Miami City Ballet announces its 2009-2010 Season from October 2009 through April 2010

MCB Dancers in Symphony in Three Movements, Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Photo © Joe Gato

Miami City Ballet’s (MCB) 2009-2010 season of dance in South Florida begins in October 2009 and runs through April 2010. The Company performs at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale; and at Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.

Program I features modern choreographer Paul Taylor’s Company B. This work, last seen in South Florida almost a decade ago, is performed to carefree World War II hits by the Andrews Sisters (“Rum and Coca Cola,” Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Oh, Johnny, Oh!”) contrasted with the melancholy realities of soldiers at war. Also on this program are George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Symphony in Three Movements and Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux.

Program II will show for the first time on MCB’s main stages, Twyla Tharp’s “The Golden Section” a thrilling segment from her famous work The Catherine Wheel. The piece is set to music by David Byrne (of the Talking Heads) and it is pure energy as thirteen dancers in gold costumes sail, soar, and tear through the air of the stage’s glowing light. Also featured are Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Valse Fantaisie (1953), and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.

Program III is Edward Villella’s The Neighborhood Ballroom. Back for its first full encore since its 2003 premiere, this is an evening-length, action-packed, atmosphere-drenched tale of a poet, his muses, and the great ballroom music and dances of the early and mid-20th century. The four sections of this work showcase the seductive waltz, quick-stepping jazz (including the Charleston), the fox-trot where couples dance in the dark to big-band music, and the mambo, which ruled the dance floor in the 1950s.



Program IV will feature Dances at a Gathering, Jerome Robbins’ masterpiece. Ten dancers, live Chopin piano music, endlessly beautiful and original invention - a celebration of dance, dancers…and life. Also on this program is Balanchine’s breezily romantic Who Cares? set to music by Gershwin.

Once again, Miami City Ballet will present George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™. This delightful holiday season family event features a cast of more than 100 professional dancers and talented students from Miami City Ballet School. Performances will take place at The Arsht Center in Miami and at Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale.

New 2009-2010 full subscription renewal packages, to which Nutcracker tickets can be added, will be mailed in February and mini-series renewals will be mailed in March. Reservations for single tickets will be accepted at Miami City Ballet’s Box Office starting in April.

Subscription packages and single-show tickets are on sale now. Four-program subscription series are priced from $635 to $69; two-program “mini-subscriptions” are priced from $330 to $36. Single ticket prices for the repertory are $169 to $19. Nutcracker ticket prices are $65 to $19.75 (discounted to $58-$19 when ordered with a subscription package).

For more information about subscription packages, including group discounts, please call Miami City Ballet Box Office toll-free at (877) 929.7010.

Tickets can be purchased at the theaters' Box Offices and online at Miami City Ballet or Ticketmaster.

Roots of Gypsy

les couleurs de l'Inde avec Sayari
danses & chants traditionnels
en grande première Nord-Américaine parrainée par
Denis Bouchard, metteur en scène &
DJ Stéphane Cocke

Montréal — eXcentris vous invite à une série de spectacles magiques et flamboyants avec la chanteuse indienne Sayari, ses musiciens et ses danseuses.

Sayari – Un destin gitan

Tout comme ses ancêtres gitans l'ont fait il y a mille ans, Sayari Sapera a quitté son village du désert pour un voyage qui lui fit faire le tour du monde. Née sur la route près de Samrau dans le Rajasthan, Sayari commence à chanter à l'âge de 10 ans, donnant de nombreux spectacles, puis elle apprend la danse. Elle gravit les échelons un à un, gagnant la reconnaissance et l'intérêt du public, ce qui la mène dans une tournée mondiale qui dure plus de douze ans. De Paris à Tokyo, en passant par New York et Stockholm, elle s'enrichit des expériences et rencontres sur les routes occidentales. Elle a voulu partager ses connaissances avec les siens et les aider à suivre ses traces en revenant chez elle à Udaipur, pour fonder Sayari — Roots of Gypsy.

Sayari — Roots of Gypsy

Les familles qui vivent à l'école Sayari s'ouvrent au respect de leur art, à sa transmission et à la célébration de leurs origines avec tout le professionnalisme que l'on connaît aux artistes indiens. Ces artistes apprennent à mettre en valeur la tradition, tout en composant de nouvelles pièces qui contribuent à l'évolution de leur culture.

Le groupe de musiciens et les danseuses de Sayari — Roots of Gypsy font fureur partout au Moyen-Orient et en Europe, acclamés par le président Sarkosy, le Cirque du Soleil à Moscou et les palais de Dubaï. Le québécois Philippe Tapp, professionnel du cirque et amoureux du Rajasthan, fait partie de la famille Sayari et nous présente ces artistes et leur art vieux de mille ans en grande première en Amérique du Nord, dans la salle Fellini à eXcentris.

Denis Bouchard, metteur en scène, récemment en Inde lors d'une mission humanitaire, a fait la connaissance de Philippe, de Sayari et de leurs musiciens et danseuses par un heureux hasard : « C'est comme revenir mille ans en arrière, aux racines de la culture gitane, c'est le brut, le vrai, adroitement mêlé au savoir-faire occidental en terme de performance scénique. C'est la survivance d'une culture dans toute sa splendeur, le folklore dans sa version la plus pure, croisé au langage scénique moderne. »

Stéphane Cocke, DJ, mélomane et photographe, a vécu avec Sayari — Roots of Gypsy pendant plusieurs mois. Il en a tiré un magnifique livre de photos, disponible à eXcentris lors des spectacles. « C'est la beauté pure et brute d'un art vieux d'au moins mille ans, qui a survécu par la transmission orale. C'est l'essence même de la musique, du chant et de la danse, c'est un bouleversement qui vous met des larmes dans les yeux. »

3 soirs – 3 spectacles en 1
Les palais du Rajasthan

Musique semi-classique du nord de l'Inde aux textes romantiques révélant l'amour et la dévotion d'une jeune femme pour Krishna. Le style musical est flexible et laisse place à l'improvisation. Il reflète un mixage entre les musiques classique et folklorique.

Les filles du Cobra

Danse de charmeurs de serpents et marchands de venin du désert, l'une des danses les plus sensuelles et les plus féminines du Rajasthan. Les corps des danseuses tournent si rapidement, les mouvements sont si acrobatiques et le tempo si rapide qu'ils laissent les spectateurs à bout de souffle. Vous serez conquis par la beauté de la voix de Sapera et par le charme des robes évoquant l'oeil du cobra, qui transportent au cœur du désert du Rajasthan.

Roots of Gypsy

Le cœur du Rajasthan, de sa culture, de ses traditions, en musique, en chant et en danse. Toute la richesse de l'Inde, les racines de son théâtre de rue et de ses rythmes gipsy, énergisant, haut en couleur et en émotions.

Éblouissement, recueillement, magie, intensité, vérité, dépaysement : tout ça les 30 septembre, 1er et 2 octobre prochains, à 19 h 30.

__________________________________________________

the colours of India with
Sayari
dances & traditional music
in a major North American premiere sponsored by
director Denis Bouchard &
DJ Stéphane Cocke

Montreal — eXcentris invites you to a series of magical and flamboyant concerts starring Indian singer Sayari, with her musicians and dancers.

Sayari – A gypsy destiny

As her gypsy ancestors did a thousand years ago, Sayari Sapera left her desert village for a journey that would take her around the world. Born on the road near Samrau in Rajasthan, Sayari first began singing and performing at the age of 10, and went on to learn dance. Working her way up step by step, she won public recognition that would take her on a world tour lasting over 12 years. From Paris to Tokyo, New York and Stockholm, she absorbed the experiences and encounters of her travels in the west. Determined to share her knowledge with her people and help them follow in her footsteps, she returned to Udaipur to found Sayari — Roots of Gypsy.

