The Department of Theatre & Dance presents: Master Choreographers
Featuring the original works of regional, national, and internationally acclaimed professional artists, MASTER CHOREOGRAPHERS is an acclaimed Lehigh Valley tradition.Tuesday, February 3, 2009 11:22 AM
The 2009 Concert celebrates a range of dance styles, including classical ballet, modern dance, tap, and jazz. The work ranges from explosive to contemplative, from darkness to illumination, and features the choreography of seven faculty and guest artists.
Performances will take place February 5 – 7 in the Empie Theatre, Baker Center for the Arts. Thursday and Friday’s performances will be at 8 p.m., and Saturday’s will be hel at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are available through the Muhlenberg College Box Office (484-664-3333) on online at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/tickets. Admission is $15 adults, $8 youth, $5 campus community.
Guest Choreographers
Meredith Rainey, a member of Philadelphia’s Ballet X, premieres a contemporary ballet set to original musical compositions by Todd Reynolds titled, “Before They Fall.” Rainey has danced as a soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet and a demi-soloist with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and performed works by such choreographers as George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, Mary Anthony, Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch, Jose Limon, William Forsythe, and David Parsons.
Danish choreographer Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Associate Artistic Director of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Salt Lake City, Utah, premieres "Some where in between," a modern dance deconstructing the frenetic pace of life. Charlotte has been commissioned to create new works for The Milwaukee Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, New Danish Dance Theatre, and London Contemporary Dance School's Edge Dance Company, among others.
Muhlenberg Faculty Artists
Muhlenberg College faculty choreographers include Charles O. Anderson; Artistic Director of his Philadelphia based company, dance theatre X, premieres an energetic Afro-contemporary work entitled "...and this too shall pass." Anderson was recently awarded a Dance Advance Grant by Pew Charitable Trusts and has been named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine (2008). Karen Dearborn, Professor, Founder, and Director of the Dance Program at Muhlenberg College, premieres "Echoes through the Mist," a modern ballet set to music by John Adams, the American minimalist composer best known for his opera “Nixon in China.”
Corrie Franz Cowart has created a modern dance set to “Que Sera Sera” performed by Pink Martini and “Is That All There Is?” by Peggy Lee. Kathleen Bibalo has created "Cumulative Confusion,” an athletic contemporary jazz piece set to music by Radiohead. Shelley Oliver, internationally recognized tap dancer, choreographer, and educator, premieres “Bach to the Blues”, a collaboration with jazz composer, David Leonhardt, who will play live on stage with his jazz trio. Based on Bach's Prelude in G, the dance becomes a rhythmic journey featuring onstage improvisational exchanges among the dancers and musicians.
FRIDAY RECEPTION. Friday, February 6, The Dance Consortium of the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges will present its annual Award for Distinguished Service in Dance 2009 to Shelley Oliver of the Muhlenberg College dance faculty and Tom Tenges, the Executive Director of LVAIC. A reception open to the public will follow the concert in the Galleria of the Baker Center for the Arts.
