After last year’s two sold out shows, An Evening of Duets will take place this year at the Community Education Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 6 & 7, 2015 at 7:30pm and February 8, 2015 at 3:00pm. Philadelphia residents can expect an enriching weekend of noteworthy dance, live music and poetry.
Created as a pre-Valentines performance, this event will highlight duets from the romantic to the volatile by innovative choreographers and their professional dance companies. Curated and produced by Melissa Chisena, this year will feature twelve different companies from Philadelphia and New York City.
The performing companies and artists are Alicia Sehn, Amy Lynne Barr, Chisena Danza, Daniel Fetecua/Pajarillo Pinta’o Dance Company (Sunday Only), Jennifer Yackel & Cory Neale, Kalila Kingsford Smith & Grace Stern, Putty Dance Project, Rachael Britton Hart (Saturday Only), RealLivePeople, Scott McPheeters & Lindsay Browning, Tara Madsen-Robbins, and Treeline Dance Works.
This year, An Evening of Duets is proud to present two different collaborations between poetry, music and dance. Melissa Chisena/ Chisena Danza, will be performing with poet Anne Adele Wight who is reading a poem that is inspired by Chisena’s intriguingly intricate movements. Former Jeanne Ruddy dancer Jennifer Yackel will be dancing to the sounds of improvised Upright Bass played by Cory Neale.
Another exciting addition is the work of Limon Dancer Daniel Fetecua from New York City. His duet “Stories of forbidden love “recreates an unorthodox love story that begins every summer and ends when the leaves begin to change. Naive, passionate, and playful, this story closes with empty arms and many beautiful memories. His work will be presented only on Sunday, February 8.
Also joining us from New York City is Treeline Dance Works, presenting work for the first time in Philadelphia. This collaborative entity entangles juxtapositions in movement, intermingling the quirky with the athletic, the subtle with the explosive, and the personal with the universal.
Other works from Philadelphia based artists include Rachael Hart, emerging choreographer and dancer with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers. She will be dancing her organic, dynamic movement revealing unexplored physical and emotional territory. Ms. Hart’s duet will be performed only on Saturday February 7.
Lauren Putty White/Putty Dance Project dances her duet “Humanimal” to original music composed by her husband and collaborator, Brent White. “Humanimal” is a dance exploration of how human nature and animalistic instincts are very similar. The piece poses the question, “When it comes to protecting ourselves and our territory, are we willing to do anything?
Scott McPheeters and Lindsay Browning present a world premiere attempting to accommodate the amateur choreographic desires of Phil & Phyllis, two characters who only appear on film.
Alicia Sehn takes inspiration for her duet from being drawn in by the allure of a new person or experience causing a shift in pathways.
Gina Hoch-Stall/RealLivePeople re-visits her inventive and athletic duet from her Fringe Premiere of “Would I lie to you”, exploring human experiences through firsthand stories and unspoken gestures.
Tara Madsen Robbins duet “One” is based on the complex relationship between sisters. This duet has been presented in New York City and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where her work received critical acclaim.
Kalila Kingsford Smith & Grace Stern have been working with a rhythmic score for their duet, exhausting the many ways of manipulating and exploring the beat through their movement.
Creating work that mixes humor, poignancy, and extreme physicality, Amy Lynne Barr engages the audience viscerally with choreography that is intellectual in conception and creation in her duet “Easy”.
The mission of this production is to enrich, unite, inspire and give an outlet for choreographers, dancers, musicians and poets to collaborate and present innovative works for the Philadelphia community.
An Evening of Duets
February 6 & 7, 2015 @ 7:30pm
February 8, 2015 @ 3:00pm
Community Education Center, Meeting House Theatre, 3500 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia
Tickets $18 General Admission, $15 Students/Seniors, $12 Dance Professionals
For Tickets visit www.danceboxoffice.com