Sayari — Roots of Gypsy

The families living in the Sayari school respectfully address their art, communicating it and celebrating their roots with all the professionalism we've come to expect from Indian artists. They learn to showcase their tradition, while also composing new pieces that contribute to the evolution of their culture.

The musicians and dancers of Sayari — Roots of Gypsy have sparked a frenzy throughout the Middle East and Europe, winning acclaim from French president Sarkosy, the Cirque du Soleil in Moscow and in the palaces of Dubai. Quebecer Philippe Tapp, a circus professional in love with Rajasthan, is part of the Sayari family and hereby presents these artists and their ancient thousand-year-old art in a major North American premiere, in the Fellini room in eXcentris.

During a recent humanitarian mission in India, director Denis Bouchard met and got to know Philippe, Sayari and their musicians and dancers through a stroke of luck: "It's like traveling back a thousand years, to the roots of gypsy culture, the raw, real thing, skillfully fused with western know-how in terms of stagecraft. It's the survival of a culture in all its splendour, folklore in its purest incarnation, crossed with the modern techniques and language of the stage."

Stéphane Cocke, DJ, music lover and photographer, lived with Sayari — Roots of Gypsy for several months. He produced a photo book from the experience, which will be available in eXcentris during the performances. "It's the pure, raw beauty of an art that's at least a thousand years old, one that has survived through word of mouth. It is the very essence of music, song and dance, a moving experience that brings tears to your eyes."

3 nights – 3 shows in 1
Les palais du Rajasthan

Semi-classical music from northern India featuring romantic lyrics revealing a young woman's love and devotion for Krishna. The musical style is flexible, leaving room for improvisation, in a mixture of classical and folkloric music.

Les filles du Cobra

The dance of snake-charmers and desert venom merchants, one of the most sensual and feminine dances in all of Rajasthan. The dancers' speedily-turning bodies, acrobatic moves and rapid tempo leave spectators breathless. The beauty of Sapera's voice and her charming cobra-eye dresses will win you over, transporting you to the heart of the Rajasthan desert.
Roots of Gypsy

The heart of Rajasthan – its culture and traditions – in music, song and dance. All the richness of India, the roots of its street theatre and gypsy rhythms, full of energy, colour and passion.

Dazzling, contemplative, magical, intense, genuine, transporting: all this and more, on September 30, October 1 and 2, at 7:30 p.m.

Special contemporary African dance program at the MAI / Programme spéciale en danse africaine contemporaine au MAI

Ce mois de septembre au MAI : 3 compagnies de danse africaine contemporaine

Dans le cadre d’un mois de septembre qu’il consacre à la danse africaine contemporaine, le MAI ouvre sa saison 2009-2010 avec une soirée exceptionnelle et accueille deux compagnies pionnières au Canada! Réunies pour la première fois sur une même scène, les compagnies Nyata Nyata (Montréal) et NAfro Dance (Winnipeg) présentent du 17 au 20 septembre quatre pièces en premières montréalaises et une en première mondiale. Ce programme double sera ensuite suivi de la nouvelle création de l’interprète-chorégraphe Gibson Muriva (Zimbabwe), du 23 au 27 septembre. Ces performances présentées au MAI sont co-diffusées par Transatlantique Montréal 2010.

On peut se procurer les billets pour ces spectacles en visitant le site http://ticket.boxxo.info/, en se présentant à la billetterie du MAI, située au 3680, rue Jeanne-Mance ou en composant le (514) 982-3386.

Offre spéciale !
Achetez en même temps vos billets pour les 2 spectacles de NAfro Dance+ Nyata Nyata
et Gibson Muriva et obtenez 30% de rabais.


www.nyata-nyata.org www.nafrodance.com http://www.vimeo.com/6461838



This September at the MAI: 3 contemporary African dance compagnies

This month, the MAI is celebrating contemporary African dance in Canada. In this spirit, the 2009-2010 program opens with an outstanding evening highlighted by two groundbreaking canadian dance compagnies! United on the same stage for the very first time, Nyata Nyata (Montreal) and NAfro Dance (Winnipeg) present from September 17 to 20, five performances - four of which are Montreal premieres and one, a world premiere. This double bill will also be followed by a new creation by dancer-choreographer Gibson Muriva (Zimbabwe), from September 23 to 27. Theses performances are all presented in association with Transatlantique Montréal 2010.

Tickets for theses shows can be purchase online at http://ticket.boxxo.info/, at the MAI’s Box office on 3680, Jeanne-Mance St. or by calling (514) 982-3386.

Special Offer!
 Buy tickets for both shows (NAfro dance + Nyata Nyata and Gibson Muriva)
and benefit from a 30% discount.

www.nyata-nyata.org www.nafrodance.com http://www.vimeo.com/6461838

Toronto Music Garden celebrates its 10th anniversary season with free concerts and dance performances and two world premieres

This year, the Toronto Music Garden celebrates its 10th anniversary of outstanding free performances in a unique setting, and popular garden tours. Summer Music in the Garden 2009 will see the return of many favourite Music Garden performers from the past 10 seasons, while more than 30 artists will make their Music Garden debut.

From June 28-September 20, Summer Music in the Garden presents 20 free outdoor concerts and dance performances involving more than 90 artists in total. This year's eclectic lineup includes five dance performances, ranging from Korean to Baroque to contemporary. Two dances will be world premieres: one by choreographer Carol Anderson featuring dancer Claudia Moore on Sept. 3, and another by Andrea Nann Dreamwalker Dance Company with multimedia composer Tom Kuo, on Sept. 10.

The concerts take place on Thursday evenings at 7pm and on most Sundays at 4pm. The free tours of the Toronto Music Garden, led by volunteers from the Toronto Botanical Garden, return for another season, taking place on Wednesdays at 11am, June 3-September 30, and on Thursdays before every concert at 5:30pm from July 2-September 10. Admission to the park and all its programming is free.

Both Summer Music in the Garden and the guided tours are produced by Harbourfront Centre in partnership with City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and with the generous support of Toronto Culture, Margaret & Jim Fleck, George Dembroski, David Graham, Sandra & Jim Pitblado and William & Phyllis Waters. Renowned Canadian composer Ann Southam has generously commissioned the new dance by Carol Anderson to music by J.S. Bach (Sept. 3); Harbourfront Centre has commissioned Leika, by Andrea Nann Dreamwalker Dance Company and multimedia artist Tom Kuo, which receives its world premiere on Sept. 10. Summer Music in the Garden is curated for Harbourfront Centre by Artistic Director Tamara Bernstein.

The Toronto Music Garden is a City of Toronto park, located on the waterfront at 475 Queens Quay West (on the water's edge side), between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue. The Garden is wheelchair-accessible and open year-round. For information on the Toronto Music Garden and its current programmes, the public can call Harbourfront Centre, 416-973-4000 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/torontomusicgarden. For information on other City of Toronto parks and gardens, the public can call 416-338-0338 or visit toronto.ca/parks_gardens.

10TH ANNIVERSARY SUMMER MUSIC IN THE GARDEN SCHEDULE

All concerts are approximately one hour long (except where noted) and take place weather permitting. Concerts are cancelled in the event of inclement weather.

Sunday, June 28, 4pm
Shauna and Friends
Renowned Canadian cellist Shauna Rolston leads six outstanding student cellists from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music in music by Elgar, Massenet, Kreisler and others, arranged for cello solo, duo, and ensemble. As a prelude, Barbara Croall (cedar flutes and First Nation drum) and Anita McAlister (trumpet and conch shell) perform Croall's Calling from Different Directions, which was composed for the Music Garden in summer 2008. Calling from Different Directions is a short, arresting piece that invokes the four sacred directions, bringing together instruments from different cultural "directions": trumpet, conch shell, traditional cedar flutes and First Nations hand drum.

