MamLuft&Co. Dance, Cincinnati
IN GOOD WEATHER:
Smale Riverfront Park Schmidlapp Lawn & Stage, behind Moerlein Lagerhouse, Downtown Cincinnati, OH 45202
IN BAD WEATHER:
Thursday, April 8: Intimate studio showing and meet-the-dancers at Clifton Cultural Arts Center 3rd Floor, 3711 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45220.
Friday, April 9: Westwood Town Hall, 3017 Harrison Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45211.
CINCINNATI, OHIO — Cincinnati’s Modern Dance company MamLuft&Co. Dance is partnering with Cincinnati Parks to showcase the premiere of a video-and-dance trio funded by the Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellowship which was awarded the dance company’s director, Jeanne Mam-Luft.
Ms. Mam-Luft is the city’s first and only dance Fellow. With the award, the interdisciplinary artist created a trio titled “Unyielding” with dancer-collaborators and MamLuft&Co. Dance Members Steven Evans, Susan Honer, and Neile Martin. Artists in their own right, the three will be preceding the main attraction trio by performing solo works.
The evening spring lawn concerts are best intended for adults as date nights or post-work “R&R” (although they do not contain material inappropriate for children). Concert-goers are encouraged to order from the Moerlein Lagerhouse carry-out window before the performance begins at 8:30pm. Concert-goers should also bring their own chairs or blankets.
MamLuft&Co. Dance was recently named “Best Dance Company Pushing the Envelope” (2012) and described as “intrepid” and “impressive” by CityBeat, whose Kathy Valin also called Jeanne Mam-Luft “a brainy director and accomplished choreographer (and filmmaker).” Seen and Heard International’s Rafael de Acha describes the company’s work as “potent stuff,” “athletic,” and “pure.”
The Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellowship funded trio, “Unyielding” exists both on the stage, and as a separate and self-contained film. In the live performances, it features a version of the film projected on the stage to augment the experience. At the Smale Riverfront Park Schmidlapp Stage, the projections will be cast onto the underside of stage’s uniquely curved overhanging structure. “Unyielding” was inspired by how intrinsic fears are basic and common amongst most people, and yet, creates conflict, in which we can take unyielding stances.
Steven Evans will perform his solo, “Succession,” which addresses how successive and constant change allows us to move forward. Neile Martin will perform a new solo titled, “Loss: Anonymous and Specific,” in which she explores what is worth saving after a loss. Susan Honer will perform “Home” by Northwest Florida Ballet’s Sharon Honer and “fine fine” by Bessie Award-winning Karinne Keithley Syers, two pieces inspired by very different music.
The concerts are free to the public, thanks to the Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellowship Program and Cincinnati Parks. The performances take place Thursday, April 2 and Friday, April 3, 2015 at 8:30pm at Smale Riverfront Park’s Schmidlapp Lawn and Stage, located downtown behind Moerlein Lagerhouse. The nearest street intersection to the stage is located at the end of Walnut and Theodore M. Berry Way. Concert-goers may find parking near the Banks, or may visit MLCo.org/dusk for a map of the area. (In case of inclement weather, the concerts may be postponed to April 9 and 10, and such a decision will be posted on the organization’s website and Facebook page.)
Other opportunities to see “Unyielding” include a free preview and process lecture on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at the Art Academy (1212 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202) from 12-1pm as part of the Macy’s ArtsWave Sampler. A performance and process lecture will also be given Saturday, April 4, 2015 from 1-2pm at Cincinnati Art Museum Fath Auditorium (953 Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45202).
Having just completed a successful fall touring season (during which the Company of eight dancers performed in Chicago and Roanoke, Virginia), as well as their home season kick-off at the Aronoff Center in January with a repertory concert, MamLuft&Co. Dance will be premiering their next mainstage and full-evening length work, Memoriam (In Memory of Memory), May 22 and 23.
MamLuft&Co. Dance gratefully acknowledges the operating support of the Ohio Arts Council, which helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. “Unyielding” was funded by an award to Director Jeanne Mam-Luft from the Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellowship Program, and the film location was sponsored by Rhinegeist. Dance at Dusk is sponsored by Cincinnati Parks.
Director and lead choreographer, Jeanne Mam-Luft, says of the performance line-up, “It’s been such a journey these last seven years, here in Cincinnati. Seeing four of our works from the past three seasons, right next to each other, is very illuminating, even for those of us involved. I think audiences will not only see our signature style, but they’ll also see our range. The technique and skills of the dancers amaze me every day, and it is quite a full show of work — very physical, very real. We’re grateful to be revisiting these works and hope Cincinnati will take the opportunity to either see them again in a different form or catch them after missing them the first time around.”
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 