February 5, 2007
Washington, DC—In two concert weekends
brimming with new choreography and company premieres, CityDance
Ensemble presents its annual Bold Steps program
on March 17-18 and 24-25. Pairing choreography by renowned
artists such as Sophie Maslow and Susan
Shields with choreography by CityDance Ensemble company
members, the Bold Steps program promises to deliver
CityDance’s signature power, passion, and purpose at
every turn.
The concerts take place Saturday, March 17 at 8pm;
Sunday, March 18 at 7pm; Saturday, March 24 at 8pm; and Sunday,
March 25 at 7pm in the elegant Studio 405,
CityDance Center at Strathmore, Music Center at
Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda,
MD. Tickets are available online at www.citydance.net or
by phone at 301.581.5206. Tickets for the
concerts are $15 and include light hors d’oeuvres and
wine. A post-performance discussion with the choreographers
and performers will follow each performance.
“The Bold Steps program is always a highlight of our
performance season, as it gives us an opportunity to showcase
the creative talent found right here in our studio next to
the expertise and artistry of today’s most acclaimed
choreographers,” comments Artistic Director Paul Emerson. “Audiences
have always enjoyed the Bold Steps program for its versatility
and innovation, and we are eager to present it this season
in the intimate, inviting setting of CityDance Center at Strathmore’s
Studio 405.”
The concert program will include CityDance’s premiere
performance of Sophie Maslow’s legendary Dust Bowl
Ballads (1941). Inspired by the music by Woody
Guthrie, Dust Bowl Ballads is widely recognized as
a choreographic masterpiece. The piece presents a wryly poignant
picture of migratory workers who were driven from their Midwestern
farms by drought and the economic depression of the 1930s. Lynn
Frielinghaus, who danced and studied with Ms. Maslow,
reconstructed Dust Bowl Ballads and rehearsed its
two solos with CityDance company members in Fall 2006. CityDance
Ensemble’s premiere of Dust Bowl Ballads will
serve as a fitting tribute to esteemed Ms. Maslow, who passed
away in June 2006.
The program also includes the world premiere of White, a
female quartet choreographed for CityDance Ensemble by Susan
Shields. Ms. Shields is an Associate Professor of Dance at
George Mason University and has danced with the White Oak Dance
Project, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Mark Morris Dance Group,
and others.
In addition to these premieres, CityDance company members Bruno
Augusto, Kyra Jean Green, Jerome Johnson, and Eileen
Beth Mitchell will debut new works of their own,
showcasing their talent as both choreographers and performers.
Further highlights of the program include Galileo,
a solo choreographed by Simon Dow; SuitCase, a
charming duet choreographed by Vladimir Angelov; and Han, a
dynamic group work choreographed by Paul Gordon Emerson.
The Saturday, March 17 concert will also include a performance
by the young dancers of CityDance Select, a
pre-professional training program for serious dancers ages
12-18.
Concert tickets $15 and are available online at www.citydance.net or
by phone at 301.581.5206.
About CityDance Ensemble, Inc.
CityDance Ensemble, Inc. is the parent organization to CityDance
Ensemble, an award-winning contemporary repertory
dance company; Early Arts, an arts outreach
program for youth serving more than 25,000 students each year; CityDance
Education Centers, facilities committed to excellence
in dance training for youth and adults; and FilmWORKS, a
creator and presenter of dance-on-camera. The mission of CityDance
Ensemble, Inc. is to advance the appreciation for and participation
in the art of dance through excellence in performance, education,
film, and artistic innovation.