Thursday, July 2, 7pm
Samulnori!
This exuberant Toronto ensemble returns with traditional Korean drumming and dance—rooted in nature; transplanted to Canada.

Sunday, July 5, 4pm
Orfea and the Golden Harp
Theatre Cotton Robes presents their delightful adaptation of the Orfeo myth for the whole family. A little girl shoulders her golden harp and journeys to the Underworld to bring her beloved grandfather back to life; along the way we hear music from 400 years of opera, including Monteverdi, Mozart and Offenbach. Performed by baritone Lawrence Cotton, soprano Brooke Dufton and pianist Rachad Feizoullaev. (For information about Theatre Cotton Robes, visit www.theatrecottonrobes.com.)

Thursday, July 9, 7pm
Quartets with a Past
The Kirby String Quartet presents four classical works that look back to earlier composers: Beethoven's Quartet Op. 74, Mendelssohn's Capriccio Op. 8, Brahms' Quartet Op. 67, third movement, and Stravinsky's neo-classical Concertino. Aisslinn Nosky and Julia Wedman (violins), Max Mandel (viola), Carina Reeves (cello).

Thursday, July 16, 7pm
Moonlight, Mountains and Flowing Streams: Voices of Ancient China

The China Court Trio performs music from the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Wen Zhao, (pipa – Chinese lute), Yongli Xue, (zheng – Chinese zither), Yu Cheng Zhang (bowled clay flute and vertical flute). (For information about Wen Zhao, visit wendyzhao.com.)

Sunday, July 19, 4pm
Does This Drum Make My Brass Sound Big?
The brass and percussion sections of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada return with a delightful, varied programme that showcases outstanding young Canadian musicians. (For information about the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, visit nyoc.org.)

Thursday, July 23, 7pm
Another knock at the door
Toronto's Shiraz Ensemble presents a heady brew of Persian art music and original compositions. Yashar Salek (Daf/Dayereh), Nima Rahmani (Santoor), Saeed Kamjoo (Kamanche), Araz Salek (Tar), Shahin Fayaz (Rabab). A co-presentation with Small World Music.

Sunday, July 26, 4pm
Oiseaux Interurbains/Migratory Songflutes
Alison Melville performs acoustic and electronic music from the 12th to 21st centuries, for various flutes, recorders and recorded sound, including works by Bach, Telemann, Hildegard of Bingen, Jacob van Eyck, Peter Hannan, Linda C. Smith, Ben Grossman and the performer. (For information about Alison Melville, visit alisonmelville.com.)

Thursday, July 30, 7pm
Behind the Masques
The period musicians of Toronto Masque Theatre, with renowned Montreal dancer-choreographer Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, reveal different faces of baroque dance—courtly, theatrical, grotesque. Lacoursière will also perform several baroque dances reflected in the design of the Music Garden. "[Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière] has set a new standard for historical dance in Toronto."—Robert Everett-Green, reviewing Toronto Masque Theatre in the Globe and Mail, April 25, 2009. (For information about Toronto Masque Theatre, visit torontomasquetheatre.ca.)

Thursday, August 6, 7pm
Strong and Free
True North Brass returns with a programme that will delight and dazzle. Raymond Tizzard and Richard Sandals (trumpets), Joan Watson (French horn), Alastair Kay (trombone) and Scott Irvine (tuba). (For information about True North Brass, visit truenorthbrass.com.)

Sunday, August 9, 4pm
Passage to India
Singer Bageshree Vaze and tabla virtuoso Vineet Viyas perform classical North Indian ragas, along with classically-based songs from early Bollywood. (For information about Bageshree Vaze, visit bageshree.com and for information about Vineet Viyas, visit vineetvyas.com.)

Thursday, August 13, 7pm
Coming out of Hayd'n
The Cecilia String Quartet performs the Quartet in C Major, Op. 74 No. 1, by the "father of the string quartet," Joseph Haydn, and the sparkling, newly discovered String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major by French composer Theodore Dubois (1837-1924). Sarah Nematallah and Min-Jeong Koh (violins), Caitlin Boyle (viola) and Rebecca Wenham (cello). (For information about the Cecilia String Quartet, visit ceciliastringquartet.com.)

Sunday, August 16, 4pm
Utopian Voices
In the early baroque, fans of the renaissance cornetto and the newly perfected violin duked it out over which instrument was closest to the human voice. Happily, we don't have to choose when the virtuosi of FOLIA—baroque violinist Linda Melsted and cornettist Kiri Tollaksen—perform glorious music by Castello, Frescobaldi, Gabrieli and others. With Borys Medicky, harpsichord.

Thursday, August 20, 7pm
"My Unrest": Yiddish Songs for a New Day
Grammy-nominated singer Adrienne Cooper (New York) and world-renowned pianist Marilyn Lerner (Toronto) perform music from their new CD: settings of Yiddish modernist poems on love, longing, war and migration by contemporary composers including Sarah Gordon, Frank London, Fima Chorny and the performers. (For information about Marilyn Lerner, visit marilynlerner.com.)

Sunday, August 23, 4pm
Accordions for a Weill
Four virtuoso accordionists—Ina Henning, Eugene Laskiewicz, Joseph Macerollo and Alexander Sevastien—perform a wide-ranging programme of music, from Bach to Piazzola. Mezzo-soprano Ali Garrison joins Henning in songs by Kurt Weill, and accompanies dancer-choreographer Claudia Moore in Moore's touching dance, For Heddy, to the Brecht/Weill song, Nana's Lied. "Heddy was my dear grandma from Germany who loved parties, was a fabulous cook and worked at the Broadway Market in Buffalo. She lived to be 97. Nana's Song makes me think of her and inspired me to make this dance."—Claudia Moore

Thursday, August 27, 7pm
Echoes of Ancient Boundaries
In ancient Japan, village boundaries extended as far as the sound of their taiko drums carried. The thrilling sounds of Toronto's outstanding taiko ensemble Nagata Shachu (formerly known as the Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble) transcend the boundaries of East and West, past and present. (For information about Nagata Shachu, visit nagatashachu.com.)

Sunday, August 30, 4pm
Percussion from a Suitcase
Find out what happens when a percussionist—the spectacular Aiyun Huang of Montreal—creates a programme for which all the instruments fit into her suitcase! Music by Matthew Burtner, Alvin Lucier, Javier Alvarez, Roberto Sierra, Georges Aperghis and John Adams. (For information about Aiyun Huang, visit aiyunhuang.com.)

Thursday, September 3, 7pm
Bach at Dusk – With Claudia
Winona Zelenka continues her journey through Bach's six suites for solo cello. This summer, she performs the Suite No. 4 in E-flat Major for solo cello; for the last three movements of the piece (Sarabande, Bourree I and II, and Gigue), Ms. Zelenka is joined by dancer Claudia Moore in the world premiere of a new work by choreographer Carol Anderson. The dance has been generously commissioned by renowned Canadian composer Ann Southam.
Please note: This is a 30-minute concert due to early sunset. (For information about Winona Zelenka, visit winonazelenka.com. (For more information on Claudia Moore, visit danceumbrella.net/clients_moonhorse.htm.)

Thursday, September 10, 7pm
Leika
In a new work commissioned by Harbourfront Centre, Andrea Nann Dreamwalker Dance Company and multimedia composer Tom Kuo reveal hidden secrets of the Music Garden through music, dance and interactive play. Please note: This is a 30-minute concert due to early sunset. Pre-performance audience participation encouraged from 6:30-7pm. (For information about Andrea Nann, visit dreamwalkerdance.com.)

