Dance Repertory Company to present annual spring concert May 15-16 at SMU
WINONA, Minn. — The 2008-09 performance season at Saint Mary’s University concludes with the Dance Repertory Company’s annual spring concert, “Time To Move,” Friday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 16, at 3 p.m. at SMU’s Page Theatre.
For more than three decades, the Dance Repertory Company has delighted the Winona community with quality dance productions featuring local dancers in classical and contemporary works. This year the DRC presents a concert featuring classical ballet and contemporary dance in the jazz and modern genres.
The concert will open with the “Kingdom of the Shades,” Act III of Marius Petipa's La Bayadère, one of ballet’s most resonant visions. Seeking his dead beloved, Nikiya, in an opium dream, the faithless, guilt-ridden Solor conjures up a seemingly endless procession of ghostly women — hallucinatory replicas of her. One by one, to Ludwig Minkus’s sweet, repetitive melody, they feed into a four-count phrase — snaking around the stage until they can assemble to display, in perfect unison, their long, slow balances. Framing the stage in two lines, pressed tutu to tutu, the women echo the steps of the soloists as if stirred by some collective unconscious peculiar to ballerinas. Artistic Director Tammy Schmidt has staged La Bayadère for the DRC.
The concert will also feature two contemporary premieres. “In the Yard,” a new work created by choreographer Jeffrey Peterson, evokes images of family and community while combining contemporary movement with folk dance and contemporary partnering. The work hints toward love, loss, the passage of time, and forgiveness. Inspired by the richly textured symphonic work “Blackberry Winter” by Conni Ellisor, “In the Yard” is emotionally charged, visually striking, and highly physical dance theatre.
“Side of the Road,” an original collection of repertory by Jennifer TeBeest, is set to the soulful sounds of B.B. King, Etta James and Jonny Lang in a piece about occurrences and circumstances. More than a narrative, this work is about that pent up energy and fervor that can be released through dance; and although words can be powerful, movement is trump.
Performed by the dancers who currently train at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts and Saint Mary’s University, “Time to Move” will showcase their effervescent spirit, vibrant energy, and technical and artistic abilities that continue to inspire audiences year after year.
Cast members include: Dot Armstrong, Stephanie Bedner, Chris Bernard, Jarod Boltjes, Jack Bryant, Madeleine Bryant, Trisha Crichton, Jessica Draskoci-Johnson, Keegan Eide, Lydia Feuerhelm, Jami Fonfara, Kati Gailes, Matthew Gargone, Erin Harned, Rachael Hess, Caitlin Kaman, Bryan Moore, Rachael Moore, Molly Padden, Colette Penic, Danielle Renfrow, Augusta Rodgers, Miranda Ruben, Zach Ruben, Danielle Schleich, Alyssa Schneider, Allison Schuebel, Claire Smart, Adelle Vietor, Kaitlyn Vietor, and Anna Wolner.
The Dance Repertory Company is the youth performing troupe of the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. Company members participate in rehearsals, technique classes and stage performances. Past productions of the company include: “The Firebird,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Nutcracker,” “Excerpts from Swan Lake,” “Cinderella,” “The Goodman Suite,” “Youth In Motion,” “Tappin' to Connick,” “Pure Entertainment” and “Dance Chronicles.”
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. The Page Theatre will admit children ages 5 and older to the May 15 performance. The May 16 performance is considered a family event, and children ages 2 and older are admitted. At this time the Page Theatre/SMU Performance Center facilities and programs are not equipped to serve the needs of infants. Tickets are available at the Box Office, (507) 457-1715 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.org.
