Choreography by Laura Dean and faculty Bill De Young,
Melissa Beck Matjias, Peter Sparling, and Robin Wilson
An important revival of a modern dance classic and new creations by faculty
University Dance Company
Members of the UM Percussion Ensemble
Power Center
January 29 - February 1, 2009
Overview
The University Dance Company presents Arcs in Time. Headlining the concert is the first revival in twenty-one years of Impact by contemporary American choreographer Laura Dean. Anna Kisselgoff of the New York Times declared “Impact is terrific…dazzlingly intricate in its integration of patterns and original movement. There is a thoroughgoing richness in the entire work.” The UM Percussion Ensemble plays Steve Reich’s “Sextet,” which was written expressly for this high energy work. Faculty member Amy Chavasse, who danced in the 1985 premiere, will restage the dance. Melissa Beck Matjias creates a new work that is set to Schubert’s “Impromptu No.1 in c minor” and is played live by Christian Matjias. Door to the River, choreographed by Peter Sparling, features dancers set against a video backdrop of water surging over Ann Arbor’s Barton Dam during different seasons. A juxtaposition of human movement and the powerful forces of nature held in check by man-made restraints, the dance uses the sounds of the water as its musical score. Hokey Pokey Women and Honky Tonk Men by Robin Wilson is set to live music by the Creative Arts Orchestra. Inspired by the "wild woman" tradition in the blues, the work uses improvised dance, music, and vocalization to celebrate the individual's ability to triumph over adversity. Bill DeYoung's Thinking Twice is a work in four movements based upon the music, life, and writings of twentieth-century composer Stefan Wolpe.
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