Sunday September 20, 4pm
The Sanssouci Quartet
This exciting new Boston-Toronto quartet on period instruments performs Boccherini's Quartet in D Major and Mozart's Quartet in D Minor, K. 421. Abigail Karr and Karina Fox (violins), Sarah Darling (viola), Kate Haynes (cello). And to close: a reprise of Barbara Croall's Calling from Different Directions, performed by Anita McAlister and the composer. (See June 28 concert.)

TORONTO MUSIC GARDEN TOURS
Guided tours begin at 11am on Wednesdays: June 3, 10, 17, 24; July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26; September 2, 9, 16, 23, 30.
Pre-concert guided tours begin at 5:30pm on Thursdays: July 2, 9, 16, 23; August 6, 13, 30, 27; September 3, 10.
Visitors are invited to take a free 45-minute walking tour led by Toronto Botanical Garden tour guides. Tours start in the west end of the Garden in the Prelude section. Self-guided 70-minute audio tours (English only) hosted by Yo-Yo Ma and Julie Moir Messervy are also available for a rental fee of $5 (free rentals for children). Private group tours are also available ($5 per person). For reservations, call 416-397-1366 or visit torontobotanicalgarden.ca.

TORONTO MUSIC GARDEN BACKGROUND
The Toronto Music Garden is one of Toronto's most enchanted locations. The Garden was conceived by internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and designed by Boston-based landscape artist Julie Moir Messervy. Its design interprets Bach's Suite No. 1 in G Major for Unaccompanied Cello, with each dance movement within the suite corresponding to a different section of the Garden: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuett and Gigue. A unique and magical venue, the Toronto Music Garden is the only garden/park in the world known to be directly inspired by a specific piece of music.

The Toronto Music Garden opened in 1999; concerts have been held there every summer since 2000. Since 2001, the concerts have been produced by Harbourfront Centre in partnership with City of Toronto, under the artistic direction of Tamara Bernstein. The Garden itself is lovingly maintained by City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, as well as volunteers.

The Toronto Music Garden, located on Queens Quay West at the foot of Spadina Avenue, is easy to reach by public transit. From Spadina Station take the 510 (Union Station) streetcar south. From Union Station take the Harbourfront LRT (509 or 510 streetcar) going west from inside Union Station. Call the Toronto Transit Commission at 416-393-4636 for transit information.

FOCUS: Shift
Harbourfront Centre wants you to shift gears.

What does it mean to change your perspectives on idea, explore new ways of approaching an old notion or to literally shift gears? From June to September, Harbourfront Centre explores the idea of "shift" throughout its programming. How does an ever-changing culture influence the lives and experiences of artists? What happens when we view the world from a different vantage point? What can be learned from migration, relocation and transformation?

Harbourfront Centre: Change perspectives.

SHIFT is part of an ongoing focus in programming. Our Lens. Your View.

http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/torontomusicgarden

TD Canada Trust Family Adventures "Dance with the NAC Orchestra

Veronica Tennant and conductor Boris Brott co-host “Dance with the NAC Orchestra!” the final TD Canada Trust Family Adventures concert on May 23

Ottawa (Canada) – Family audiences will be swept off their feet by a fantastic exploration of dance music in all its glory when former prima ballerina Veronica Tennant co-hosts “Dance with the National Arts Centre Orchestra” led by Principal Youth and Family Conductor Boris Brott in Southam Hall on Saturday, May 23 at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon. Waltzes, minuets, tap, step, salsa, tango – you’ll hear them all, while an array of dancers from The School of Dance move to the beat of our great NAC Orchestra. These bilingual TD Canada Trust Family Adventures are perfect for kids 5 and up and their grown-up friends.

The concert ticket includes “TuneTown”, pre-concert activities in the NAC Foyer organized by Friends of the NAC Orchestra 45 minutes prior to each concert, beginning at 12:45 p.m. for the first concert and 2:45 p.m. for the second concert.

Please note that Ottawa Race Weekend will lead to street closures around the downtown area. See below for the Parking Advisory.

“Dance with the NAC Orchestra” will include musical selections from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Nutcracker, Copland’s Rodeo, Johann Strauss Jr.’s On the Beautiful Blue Danube, Bernstein’s West Side Story, Anderson’s Blue Tango, and Ginastera’s “Malambo” from Estancio.

The “TuneTown” activities for “Dance with the NAC Orchestra” include The School of Dance providing short contemporary dance performances on the Main Lobby stage as well as stations throughout the lobby to demonstrate the “seven movements of dance”; a brass instrumental “petting zoo” organized by the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy; an Ottawa Public Library book display on the theme of dance; an activity station by Music for Young Children; a craft station where children can make fans which can be used in dance; and a station where children can look at and try on different types of dance shoes.

All TD Canada Trust Family Adventures feature NACOtron presented in collaboration with Rogers Television. Five television cameras positioned on stage and in the hall capture live video images of the musicians while they are performing, and these images are projected onto a giant screen above the stage allowing the audience to watch the action in close-up.

The Ottawa Citizen is the media partner of the TD Canada Trust Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra.

Tickets for “Dance with the NAC Orchestra” on Saturday, May 23 at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., including TuneTown Pre-Concert Activities, are $12.00 for children and $20.00 for adults (including GST and Facility Fee where applicable) and are on sale now at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Visit the National Arts Centre’s web site at www.nac-cna.ca.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

Parking Advisory

Street closures around NAC during the Ottawa Race weekend:

From 9 a.m. Friday, May 22, 2009 to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 24, 2009:
Queen Elizabeth Dr. northbound (between Somerset and Laurier Bridge) from 09:00 - Traffic exiting NAC parking garage can turn right onto Laurier Ave. West
Laurier Ave. off Ramp closed onto QED

On Saturday, May 23, 2009:
Laurier Ave. (Nicholas St. to Elgin St.) 3 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Elgin St. (Laurier Ave. to Catherine St.) 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. (cross traffic allowed pre-race)
Elgin St. (Laurier Ave. to Wellington St.) 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. (lane closures)
Rideau St. (Elgin St. to Sussex Dr.) 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (lane closures)
Colonel By Dr. (Daly St. to Bronson Ave.) 4 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Queen Elizabeth Dr. (Preston St. to NAC) 4 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. closed from Somerset St. W. to NAC (all weekend)

Traffic exiting NAC parking garage will be redirected to Albert Street exit all-day Sat.
Drive through traffic from the Box Office will be allowed to go into the garage at Canal entrance and to exit at Albert Street.
Traffic will be permitted to cross Elgin St. at Slater and Albert except for a short period of time.
Note that parking at the World Exchange Plaza Garage on Metcalfe is free on weekends.

PSO Presents a Tribute to Dance, April 4-5

PSO Pops! Presents Dance! Dance! Dance! April 4-5

Concert is part of the first national food drive sponsored by America's symphony orchestras

PORTLAND, Maine – Music Director Robert Moody leads the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO), guest ensemble Neos Dance Theatre and tap dancer Fred Strickler in a dynamic PSO POPS! tribute to dance and dancers through the ages. Two performances of Dance! Dance! Dance! will be staged at Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle Street in Portland, Saturday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, April 5 at 2:30 p.m.

Dance! Dance! Dance! leads audiences through a tribute to dance and dancers throughout the ages, from the charlestons and foxtrots of Twentiana, to the razzle-dazzle of A Chorus Line. Along the way there will be a Tap Dance Concerto, showcasing the musicianship of the art of tap (composer Morton Gould notated all the rhythms for the dancer in the same way he would for a drummer), the "Hoe-Down" from Aaron Copland's classic American ballet Rodeo, music from Babes in Arms and My Fair Lady, plus plenty of fancy footwork, leaps, lifts, and more.

