August 1, 2007
Washington, DC—Dancing to everything
from Bruce Springsteen to Maurice Ravel to sounds recorded
in Rock Creek Park, CityDance Ensemble opens
its 2007-2008 season on September
7 & 8 at the Lansburgh Theatre,
performing its debut concert as an artistic partner in the Harman
Center for the Arts. Titled Born to Run in
celebration of the concert’s headline piece to music
from Springsteen’s legendary 1975 release, the program
features two world premieres, two reconstructions of great
works from the past, a collection of choreography from the
emerging and leading choreographers of today, and the return
of artist-in-residence Rasta Thomas.
The concerts take place Friday, September
7 and Saturday, September 8 at 8pm in
the Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th Street NW,
Washington, DC. Tickets are priced at $35 and $20. Tickets
are available in person at the Lansburgh Theatre
Ticket Office (450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC),
online at www.HarmanCenter.org, or by phone
at 202.547.1122. A limited number of reduced-price
seating may be available for $15. Call 202.547.1122
for information.
This performance marks CityDance’s first as an artistic
partner with the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Under
this partnership, CityDance will present an annual four-weekend
season in the 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre
Company’s current theatre which will become part of the
new Harman Center for the Arts upon its opening in October
2007.
“Collaboration has been at the foundation of the Harman
Center for the Arts from the very beginning,” notes Nick
Goldsborough, Managing Director of the Shakespeare
Theatre Company. “Having world class dance and music
to accompany the work that the Shakespeare Theatre Company
does is the realization of a dream for both myself and Michael
[Kahn]. As an artistic partner, CityDance exemplifies what
we are looking for in a collaboration.”
“Performing an annual season in downtown DC has always
been a goal of CityDance’s,” adds CityDance Ensemble
Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson. “The
Harman Center will invite new audiences and new perspectives, and we are eager to partner
with the Shakespeare Theatre Company and all the other organizations
who will call this beautiful new center ‘home.’”
CityDance’s world premiere performance of Born to
Run is driven by the iconic music and legendary lyrics
of Bruce Springsteen as it celebrates the
spirit of youth, adventure, and growing up in America. With
choreography by Mr. Emerson, the Born to Run suite
features the title track, as well as Springsteen’s She’s
the One, Meeting Across the River, and Backstreets.
“Springsteen’s music defined rock and roll for
several generations,” comments Mr. Emerson. “The
opportunity to stage dance to that music is both a privilege
and a challenge, and I can’t think of any better music
to accompany our premiere performance on the Lansburgh Theatre
stage.”
Another program highlight is the world premiere of an experimental
collaboration between technology and movement titled I
Can Hear You. Can You See Me? Funded through the
New Media Grant program of the DC Commission on the
Arts & Humanities, the work employs state-of-the-art
technology, software, and computer programming to map the
stage and enable any movement by a dancer to trigger a sound—turning
dancer into composer and musician as well as mover. Using
music composed by Levine School of Music’s
Director of Composition Frances Thompson McKay with
sounds she recorded and processed from DC’s Rock
Creek Park and hardware and software programmed and designed
by Princeton University doctoral candidate Scott
Smallwood, this
project is the realization of a dancer’s endless dream
to “be the music,” wrapped in a work of mystery
and mythology developed by Mr. Emerson and company members Kyra
Jean Green and Bruno Augusto.
The program also features international dance star Rasta
Thomas performing Little Rhapsodies, a
solo created by world-renowned choreographer Lar
Lubovitch. Mr. Thomas, widely regarded as one of
today’s top male dancers, has performed with such companies
as American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and
the Kirov Ballet. He returns to CityDance this season as
Artist-in-Residence and assumes the role of Senior Artistic
Advisor, working closely with Mr. Emerson.
CityDance continues its commitment to reviving great works
of modern dance by presenting Jane Dudley’s Harmonica
Breakdown, created in 1938 as a tribute
to the challenges and accomplishments of the common man during
the Depression. Reconstructed on CityDance by Sheron
Wray, Harmonica Breakdown demonstrates the
simple, clean, and exceptionally clear aesthetic that made
modern dance both significant and sustainable. CityDance also
honors the late Eric Hampton, a DC-based dancer
and choreographer who passed in 2001, with the revival of his UnRavel, a
charming and witty quartet set to the music of Maurice Ravel.
The program is completed by Eclipse, a poignant,
tortured trio by celebrated choreographer Doug Varone; Bubbles, a
quirky duet by company member Kyra Jean Green and
fellow Juilliard graduate Idan Sharabi; and Salaam,
a passionate, theatrical work by CityDance’s longtime
artistic collaborator, choreographer, and filmmaker Ludovic
Jolivet.
About CityDance Ensemble, Inc.
CityDance Ensemble, Inc. is the parent organization to CityDance
Ensemble, an award-winning contemporary repertory
dance company; Early Arts, an arts outreach
program for youth serving more than 25,000 students each year; CityDance
Education Centers, facilities committed to excellence
in dance training for youth and adults; and FilmWORKS, a
creator and presenter of dance-on-camera. The mission of CityDance
Ensemble, Inc. is to advance the appreciation for and participation
in the art of dance through excellence in performance, education,
film, and artistic innovation.
