News Releases
For Immediate Release
Oct. 1, 2007
What if you could walk into a gallery and see the 20 greatest paintings of the 20th century? Would you go?
What if – for one night only – you could experience a live performance of a century’s worth of dance?
What if you could bring your children to see a fabulous dance show, tailored just for them?
Sparkplug Dance, Lane Community College, and
the UO Cultural Forum present:
Repertory Dance Theatre
Friday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 10 a.m.
Lane Community College Performance Hall
4000 East 30th Ave., Eugene
“Time Capsule: A Century of Dance”
Friday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Including masterworks from 1905 to 1992, “Time Capsule” travels from the early years of modern dance to today’s best choreographers. This one-of-a-kind performance lives, breathes, sweats and leaps. An unprecedented opportunity to enjoy the beauty, athleticism and history of dance at its finest.
Tickets: $15 for students/$20/$25.
“D is for Dance”
Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.
An introduction to dance performance for families of all ages!
Tickets: One FREE ticket for youth 12 and under with each $10 adult ticket purchased; Additional youth tickets are available for $5 each.
Reserved tickets for both performances are available by calling the UO Ticket Office at (541) 346-4363 or at the ticket window in the Erb Memorial Union on the UO campus, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
*In addition, Repertory Dance Theatre will offer a number of free educational activities on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 24-25 at several locations in Eugene
(see below for full schedule of events).
Summary:
Sparkplug Dance, Lane Community College, and the UO Cultural Forum are overjoyed to bring one of the world’s most beloved companies, Repertory Dance Theatre, to our community for two performances. We have collaborated to bring RDT for a four-day residency that includes two performances at Lane, several public school assemblies, master classes at the University of Oregon and Lane, movement for actors classes and demonstrations/lectures. Please see the attached Residency Schedule for a complete schedule of events.
In fall 2006, the UO Cultural Forum, Sparkplug Dance, and Lane Community College met to discuss community based dance projects that would resonate with our community, as well as attract new participants through unique dance education and performance opportunities. Through a series of meetings, project partners selected RTD as a model dance company that would connect with Eugene/Springfield residents.
Described by critic Clive Barnes as “one of the liveliest and most imaginative modern dance troupes in the world,” Repertory Dance Theatre represents the scope and diversity of modern dance, past and present. Through concerts, residencies, and lecture demonstrations, RDT builds audiences and touches lives. Tying dance to history and literature, RDT powerfully demonstrates how the arts can inspire learners and integrate ideas. For example, RDT’s D is for Dance/D es Para Dansar is directly relevant to Eugene’s fastest-growing ethnic group.
Groundwork is being laid to restore creative dance as a popular art form in Eugene. Sparkplug Dance has worked since 2004 to engage young families, educators, and social service agencies with the transformative power of concept-based creative dance. The UO Cultural Forum works to engage diverse community members through artistic presentations both on and off campus. Lane’s dance department partners with organizations to provide a venue for new work and develops dancers and choreographers through their education program. Together, the three organizations have worked to secure a grant from the Western States Arts Federations and the National Endowment for the Arts that assisted in bringing RDT to our community.
About “Time Capsule: A Century of Dance”
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Modern Dance, But Were Afraid to Ask!
A guided tour through a 100-year legacy of dance, Time Capsule incorporates RDT’s prestigious repertory into an informative multi-media retrospective, paying homage to the ingenuity, creativity and inventive spirit of legendary 20th century choreographers. From the founders of modern dance, through the avant garde and post-modern, to contemporary choreographers of today, “RDT follows the development of American dance…with such total identification and vivacity that one could believe they actually were the pioneers of those early days with their passion for uprising and revolt against the conventions of the classics.” (Linda Zamboni, Die Presse, Vienna).
Highlights from the program include excerpts from Isadora Duncan’s Valse Brilliante, Doris Humphrey’s Soaring, Daniel Nagrin’s Strange Hero, José Limón’s There Is A Time, Anna Sokolow’s Lyric Suite, Shapiro & Smith’s Dance for Two Army Blankets, and Laura Dean’s Sky Light.
About “D IS FOR DANCE”
The performance features 10 RDT dancers who create “magic” with dances, poetry and music. Artistic Director Linda C. Smith plays the role of “professor” and guides the audience through a new way to understand the ABCs. Each letter of the movement alphabet is cleverly illustrated in choreography designed to delight. Audience participation, rhythm and rhymes will keep you entertained.
That is to say…
RDT dancers learn their ABCs in unusual ways:
A is for Action… B for Balance…. C for Carve
E is Elevation … F for Fall…. G for Graceful
H might Hop and Hurl and Hit
I has Imagination…Improvisation…Inspiration
J will Jiggle…K Kneel…L Lean
M goes Marching… N Noodles… O will Open
P & Q… R & S Punch Quickly Run Slowly
T Teeters Unbalanced V Vibrates W Wiggles
X Y Z make angles and shapes that might Zig zag.
About Repertory Dance Theatre
RDT is the oldest and most successful company of its kind, a living museum representing 100 years of dance history, preserving the largest and most significant collection of American dance in the world. RDT acquires classic works by significant twentieth century choreographers and also commissions new works for its prestigious repertory. From the legendary Isadora Duncan and Doris Humphrey to the revolutionary Merce Cunningham and Laura Dean, RDT is both a museum and a contemporary gallery representing the scope and diversity of modern dance past and present.