Led by Artistic Director Robert Wesner, the dancers of Neos Dance Theatre have performed all over the United States and abroad. Firmly centered in classical ballet technique, the Neos dancers have a modern versatility and sense of the eclectic in dance that allows them to move easily through the ages and styles of dance in a single show. Referring to the Neos dancers as "young and energetic," the Cleveland Plain Dealer said, "…they pull the audience into their performance with bright personalities, warm rapport and a palpable love of dance." Neos Dance Theatre has collaborated for over a decade with maestro Robert Moody for various symphony orchestra programs.

Having danced and choreographed since 1961 for film, television, musical theatre and the concert stage, Fred Strickler is a virtuoso tap dance artist acclaimed by audiences and critics for his originality and musicality. Equally at home in classical, jazz and modern styles, in his tap dances he revels in the complex interactions of rhythm, sound and movement. Mr. Strickler is the Artistic Director for Fred Strickler & Friends – New Ideas on Tap, which focuses on innovations in tap dance choreography and often includes nationally known guest dancers and musicians. In addition to his own dancing and choreography career, he is also a Professor of Dance at the University of California, Riverside, where he has taught since 1967.

During the Dance! Dance! Dance! performances, volunteers will be in the lobby of Merrill Auditorium collecting non-perishable food donations through the PSO's participation in Orchestras Feeding America, the first national food drive sponsored by America's symphony orchestras, inspired by the soon-to-be-released film The Soloist. All food collected will be donated to Preble Street. For more information, visit portlandsymphony.com.

Sponsored by MPX/Maine Printing Company and The Portland Press Herald, the Saturday evening concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $17-$62 and are sold through PortTix at (207) 842-0800 or www.porttix.com. New this year, the website offers real-time online seat selection. Phone and internet orders are subject to $5-per-ticket handling fees. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the box office at 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. For complete season information, including artist biographies and program notes, visit www.portlandsymphony.com.

The VSO collaborates with the innovative Kokoro Dance

Vancouver BC – The VSO presents its second Vancouver Sun Symphony at the Roundhouse Series concert of the season, a co-presentation with Kokoro Dance, on March 20, 8pm at the Roundhouse Theatre in Yaletown. VSO Assistant Conductor Evan Mitchell leads the concert which features in addition to Kokoro Dance, mezzo-soprano Viviane Houle, saxophonist Wallace Halladay, the VSO’s Principal Violist Neil Miskey, and Principal Second Violin Brent Akins. This collaboration is set to the music of Scott Good’s Babbitt’s Concerto for Saxophone(s), Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, and Gareth Farr’s The Pagan Prayer.

Scott Good’s Babbitt’s Concerto for Saxophone(s) is a reflection of George F. Babbitt the character, rather than an attempt to relate the narrative of the Sinclair Lewis novel Babbitt (1922). Dr. Good explains, “I find his character to be interesting, in that although he is a shallow conformist, whose self worth is always related to the status quo, he feels genuine emotions of love, loneliness, and despair. This multiplicity of character speaks well to a concerto for multi-instrumentalist, and I was able to focus each saxophone on a different quality of his personality. The baritone is a greedy salesman, the tenor is frustrated at everyone, the alto is the lonely hero, and the soprano dreams of the fairy child.”

Avro Pärt’s Tabula Rasa (Latin: blank slate) refers to an epistemological concept that suggests human beings are born without any thought content, and that their entire scope of knowledge is built over time. Tabula Rasa was originally composed in 1977 for violinist Gideaon Cramer. Within its two movements, Ludos (to play or deceive) and Silentium (Silence), the full maturation of Pärt’s compositional technique “tintinnabulation” is reached. [Program Notes © 2009 Scott Good]

Gareth Farr’s the Pagan Prayer is a dramatic setting of two poems by Charles Baudelaire, Le Rebelle and La Prière d’un Païen. Farr’s music is particularly influenced by his extensive study of percussion, both Western and non-Western. Rhythmic elements of his compositions can be linked to the complex and exciting rhythms of Rarotongan log drum ensembles, Balinese gamelan and other percussion music of the Pacific Rim. In addition to his music for the concert chamber, Farr has written music for dance, theatre and television. On-stage, Farr also performs as his alter-ego percussion-playing drag queen, Lilith Lacroix.

CONCERT INFO

The Vancouver Sun Symphony at the Roundhouse Series:

the rebel

Co-presentation with Kokoro Dance

Friday, March 20, 8pm, Roundhouse Theatre

Evan Mitchell, conductor

Viviane Houle, mezzo-soprano

Wallace Halladay, saxophone

Neil Miskey, viola

Brent Akins, violin

Kokoro Dance, dancers

Gareth Farr the Pagan Prayer

Scott Good Babbitt-Concerto for Saxophone(s)

Arvo Part Tabula Rasa

Tickets $27 (Student, Senior and Subscriber discounts available)

Tickets available by phone at 604.876.3434 or online at www.vancouversymphony.ca

Generously Supported By:

Series Sponsor: The Vancouver Sun

Financial Support By: SOCAN Foundation

BIOGRAPHIES

Evan Mitchell, conductor

Conductor Evan Mitchell is proving to be one of Canada’s most promising young conductors. Currently the Assistant Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony, Evan is slated to play a key role in programming, artistic development and of course performance with the VSO, leading the orchestra through a wide assortment of concerts.

Equally at home with chamber music, opera and full symphonic masterpieces, Evan has enjoyed critical acclaim with recent operatic performances including Britten’s Albert Herring, Ward’s The Crucible, Hindemith’s “Hin und Zuruck” and the world premiere of Glenn James’ opera “To Daniel.” Evan also won positions with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada for four consecutive years as both conductor and percussionist and now holds the title of Associate Mentor with the orchestra. Highlights include conducting violin soloist Elizabeth Pitcairn, the concertmaster of the New West Symphony and owner of the Mendelssohn Stradivarius 1720 “Red Violin.”

Evan is an advocate of contemporary music. Recently the resident conductor of NUMUS New Music Ensemble, he has premiered several new works, toured across Canada conducting a festival of contemporary Chinese music and recorded works for the CMC, collaborating with such Canadian artists as the Pentaedre Wind Quintet, Penderecki String Quartet and Dancetheatre David Earle. Evan has also conducted and performed works during the highly acclaimed Open Ears Festival.

As a percussionist Evan has enjoyed equal success. In demand as a recitalist and concert soloist (recent performances of the Rosauro Marimba concerto and the Mayuzumi Xylophone concerto), Evan’s percussive performance has been hailed as “breathtaking in (his) sensitivity” as well as “wizardly” and “awe-inspiring.” Evan has toured Canada, the United States and abroad, including a memorable tour as Canadian ambassador during a concert tour with virtuoso composer/percussionist Nebojsa Zivkovic, during which he performed as concert soloist and along with the composer in a sold out performance of Zivkovic's celebrated “Trio per Uno” at the Stuttgart International Theatre. Evan is a frequent performer with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and has performed with Orchestra London and the Toronto Symphony. Evan has also been a faculty member and guest lecturer with Wilfrid Laurier University, primarily as Music Director of the Flute Ensemble.

Awards include First Prize at the Werlde Musik Kontest in Kerkrade, Netherlands, finalist at the upcoming TD Canada Trust Elora Festival Competition and Winner in Marching category as part of the Kavaliers DCI Drum Corps. Evan is also the winner of the 2006 Pioneer Leading Edge Arts Award.

Evan is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University where he completed an Bachelor of Music degree as a percussion major; he is also a graduate of the University of Toronto, where he studied on a full scholarship sponsored by Elmer Iseler and Victor Feldbrill, earning a Masters degree in conducting. His principal conducting teachers include Raffi Armenian, Doreen Rao, Paul Pulford and Boris Brott. Additionally, he has studied and performed in concert series with Denise Grant, Martin Fischer-Dieskau and most notably, Helmuth Rilling, in the inaugural Toronto Bach festival.

