Portland Ovations welcomes Los Angeles-based dance company CONTRA-TIEMPO to Portland for a multi-day residency connecting with community, educating youth dancers, and rehearsing with Maine-based artists, all culminating in the February 6 performance of joyUS justUS at 7 PM at Merrill Auditorium, ASL interpretation by Holly Maniatty.
CONTRA-TIEMPO, a bold, multilingual, activist dance– theater company, inspires and embraces communities where all people are awakened to a sense of themselves as artists and social change agents who move through the world with compassion, confidence and joy. In their exuberant full evening work, joyUS justUS, the expressive dancers take on joy as the ultimate expression of resistance. Embodying stories of hope, faith, family, strength, and of course, joy — joyUS justUS — creates a space of both jubilation and healing, allowing the collective “us” to feel more connected, loved, powerful, and alive.
joyUS justUS is made with the community and for the community. The Portland performance highlights Maine-based dancers stewarded by Brian J. Evans, Ovations Dance Scholar-in-Residence. This diverse ensemble of dancers, brought together by Evans, rehearses with the company for 2 days, before performing in joyUS justUS, offering an opportunity for the visiting artists to get to know the local movement community in an intimate and creative manner.
“As an arts educator, CONTRA-TIEMPO perfectly balances artistic excellence and community-centered programming, says Brian J. Evans, Assistant Professor of Dance at Bates College “Their residency model offers a unique opportunity for both performers and audiences to engage in meaningful dialogue through movement with the expressed goal of building an inclusive, vibrant community. Their ability to mesh grounded aspiration with fearless vulnerability is a testament to their tireless work of cultivating spaces for exploring cultural identity, community, and social justice. I am over the moon with excitement to witness, engage, and be changed. I encourage anyone interested in sustainable community building to come check them out!”
Youth-focused workshops connect company members with young artists at Thornton Academy and Portland Youth Dance on February 4. The energetic workshop “Sabor Session” (from the Spanish word for “flavor”) guides participants in Afro-Latin social dance forms that are rooted in radical joy and exercises that promote community engagement.
CONTRA-TIEMPO performs joyUS justUS twice on February 6 at Merrill Auditorium. First, in the morning for nearly 2,000 students with a 60-minute School-Time Performance, and again in the evening for the full-length performance where the audience plays a unique role. Each member of the evening audience receives fabric to be waved at directed moments throughout the evening. In addition to the fabric, the stage will seat invited community partners, bringing audience members up close to the artists and the art. A community alter is featured on the stage, with flowers to be given out to women in positions of ancestral power as they arrive. The performance concludes with a “community get down”, a chance to get up and dance in your seat along with CONTRA-TIEMPO.
All Ovations tickets may be purchased through our trusted box office PortTIX. Purchase by phone at 207.842.0800 or in person at the PortTIX Box Office Monday through Friday from 11 AM – 3 PM, or online anytime at PORTTIX.COM.
