Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese speaking community, returns to the Northrop stage to perform Wild Cursive, the final chapter of Cursive: A Trilogy that began in 2001. Under the direction of founder and artistic director LIN Hwai-min, Wild Cursive is the result of a long journey into the ancient practice of movement and spirituality, and a study of time and dynamics. A set in progress emerges as ink pours slowly from hidden pipes onto streams of white rice paper cascading to the floor. The abstract patterns of the ink are true to the spirit of chance as set forth in I-Ching, “The Book of Change,” one of the fundamental books of Confucianism. Against and between the layers of rice paper, Cloud Gate dancers’ exquisitely liquid movement echoes the serpentine and meandering lines of the ink. Cloud Gate’s rich repertoire has its roots in Asian myths, folklore, and aesthetics, but it brings to these age-old beliefs and stories a contemporary and universal perspective.

See a sneak peak of Wild Cursive (wmf)

www.cloudgate.org.tw

The evening begins with Stanton Welch’s Clear, an artistic response created in the aftermath of 9/11. An abstract work for seven men and one woman, Clear is set to music by Bach, with costumes by designer Michael Kors. Commented Welch, “In a time of tragedy, what is the clearest thing that occurs to people? What is most important? What is the common thread? To me it’s love and family. In Clear, the woman brings clarity to the seven men in the ballet. She represents the thing that leads you home and out of the mess you’re in.”

Hush is Houston Ballet Associate Choreographer Christopher Bruce’s first commission for Houston Ballet in fourteen years. In Hush, six dancers perform to selected tracks from the album Hush by improvisational singer/sound-effects artist Bobby McFerrin and master cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Hush is a musical celebration of life and an exploration of genres said by Bobby McFerrin to “release the child in the adult.”

A high-speed riff on traditional ballet technique for eight men and eight women, Velocity pays homage to classical conventions in a contemporary manner. Welch is playing with the speed and agility of classical ballet, pushing the technique and bravado of the dancers.
With a gray set based on the paintings of Dutch artist Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) and sharp and angular music by American composer Michael Torke, Velocity is the abstract sequel to Welch’s sensational work Divergence. The women wear paper-thin tutus and are on pointe, emphasizing the exposed and clean look of their footwork.

www.houstonballet.org

Presented for the first time by Northrop Dance Season, Philadelphia’s Koresh Dance Company is renowned for their powerful stage presence and high energy style.

In Looking Back: the Music of the ‘40s and ‘50s, artistic director Ronen Koresh digs deep into America’s musical roots to weave the many styles, beats, fashions, and metaphors of this time period into one fantastic performance. It is a swing/pop/rock/soul dance extravaganza that will keep you humming along and tapping your toes to familiar tunes.

Hidden Drives is a piece with four parallel narratives at work; one couple whose relationship is bound up in violence; another whose interactions are of a spoiled child and impatient parent; two women whose lives (and bodies) literally revolve around a bench; and a fellow with a suitcase on wheels who finds much of what’s around him to be laughable.

“The real connection is how these little narratives show how most of our motivations in life can be quite petty and base. People are motivated by the desire to hurt, the desire to possess, by the illusion of control, the illusion of security in things, the fear of making any sort of real, human, emotional connection. The nine dancers of the Koresh Dance Company "...did a superb job at giving the audience a glimpse at these usually not well hidden wants, and the disturbing and sad results they produce.” (James D. Watts, Tulsa World)

PERFORMANCE PREVIEW
Join us in Studio 4 at 6:45 p.m. where Koresh Dance Company Artistic Director Ronen Koresh will provide insight into these two extraordinary pieces.

PROGRAM NOTES

www.koreshdance.org

"This vivacious troupe of dancers and musicians...briskly presents five tango styles, from the milonga, full of fast steps, to contemporary tango, which incorporates acrobatic lifts and daring leaps." -New York Times

PROGRAM NOTES

Under the artistic direction of ballet superstar Nina Ananiashvili, the State Ballet of Georgia from Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia has worked at a shocking pace to triumphantly restore Georgian ballet to an international level. Known primarily as a prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet, Ananiashvili also performs with American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, and the U.K. ’s Royal Ballet. Returning to her native Georgia , Ananiashvili has formulated her own artistic credo based on the neoclassicism of George Balanchine, also a native of Georgia . The company’s repertoire expanded with works by a number of choreographers who followed Balanchine: Trey McIntyre, Frederick Ashton, Stanton Welch, and Alexei Ratmansky. Ballets by Marius Petipa and Leonid Lavrovsky contribute to the poetic beauty and spirit of this revitalized company. A dazzling full-length production of Giselle based on reconstruction of the Diaghileve era and a captivating evening of mixed repertoire will showcase this emerging Georgian treasure.

State Ballet of Georgia

PROGRAM NOTES

Trisha Brown Dance Company has presented the work of its legendary artistic director since 1970, when Brown branched out from the experimental Judson Theater with her maverick spirit pushing the limits of movement and changing modern dance forever.

Present Tense combines Trisha Brown’s abstract aesthetic with her newfound interest in emotional narrative. High-energy phrase work and raucous, cantilevered aerial partnering join to create two counterbalancing adventures.  Dancers seem to ride and tumble—suspended across the space. 

Foray Forêt, performed for the first time since 1994, is Brown’s last collaboration with Robert Rauschenberg. Marking the beginning of Brown’s investigation into unconscious movement, this piece features gold costumes, an open stage, and John Philip Sousa music played by the University of Minnesota Alumni Band outside the walls of the auditorium.

Building on her long tradition of collaborating with fellow artists, Trisha Brown worked with acclaimed Japanese artist, architect and theorist, Kenjiro Okazaki, on I love my robots. His set allows for the dancers to interact with mechanical robots, with the stage space and with each other. They highlight the interplay between the living and the inert, blurring the lines between the two and exploring the ebbs and flows this will generate.

Presented as part of The Year of Trisha Brown Dance Company: a collaboration of Northrop Dance Season, Walker Art Center and University of Minnesota Dance .

PROGRAM NOTES

Watch a video:
Trisha Brown Dance Company, Present Tense

www.trishabrowncompany.org

Performance Preview
Join us at 7 p.m. in Studio 4 in the lower level of Northrop for a preview of the evening's program with the legendary Trisha Brown. This discussion will be moderated by Philip Bither, Senior Curator for the Walker Art Center.