It is hard to believe that the Minnesota Fringe Festival is only a few weeks away! I've been hard at work finishing (In)humanity: A Study Through Movement. Artist Jordan Lee Thompson and I have spent the summer researching animal behavior and watching nature documentaries to create a live-mock-nature-documentary-contemporary-dance-performance. There will be a British narrator, a fake documentary crew, all new music and choreography, and a cast of dancers whose ages range more than 50 years. Think Planet Earth, but played by contemporary dancers. (Our favorite feedback yet has been "I don't watch dance, but this is actually really cool.") Trust me--you won't want to miss this show.
(In)humanity: A Study Through Movement Friday, Aug 1st, 5:30pm Saturday, Aug 2nd, 10:00pm Tuesday, Aug 5th, 7:00pm Friday, Aug 8th, 8:30pm Saturday, Aug 9th, 4:00pm At the Southern Theater in Minneapolis 1420 Washington Ave. S. Tickets: $12 + $4 Fringe Button Buy Tickets at http://www.fringefestival.org/2014/show/?id=2727 You can find our event page and watch our trailer here: facebook.com/events/1515615708652212/. We're also running an IndieGogo campaign. If you'd like to support us, even $5 helps us show that there are people who believe in us, our artists and our vision--and it all adds up. If you want to give a little more, we have some cool perks too! You can find all of that here: indiegogo.com/projects/bring-inhumanity-to-the-minnesota-fringe-festival Can't wait for another year of Fringe. Hope to see you at a show!
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I'm excited to announce that I will be joining James Sewell Ballet for their performance of Outerboroughs at the national Dance USA Conference being in held in Minneapolis this week. While the show isn't open to the public, it is possible to attend as part of the conference, or as an usher for the Cowles Center. I am so grateful to be a part of a show that will feature some of the Twin Cities' finest companies and most incredible dancers!
Find out more information by clicking here! ![]() CityPages wrote about the show I'm performing in this weekend at Patrick's Cabaret! http://blogs.citypages.com/dressingroom/2014/04/kinetic_kitchen.php by Sheila Regan "Kinetic Kitchen, the dance series produced by Sarah LaRose-Holland, celebrates its 10th anniversary this weekend at Patrick's Cabaret. The show features an impressive lineup of choreographers, including two -- Christopher Watson Dance Company and Sarah Hauss -- who have been with the series since the beginning. Photo by Jim SmithHeidi Draskoci Johnson, Christopher Watson Dance Company LaRose-Holland originally founded the series at the Mounds Theatre in St. Paul with Gretchen Pick, who wanted to do a show with youth. "I thought I'd give it a shot," LaRose Holland says. The series has changed over the years, but Kinetic Kitchen still has a youth program, Kinetic Playground for Youth, for middle- and high-school students. The performance series also occasionally features youth artists. From its beginnings, Kinetic Kitchen has grown, evolving into an event where artists have sought out LaRose-Holland to be part of. "It' been a way to get the dance community together," she says. A number of years ago, she began taking the series on the road. "Audiences weren't always that interested in driving out to St. Paul," LaRose-Holland says. "I wanted to see what it would be like to take the series out to other places." She took Kinetic Kitchen to the Varsity and Old Arizona on Nicollet. "As I did shows in different places, we started to draw larger audiences," she says. Since 2007, the series has found a home at Patrick's Cabaret, which LaRose-Holland says has been "a perfect fit." Unlike other dance series in the Twin Cities, Kinetic Kitchen doesn't have a theme for each show. Rather, it's all about creating an opportunity to show new work. While LaRose-Holland presents and curates the series, she doesn't ask people to audition, though she does request a video of their work or asks people to send her links online to performances. Among the artists presenting this weekend is Arturo Miles, who was formerly the program director at Patrick's Cabaret. "He hasn't actually been one of the choreographers for Kinetic Kitchen," LaRose-Holland says. "I'm excited to bring him in. He's got a wonderful following with house dance and hip hop. It will be fun to have him actually perform onstage." Also performing will be Maia Maiden, who curates Sistah Solo and Rooted: Hip Hop Choreographer's Evening at Patrick's. Pramila Vasudevan, whom LaRose-Holland also met through the venue, will be presenting through her company, Aniccha Arts, a comedic piece poking fun at Bollywood dancing, performed by Chitra Vairavan. Both Christopher Watson, of Christopher Watson Dance Company, with whom LaRose-Holland has been dancing with for 18 years, and Sarah Hauss were part of the first Kinetic Kitchen, and will be presenting new work for this edition. LaRose-Holland also will be showing a new solo performed by Jennifer Pray. "She's a fierce, awesome dancer," LaRose-Holland says. Finally, Jennifer Glaws will be showing a new duet exploring persona and popularity, playing with the idea of a rock star. IF YOU GO: Kinetic Kitchen 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday Patrick's Cabaret 3010 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis $8/$10 ![]() I am thrilled to announce that I was selected as a choreographer for the Ritz Theater's annual Choreographer's Showcase this year! I will be