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A Therapist Who Fled the Nazis, and Other Characters in Motion
"A Time to Dance provides a worthwhile reason to bask in the company of a tenacious woman who fled Nazi-occupied Austria for New York. Funny... captivating... charming... Ms. Skala's convincing portrayal is the reason Polk is brought to life with such vibrancy."
         – Gia Kourlas, THE NEW YORK TIMES
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A Time to Dance - Critics Pick
"A Time to Dance is a sparkling one-woman show. A vivacious actor, Skala brings childlike exuberance and lots of freeform expressive dance movement to her poignant portrayal of an undaunted survivor."
         – Lisa Jo Sagolla, BACK STAGE
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A beautiful life story worth telling, and hearing
"Skala skillfully portrays her great aunt Elizabeth Polk...a remarkable woman [whose] story is [told] exuberantly with dance and drama.  The music is fanciful and expressive – much like the performance by Skala, whose face speaks 1,000 words.  (Four Stars)"
         – Kathy Rumleski, THE LONDON FREE PRESS
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Fringe Festival - A Time to Dance
"With elegant triumph, Skala manages to hold the audience’s attention—and keep it smiling—with a pointed tale of hardship.... She ultimately leaves the audience with a …message of belief in a great and invisible love, and of faith in the strength of one's 'core' that nothing can touch. (Four Stars)"
         – Katy Reddin, TIME OUT NEW YORK
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Libby Skala encapsulates 100 years of life, love, dance
"This is Libby Skala’s much-applauded one-woman show, A Time to Dance, interweaving narrative and motion, the successor to her knock-’em-dead Lilia! of nine years ago."
         – Jerry Tallmer, CHELSEA NOW & DOWNTOWN EXPRESS
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Piccolo live theater welcome escape
"The elegant one-person play A Time to Dance...depicted the rich life of Austrian dancer Elizabeth Polk...A lovely dancer, Skala skillfully wove modern dance into glimpses of how her great-aunt, who lived to be 99, survived by never allowing severe disappointments to cloud the vibrancy and beauty of life."
         – Dottie Ashley, THE POST AND COURIER
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Review: A Time to Dance
"If survival is an art, then A Time to Dance vividly underscores that truth.  The magic of the show is in its almost child-like simplicity and total lack of gimmicks. Skala deftly impersonates Lisl and credibly tells her story…with unswerving accuracy."
         – Deirdre Donovan, CURTAIN UP
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In A Time to Dance, Libby Skala glows in her poignant portrayal of a zany great aunt
Dancer holds nothing back with her wildly energetic performance
"Skala captivates from the moment she leaps on stage... Her gift as storyteller is undeniable and the intensity of her energy unrelenting. Lisl's (Skala's) anecdotes are generously embellished with outrageous...comic commentary.... Her riotous sense of humor and... honesty...further endears us to this zany, electric woman. By the show's conclusion she has the audience enthusiastically clapping to the rhythm of her final dance number.  GRADE A-"
         – Rachel Ward, THE CHARLESTON CITY PAPER
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Fringe Festival - A Time to Dance
"Emotions flow as beautifully as [Skala’s] movements across the stage…a fascinating, humorous and touching journey. Libby Skala won “Best Solo Performer” for A Time to Dance at the London Fringe Festival. She will undoubtedly be in the running to win the same at this Festival also."
         – Oscar E. Moore, TALK ENTERTAINMENT
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Theater Review (NYC): A Time to Dance by Libby Skala
"A must-see!  A Time to Dance is truly uplifting without being saccharine, and that is perhaps the greatest miracle of all.” "
         – Jon Sobel, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
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The theatrical power of a charismatic performer
"A Time to Dance testifies to the theatrical power of a charismatic performer... [Skala's] extraordinary charm and skill brings to vivid life her great-aunt, captivating the audience and drawing them into Polk's extraordinary life...filled with humor."
         – Miriam Rinn, THE JEWISH STANDARD
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A Time to Dance
"I had tears of happiness in my eyes at the end of Libby Skala’s one-woman play… [Skala] was shimmering as Lisl. I strongly encourage you to see this beautiful show."
         – Retta Blaney, LIFE UPON THE SACRED STAGE
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Fringe '09: A Time to Dance
"Dramatically well structured, Polk's story has the potential to appeal to a wide commercial audience as an inspiring story of the immigrant experience."
         – Joe Bendel, J.B. SPINS
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A Time to Dance: New York Fringe Festival
"This one-woman play is a portrait of a woman so full of love...that she danced her way through life. Events that made others shudder and give up, she was able to take as gifts. Ms. Skala has an excellent sense of dramatic rhythm... a polished gem."
         – R. Pikser, THEATRE SCENE
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A Time to Dance - New York International Fringe Festival
"A Time to Dance brings history to life. Skala is very funny and approaches even the most serious times...with humor. An interesting portrait...and loving tribute."
         – Debbie Hoodiman Beaudin, NYTHEATRE.COM
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Weekend Buzz
"A truly divine play!"
         – Jeff Walker, LOW COUNTRY TODAY
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A Time to Dance 'disarmingly honest'
"When Libby Skala alights on the stage,... she moves as gracefully as a butterfly.  Skala’s characterization is disarmingly honest and belies her angelic countenance... Humor emerges when Lisl confesses she married her boyfriend because she fell in love with his enormous bathroom!..."
         – Dottie Ashley, THE POST & COURIER
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'A Time to Dance' Is a Time to Enjoy
"Both wonderful and entertaining, Skala takes patrons on a magical journey using satire, comedy, dance, and skillful character narration to tell her 20th century ancestral story. A colorful, yet poignant montage... whether she’s describing the best or the worst of times, Skala almost always finds humor in the journey and leaves the audience wanting to know more."
         – Jeff Walker, LOW COUNTRY TODAY
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FringeNYC 13: A Time to Dance
"It's difficult to explain accurately the charm of this show. As played by her niece, Polk was clearly one of the world's rarities - a deeply happy person who possessed the gift of bringing joy to others. Skala is an extraordinary perfomer. This is a great story, told with economy, verve and just a grain of the magical. It's for everyone."
         – Carolyn Raship, CAVIGLIA'S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
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Still Fringin'
"Thumbs up for A Time to Dance. Playwright/performer Libby Skala is absolutely engaging in this show.  She tells the story of her great aunt who was a dancer and dance therapist. Her life is fascinating and Skala does a great job."
         – Kathy Rumleski, THE LONDON FREE PRESS BLOG
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A Time to Dance
"A wonderful performance - so lovingly created.  [It is] the passionate story of [Libby's] intriguing and very strong great aunt.  I laughed at different times, I was in awe of Libby's ability to deliver so many characters and I had tears in my eyes at the end.  Fantastic!"
         - Trouper, THE LONDON FRINGE PRESS
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March 20, 2009 - A Time to Dance
"[Libby Skala's] dance was as varied as her vocalizations and the story rich and captivating from beginning to end. Libby was beautiful throughout, bringing the heart, sadness and promise of an era to the little theatre with her remarkable art. I was thankful I'd brought friends and rewarded by their praise as heartfelt as my own. What an uplifting and joyful evening! ...Another great production of this brilliant and talented young woman."
         - William Hay, Award-winning Writer Blog
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Fringe in Review
"A skilled actress pays a cheerful tribute to her great aunt, Lisl [Polk], who danced through
poverty, artistic repression and the rise of Hitler...Libby Skala bubbles over with enthusiasm
in a rich performance as Lisl...a graceful performance..."
         - Ryan Porter, EYE WEEKLY, Toronto
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LIBBY
SKALA
Performer Writer
Reviews