Young dance sensation to premiere work about Akron using local residents
Members of Keigwin + Company perform.
New York City’s hot, rising star, Keigwin + Company, will open DANCECleveland’s 55th anniversary season at The University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 8 p.m. featuring an evening of eclectic, wildly engaging dances, including the world premiere of “Bolero Akron.”
Tickets, starting at $10, are available at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 1-800-745-300. Tickets are also available at the Thomas Hall ticket office, 330-972-7570.
Presented in collaboration with The University of Akron’s Dance Program and Thomas Hall, the evening of original and highly theatrical repertory will include the world premiere of “Bolero Akron,” founder and artistic director Larry Keigwin’s take on iconic elements of Akron past and present. Set to the well-known score by Ravel, the piece will include 50-70 local residents to celebrate the city in dance and theatrical movement.
Keigwin arrived in Akron on Sept. 19 to cast the performers and rehearse the piece. This work will follow in the footsteps of Keigwin’s “Bolero NYC,” which The New York Times praised as “a joyful and breathtakingly clever celebration of the city and its people.” Other site-specific Bolero pieces have been set in Denver, Santa Barbara and suburban Connecticut.
Variety of song genres represented
The Oct. 2 program also includes the highly acclaimed "Triptych," to commissioned, high tempo music by Jonathan Melville Pratt. The dance has been praised for its beautiful movement, masterful choreography and vivid energy. "Love Songs" features a series of duets danced to pop songs by Roy Orbison, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone. "Air" and "Wind" celebrate the essence of these elements in different ways. "Air," to music by Jim Webb, salutes the 1950s with smashing lifts by a pilot and a crew of flight attendants. "Wind" is set to Philip Glass music performed by Glass and Ravi Shankar.
The witty and engaging Keigwin+Company was founded in 2003 in New York City by Keigwin, who is lauded for his “extraordinary feats of dancing.” (The New York Times) The troupe bridges the gap between artistry and entertainment, creating dances that are accessible and engaging to broad audiences.
Keigwin’s recent commissions have included The New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, The Martha Graham Dance Company and The Juilliard Dance Ensemble, among others. Additional choreographic credits include work with the pop band Fischerspooner, comedian Murray Hill and as associate choreographer for both the Radio City Rockettes and the Off-Broadway musical “The Wild Party.”
As a dancer, the 40-year-old Keigwin has performed with the Metropolitan Opera in Doug Varone’s “Le Sacre Du Printemps” and Julie Taymor’s “The Magic Flute.”
Keigwin + Company has performed in New York at the Joyce Theater and City Center and nationally at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Summerdance Santa Barbara and the American Dance Festival.
Media contact: Cyndee Snider, The University of Akron, 330-972-5196 or cyndee@uakron.edu, or Mindy Herman, DANCECleveland, 216-991-9000 or mindy@dancecleveland.org.