FrenetiCore Dance Announces Remainder of 2014-2015 Season

Company Plans Original Steampunk Dance Narrative for Spring Show

Company Plans July Revival of The Rite of Summer On the Wortham Center’s Cullen Stage

Houston, TX – After opening the Houston dance season with the well-reviewed, audience favorite QUENCH, FrenetiCore Dance Artistic Director Rebecca French has announced the remainder of the 2014-2015 season.

FrenetiCore Dance will next be seen on November 22 as part of Transported + Renewed, the Houston Arts Alliance’s three-month celebration of the East End and the city’s continual fascination with all things transportation. This will mark the third and final performance in Transported + Renewed’s Silos Series. Silos III: Comunidad & Matriz(x) will feature FrenetiCore Dance performing on land and in the water at the historic silos on North St. Charles and Kennedy Streets. The series is co-sponsored by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

The Silos Series has given the company an opportunity to present its new members to the public. On October 5, FrenetiCore Dance held its annual fall audition and welcomed Brenda Baez (BA in dance education from Brigham Young University), Lauren Burke (BA in dance from the University of Houston), and Rebecca Demotte (dance certificate from France’s The Conservatoire National de Lille) into the company. They join company members Danielle Artis, Adam Castaneda, Dorianne Castillo, Rebecca French, Jaime Garcia, Lauren Hurstell, Michelle Mayo, and Mollie Miller.

FrenetiCore Prepares for Spring Show and Austin Tour

FrenetiCore Dance will present its spring show, Dancing With the Machine, on March 27, 28, 30 and April 2, 3, and 4 at Frenetic Theater, 5102 Navigation Boulevard. The show will be the company’s first full-length narrative-driven dance work since the revival of The Sacred Harp at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in March 2013.

Dancing With the Machine is an original steampunk dance narrative choreographed by Rebecca French with music by acclaimed Austin-based musician Graham Reynolds. FrenetiCore Dance will use Reynolds’ concept album, The Difference Engine, to create a utopian society of the future that has reverted back to steampunk-based technology after the implosion of the digital age. The story follows a central heroine dissatisfied with the injustices of her central government, and vows to change the world by joining an outlawed rebel party. In her quest to make a difference in her own life and the lives of the downtrodden, she discovers remnants of her family’s past, a long-lost brother, and ultimately, true love. Dancing With the Machine will also feature costumes by Ashley Horn, set design by Dave Brown, and an original story by Adam Castaneda.

FrenetiCore Dance plans to take Dancing With the Machine to Austin in either late April or early May. This will mark the first time the company will perform in Austin, and start’s FrenetiCore’s touring initiatives for 2015.

The Rite of Summer Comes to Life on Wortham Stage

The company will revive its 2013 production of The Rite of Summer, French’s enchanting reimagining of Stravinsky’s iconic score. In stark contrast to Nijinsky’s ballet about a primitive ritual sacrifice, Summer is a celebration of life and the wonders of the natural world. Its original three-night run in August 2013 at Frenetic Theater was sold out and enthusiastically received by reviewers from Houston Press, Houstonia Magazine, and Dance Source Houston. Abby Koenig, writing in Houston Press, said “I cannot honestly remember the last time if left a performance, of any kind, filled with as much enthusiasm as I did after leaving the Frenetic Theater this past Saturday night.”

Due to popular and critical demand, The Rite of Summer will be performed for a one-night engagement on the Wortham Center’s Cullen stage. The date for this performance is tentatively scheduled for late July.

Photo by Anthony Rathburn

 

 

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