Dance Coalition presents Annual Spring Concert at Walton Arts Center
Fayetteville, Arkansas, March 31st and April 1st, 2007—
Dance Coalition (a local group of choreographers and dancers from all over Northwest Arkansas) will present their Annual Spring Dance Concert at the Walton Arts Center Starr Theater, 495 W. Dickson, in Fayetteville, Saturday, March 31st, 2007 and Sunday April 1st, 2007. This year’s program will include new choreography in many styles of dance, including classical and contemporary ballet, jazz and lyrical, modern dance, as well as Irish dance, Afro Cuban dance, and Chinese Folklore inspired dance with elements of Tai Chi and Chinese Calligraphy in keeping with the spirit of Dance Coalition’s project, “Dancing Across Cultures”.
Choreographers and Guest Artists presenting work this year are Heather Chappell of the Benton County School of the Arts, Roselyn Cicerone of the Fayetteville Dance Center, Emily Viator of the Elite School of Performing Arts, Hannah Peabody of the Art of Motion, Mary Trulock of Rhythm and Shoes, Beth Hickman of Aspire Dance Academy, and Emily Dyson who recently won Coalition’s So You Think You Know how to Dance? Competition. Also presenting work are Sally Ashcraft, Amy Kessler, and the McAfferty Irish Dancers.
Dance Coalition’s member Choreographers and Guest Artists are a diverse group of Northwest Arkansas artists who come from a variety of dance training backgrounds from all over the United States. The Coalition continues to actively seek more local choreographers and dancers to join the organization as it continues to grow and support the local dance arts. To learn about how to become involved as a dancer, guest artist, or choreographer, visit www.dancecoalition.com.
The Saturday, March 31st, performance will begin at 7:00 p.m., and the Sunday, April 1st, Matinee will begin at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the Walton Arts Center box office and online at www.waltonartscenter.org, and entry is $15 for adults, $10 for children age 12 and under.
Heather Chappell, who is a Dance Coalition member Choreographer, will present a dance based on a Cuban story about a trickster named Eleggua, who stands at the crossroads and gives misleading directions about the proper path. The dancers perform barefoot to Afro Cuban, Caribbean beats, and the movements are based on the Afro Cuban ‘Palo’ dance form.
Roselyn Cicerone, Dance Coalition’s founder, is reprising a piece of choreography from her impressive personal ballet repertoire, which she originally set nearly a decade ago and debuted in the Coalition’s first Dance Concert. A lovely, sweeping classical ballet pas de deux called “Coevoluation,” the dance will feature a local ballerina and a danseur from the University of Arkansas and music by Ennio Morricone.
The McAfferty Irish Dancers will be performing two Irish Dance selections in the concert, “Dance above the Rainbow” and “Treble Reel Suite.” The choreography contains both the traditional Irish dance and a flavor of the contemporary style popularized by Michael Flatley in Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. The dancers’ movements, which are concentrated on the lower body, have been described as the “ice of the body, and fire of the feet.”
Emily Viator will perform with her students in a lyrical piece called “The City” to the song by the same name by Joe Purdy. The piece was inspired by both the busy streets of New York and also portrays the hectic lifestyle of today. The dance is athletic, and contains elements of lyrical jazz and partnered stunts.
Hannah Pasquinzo, a Dance Coalition member choreographer, has set a number called ‘Forgiveness’ to music by Patty Griffin. Forgiveness is a piece typical of Hannah’s lyrical jazz style. She likes to explore the raw emotion in a song, connecting the dynamics and the lyrics with the movement, creating a powerful combination of music and dance. In this particular piece, the artist describes the depths and dark places into which the human spirit can delve, and how forgiveness, whether personal or spiritual, can be freeing. Hannah’s choreography embraces and interprets that message.
Mary Trulock, also a founding member and choreographer, is presenting a 3-section piece called ‘C H I N A’, which was inspired by her 3 week excursion to rural China last year. ‘C H I N A’ will include elements of Chinese folk tales, Chinese Calligraphy created on stage by a visual artist, Tai Chi, and contemporary Ballet. Trulock has set the work to music from the Peking Opera, Wu Man, and Twelve Girls Band from China. The 3 dances are a celebration of journey, folk tales, and history. Artwork and photography from her trip and her rehearsals will be on display for dance patrons to enjoy before the concert and during intermission.
Beth Hickman will be showcasing a contemporary ballet solo, performed en pointe to Duke Ellington’s ‘The River Vortex.’ The piece is both artistically and physically challenging, and reflects Beth’s opinion that dance doesn’t always have to be a story; dancing steps in the void to inspiring music can have as much artistic merit, and be as visually appealing as movements with deep pantomime and story-meaning.
Amy Kessler, another Dance Coalition member Choreographer, is returning from Shreveport, Louisiana to present a 3-section piece that is dear to her heart about life in the Ozarks. “Returning Home” is a ballet-based piece, with themes of mountain living, religion, and simple front-porch-times-gone-by. Kessler seeks to display some of the rich history of Ozark Mountain living, express the importance of the simple life, as well as memorialize an important piece of American heritage.
Sally Ashcraft will present a contemporary ballet pas de trois called ‘On the Inside’ that explores Freud’s theory about the three divisions of human personality. The theme of the piece is centered on the constant human struggle between social norms and expectations, our inner desires, and the utter exhaustion the struggle to decide our outward actions can often leave us with. The musical selection for the piece is Tiziano Ferraro’s Latin hit, ‘Stop! Olvidate.’
For more information, contact the Dance Coalition at 479-422-6132 or via email at thedancecoalition@yahoo.com.
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