Contemporary Dance Theater opens 41st season with the masterly Doug Varone and Dancers of NYC
Alchemy by Phil Knott
CINCINNATI, OHIO — Southwest Ohio’s presenter of contemporary dance, Contemporary Dance Theater, opens its forty-first season with Doug Varone and Dancers of New York City, whom Newsday calls a “company of master dancers, performing masterly choreography.” The season-opening concerts will take place Friday and Saturday, November 1 and 2, 2013 at 8:30pm.
The grassroots organization—headquartered in College Hill, but presenting its Guest Artist Series in downtown Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center—is honored to present one of modern dance’s most venerable choreographers, described by The New York Times “a rarity among his generation.” Doug Varone is known for his vision for the stage (whether it be dance, opera, or theatre), his company’s versatility, and their technical acuity.
In Cincinnati, the dance company—who has performed in Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America—will perform the repertory: (subject to change)
Carrugi (2012), performed by eight dancers to “La Betulla Liberata” by Mozart. The thirty-minute work was inspired by the winding, narrow streets and alleyways of Italy’s Liguria region.
Able to Leap Tall Buildings (2012), a duet set to music by Julia Wolfe’s haunting score Cruel Sister. Varone used super hero action figure dolls in stop motion poses, yielding a roller coaster of entangled images propelling this oddly tender duet forward in awkward jarring ways.
Lux (2006), performed by eight dancers to “The Light” by Philip Glass and originally commissioned by the Daniel and Dianne Vapnek Family Fund. The piece is vibrant and energetic, optimistic and resilient.
Contemporary Dance Theater is pleased to offer meaningful and unique opportunities for the public to interact with the New York City company. Patrons are invited to a meet-the-artists Q&A reception Friday evening following the performance (suggested donation $5). There will also be an in-theater Q&A following Saturday’s show. Students of dance are also invited to the rare opportunity to take class with the company on Saturday, November 2 from 10:30-12:00pm at Contemporary Dance Theater’s studios in College Hill.
In addition, Contemporary Dance Theater will bring Doug Varone and Dancers to two area elementary schools with high populations of at-risk children. There, Doug Varone and Dancers will conduct workshops in which the children will explore creative movement, imagination games, and storytelling. The presenter will also collaborate with the Contemporary Arts Center and UC DAAP in offering Varone’s “Liquid Architecture” workshop, in which participants will explore spatial and temporal ideas through movement based problem-solving tasks.
More information about Doug Varone and Dancers’ presentation by Contemporary Dance Theater is available from cdt-dance.org. Tickets, $22-32, are available from the Cincinnati Arts Association at 650 Walnut St., (513) 621-ARTS (2787), or cincinnatiarts.org. Patrons can save money with one of several versatile season subscription options, cdt-dance.org/subscribe.
The presentation of Doug Varone and Dances will be followed by the expressive and articulate Koresh Dance Company (from Philadelphia, co-presented by the Mayerson JCC, February 1 & 2, 2014), the theatrical and intelligent David Roussève / REALITY (from New York, March 21 & 22), the awe-inspiring hip-hop youth troupe Rennie Harris RHAW (from Philadelphia, May 2 & 3), and our region s Area Choreographers Festival (June 13 & 14).
The Contemporary Dance Theater Guest Artist Series is sponsored by the Otto M. Budig Family Foundation and is supported by the thousands of people who give generously to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. Support also comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Contemporary Dance Theater is also supported by The Ohio Arts Council, a state agency that supports public programs in the arts. Media sponsorship provided by CityBeat.
QUICK SUMMARY FOR CALENDAR LISTINGS
EVENT: Contemporary Dance Theater opens 41st season with the masterly Doug Varone and Dancers of NYC
VENUE: Aronoff Center for the Arts’ Jarson-Kaplan Theater, 650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
DATES: Friday and Saturday, November 1 & 2, 8:30pm with meet-the-artists reception following Friday’s performance (suggested donation $5)
Also: dancers’ masterclass on Sat., Nov. 2 10:30-12:00pm (cdt-dance.org/masterclass)
TICKETS: $22-32 from (513) 621-ARTS (2787) or cincinnatiarts.org
MORE INFO: Visit cdt-dance.org/13varone
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 