Grace Street Theater, Virginia Commonwealth University - February 2012
Directed by Scott Putman
Costumes by Damian Bond and Tamara Cobus
Directed by Scott Putman
Costumes by Damian Bond and Tamara Cobus
VCU Dance NOW annually features new work by VCU Dance faculty and guest artists, performed by Dance majors. This year, the department was pleased to present a contemporary ballet premiere by guest choreographer Rick McCullough. During his fall residency at VCU, McCullough created The Clarity of Absence, a dance for eight, on a mix of Richmond Ballet trainees and VCU Dance majors.
In addition to Mr. McCullough's premiere, VCU Dance NOW highlights new work by faculty members Martha Curtis, Autumn Proctor, Scott Putman, Judith Steel, and Christian von Howard.
Martha Curtis' Ephemera... we are forever changing is a new group work exploring the ephemeral impact of life-changing events. Starting in a dream-like world, an Initiator, who is a vessel of ancient wisdom, ushers a community of individuals through dances of play, games of denial, realization and mourning.
In A Particular Peculiarity of Place, Scott Putman explores the struggles we experience in the holding pattern we often find ourselves in amidst the changes and shifts in our lives. For many, this place becomes permanent as we find comfort in the familiar, rather than in facing our fears by moving through and letting go. Only through this movement can we find transformative release.
Judith Steel's new Bog Stories is an ensemble piece for six women woven around the imagery and incantations depicted in W.B. Yeats' poetry of Ireland. Haunting, visceral, and elemental, the piece choreographically reflects the landscape and moods of three poems that have been reworked by the Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy, featuring the mesmerizing voice of soprano Dawn Upshaw and the contemporary music group Crash Ensemble.
An intimate look inside the world of five individuals struggling to express their tangible connections, of this moment, a new work by Christian von Howard, subtly portrays what can happen as individual worlds collide. Guided by a haunting score by composer Marc Langelier, of this moment creates a visual playground of articulate bodies moving through a world of extreme emotional relationships.
In addition to Mr. McCullough's premiere, VCU Dance NOW highlights new work by faculty members Martha Curtis, Autumn Proctor, Scott Putman, Judith Steel, and Christian von Howard.
Martha Curtis' Ephemera... we are forever changing is a new group work exploring the ephemeral impact of life-changing events. Starting in a dream-like world, an Initiator, who is a vessel of ancient wisdom, ushers a community of individuals through dances of play, games of denial, realization and mourning.
In A Particular Peculiarity of Place, Scott Putman explores the struggles we experience in the holding pattern we often find ourselves in amidst the changes and shifts in our lives. For many, this place becomes permanent as we find comfort in the familiar, rather than in facing our fears by moving through and letting go. Only through this movement can we find transformative release.
Judith Steel's new Bog Stories is an ensemble piece for six women woven around the imagery and incantations depicted in W.B. Yeats' poetry of Ireland. Haunting, visceral, and elemental, the piece choreographically reflects the landscape and moods of three poems that have been reworked by the Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy, featuring the mesmerizing voice of soprano Dawn Upshaw and the contemporary music group Crash Ensemble.
An intimate look inside the world of five individuals struggling to express their tangible connections, of this moment, a new work by Christian von Howard, subtly portrays what can happen as individual worlds collide. Guided by a haunting score by composer Marc Langelier, of this moment creates a visual playground of articulate bodies moving through a world of extreme emotional relationships.
