Houston MET Presents #womenfordance
Press Contact:
Kimberly Giannelli | Amber Henrie
Kimberly@inthelights.net
Amber@inthelights.net
HOUSTON MET PRESENTS #WOMENFORDANCE: AN EVENING TO CELEBRATE THE FEMALE DANCEMAKER
Kiki Lucas and Andrea Dawn Shelley Present World Premieres; Island Moving Company Presents Three Premieres
Photo by Ben Doyle
HOUSTON, February 18, 2014 – The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company (MET Dance), Houston’s leading dance company known for its invigorating jazz and contemporary repertoire, presents #womenfordance: two nights featuring five female choreographers with two world premieres on April 11-12 at 8:00 p.m. at the Cullen Theatre, Wortham Center. MET Dance resident choreographer Kiki Lucas will premiere The Essence and Andrea Dawn Shelley premieres The Broken Column. The company will also restage November premieres Under Your Skin by Sidra Bell, After the Rain by Lauren Edson and repertory piece Stand Back by Kate Skarpetowska. Invited artists from Island Moving Company in Newport, RI will round out the performance roster with three premieres.
“With the increasing social discussions surrounding gender inequality in dance, more specifically, the lack of female choreographers and artistic directors, this collection of work aims to shorten the gap between the male and female presence in dance making,” says MET’s artistic director Marlana Doyle. “The program features five emotionally charged and socially relevant works as well as three dynamic premieres from the outstanding Island Moving Dance Company—we are pleased they are joining MET Dance on Houston’s stage.”
The Essence will make its world premiere this season from choreographer Kiki Lucas. A reactive reflection in three movements of the female path through history, the common male/female struggle is personified through references to the Bronte Sisters, The Vagina Monologues, Ginger Rodgers, Mae West and Lucille Ball and their definable roles in pushing social boundaries. “The work is a peek into what makes women tick,” remarks Lucas. “I hope that there is a moment that audiences can connect with the stage and find a small amount of validation that they are not alone in their own trials and tribulations. How we are remembered is only what we allow ourselves to be.”
Also to debut at #womenfordance is The Broken Column, referencing the acclaimed self-portrait of the same title, by Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Choreographed by Andrea Dawn Shelley, this sextet delves into the speculation and expression of the emotional torment and turbulence derived from Kahlo’s painting. Shelley examines the desperation and need for love through movement, music and gestures. Of her tribute work Shelley explains, “I want to educate and introduce Frida Kahlo, one of the most important twentieth-century artists of the Americas, to those who possibly do not know of her life and contributions to the art world”
Special guests Island Moving Company will present three new works—Levitation and Suited Up choreographed by Spencer Gavin Herring,and an expanded version of Miki Ohlsen’s A Tessellation of Beauty and Light, which premiered May 2014 in Rhode Island. Suited Up takes aprimal and universal comedic approach to defining the role of the suit for both male and females. Tessellation incorporates a series of contemporary ballet duets into a mysteriously mosaic journey of beauty and light.
Audiences will also enjoy Under Your Skin, originally premiered in November after a one-week residency with Sidra Bell, After the Rain by Lauren Edson, a loose-jointed ballet and contemporary fusion, as well as Stand Back, by MET Dance frequent choreographer, Kate Skarpetowska.
TICKETS and VENUE INFORMATION
Tickets range from $10 to $40 and can be purchased online at www. METdance.org or www.explorehouston.org/
REPERTORY DETAILS
The Essence | World Premiere
Choreographer: Kiki Lucas
Music Composed by Walter Turner
A quirky and powerful use of contemporary jazz vocabulary to simulate a roller coaster ride of extreme emotions to discover the “essence”—the attribute that makes an entity what it is fundamentally.
The Broken Column | World Premiere
Choreography:Andrea Dawn Shelley
Music Composed by Kronos Quartet and Floodplain
Drawn from the life of Mexican Artist, Frida Kahlo and her lifetime of pain and the battle with many demons, contemporary and high-octane movement is fused with emotionally charged to honor her zestful spirit.
Suited Up | World Premiere by Island Moving Company
Choreography: Spencer Gavin Herring
Music composed by Drum & Bass, The Serendipity Singers, The Beagles, Lee Dorsey
Suited Up represents the formal view of life, teased with levity. When you are wearing a suit you are ready to tackle anything in life whether male or female.
Levitation| World Premiere by Island Moving Company
Choreography: Spencer Gavin Herring
Music Composed by Ólafur Arnalds
A duet performed by dancers from Island Moving Company. The entertaining and quirky work adds comic elements to the edginess of Arnalds music.
A Tessellation of Beauty and Light | 2013 by Island Moving Company
Choreography: Miki Ohlsen
Music Composed by Phillip Glass
This work explores the beginnings of sentient thought, moves to relationships formed and dissolving, into a feeling of expansion and moving toward a notion of knowing each other and experiencing beauty in order to see light.
Under Your Skin | 2013
Choreography: Sidra Bell
Music Composed by Dennis Bell
A tribute to movement, Under Your Skin draws on contemporary culture to demonstrate its ability to narrate the human condition.
After the Rain | 2013
Choreography:Lauren Edson
Music Composed by Max Richter
A fusion of ballet and contemporary, After the Rain speaks to human interaction, playing with contrasting themes and emotions to evoke raw emotion.
Stand Back |2002
Choreography: Kate Skarpetowska
Music composed by Nador Weisz
An aggressively charged modern dance piece that is full of thunderous attitude. Stand Back begins slowly, brews loudly, and explodes into a wild romp.
PREMIER CHOREOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHIES
KIKI LUCAS is currently the Resident Choreographer, and senior dancer of the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company in Houston, TX. She is also the director of the Met Too Youth Company, jazz faculty at TUTS and teacher to many students in the Houston area. Kiki was named as one of the 100 creative people in Houston-by-Houston Press in 2012. With a B.A from Point Park University, Lucas has set works on universities, students and professional dancers globally and has presented work in major festivals throughout the world.
ANDREA DAWN SHELLEY born in Miami, Florida, received her classical ballet training from Magda G. Aunon, studied dance at the University of South Florida and later graduated from Florida International University with a BA in Dance Education. Recently, Ms. Shelley had the honor of being chosen to be a preliminary panelist for the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts, YoungArts program in both, choreography and modern. She has danced with Dominic Walsh Dance Theater in Houston, Miami Contemporary Dance Company in Miami Beach and State Street Ballet in Santa Barbara, California.
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About MET Dance
Founded in 1995, Houston Metropolitan Dance Center Inc. strives to educate and revitalize a passion for dance through the finest instruction and performance. With professional and youth dance companies, as well as a strong community outreach program, MET Dance continues to be a leader in the vitality and diversity of Houston’s dance community. MET Dance Company has performed throughout the United States in dozen’s of theaters receiving high acclaim. The organization’s new state-of-the-art facility, located in midtown, offers comprehensive dance training for all ages and interests. The youth dance company and free educational outreach programs have reached the lives of hundreds in the Houston community.
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