Viviane Houle, mezzo-soprano

Musical maverick Viviane Houle is a vocalist, improviser, and songwriter who defies categorization. With her uncanny ability to mix musical styles as diverse as opera and avant-garde improvisation, Viviane captivates audiences wherever she performs.

In the opera house and concert hall she has performed with Vancouver Opera, Standing Wave Ensemble and pianist Leslie Uyeda. In the jazz world, she regularly collaborates with the lions of today's improv scene, including musicians like Jesse Zubot, Ron Samworth, Peggy Lee, and Coat Cooke. As a producer, she is co-artistic director of Pictures for the Sky and developed "gesture4," an acclaimed collaboration with Viviane and laptop artist Stefan Smulovitz, dancer and choreographer Noam Gagnon, and video artist jamie griffiths.

Viviane's appearances at such festivals as the Festival international de musique actuelle de Victoriaville, Vancouver International Jazz Festival, and San Francisco's soundwave>series have been marked by a freshness and commitment to musical innovation. Her premieres of work by some of Canada's pre-eminent composers have brought life to new scores.

Upcoming highlights include a Vancouver performance with leading composer Louis Andriessen, a European tour with Stefan Smulovitz, and the release of a CD of duets with leading improvisers. For more information, visit Viviane at vivianehoule.ca.

Wallace Halladay, saxophone

Canadian saxophonist Wallace Halladay captures the qualities of the modern virtuoso, being at home in numerous styles, from the traditional to jazz and beyond. A specialist in the performance of contemporary music, Wallace has commissioned and premiered numerous works for saxophone. In addition to performances of concerti by Ibert, Schmitt, Husa, Scelsi and Donatoni, he has worked with composers Michael Colgrass, Mauricio Kagel and Scott Good on the Canadian premieres of their concerti, the latter a commission with the Esprit Orchestra. Wallace also inaugurated the Intersections Series with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in an entire concert of music for saxophone and orchestra entitled “The Story of the Saxophone”.

Frequently broadcast on CBC Radio, Wallace has also recorded the two saxophone Sequenzas of Luciano Berio and the Colgrass concerto for NAXOS Records. He has been presented by and performed with new music groups across the country, including New Music Concerts, Continuum, Sound Symposium, CCMW, 5-Penny New Music, Kumquat, Earshot!, Contact, and Toca Loca. Wallace was the Artistic Director of the Scelsi Centenary, Franco Donatoni, and Gubaidulina Chamber Projects. His orchestral experience includes performances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, National Ballet Orchestra of Canada, and as a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Centre.

Wallace holds a Bachelor’s degree in Performance and Composition from the University of Toronto, a Master’s from New England Conservatory in Boston, and a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music. Wallace also studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with internationally acclaimed virtuoso Arno Bornkamp with a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. He has previously taught saxophone, chamber music and theory at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Eastman School of Music, and presently teaches at the University of Toronto.

Recent and upcoming highlights include recitals with pianist Peter Tiefenbach; the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen; Karel Husa’s Concerto; a duo concert of premieres with percussionist Ryan Scott; the concerto of Hanspeter Kyburz; the K-W Open Ears Festival; and festivals in New York, Philadelphia, Huddersfield (UK), and Aberdeen (Scotland).

Wallace is a Conn-Selmer Artist and plays Selmer (Paris) saxophones.

Neil Miskey, viola

Currently Principal Violist with both the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the CBC Radio Orchestra, Neil began his career in Vancouver after winning first prize in the CBC National Competition. He has appeared as soloist with the VSO, including performances of Berlioz's Harold in Italy, Vaughn Williams' Flos Campi, and Bramwell Tovey's Viola Concerto. He has also performed as soloist with the CBC Orchestra, and been featured on CBC radio broadcasts.

A native of Edmonton, he received music performance degrees from the University of Alberta and the University of Michigan, and has studied at the Banff Centre. As a recipient of a Canada Council Award, he also spent a year studying in Germany.

In addition to performing both in the orchestra and as a soloist, Neil enjoys performing as a chamber musician. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Festival Vancouver, the San Juan Summer Music Festival, and also in various groups in Vancouver. A recent highlight was a string quartet rafting tour of the Grand Canyon.

Brent Akins, violin

Brent Akins is Principal Second Violin of the Vancouver Symphony and Concertmaster of the CBC Radio Orchestra in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mr. Akins earned his Bachelor of Music/Performance degree at the University of Southern California, under Eudice Shapiro, violin, and Milton Thomas, viola. As a member of the Vuillaume String Quartet, he has performed and worked with the Tokyo String Quartet and Rapheal Hillier.

Before coming to Vancouver, Mr. Akins was a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Sir Neville Mariner, and was Assistant Principal Second Violin of the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin, conductor. He has also served as Guest Concertmaster for the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.

Mr. Akins has performed as soloist with the Vancouver Symphony, CBC Radio Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony and the Oregon East Symphony.

As a member of the Vuillaume Duo with Marka Wilcox, he gives numerous recitals and has recorded violin duo repertoire for CBC Radio Orchestra broadcasts as well as CBC Radio's Westcoast Performances. In 2000, the "Orpheum Masters" label released the Vuillaume Duo’s first CD, "Sonatas for Two."

As a co-founder of Notes of Compassion: Symphony Musicians Reaching Out, he is involved in numerous benefit concerts throughout the Vancouver area.

Kokoro Dance, dancers

Kokoro Dance fuses the aesthetics of East and West in programs of dance that have earned critical acclaim across Canada and around the world.

When Kokoro Dance formed in 1986, Barbara Bourget brought to it her years dancing with such distinguished dance companies as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and Jay Hirabayashi drew upon his experiences dancing with the Karen Jamieson Dance Company and the Paula Ross Dance Company, competitive alpine skiing, and studying Buddhism. Both directors also carried the need to produce dances that stirred the heart, stimulated the mind, and moved the spirit of their audiences, and these intentions are perfectly reflected in the name of the company, Kokoro, a Japanese word meaning heart, mind, and spirit.

For Jay and Barbara, the approach to dance best reflecting these intentions is an unorthodox aesthetic called butoh.

BUTOH
Marked by both provocatively disturbing and evocatively spiritual physicality, the butoh aesthetic rose out of the post-nuclear demoralization of the Japanese psyche.

Kokoro Dance creates a Canadian hybrid butoh aesthetic that marries kinetic and visual elements from Japan and the West. Through workshops with butoh pioneers such as Koichi Tamano, Hiroko Tamano and Natsu Nakajima, Kokoro Dance gains insights about the butoh approach to motivating original movement expression. This information is then filtered through Kokoro’s own grounding in western dance training and choreography.

Combining a choreographic structure that allows for a degree of improvisational choice with the interior imagery that conducts the butoh dancer, Kokoro Dance performs an intense, concentrated style of dance alive with sparks of spontaneity.

