Tag Archives: Cooper Series

Susan Marshall & Company brings PLAY/PAUSE (2/14 @ 8PM)

Susan Marshall brings one of her new and exciting dance-theater pieces to Swarthmore this February.

Play/Pause

LPAC Pearson-Hall Theater (Mainstage)

8PM, Friday, February 14, 2014
Free and Open to the Public

About
In an electric guitar-fueled evening of postmodern dance-theater, Susan Marshall couples her intimate, structured choreography with the seductiveness of pop culture to explore our complex relationship to the media we consume. This evening-length piece for six dancers features a commissioned score by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, performed live by members of electric guitar quartet Dither and Mantra Percussion. Play/Pause premiered in Chicago in September 2013.

Here’s a little preview: www.vimeo.com/sumac/stop

The company will offer a Master Class with the dancers on Thursday 2/13 in the Troy Dance Lab at 4:30PM.

Jane Comfort and Company 2/14-16/2013

The Department of Music and Dance at Swarthmore College and the William J. Cooper Foundation will present JANE COMFORT AND COMPANY on Friday, February 15th, 2013 at 8PM in the Swarthmore College Lang Performing Arts Center Pearson Hall Theatre. Here at Swarthmore her company presents two works:  Beauty and Underground River.  Beauty is a provocative dance theater piece that explores the American notion of female beauty through the lens of Barbie. The performance includes a Barbie beauty contest and an intimate encounter between Barbie and Ken. Underground River, described as a “risk-taking and profound theatrical tour de force,” is an exploration of the rich fantasy life of a girl who appears to be unconscious. Singing a cappella songs by Toshi Reagon and interacting with the magical visual creations of master puppeteer Basil Twist, the dancers dwell in a world of magic realism and eccentric beauty unseen by those who wish to make her “well.”

For the last 25 years, JANE COMFORT has created critically acclaimed, socially conscious dance theater. She has been on the front lines of dissent against the loss of gains for social justice since the Reagan revolution. JANE COMFORT is a choreographer, writer, and director based in New York City. She began creating her own interdisciplinary work in 1978, and has since created more than 45 original dance theatre works for Jane Comfort and Company. She has been produced throughout the United States, and in Europe and Latin America, and has been cited as “one of the most original choreographers on the downtown scene” by The Village Voice. Noted for her use of language, Comfort has been described as “far ahead of the curve” in experimenting with the intersection of text and movement.

JANE COMFORT AND COMPANY creates dance theater works that push the intersection of movement and language to a new form of theater. Called by the New York Times “a postmodernist pioneer in the use of verbal material in dance,” artistic director Jane Comfort addresses contemporary social and cultural issues with compassion and wit. The company is an extraordinary group of dancers, actors and singers whose multiple talents allow Jane Comfort to create deeply layered works utilizing a wide range of theatrical elements, from pure dance to chanted texts, a capella singing, film, lip-syncing, cross dressing, acted scenes and puppetry. The company creates theater in which transformation occurs through many voices.

JANE COMFORT AND COMPANY will also host a Master Class in the LPAC Troy Dance Studio (LPAC 002) on Thursday, February 14th from 4:30 – 6:00PM and a Workshop on Saturday, February 16th from 1:00 – 4:00 PM in the LPAC Troy Dance Studio (LPAC 002). These events are free and open to interested students, but please contact Professor Kim Arrow (karrow1@swarthmore.edu) at x8670 or email our administrative office at dance@swarthmore.edu.

Kyle Abraham.in.Motion at Swarthmore 11/6 – 11/11

The Department of Music and Dance at Swarthmore College and the William J. Cooper Foundation present Kyle Abraham’s PAVEMENT on Friday November 9, 2012 at 8PM in the Lang Performing Arts Center’s Pearson-Hall Theater.  Abraham’s latest piece of work, PAVEMENT, pays homage to the bold, 1990’s backward-jeans-and-high-top-fade era in hip-hop, while examining a culture with a history plagued by discrimination, genocide, and a constant quest for a way out.

