Claire Danes to Perform Christina Olson: American Model at P.S. 122

Claire Danes will perform a solo dance piece at P.S. 122. Christina Olson: American Model, choreographed by Tamar Rogoff, is scheduled to run from September 22 through October 2.

Olson is best known as the woman in the pink dress depicted in Andrew Wyeth's iconic painting, Christina's World. What is less known is that she suffered from a never-diagnosed muscular deterioration that left her arms weak and her lower body paralyzed. Fueled by both pride and denial, Christina rejected wheelchairs and found ways to move relying only on her own strength. In Christina Olson: American Model, Danes will explore the ideas, spirit, and physicality of a woman both rejected and revered with just the movement of her body.

Danes, who performed at P.S. 122 at the age of six, rose to popularity in the mid-1990s for her Emmy nominated performance in the ABC series My So-Called Life, which was a hit with critics but was canceled after just one season. She parlayed her small screen popularity into a big screen career. Her film credits include How to Make an American Quilt, Little Women, Home for the Holidays, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, Romeo + Juliet, U Turn, The Rainmaker, Les Miserables, The Mod Squad, Brokedown Palace, Igby Goes Down, The Hours, It's All About Love, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Stage Beauty. Her next film Shopgirl will be released in the U.S. on October 21.

Christina Olson: American Model will feature music by Rachel's, video by Harvey Wang and Andrew Baker, costume design by Liz Prince and lighting design by David Ferri.