flood, begin again and immerse yourself in the real and imaginative effort necessary to ride and become the waters. This dance performance transforms the Fairmount Water Works’ former Kelly Pool into a site of regeneration, a fantastical riverbed, and portal to new beginnings.

Dance artists Amalia Colón-Nava, Chloe Marie, Harlee Trautman, Katherine Kiefer Stark, Marcie Mamura, and Meredith Stapleton along with composer Andy Thierauf and lighting designer Harbour Edney, bring audiences on an immersive journey that compels us to consider our shared stewardship of water, place, and each other.

Watch us harness our collective effort to navigate real and imagined currents, take risks, sink and swim together. At times resisting and at times striving to soften into our fragility, we search for shared horizons, at least one thing we can see, believe in, orient ourselves toward, and, in the right moment, turn it upside down and begin again.

Limited seating, we highly recommend getting tickets in advance. 
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The Naked Stark is a West Philly-based modern dance company that crafts up-close, immersive dance experiences that delve into the intricacies of the human experience, question the status quo, nurture imaginations, and offer hope. We develop work through rigorous movement research, thematic research, and environmental design to create unique worlds. The company’s creative collaborative structure engages multidisciplinary artists who value intergenerational connections, and who find joy in this process of deep research and world building. We engage audiences in our questions and invite active participation and meaning-making.

Flood, begin again emerged from the Bodies of Water project which began with a 2024 residency at FWW. We became FWW’s Partner in Movement in 2025, performing our short commissioned work in tandem with the art exhibit CONFLUENCE. In the 2025 Fringe, we shared a three-part journey through the FWW that included a work-in-progress in the former Kelly Pool.

Our work Flood, begin again was made possible by the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Creative Sector Flex Fund, Fairmount Water Works, and our incredible community who contributed to our crowdfunding campaign. We are grateful! 

For more than 200 years, the Fairmount Water Works has told the story of our connection with water. It operated as a pumping station from 1815 to 1909, an aquarium from 1911 to 1962, as the Kelly Natatorium until 1972, and today serves as Philadelphia Water’s public education destination, housing the award-winning Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center featuring landmark exhibitions and serving as a living laboratory for urban watershed sustainability. Located on the Schuylkill River at 640 Waterworks Drive, off scenic Kelly Drive in Philadelphia, the FWW is recognized as The Delaware River Basin’s Official Watershed Education Center and Gateway Center for the Schuylkill River National.

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This event is appropriate for all ages

Performance area is accessed via a flight of stairs. There is no air conditioning in the performance space, but paper fans will be available. There will be drinking water onsite. Hard copies of all text used in the performance will be available upon request.

Covid-19 (and other illnesses) Safety policy
This event does not require masks to be worn. If you feel ill, please stay home.