Inspired by John Singleton’s groundbreaking film Boyz N The Hood (1991) and essays of W.E.B DuBois’ The Souls of Black Folk (1903), Abraham’s PAVEMENT tells the story of a group of friends struggling to stay together while their community is being torn apart.  Set in the historically black neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, PAVEMENT depicts scenes of violence, love, male bonding, arrests, physical and emotional pain, all combined with sound bites from the film and operatic music.

Kyle Abraham — the 2012 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award recipient and 2010 Bessie Award-winning choreographer — first discovered his love of performance at the Civic Light Opera Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He then went on to receive his BFA from SUNY Purchase and MFA from New York University Tisch School for the Arts. Abraham has collaborated with David Dorfman Dance, Mimi Garrard Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and is currently choreographing for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion will also be involved in several residency activities during the week with Swarthmore students and the public.  These activities include a screening and discussion of Singleton’s film Boyz N the Hood on November 6 at 7PM, a Lecture/Demonstration on November 7 at 7PM, a Dance as Identity workshop on November 11 at 1PM.

For further information about these events, contact Tara Webb at 610-328-8260 or lpacevents@swarthmore.edu. The performance is free and open to the public without reservations.

 

 

Rennie Harris Puremovement brings hip hop dance to the LPAC!

The Department of Music and Dance  and the William J. Cooper Foundation at Swarthmore College present Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM) on Friday, February 17th at 8:00pm in the Pearson-Hall Theatre, Lang Performing Arts Center (LPAC) at Swarthmore College.

This exciting evening may include performances of Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM)’s unique repertory program and will be an excellent balance of old and new works.  Audiences can look forward to a flirty, infectious romp set to the rhythms of Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone in Something to Do with Love, Volume I and the rhythmic motions of P-Funk, which focuses on the individuality and group dynamics of Harris’ athletic male dancers.  Revel in an early classic from the nineties, Students of the Asphalt Jungle, which reflects and incorporates the energy and influence of African movement, gymnastics, Capoeira and other hallmarks of hip-hop into a riveting dance showcase. This event is free and open to the public without advance reservations.

Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM) was founded in 1992 by North Philadelphia native, Dr. Rennie Harris.  Rennie Harris Puremovement (RHPM) was conceived with the vision for sharing an appreciation for diversity and is dedicated to preserving and disseminating hip-hop culture through workshops, classes, lecture demonstrations, dance residencies, mentoring programs and public performances.  Dr. Harris formed the company on the belief that hip-hop is the most important original expression of a new generation, with the unique ability to express universal themes that extend beyond racial, religious, and economic boundaries. The company’s goal is to provide audiences with a sincere view of the essence and spirit of hip-hop, rather than the commercially exploited stereotypes most often presented by the media.  RHPM continues to flourish beyond its 15th Anniversary Season as they emerge as an international hip-hop dance ambassador and surviving senior member in the world of organized hip-hop dance theater.  In a society where hip-hop is often portrayed as a violent, undisciplined counterculture, RHPM deconstructs popular perception of this medium, expanding and challenging the boundaries and definitions of hip-hop in general. As hip-hop continues to be chosen as the modern generation’s medium of expression, RHPM works to honor its history, explore its ideas, and further its contributions to the surrounding community.

RHPM will be offering a Master Class on Thursday, February 16th at 4:30pm in Troy Dance Lab (LPAC 002) of the Lang Performing Arts Center.  The event is free and open to everyone, but please contact Susan Grossi (sgrossi1@swarthmore.edu) Administrative Assistant for Music and Dance (LPAC 004) at x2019 to reserve a space.

For further information about the performance, contact Tara Webb at lpacevents@swarthmore.edu or call 610-328-8260.

Aszure Barton & Artists in the LPAC November 11, 8PM

Aszure Barton & Artists will perform BUSK and BLUE SOUP in the Pearson Hall Theater at 8PM on November 11, 2011.  Sponsored by the William J. Cooper Foundation and the Department of Music and Dance, this will be an exciting and entertaining evening of performance.  A Master Class with the company will take place in Troy Dance Lab (LPAC 2) on November 10, 2011 at 4:30PM.  For more info on the master class, contact Kim Arrow (karrow1@swarthmore.edu).
AB&A_Press_Release_Swarthmore