Houston Contemporary Dance Company Presents “dué”
January 6, 2020
1302 Houston Ave, #300
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 804-6646 houstoncontemporary.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alexandra Pernice, (412) 417-1906, alexandra@houstoncontemporary.org
HOUSTON CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY Presents “dué”
FEBRUARY 7TH & 8TH at 8 PM
PRICE: $25.00
QUEENSBURY THEATRE
17000 Queensbury Lane Houston, TX, 77079
(713) 467-4497
Houston, TX – Houston Contemporary Dance Company will be presenting an evening of intimate and heart-rending duets in “dué” February 7th and 8th, 2020 at 8PM. We are excited to be partnering with Brio Restaurant in City Centre for this performance. Enjoy a complimentary appetizer or dessert before the show with proof of ticket purchase and walk across the street to experience a one hour dance concert filled with new works by Hanna Brictson, Joe Celej, Enzo Celli, Alia Kache, Joshua Manuclich, Nicholas Ranauro and a special guest appearance from Hope Stone Dance.
Houston Contemporary Dance Company’s primary focus is to provide Houstonians with opportunities to view world class contemporary concert dance and engage with the artists involved which include dancers, choreographers and designers.
Phantom of the Opera’s, Nicholas Ranauro, debuts his duet Emmylou which is a reflection of the song written and performed by Klara and Johanna Soderberg who comprise a band known as First Aid Kit. The song is an ode to Emmylou Harris, honoring her epic partnership with Gram Parsons, and is a celebration of the joys of singing with another person. As a choreographer, Ranauro saw the beautiful harmonies of this song lending themselves to movement and gives a physical representation of joy and harmony up on its feet. The performers begin and end in positions that mimic two musicians about to play a concert, resulting in making both dancers and audience members experience a joyful ease and playful energy together.
Princess Grace Choreographic Fellowship Nominee, Hanna Brictson, will premiere her duet Sick Day which is inspired from a day she woke up indisputably unwell, yet still felt an intense pressure to go to work! Brictson uses comedy in her movement to give a playfulness to the characters. Channeling a “show must go on attitude”, Brictson gives an inside look into how dancers push through their illnesses and injuries more than most. Dressed in flowy button down pajamas, two dancers take the stage in this fun and relatable duet.
Porcelain is a fragile and intricate duet inspired by the rigorous process of making porcelain itself. Choreographer Joshua Manchulich states that dancers, artists and even organizations undergo a period of strengthening and defining that help transform them into something that is beautiful. This was the first piece ever created on Houston Contemporary Dance Company in August, 2019.
Other works will include choreography by the following choreographers:
Enzo Celli, Founder and Artistic Director of VIVO Ballet, is an acclaimed dancer, educator, and choreographer. Born in Sora, Italy, Celli received formal training as a breakdancer at the age of 19, and continued his studies as a self-taught artist. Celli’s eagerness to learn later earned him a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Movement Sciences from the Faculty of Psychology eCampus of Novedrate in Milan, Italy. Celli’s artistic abilities and choreographic visions were supported and encouraged by renowned Italian arts critic, Vittoria Ottolenghi. Ottolenghi’s interest in Celli was justified in 1995 when Celli founded, Botega, a rome-based dance company. Establishing himself as a dance educator and choreographer at the age of 26, Celli became the youngest choreographer funded by the Italian Government.
Joe Celej holds a BFA in dance performance from SUNY Buffalo, where he was performing and creative arts honors scholar and supplemented his training with scholarships to Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, The Edge, and the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. Joe’s commercial credits include Levi Strauss and Company, Wal-Mart, and the City of Houston. As an independent artist, Joe has presented his choreography at numerous venues including the Reverb Dance Festival/APAP, the Dance Gallery, the Pink Ribbons Project, the Big Range Dance Festival, the Great Friends Dance festival, Zodiaque Dance Company, Extensions Dance Company, Dance Harlem, American Dance Guild, Vision of Sound, Dumbo Dance Festival, The Tank, Pushing Progress Showcase Series, Cool NY Dance Festival, and the Solar Powered Dance Series.
