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| HOT MESS at Velocity February 22–23 Photo by Jenny Peterson |
If you’re a dance fan in Seattle, this weekend will probably make your head spin. With a wide variety of shows happening all over the city, it might just be impossible to see it all. From dynamic New Zealanders to aerial dance and modern dance mayhem to sound and comedy collaborations, this weekend’s lineup surely holds something for everyone.
Black Grace
February 21–23, 8:00 PM, Meany Hall
New Zealand’s leading contemporary dance company, Black Grace, has electrified audiences around the globe. Led by choreographer Neil Ieremia, the company has earned critical and audience acclaim for its unique fusion of Pacific Islander and contemporary dance. Dynamic in form, their work is both eloquent and elemental, athletic and spiritual. “Black Grace performs exciting, high-octane dance that is bruising and punishing in its physicality—an explosive combination of Samoan ritual, martial arts, and daredevil risk-taking,” raves Toronto’s Globe and Mail. The performance includes a retrospective of their shorter works spanning the last 17 years and the Seattle premiere of a new piece, Vaka. Tickets are available here.
The Cabiri: Gods of the Night
February 21–23, 7:30 PM, Shorecrest Performing Arts Center
The Cabiri performance troupe will present its 2008 repertory work Gods of the Night, a full-length production featuring theatrical, aerial dance depictions of ancient tales from Babylonian celestial lore. From the powerful, majestic Marduk (Jupiter), to the terrifying god of pestilence and destruction Nergal (Mars), to the delicate beauty of Ishtar (Venus), these ancient celestial tales are brought to life via aerial artistry, contemporary dance, and storytelling. Gods of the Night will also feature guest artist Derek Broussard on cyr wheel as Sagus (Saturn) and Tanya Burka (silks aerialist in Cirque du Soliel’s “Quidam”) on an invented aerial apparatus. Tickets are available here.
Khambatta Dance
February 22, 7:30 PM, Kirkland Performing Center
Led by Artistic Director Cyrus Khambatta, this five person troupe utilizes modern dance partnering and athleticism to explore emotionally rich concepts. The company will perform three pieces in this one-night-only show: A Moment Repeated, Ashutosh, and the world-premiere of Truth & Betrayal. Tickets are available here.
HOT MESS: Modern Dance Mayhem
February 22–23, 8:00 PM, Velocity Dance Center
Rachel Grant, Kaitlin McCarthy, and Jenny Peterson will present an evening of new modern dance works in Velocity Dance Center’s Founders Theater. Hot Mess incorporates a series of increasingly messy dances (both literally and metaphorically). Kaitlin McCarthy presents a tribute to the great Patsy Cline as well as a theatrical dance piece that stands at the intersection of humor, creepiness, beauty, and human frailty. Rachel Grant’s The Marshmallow Test is the synthesis of her work in early childhood education and her interest in brain development, focusing on how adults are influenced by that time in our lives that occurred before we have tangible memories. And Jenny Peterson makes her Seattle choreographic debut with Twinsies, a duet examining the intensities between two girls who have developed a shared identity through their friendship. Tickets are available here.
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| NET//WORKS at the Fremont Abbey February 23 Photo courtesy of Tara Dyberg |
NET//WORKS
February 23, 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM, The Fremont Abbey
The Fremont Abbey presents three Abbey Artists in Residence in an evening of collaborative works. Tara Dyberg (choreographer), Jesse French (sound artist), and Kristin DiClemente (visual artist) each explore the nature of connection, be it organic or synthetic. Dyberg utilizes her recent experience of immigration as a platform for investigating isolation and boundaries within a network. Her choreography explores how our systems of physical and personal boundaries create both inclusive and exclusive mentalities towards immigration. Listen to an interview with Dyberg and French on STANCE here. A highly experiential performance, the visual and dance portions of the program are woven together with comedy provided by Seattle’s ComedySportz Team. Tickets are available here.
Wayward Sisters
February 22–23, 8:00 PM, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
Pacific MusicWorks collaborates with Seattle Dance Project for this all female show. Women’s vocal trios have delighted us for years from the Andrews Sisters through the Supremes, to the Wailin’ Jennys and beyond. Wayward Sisters demonstrates just how far back this tradition goes, including the best of 17th-century Italian repertoire for three female voices by Luigi Rossi and Domenico Mazzochi as well as a new composition, “Double Heart”, by Seattle composer Karen P. Thomas based on Andrew Marvell’s poem “A Dialogue between the Soul and Body.” Seattle Dance Project presents a new work choreographed by Anna Mansbridge set to the seductive vocals of these soprano singers. Tickets are available here.
