Psophonia Dance Company Presents Intrepid

For Immediate Release Contact: Sophia L. Torres
May 15, 2014 713-834-4162
psophonia@gmail.com

(Houston, TX) This season, Psophonia Dance Company presents the work of three dynamic choreographers in Intrepid, June 6-7, 2014 at 8pm at City Dance Studio. The evening length program features new creations by Artistic Director Sophia L. Torres with guest choreographers, Estela Tejeda and Leslie Scates.

A first for the company, Psophonia invited two distinctive choreographers to come in and set work on the PDC dancers. Torres has known both women for years and is excited about presenting their work. While varied in background and technique, Tejeda and Scates each created exceptional pieces.

Tejeda brings to the table, Edge of My Dreams with music by Philip Hamilton, Henry Torgue, Serge Houppin and Jonny Greenwood. “The work was inspired by how often I used to dream and how much weight we (people) put on those dreams, “Tejeda remarks, “For a time, after my son came along, I don’t remember dreaming at all. Like so many others, dreams and their meaning eluded and intrigued me. I started dreaming again recently, but the dreams were so outrageous that they scared me – I couldn’t believe what I was dreaming was in my subconscious. If I strip away the outer part of my dreams (what looks to be literal) sometimes, I
can find a simple meaning or message in them — a desire unfulfilled, a need for closure, inspiration to start something new. This dance was developed using physical movement first, the idea of dreams emerged on its own as I deconstructed and then reconstructed phrases. ”

Estela Tejeda is a native of Chicago and is in her third year as dance faculty adjunct for Mountain View College. She holds an MFA from Southern Methodist University where she received a full artistic scholarship. Currently she lives in Dallas, TX and serves as co-artistic director for the contemporary ensemble, The Project at the Hathaway Academy of Ballet.

Clever and humorous, Leslie Scates presents ” i came in like a… ” or ” rehearsing small. ” The title like the piece demonstrates Scates fluidness in what the work could be-changing, evolving, and a unique experience for the audience each night. In response to the work, Scates say, “I am working with cloning complex improvisational movement. Making repeatable choreography after almost a decade of exclusively making spontaneous choreography proved challenging. Bringing these two elements together – taking set material into performances and upsetting it, reorganizing it with improvisational strategies in real time – created an improvisational baseline of unison vocabulary. On another note, working with a tightly knit, thoughtful but individually expressive ensemble with high technical chops has been a delight.”

Leslie Scates is a movement artist and educator from Houston, Texas. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Houston and studied dance at Sam Houston State University. She has earned a “Best Dancing by the Side of the Road” award from the Houston Press in 2000. She is a highly skilled performer with unique expertise in contact improvisation. Leslie collaborates with a variety of artists and is a member of Lower Left Dance Collective, guest artist with Core Performance Company, Recked Productions and Jordan Fuchs Dance.

“Torres’ newest work turns inward in The Way Station. A turntable of moments, emotions and relationships are capsulated in the dance with an introspective look at carrying emotional weight, breaking free of it, or passing it on.

Sophia L. Torres is Founder and Artistic Director of Psophonia Dance Company. She has choreographed over 30 original works under Psophonia receiving recognition for her innovative choreography and for arts in education programming. Earlier this year, Torres was named one of Houston’s Top 10 Choreographers by Houston Press – Rest of the Best 2014. Currently she is on faculty at the University of Houston and Houston Community College Northwest.

Performing in Intrepid are Stephanie Beall, Vi Dieu, Danielle Koblinski, Kendall Kramer, Taylor McAnulty, Tory Pierce, Kristina Prats, Arielle Tesia Rojas and Haylee Voogt.

Psophonia Dance Company presents Intrepid on Friday and Saturday, June 6-7, 2014 at 8pm at City Dance Studio, 1307 W. Clay Street. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To purchase tickets, visit www.psophonia.com or call 713-834-4162. For information, please visit www.psophonia.com.

Press interviews and photos are available upon request.