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"New Dances 2009" bursts onto UAA Mainstage By: Staff Apr 6, 2009 Annual event is bigger and better than ever with 40 performers in 11 diverse dance premieres.
ANCHORAGE, AK -- Celebrated choreographer Peter Carpenter, Dance Department professor at Columbia College Chicago, has created "Permissions to Forget" for six members of the UAA Dance Ensemble. Combining a stark landscape with dynamic movement phrases, this premier performance unfolds to the music of Glenn Branca.
Carpenter’s dances attempt to make connections between the dancing body and the body politic visible. The Chicago-based Carpenter’s work has been commissioned by numerous companies and institutions, including Lucky Plush Productions, Mordine and Company Dance Theater, the Ackland Art Museum (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Out North Contemporary Art House (Anchorage). He is a frequent guest artist at educational institutions such as UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, Northwestern University and UNC—Chapel Hill. Carpenter was an Artistic Associate with XSIGHT! Performance Group from 1993-2000.
UAA Theatre and Dance professor Brian Jeffery’s lush movement style sweeps across the stage to music by Pole in “Thirteen Thoughts on Love.” UAA Dance Ensemble is featured in this work, which received national attention when it premiered in March at the Northwest Regional American College Dance Festival at Utah Valley University.
In addition to "Permissions to Forget" and “Thirteen Thoughts on Love” the UAA Department of Theatre and Dance presentation of “New Dances 2009,” to be performed on weekends April 10 through 19, includes nine other dance works, four by UAA Dance Program faculty and five by student choreographers.
"Secrets under the Skin" is inspired by the 12 years of field work Professor Jill Crosby has conducted researching religious rituals in Ghana, West Africa, and in Cuba. Crosby's choreography is complimented with video projections designed by Brandon McElroy and music by Manu Chao, traditional Ewe tunes, and original music by Nick Petumenos. Listen to a recent podcast on this topic by Professor Crosby at UAA's podcast page here.
At the heart of “w.I.t.N.e.S.s.” an emotionally risky new work by choreographer Leslie K. Ward, is an awareness of the fragility of the human spirit and a deep exploration of the delicate balance between connection and isolation. “People change us, they harden us, they free us; they irritate and enlighten us, but above all, they touch us. In those moments, I am reminded to release, to observe, and to let life move me. As a choreographer, I attempt to harness such momentum in order to inspire it in others.” “w.I.t.N.e.S.s.” is performed to an eclectic score with music by Sia, Xavier Rudd and Leonard Cohen.
Stephanie Griffin's "Negotiations of Attraction" is an intimate examination of amorous longing and its complicated ways sensuously danced to the haunting flamenco flicks and tango strings by composers Gianmarco Silvi and Riccardo Nanni.
In Becky Kendall's "Oh Brother..." silliness is allowed to surface in a response to the current economical climate with a mix of mockery and gravity. Set to “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” by Paul Englishby and Joe Cocker's “Feelin' Alright,” the work extends an invitation for the audience to find a way to do the same.
“New Dances 2009” showcases 40 performers from the UAA Department of Theatre and Dance. Diversity in choreographic styles and ideas is a strong attribute of the five "New Dances" student choreographers.
"Frivolous Forms of Mischief" is Josh Lee's foray into childhood games and playful fun inspired by hip-hop and modern dance forms and accompanied with the electro-pop punk beats and vocals of MGMT.
Melissa Jabaay has choreographed "Immortal" to the intensely dynamic music of Tyler Bates; this work is a dramatic journey of an innocent girl being enticed by the Prince of Darkness and her fight to escape the fires of hell.
Two of UAA Dance Programs’ most accomplished and intriguing performers, Stephanie Wonchala and Kat Cunningham, will each be performing solo works.
Michelle Steffens offers “The Acronym Presents,” incorporating tap dance with an urban hip-hop flair as a combination of smooth a capella stylings with the upfront electro-funk music by Sam Sparro.
“New Dances 2009” will be performed on weekends April 10 through 19. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m.; Sunday performances are at 6 p.m. Free parking is available and all performances are on the Mainstage Theatre in UAA's Fine Arts Building.
Ticket Prices - All seats are General Admission, same prices for Fri/Sat/Sun shows.
General Admission: $10.00
UAA Students: $8.00
Tickets available through the UAA Theatre Box Office at 786-4TIX
Media note: For more information about “New Dances 2009,” or to arrange interviews with members of the cast and/or choreographers, contact Brian Jeffery at 786-1688 and bjefferyx@yahoo.com. For other questions about the UAA Department of Theatre and Dance, contact the main department office at 786-1792.
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