NMD Catapults into Industrial Design

Press Contact: Andy Noble
Co-Artistic Director, NobleMotion Dance
832-627-9664
andy@noblemotiondance.com
www.noblemotiondance.com

NOBLEMOTIONDANCE

NMD Catapults into Industrial Design

HOUSTON, TEXAS – May 31, 2017 – NobleMotion Dance is flying high inCatapult: Dance meets Design, a new evening of daring choreography that premieres at The Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall, August 25 & 26 at 7:30 PM. NobleMotion has partnered with an industrial designer to create 5 custom built interactive sets, reimagined from everyday structures, that shape the space and offer new terrain challenges for the dancers. Deconstructed tunnels, flipping doors, and a 12-foot spinning/teetering stone mill are a few of the landscapes. Each structure will offer surfaces for projection mapping and will be engineered as a surreal dancer obstacle course, providing innovative ways to climb, swing, and vault. It’s a physically exciting show; think dance meets parkour with a dash of cirque.

Stone Mill: Ziggurat, a world premiere in collaboration with Jared Doster and David J Deveau, is inspired by the structural feats of early civilizations. Dancers construct a 12-foot stone mill structure on stage and portray a societal hierarchy from laborers to deities. At times mythical, Ziggurat has an old-world feel and showcases the dancers’ physicality and teamwork.Ziggurat will be the first dance made for a new mix of dancers as NobleMotion is welcoming several fresh faces to the company this season. 

Doors: Portal reimagines how doorways can be used as dancers jump through memories to pivotal moments of life. Two doors transform into a table, a seesaw, and ramps as scenes of children playing, love teetering, and family conflict unfold. Some moments nostalgic and others surprising, portal comments on the universal nature of love and loss. Choreography and set concept by Andy Noble, industrial engineering by Jared Doster, projection design by Jonathan Kinsey, and light design by Bryan Ealey define the world.

Tunnels: Aorta is a female take on the superhero genre and plays with the notion that “behind every good man is a woman.” Choreographed by Dionne Sparkman Noble in collaboration with light artist Bryan Ealey, Aortauses tunnels to excavate a relationship rife with complexities. “It’s like looking into a telescope at a hero’s moment of weakness,” states Sparkman Noble. The tunnels and cyclical movement create an illusory effect that draw the eye deeper into the action as the dancers propel through lifts and momentarily dance sideways on concave walls.

Ramps: Echo is a dynamic and socially conscious work that examines a war torn community. Composed in two parts, Echo features 25 dancers storming down ramps into the chaos of battle. It continues NobleMotion’s trend of putting big visceral dance on stage. The second section, an introspective duet, shows a couple left picking up the pieces. The juxtaposition of the two sections speaks to the world’s current challenges as well as the endurance of the human spirit.

Chamber: Last Flight Home quietly looks at the final moments of a loved ones battle with terminal illness, specifically cancer. Using a striking set comprised of a glass chamber, hanging plastic, and a large digital clock, images of childhood memories wrap themselves around abstracted CT scans and chemo treatments. Last Flight Home uses techniques from theater of the absurd to question the meaning of life. “It is a thoughtful work,” states Andy Noble, “it slows down time and takes you to still waters.” Set and light design is by Noble and David Deveau and projection design is by Jonathan Kinsey.

Tickets range between $25-$35. Student and Group Discounts are available. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheHobbyCenter.org or by calling 713.315.2525.

DETAILS

Catapult: Dance meets Design
The Hobby Center, Zilkha Hall
800 Bagby Street, Houston, TX 77002
August 25-26 @ 7:30pm
Tickets: $25 – $35. Student and Group Discounts available.
Purchase online at www.TheHobbyCenter.org or call 713.315.2525.

FOR HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES

Contact: Andy Noble
andy@noblemotiondance.com
832-627-9664

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About NobleMotion Dance
NobleMotion Dance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit performing arts organization. In 2009, NobleMotion exploded onto the Houston dance scene and has since received critical acclaim for their “extraordinary athleticism” and “cutting edge” programming. NobleMotion Dance seeks to make work that is emotionally daring and honest; inspires discourse and understanding amongst diverse communities; and integrates dance, theatre and technology in unique ways. Artistic directors Andy Noble and Dionne Sparkman Noble are long time collaborators who have been entertaining audiences for twenty years. The dance company’s ultimate goal is to develop a body of work that challenges the status quo, is recognized for its contributions to the dance world, and influences future generations of dance artists. For more information about NobleMotion Dance, please visit us at noblemotiondance.com.