performing a solo I choreographed entitled Lorelei, inspired by the Sylvia Plath poem of the same name. This will be an eclectic show that showcases the talent of Twin Cities choreographers. It is no night to drown in: A full moon, river lapsing Black beneath bland mirror-sheen... Read the full poem that inspired the piece here March 14 & 15, 8:00pm & March 16 2:00 Ritz Theater in NE Minneapolis Tickets $15-18 *There is a piece on the program with partial nudity- parental discretion advised http://www.ritz-theater.org/ ![]() Click here to visit the O'Shaughnessy site! Ballet Minnesota presents Fall Concert feat. Rite of Spring and Morning in Beijing Friday, October 25, 2013 - 7:30pm Saturday, October 26, 2013 - 2:00pm Saturday, October 26, 2013 - 7:30pm Ballet Minnesota will break new ground as it opens its 26th Season. The Saint Paul Lowertown dance company will perform Igor Stravinksy’s Rite of Spring, and the world premiere of Morning in Bejing, with music composed by internationally-award winning Chinese musician, Ying Zhang. When Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe Company first performed Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in Paris a century ago, audience members walked out of the theatre causing a near riot. “In 1913 the nature of the music and the sensational choreography caused an outrage,” said Andrew Rist, Ballet Minnesota’s Artistic Director. The music and dance represented a story from Russian folklore featuring the pagan sacrifice of a young peasant girl who dances herself to death. Despite the controversial storyline, the music went on to be widely considered one of the most influential music works of the 20th Century. The contemporary dance will be performed en pointe with company member, Jennifer Pray, dancing the lead role. The second dance herald’s the world premiere of the ballet, “Mornings in Beijing,” to music composed by Ying Zhang, who moved from China to the United States in 2001. Zhang has captured all the elite honors a musician can earn including China’s highest national arts award, the Wen Hua Prize. Since he has moved to the U.S., Zhang has won fellowships from both the Bush and McKnight Foundations. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. This summer, Dance & Other Behaviors will present "Memoryscape" at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Rehearsals are underway and the show is off to a great start. Dance & Other Behaviors is a collaborative project between myself and art worker/educator Jordan Lee Thompson. It will feature a brand-new audio score created by Seth Tracy, cello by Olivia Quintanilla, live vocals by Jessica Pray, and costumes by Lora Kaup. Betsy Schaefer Roob, Julie Marie Muskat and myself are the featured dancers.
Stay in touch for ![]() In a few weeks, the familiar story of Cinderella will be brought to life in a brand-new way. Ballet Minnesota will be presenting the full-length ballet April 5 & 6 with all new choreography by Artistic Director Andrew Rist. I am honored to be learning the title role, and will be performing as Cinderella April 5 at 10:00am, and April 6 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available at the O'Shaughnessy website, theoshaughnessy.com The ballet is set to a rich score by Prokofiev, written between 1940 and 1944. The ballet was originally performed in 1945, which is much later than other classics such as Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Don Quixote, or Sleeping Beauty. Because it isn’t a big Petipa ballet, there is no codified choreography. Our Artistic Director is therefore creating the ballet from scratch. It has been an incredible process to see the ballet take form. Furthermore, Andy’s interpretation of the story is rich and multi-layered. I have really enjoyed exploring the depth of Cinderella’s character, particularly her relationship with her depressed and broken father and her longing for the carefree days of her past. My first performance with Threads Dance Project will be at the Minneapolis Fringe Festival. I will be performing the trio "Different" in five shows. Check out the promo video and the fringe website to catch a show! Fri Aug 3rd 10pm Sun Aug 5th 2:30pm Thurs Aug 9th 8:30pm Fri Aug 10 4:00pm Sun Aug 12 2:30pm Visual artist Jordan Lee Thompson and I will present a collaborative, 30-minute work this Tuesday, June 5th at 7:00pm. We were invited by the University of Iowa Museum of Art to present the work, which explores the limits of physical privacy, the performance space as public environment, and interpersonal behavior in the social sphere.
The concepts, crafting, and filming were done collaboratively, and I contributed the choreography and spatial structuring. Click here to see a film of the first showing of the work! Press Release by UIMA This weekend I will be performing in my final show at the University of Iowa. The Undergraduate Dance Concert features new works by undergraduate choreographers. I will be performing a contemporary solo, "Should the Shadows Come" set to a choral arrangement of The Great Doxology of the Utreniye. The piece explores doubt and is a woman's plea for guidance. I will also be performing in Emma Carson's piece, "Set my Spirit Free," with a live singer and drummer. The song was arranged by Katie Rosenberger and explores physical and emotional limitations. For more information about tickets, see the link-
http://now.uiowa.edu/2012/04/dance-department-presents-undergraduate-concert-may-3-5 |
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