A Thrilling Ovations Program in the Works from Pilobolus—& Revisiting Aszure Barton
Wow. Simply … wow. We have just finalized the evening program with Pilobolus and it is thrilling. From the seminal masterwork Pseudopodia - a solo that celebrates the wonder of the human body and the beauty of the natural world, to more current works such as the edge-of-one’s-seat Megawatt, performed to the music of Primus and Radiohead - the evening promises a night of contemporary dance audience members won’t soon forget. Also on the incredibly rich and varied program: Walklyndon and Lanterna Magica, each of which deliver a delightful mix of dazzling acrobatics, whimsy, myth, and vaudevillian humor and physicality, and Gnomen, another one of the company’s earlier works, a quiet, poignant male quartet set to a lovely score by Grammy-winning, Maine-based composer Paul Sullivan www.rivermusic.com. The program is a journey of the mind, body and soul. Nearly 40 years since its start, Pilobolus remains one of the most inventive yet accessible dance companies in the world. If you are considering attending your first dance performance or want to bring an uninitiated friend to share in your passion for dance, Pilobolus is an excellent choice. And don’t forget the Ovations Offstage masterclass with a Pilobolus company member, pre-performance lecture with dance scholar Nancy Salmon, and the post-performance discussion with the company if you really want to immerse yourself. http://portlandovations.org/offstage/events/show/pilobolus/
Other news in Portland Ovations dance – you may recall the name Aszure Barton. Hers was the second piece on the Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal program last season, Les Chambres des Jacques. She’s an exciting young choreographer coming out Canada’s contemporary dance scene who I’ve been watching for the last couple of years. I was thrilled to introduce her work to our audiences last season. Aszure has her own company for which she develops work and, as she did for Les Ballets Jazz, she builds work for other companies, too. Her latest endeavor is with American Ballet Theater, which just opened its season with a bold new work created by Aszure. This follows an incredibly busy summer for Aszure and her company, which had a creative residency at White Oak Plantation, plus more creative time as well as a performance at The Banff Center. Aszure also taught at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Next up for this exciting choreographer: the world premiere of a new work for the National Ballet of Canada. A unique and prolific choreographer to continue watching . . .
Barri Lynn Moreau says:
Pilobolus, a friendly fungus…
Ovations Offstage kicks off its 2009-10 season with two outreach events next Friday, October 9th with Pilobolus. From 11:30am – 1pm local area dancers and gymnasts will work with Pilobolus Dance Captain Jun Kuribayashi and dancer Christopher Whitney in a a master class to be held at Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS) Arts Academy’s 3rd floor dance studio. Dancers from New Hampshire to Auburn will join Pilobolus dancers to engage in the process of making dance. Former Pilobolus dance captain from 2000-03 Matt Kent describes the master class experience: “Movement cannot be divided from psychology, or choreography from the creative process. This class is an opportunity for participants to discover, explore, and research their own movement vocabulary and how movement and emotion relate to others on stage, and through collaboration, improvisation and play, create dance and demystify the creative process. We will discover how anyone can create dance; anyone who has something to say can do so through the medium of dance.”
Although the class is filling rapidly, if space is available, there may be room for non-dancers to observe by paying a $10 audit fee. People who have never seen a master class or observed a process of choreographing will gain a better understanding of dance and movement. Artists are also encouraged to audit for sketching practice.
But if observing a master class isn’t for you and you’d rather just learn more about how a dance company named for a fungus by a bunch of non-dancers in a Dartmouth College dance class, has become an institution, join Maine choreographer and dance educator Nancy Salmon for a look at the company, its evolution, and its evening program. The pre-curtain lecture begins at 6:30 pm in Merrill Auditorium’s Green Room with the Pilobolus performance following at 8 pm in Merrill Auditorium.