New Dances 2007

Annual event is bigger and better than ever with 45 performers in 14 diverse dance premieres

Celebrated choreographer Molly Shanahan, Artistic Director of Chicago's acclaimed Madshak, recently completed a two-week Anchorage residency.  Shanahan created "Like Water from Memory" for ten members of UAA Dance Ensemble.  Montreal's La Presse comments on Shanahan's past work by calling it, "a perpetual transformation of perspective... Shanahan succeeds in not only creating a new dance, but a new way to look at dance." UAA Department of Theatre and Dance will present "Like Water from Memory" and13 other pieces in "New Dances 2007," April 13 through 22 at the Mainstage Theatre in the UAA Fine Arts Building.  The performance offers premier dance works by UAA faculty, internationally renowned guest choreographer Shanahan, and ten UAA student or alumni choreographers.

UAA Theatre and Dance faculty member Brian Jeffery's lush movement style sweeps across the stage to music by Four Tet in "it goes outwards".  Featuring eight members of UAA Dance Ensemble, this work received national attention with its premiere in March at the Northwest Regional American College Dance Festival at the University of Montana.

Faculty member Katya Kuznetsova offers two premieres; "Face to Face" is a multi-media performance piece for nine men exploring the social construction of the male image while examining ways to confront individual and collective egos. This work was created in collaboration with performance and video artist Vlad Basarab to music by Quantic and Albert Mathias. "Sun in My Mouth" is an intimate ritual for three performers full of grace and small tensions, with music by Lhasa De Sela and Bjork.

"New Dances" showcases 45 performers from the UAA Department of Theater and Dance as well as the local community. Diversity in choreographic styles and ideas is a strong attribute of the "New Dances" student choreographers.

Influenced by the avant-garde expressionist movement style of Japanese Butoh, Stephanie Brown offers "infliction," a work set to the abrasive industrialized trance music of Skinny Puppy.  LaShonda Williams creates layers of organized chaos with her quirky and unique choreography in "Reality Starts Taking Drastic Measures When Boundaries Neglect Mindful Structures," an original sound score by James Umiivik Williams Hensley that provides a funky melodic groove.  Therese Brennan exploits seven performers in the witty and surprising "Conflict at the Carnival," scored to upbeat tunes by the Gorillaz.

Walter Barillas is inspired by the curiosity and playfulness of childhood memories in "by my side" as nine performers frolic to an original score by Nick Petumenos. Beth Daly's choreography contrasts movement that is grounded but has the determination to fly in "Weight" with energetic and percussive rhythms by the band Yeah Yeah Yeah.  Stephanie Griffin's dynamic "Mix the Contents" blends the movement styles of hip-hop, Latin, and modern dance to the musical fusion of flamenco guitar and samba influenced techno beats by The Chemical Brothers.

Julia Stutzer takes her dancers on an unexpected journey in "What is this thing we do? Dance?" featuring a fast paced swing remix of Sing, Sing, Sing.  Laura Bleicher fuses movement and original text to explore the individuality of her performers and their relationships to each other with music by Lemon Jelly and Massive Attack. The five dancers in Miranda Harris's "Involuntary Movement" are driven by the powerful and contagious beats of Hans Zimmer's music.

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 2007," or to arrange interviews with members of the cast and/or choreographers, contact Brian Jeffery at 786-1688 or bjefferyx@yahoo.com.  For other questions about the UAA Department of Theatre and Dance, contact the main department office at 786-1792.

Additional information on Molly Shanahan can be found at www.madshak.com Visit the UAA Dance Web site http://dance.uaa.alaska.edu/.

WHAT:    New Dances 2007

WHEN:    April 13- April 22, 2007 Fridays, Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 6 p.m. WHERE:    Mainstage Theatre, UAA Fine Arts Building Free parking is available