Alia Kache received her early training at Center for Creative Arts and Chattanooga Ballet, and graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA program in 2004. Her dance credits include Ailey II, Nathan Trice/RITUALS, Pilobolus Creative Services, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, CeDeCe (Alcobaça, Portugal), Big League Theatrical’s Aida, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, and Disney’s The Lion King. Artistic director of Kachal Dance and former rehearsal director of Ailey II, Kache’s work has been seen at Ballet Memphis, Towson University, Middle Tennessee State University, The Ailey School, Bryant Park, and FringeNYC. Her talents as a dancer, choreographer, singer, and costume designer have led her to become a Lincoln City Fellow and artist-in-residence with RestorationART in Brooklyn, NY.
ABOUT HOPE STONE DANCE COMPANY
Founded in 1997, Hope Stone celebrates 22 years of artistic excellence and recognition in Houston, Texas. With a vision of “Art for All,” our programs serve a diverse population where the arts foster communities of creative, compassionate and problem-solving citizens. For two decades, Hope Stone has committed itself to improving the quality of life for Houstonians through art.
Hope Stone’s mindful arts education program, The Hope Project, serves children and adults, ages 2-99 years, in their schools and facilities, where highly skilled artists teach them the artistic disciplines of music, dance, and theater.
Hope Stone’s professional dance company, Hope Stone Dance, stages compelling and accessible new works that challenge, entertain and educate audiences. Their performances are powerful, joyful, and intimately human, connecting to both children and adults.
ABOUT HOUSTON CONTEMPORARY
Houston Contemporary aims to lead and innovate performing arts in Houston by drawing upon the director’s long tradition of inclusiveness and diversity within all facets of the organization. HCDC sets itself apart by employing high caliber performing and choreographic artists from across the country. In setting high technical and artistic standards, HCDC is currently the only contemporary repertory company to provide Houston audiences with opportunities to view works created by some of America’s most exciting dancemakers that speak to and are representative of the full spectrum of Houston’s diverse populace, while supporting talented Texas based artists as well.
Marlana Doyle, Executive / Artistic Director and Founder, is originally from Massachusetts and graduated form Point Park University in 2001 with a BA in Dance. Marlana is the former Artistic Director of Met Dance, where she held various positions for seventeen years. Marlana’s is the President & CEO of the Institute of Contemporary Dance Houston which houses the Houston Contemporary professional concert dance company and HC2, a youth training company. Marlana is a member of Dance Source Houston, Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) and Dance USA, spending 2009-2012 as an emerging leader at both APAP and Dance USA. She was awarded the Dance USA Leadership Mentee Fellowship for the institute of training in 2012 and became a mentor for the same program in 2019. She also recently completed her three-year tenure as a Dance USA Board of Trustee member and Artistic Director Council Chair. Marlana has also served on many grant and organizational panels for the Houston Arts Alliance and Dance Source Houston. As a performer, Marlana has danced and generated roles in a range of works by renowned choreographers and artists. She is also a guest teacher and an award-winning choreographer for her students in Houston and throughout the United States. Marlana has choreographed for the City of Houston, Levi’s and Walmart, Mercury Ensemble, Apollo Chamber Players, Houston Chamber Choir, Houston Symphony and for TUTS this Fall.
For more information about dué and how to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.houstoncontemporary.org/events/du%C3%A9 or https://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest?event=Dandue&presenter=QUEENSBURY&tck=true
Houstonia Article:
2019-2020 Season Video:
FOR CALENDAR LISTING:
Who: Houston Contemporary Dance Company
What: “dué” an evening of intimate and heart-rending duets (arts, dance, events, performing arts)
When: February 7th & 8th at 8PM
Why: To be an innovative non-profit repertory dance company transforming how Houston experiences dance as an art form that moves, unites, and inspires.
Contact: Marlana Doyle (Founder & Artistic Director) marlana@houstoncontemporary.org;
Alexandra Pernice (Marketing Director) alexandra@houstoncontemporary.org
Houston Contemporary Dance Company is fiscally sponsored by FreshArts.
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