Performing Dance Company

Physically Speaking:
University of Utah's Performing Dance Company Presents Their Fall Concert
For Immediate Release

Performing Dance Company shows strength in versatility as they present an evening of electrifying dance on October 27, 28, 29 and November 3, 4, and 5. Featuring work by five nationally and internationally renowned choreographers, the evening embraces eclectic skill and creativity.

Deborah Hay, acknowledged by critics as one of the most relevant representatives of post-modern dance, will utilize U of U dancers and non-trained dancers from the community to premiere Poof and Exit. In Exit, the recall of personal history is embodied in both entering and exiting, as performers of all ages, backgrounds, and little to no formal dance training, experience both past and present simultaneously. The combined consciousness of these two equally moving events splits the performers into tremors of responsiveness.

In a powerful and provocative display of female sexuality, Lady of the Lake, by independent New York choreographer Mary Frances Lloyd, requires SEVENTY-TWO gallons of water on stage. This cutting-edge solo radically grasps the strong and sensual with an explosive mix of quirky elegance and aquatic flair.

University of Utah Professor Satu Hummasti's work, Rondo (These Things That Make Our World Go Round), involves five dancers who flow through duets, trios, and group dances, enacting physical situations inspired by memories from their own pasts. The score includes a variety of music including the Finnish band Torvikollektiivi, Isabella Yurieva, and Alarm Will Sound, with text by Hummasti and the dancers.

Performing Dance Company is excited to perform the duet Qin Se, by Beijing Dance Academy's Professor Zeng Huanxing. Qin and Se are both Chinese traditional instruments whose harmonious relationship inspires a thought-provoking look at the intimate intertwining of bodies in space and their seamless connection to humanity.

Andy Vaca, who once danced for Twyla Tharp and Utah's own Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, enlivens the stage with Swoon, Croon and Swing, a black-tie 1940's affair. As 11 dancers execute lightening-fast movement against a melodic background of big-band and cabaret standards, one is transported to a time where simpler pleasures were a way of life.

Performances are at 7:30 PM, Thursdays through Saturdays, October 27-November 5 in the Hayes Christensen Theatre, Marriott Center for Dance on the University of Utah Campus. Tickets are $10 for general public, or $7 for students, seniors, and U of U faculty/staff, and are available at the door one hour prior to the performance. Tickets can also be purchased through Kingsbury Hall Performing Arts ticket office at 581-7100.