We love to dance. We live to dance. We dance to live. As simplistic as that may sound, that sums up our intent. We search continually through our creativity, our performances, and our teaching for a distillation through movement of our essential being. It is an impossible search without an end. There is no definitive, penultimate expression in dance. The path we have chosen combines interior poetic imagery with technical application. We have been inspired by our Japanese butoh masters. We have a lifetime heritage of western dance training. Our work fuses streams from Japan and Europe. Kokoro Dance is not one or the other of these streams, but a confluence of both.

home. the body as place

HOME. The body as place

A site-specific performance (using the body as the site)

   by Noémie Lafrance

WHEN:        April 1-5, 8-12 at 7:30 & 9:30 PM (Wednesday - Sunday) WHERE:     For tickets & location - www.sensproduction.org TICKETS:   $45 Priority, $30 Regular, $15 Student CONTACT:  (718) 302-5024   info@sensproduction.org Brooklyn, NY — Site-specific choreographer Noémie Lafrance, known for her large-scale site-specific work staging urban architecture and public spaces, uses the body as the performance site in her new solo work: Home. The Home performances invite the audience to convene around the body, interact with the performer and explore the body as a place. Home is a progressive work that has evolved in open rehearsals and is in continuing development throughout this performance series with the participation of the audience.                                                            Home introduces the audience members to an intimate experience of the human body, calling their attention to the physical confines of our inner and outer selves. Interactions with the audience construct a ritualized event, transporting the participants into a journey through the physical realm.  By way of a series of mise en scene that depict the micro and the macro body(ies), the subject and object body(ies), the body(ies) as public vs. private space, Home unfolds as a surreal and sensual voyage on the body’s infinite landscapes.  Home is conceived, choreographed and written by Noémie Lafrance, produced by Natalie Galazka and presented by Sens Production. Performers include Noémie Lafrance, Maré Hieronimus and Celeste Hastings, with original sound by Brooks Williams, lighting by Thomas Dunn and props by Carlos Ancalmo.    Site-specific Choreographer Noémie Lafrance is best known for having reopened the historic McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn with her ambitious works Agora & Agora II (2005-06) and for the choreography of the Grammy Award-nominated FEIST "1234" video.  Previous works include Noir (2004), part of the Whitney Biennial, staged in the Essex Municipal Parking Garage, and two-time Bessie Award winning Descent (2001-03), performed in the stairwell of the New York City Court Building Clock Tower.  Her work Melt, originally created in 2003 at the Black & White Gallery in Brooklyn has toured to festivals internationally.  In 2008, Lafrance was commissioned to create Rapture using the architecture of the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in the Hudson Valley, NY.  A series of Rapture performances sponsored by Tiffany & Co. is being developed by Ms. Lafrance to stage other Gehry designs worldwide.    SENS Production is an award winning non-profit experimental arts organization founded by Ms. Lafrance in 2001. SENS' mission is to create and produce innovative site-specific dance performances that both engage audiences in spatial participation and explore the dynamic of movement in public spaces by integrating choreography into urban landscapes.

Home is produced by Sens Production and is made possible, in part, by public funds from the Canada Council for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and from the support of many individuals.

Parsons Dance presents Remember Me, a World Premiere collaboration with EVOC - Jan 6-18

PARSONS DANCE

presents

REMEMBER ME

a World Premiere collaboration

with the lead vocalists and music of the

Grammy Award-nominated

EAST VILLAGE OPERA COMPANY

The Joyce Theater, January 6 – 18, 2009

Parsons Dance presents the World Premiere of REMEMBER ME, a collaboration with the lead vocalists of East Village Opera Company (EVOC), featuring the music of the acclaimed rock opera band. Program A premieres the new evening-length work with EVOC’s two lead vocalists live onstage with Parsons Dance. Program B will feature Parsons Dance favorites: the jazzy Fill the Woods with Light, Swing Shift, Ebben, My Sweet Lord, Shining Star, and the stroboscopic Caught.

David Parsons, Tyley Ross (lead male vocalist and co-founder of EVOC) and AnnMarie Milazzo (lead female vocalist) have created a storyline that connects EVOC’s signature operatic arias (fifteen songs from the band’s albums) with David Parsons’ original choreography. REMEMBER ME is a thoroughly modern re-telling of a classic story of a tragic love triangle. With contemporary dance, aerial dance, live and recorded music, video projections, complex digital lighting and visual effects, REMEMBER ME is the most ambitious production created by Parsons Dance in its 22 year history.

“Nearly two years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the members of East Village Opera Company. We realized that a great deal of artistic synchronicity existed between our companies, and we began to discuss the possibility of creating a work together. Peter Kiesewalter’s brilliant arrangements have proven to be incredibly inspirational. Now we are about to present this World Premiere in January,” said David Parsons, artistic director of Parsons Dance.

“David Parsons’ choreography marries tradition and renewal in a way that physically represents what we try to evoke as a band. It’s exciting to see our music take a three dimensional kinesthetic shape in his hands,” said Tyley Ross. EVOC recently received a 2008 Grammy Award nomination, Best Classical Crossover Album, for their album Olde School (2008, Decca Records).

“This piece is a strong departure from David Parsons’ signature themes, representing a paradigm shift in the work of a legendary choreographer, showcasing David’s maturation as an artist and expressing the breadth of his enormous creative range,” said David Harrison, executive director of Parsons Dance.

EVOC’s signature works re-imagine opera arias as popular songs, including pieces by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Schubert. These classics collide with electric sounds from the golden era of rock and roll, pop, R&B, and soul, exploding into a mosaic of sound in a triumphant musical celebration. They have received commissions to pen new works from both the New York Public Theatre and New York City Opera, with whom they have also performed at Lincoln Center. EVOC alternately headlines in prestigious classical concert halls and rock clubs, and records exclusively for Decca/Universal records. They have released three CD’s, and are currently on tour supporting their newest release Olde School.

Parsons Dance creates American works of extraordinary artistry that are engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world. It is the goal of Parsons Dance to make contemporary dance accessible to the widest possible audiences. In addition to choreography and performance, Parsons Dance positively impacts children, students, and communities through student performances, lecture-demonstrations, master classes, post-show discussions and more. Parsons Dance has a company of eleven full-time dancers and maintains a repertory of more than 70 works choreographed by David Parsons, twenty of which feature originally commissioned scores by leading composers and musicians, including Dave Matthews, Michael Gordon and Milton Nascimento. Parsons Dance has collaborated with many other leading artists, including Julie Taymor, William Ivey Long, Annie Leibovitz, Donna Karan and Alex Katz (to name a few). The New York Times called David Parsons “one of the great movers of modern dance.” New York Magazine referred to him as “one of modern dance’s great living dance-makers.”

Parsons Dance dancers are Julie Blume, Eric Bourne, Sarah Braverman, John Corsa, Kevin Fitzgerald Ferguson, Patty Foster, Zac Hammer, Natalie Lomonte, Miguel Quinones, Abby Silva, Billy Smith, apprentice dancer Steven Vaughn, and understudy Trista Jennings.

The two programs follow:

Program A:

Thu 1/8, Fri 1/9 and Sat 1/10 at 8pm; Sun 1/11 at 2pm and 7:30pm; Wed 1/14 at 7:30pm;

Thu 1/15, Fri 1/16 and Sat 1/17 at 8pm; Sun 1/18 at 7:30pm

World Premiere of REMEMBER ME featuring the music of EVOC: Overture, La Danza, Maria, Mari!, Habanera, Che Gelida Manina, Flower Duet, La Donna E Mobile, Ave Maria, O Mio Babbino Caro, Una Furtiva Lagrima, Un Del Di, Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana, When I Am Laid in Earth, Butterfly Duet

Program B:

Tue 1/6 and Wed 1/7 at 7:30pm; Tue 1/13 at 7:30pm; Sat 1/17 and Sun 1/18 at 2pm

Family Matinee: Sat 1/10 at 2pm

Swing Shift, Ebben (an excerpt from Program A), My Sweet Lord, Fill the Woods with Light, Caught, and Shining Star

Swing Shift, created for four couples and featuring compelling solos for female dancers, explores the human journey toward self-discovery through social interaction, as dancers “swing” and “shift” in order to couple, uncouple and couple again with another. Ebben is an excerpt from REMEMBER ME. My Sweet Lord is based on the song of the same title by George Harrison and was originally choreographed for American Ballet Theatre. Fill the Woods with Light was inspired by David Parsons’ love of jazz and dramatic lighting effects. This ensemble piece features a commissioned score by Phil Woods, recorded by the Phil Woods Little Big Band. The dancers occupy the nocturnal world of jazz music, lighting each other with a variety of hand-held lighting instruments. Caught is an internationally renowned stroboscopic dance masterpiece that features a solo dancer performing more than 100 leaps in less than six minutes. Each leap is “caught” by the flash of a strobe light, to create a breathtaking illusion of flight. Caught has been performed thousands of times, worldwide, for more than 27 years. Shining Star is an upbeat, high-energy romp set to a series of disco-era hits by Earth, Wind & Fire. The choreography blends social dancing with a jazzy, smooth style that celebrates the party scene of the 1970s.

