This Valentine’s Day, Good Things Come In Pairs

21st METdance season continues with Third annual all-duet performance, “DUO”
Feb. 9 through Feb. 11

HOUSTON – Jan.12, 2017 – Celebrate Valentine’s Day a little early — by enjoying performative dance duets from the METdance repertoire.

For the third year in a row, the nonprofit presents “DUO,” the all duet show scheduled each night at 8:00 p.m., Feb. 9 through Feb. 11 at Rec Room, 100 Jackson Street #130C in Houston, 77002.

“DUO too,” an additional performance by the METdance youth company MET too is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The performances aim to explore relationships through dance in an intimate setting, just in time for the romantic holiday.

“This one hour show of duets is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day,” METdance artistic director Marlana Doyle said. “The Rec Room is a small, intimate venue and offers a rare chance to enjoy performative dance up close.”

Seats for “DUO” are $25 for a single ticket or $44 for a couple. There is also an online only sale with discounted rates of $20 for single tickets or $36 for a couple. Tickets for the “DUO too” performance are $10 per person.

Seating is limited. For tickets, and more information about the show, visit www.metdance.org/duo/

The show will feature premiere works by Rosie Herrera, Mario Alberto Zambrano, Connor Walsh, Joshua Manculich, jhon r. stronks and Kate Hutter.

Rosie Herrera is a Miami-based dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Rosie Herrera Dance Theater. She was commissioned by the Miami Light Project in association with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing and the American Dance Festival in 2010, 2011 and 2013. She has had two residencies at the American Dance Festival, is a 2010 Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography fellow and a 2011 Miami Dance fellow.  In 2013, she was awarded a Princess Grace Choreographic Fellowship for her work with Ballet Hispanico.

Mario Alberto Zambrano is not only an award winning dancer and choreographer, but also an acclaimed novelist. He has performed with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballett Frankfurt, and Batsheva Dance Companies. He won the Princess Grace Award and has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, The National Endowment for the Arts, as well as Hawthornden Castle in Scotland. He currently teaches at Harvard University as a Lecturer in the theater, dance and media concentration.

Connor Walsh is a principal dancer with the Houston Ballet. He trained with the Kirov Academy of Ballet, the Harid Conservatory and Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. He received the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Scholarship, the Ben Stevenson Scholarship award, the first annual gold award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) and was given the award of encouragement at the Shanghai International Ballet Competition.

Joshua Manculich, winner of the Princess Grace Award, danced for five seasons with Thodos Dance Chicago, has performed with Chicago Repertory Ballet and is a founding performance member of Pursuit Productions. His work has toured internationally with DanceWorks Chicago and was showcased in New York as a part of the Dance Gallery series.

The choreography of jhon r. stronk has been commissioned by the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center, Urban Souls Dance Company, the Houston Black Dance Festival, the South Dallas Dance Festival, Big Range Dance Festival, Mix Match Dance Festival, Core Performance Company, Highways Performance Space and PROJECT:MOTION. He has taught on the faculties of California State University, Fresno, Ballethnic Academy of Dance, Moving I the Spirit, In Motion Dance/ Bermuda, COREdance, APA Studios San Diego, the University of Houston and the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center.

Kate Hutter is co-founder of the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC) and held the Artistic Directorship from 2005 – 2015.  She presented her choreography at venues throughout L.A. — including the Broad Stage, Celebrate Dance at the Alex Theater, Ford Amphitheatre, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, L.A. Theatre Center, Diavolo Dance Space and Highways Performance Space. She was the movement director for the band Foster the People on their 2013 Summer Tour and part of the Move campaign by indie clothing retailer Alternative Apparel.

“DUO” continues the current METdance season, “United in Dance,” aimed at celebrating the diversity of the METdance organization.

“This season celebrates the diverse cultural backgrounds, movement styles and inspirations of METdance choreographers from the past and present,” Doyle said. “We are committed to presenting works that speak to every audience member regardless of their ethnicity, age, sex or experience with dance, METdance is proud to be a leader in diversity and vitality of arts content. Our 21^st season will highlight that.”

Founded in 1995, METdance pursues a mission to educate and revitalize a passion for dance through world-class instruction and performance.

The company has traveled across the U.S., impressing critics and audiences alike while performing works by some of the most influential and talented choreographers in dance.

METdance also has a strong community outreach program, including its educational “Swing, Jive, Pop” performances. The shows incorporate history, fashion, music and the arts, while the company dances through the eras of the 1930s Lindy Hop, bops into the 1950s, grooves into the 1970s and ends with the Hip Hop music of today.

The company’s home base, the METdance Center, now serves as Houston’s second-largest dance training space, offering comprehensive training in multiple disciplines to students of all experience levels, ages 3 and up.

For more information about the concert, call 713-522-6375, email info@metdance.org or visit http://www.discoverygreen.com/1273650.

For more information about METdance and the upcoming 21^st season, visit www.metdance.org.

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About METdance

Founded in 1995, METdance strives to educate and revitalize a passion for dance through formal instruction and performance. With professional and youth dance companies, as well as a strong community outreach program, METdance is a leader in the vitality and diversity of Houston’s dance community. The METdance company has traveled across the U.S. to perform works by influential and talented choreographers. Helmed by founder and Executive Director Michelle Smith and Artistic Director Marlana Doyle, the company is the sister organization to the METdance Center, which opened the doors to a newly renovated facility in May 2013 in Houston’s Midtown district. For more information, visit www.metdance.org.