Parsons Dance will perform January 6 – 18, 2009 at The Joyce Theater, with performances Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday at 7:30pm; Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm; and Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. There is a Family matinee performance on Saturday, January 10 at 2pm. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19^th Street), NYC. Tickets are $59, $35, and $19 (Joyce Members $44, $26) and are available by phone at 212-242-0800 or joyce.org.

Parsons Dance is committed to building new audiences for contemporary dance by creating American works of extraordinary artistry that are engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world. The company tours regionally, nationally and internationally. Since 1985, Parsons Dance has toured an average of 32 weeks per year, to a total more than 235 cities, 30 countries, six continents and millions of audience members. Many others have seen Parsons Dance on PBS, Bravo, A&E Network, and the Discovery Channel. Millions watched Parsons Dance perform live in Times Square as part of the internationally broadcast, 24-hour Millennium New Year’s Eve celebration. In New York City, Parsons Dance has been featured at The Joyce Theater, City Center, New Victory Theater, Central Park Summerstage, Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art and The World Trade Center.

David Parsons (Artistic Director/Founder) has enjoyed a remarkable career as a performer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer of dance. Mr. Parsons was born in Chicago and raised in Kansas City. He was a leading dancer with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, where Mr. Taylor created many roles for him in works such as Arden Court, Last Look and Roses. He is a recipient of the 2000 Dance Magazine Award, as well as the 2001 American Choreography Award, for his work as a co-producer of AEROS, a production featuring the Romanian Gymnastic Federation that was featured on Bravo. Mr. Parsons has created more than 70 works for Parsons Dance. He has received commissions over the years from The American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, the Spoleto Festival and Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, to name a few. His work has been performed by Paris Opera Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Nederlands Danse Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, Hubbard Street Dance and BatSheva Dance Company of Israel, among many others. In June 2007, Mr. Parsons was honored to be the very first contemporary choreographer ever to stage work at the centuries-old Arena di Verona, in Verona Italy, where he choreographed Verdi’s Aida. The Arena is one of Italy’s most respected operatic venues. In September 2007, he directed and choreographed Gotham Chamber Opera’s production of María de Buenos Aires, which made its world premiere at a sold-out engagement in New York, at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Arts.

East Village Opera Company was formed in New York City’s East Village in 2004 by Canadians Peter Kiesewalter and Tyley Ross. The East Village Opera Company turned the heads of New York’s music community with a series of electric genre defying shows at Joe’s Pub, the intimate venue housed by the Public Theatre. Initially meant as a one-off project, they were quickly signed to Decca/Universal records and met with universal praise from both classical and rock critics and fans. The Washington Post proclaimed that “Opera crossover acts are becoming a veritable cottage industry, but the East Village Opera Co. is markedly different.” They have toured the world with a unique live show, combining a seemingly incongruous classical string section with a powerhouse rock band. Time Out New York stated that the group “electrifies the classics for a new generation.” The Associated Press mused the band was “dramatic” and “mesmerizing” while the Wall Street Journal agreed, noting “The band rocks hard, and deranges the opera stuff with savvy skill.” In a rare feat not many artists can claim, EVOC headlines around the world in both eclectic rock clubs as well as some of the most prestigious classical concert halls. The band’s appeal is evident in both cases. The Chicago Tribune raved “Nobody puts a fresher, friskier contemporary spin on opera’s greatest hits than the East Village Opera Company.” The band has also performed at esteemed events such as the Sundance Film Festival, the Miss USA pageant (nationally televised on NBC), and the world-premiere of “The Da Vinci Code” in Hong Kong. EVOC’s PBS Special “EVOC LIVE” was celebrated with an Emmy at the 2006 Emmy Awards. Their most recent Decca album entitled Olde School was nominated for a Grammy in the Classical Crossover Album category.

Tyley Ross (Male Vocalist / EVOC co-founder) A native of OttawaCanada, Tyley started performing professionally in his early teens while still a student at Canterbury’s school of the Arts. In the years since then, has been a street busker, a cartoon and voice artist, acted for the small and large screen, written and recorded two solo albums (his composition You Take My Breath Away was featured in the film Woman Wanted directed by Kiefer Sutherland and starring Holly Hunter), and he has performed as a guest soloist with orchestras across Canada and in the USA. After being discovered by Pete Townshend of The Who in 1994, Tyley was cast in the title role of the Canadian premiere of the Who’s Tommy. For his work in that show, he was honored with the Dora Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical. He spent the next ten years on musical stages across North America, including starring roles at the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, and on Broadway. In 2001, Tyley was introduced to Peter Kiesewalter and they began experimenting with recording opera arias in a variety of modern contexts. This project led to the release of the CD La Donna and the unveiling of the East Village Opera Company in 2004 with a series of acclaimed performances at New York’s Joe’s Pub. Within a year the band had signed a multi-record deal with Decca/Universal, and has since released two CD’s: East Village Opera Company (2005) and Olde School (2008). Tyley has his master’s degree in voice studies from London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.

AnnMarie Milazzo (Female Vocalist) is a singer, arranger, composer and lyricist living in NYC. She has done the vocal arrangements for Spring Awakening, the Broadway musical at the Eugene O’Neill Theater; Next To Normal, which premiered Off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre; Bright Lights, Big City at New York Theatre Workshop; and the Paramount feature film “The Marc Pease Experience” starring Ben Stiller. Some of her most recent work includes a new musical Pretty Dead Girl, which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival and is now being produced by the Araca Group in New York City, book by David Henry Wang. Also currently in progress is the musical Sea Change based on the Lois Gould novel, book by Karen Hartman. AnnMarie is the lyricist for Franco Dragone’s Carmen,Madrid, 2009. She is currently writing lyrics for Cirque du Soleil’s, Le Reve, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. AnnMarie’s singing credits include working with artists such as Angelique Kidjo on her Black Ivory Soul Tour also singing with Carlos Santana. She also toured with Jonatha Brooke and performed on her DVD Back In The Circus, shot live in NYC. which premiered at The Jolla Playhouse and will open in

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences since 1982. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther’s clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to establish the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant New York home for more than 290 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce’s Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through pre-engagement Dance Talks and post-performance Humanities discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000. Additionally, for the last five years The Joyce has co-produced Evening Stars as part of the River To River Festival in Battery Park.

The World Premiere production is made possible by lead commissioning support from The Ellsworth Kelly Foundation; and Dr. and Mrs. Edward Prostic, in honor and memory of their daughter Elizabeth Anne Prostic.

For more information, visit parsonsdance.org and eastvillageoperacompany.com.

PARSONS DANCE

The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19^th Street), NYC

January 6-18, 2009

Tue, Wed and Sun at 7:30pm; Thu, Fri and Sat at 8pm; and Sat and Sun at 2pm

Family matinee performance on Saturday, January 10 at 2pm.

Tickets: $59, $35, $19 (Joyce Members $44, $26)

JoyceCharge: 212-242-0800

joyce.org