RDT has been seen in more than 300 cities throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. RDT has performed for diverse audiences from Bicknell, Utah to Vienna, Austria, in school rooms and opera houses, from gymnasiums to the Kennedy Center. The company has a long standing commitment to arts education. Selected by the National Endowment for the Arts to develop multi-faceted arts residency programs for public schools, RDT has created activities which educate audience of all ages through classes, workshops, lectures and performances. Projects have focused on ecology, literature, history and cultural diversity which give students and teachers tools to increase communication and develop self esteem as they increase their understanding and appreciation of world culture.
Utah's Repertory Dance Theatre
Outreach Schedule and Special Events
October 2007, Eugene, Ore.
Outreach events are co-sponsored by Sparkplug Dance, Lane Community College and the University of Oregon Cultural Forum. (With special thanks to the City of Eugene Public Library Youth Services, the City of Eugene Adaptive Recreation Department, Eugene School District 4j, and the Dance and Theater Departments of Lane Community College and the University of Oregon.)
All programs are open to the public*, and are FREE.
Space is available on a drop-in, first-come, first-serve basis.
Wednesday, October 24th:
10-11:50am
Master Dance Class at the University of Oregon
An introduction to intermediate and advanced modern technique.
(*Open to public as space is available.)
Gerlinger Annex Studio 353
Campus map: http://geography.uoregon.edu/infographics/uowebmap.html
Contact: Walter Kennedy: Undergraduate Coordinator/Publicity/Associate Professor, (541) 346-4133, wck@uoregon.edu
10:15-10:45am and 11:00-11:30am
Preschool Performance at the Eugene Public Library
Repertory Dance Theatre delights preschoolers and parents with excerpts from its fabulous children's show, "D is for Dance/D es para Danzar." Offered during perennially popular preschool story time, these mini-performances, with hands-on participation, will encourage learning and literacy in a whole new way!
Eugene Public Library,
Downtown Library
100 West 10th Ave.
Contact(s): Mary Ginnane, Youth Services Manager, EPL, (541) 682-8315, mary.j.ginnane@ci.eugene.or.us
or
Cara Haakanson, Preschool Story Time coordinator, EPL, (541) 682-8316, Cara.E.HAAKANSON@ci.eugene.or.us
3:30-4:30pm
Teacher Training at the City of Eugene's Adaptive Recreation Center
This exciting introductory workshop encourages educators, therapists, administrators, recreation specialists and teaching artists to develop the skills necessary to use movement as a tool to teach academic curriculum. Through the creative process, participants will engage with the elements of dance and learn how to incorporate them into their teaching. No prior dance experience necessary.
Hilyard Community Center
2580 Hilyard St
Contact: Front Desk Staff, Hilyard Community Center, (541) 682-5311
6-7:30pm
Movement for Actors/Acting for Movers
Designed to help dancers and actors develop awareness of the body as an instrument of self-expression, this class offers information necessary to help students build strength, flexibility, endurance and coordination, through an understanding of the elements of dance--Time, Space, Shape, and Energy. Fun and lively, the class allows participants the freedom to explore their own physical and creative potential in a noncompetitive environment. (Note: Protect a lovely new dance floor by coming prepared to take shoes off.)
Gerlinger Annex 352
University of Oregon
Campus map: http://geography.uoregon.edu/infographics/uowebmap.html
Contact: Walter Kennedy: Undergrad Coordinator/Publicity/Associate Professor, (541) 346-4133, wck@uoregon.edu
Thursday, October 25th:
9:15am
School Assembly at the Arts and Technology Assembly
This school performances of D IS FOR DANCE features 10 RDT dancers who create “magic” with dances, poetry and music. Artistic Director, Linda C. Smith plays the role of “professor” and guides the audience through a new way to understand the ABC’s. Each letter of the movement alphabet is cleverly illustrated in choreography designed to delight. Audience participation, rhythm and rhymes will keep audiences entertained. RDT will perform "D is for Dance, D es para Danzar" for students at The Arts and Technology Academy, with invited student guests from Cesar Chavez and the Family School.
At the Arts and Technology Academy*
1650 West 22nd
Contact: Jeff Johnson, Principal Arts and Technology Academy, (541) 687-3221, Johnson_je@4j.lane.edu
2nd Contact: Denisa Taylor, Principal Chavez/Family School, (541) 687-4200, Taylor_d@4j.lane.edu
(*Only open to members of the Arts Academy, Chavez or Family School communities.)
11:30-12:50pm
Master Class at Lane Community College
An introduction to intermediate and advanced modern technique.
Open to community guests.
LCC Dance Studio, PE 132, Building 5
LCC Main Campus
4000 East 30th Avenue
Campus map: http://www..lanecc.edu/mpr/locations/mc.htm
Contact: Bonnie Simoa, Lead Faculty, Dance, Music, and Theatre Arts Department, (541) 463-5645, simoab@lanecc.edu
2:30-3:50pm
Lecture Demonstration
A narrated informal performance focusing on the history of dance, the choreographic process, and the art of improvisation. This demonstration gives the audience insight into how to watch, appreciate and even create dances. RDT performs and discusses repertory spanning one hundred years of American dance and provides information that links the social and political history that influenced the creation of the work.
Open to community guests.
LCC Dance Studio, PE 132, Building 5
LCC Main Campus
4000 East 30th Avenue
Campus map: http://www..lanecc.edu/mpr/locations/mc.htm
Contact: Bonnie Simoa, Lead Faculty, Dance, Music, and Theatre Arts Department, (541) 463-5645, simoab@lanecc.edu
###
Contact:
Rachel Carnes, Sparkplug Dance, (541) 344-4520, rachael@sparkplugdance.org
Heidi Schmidt, Repertory Dance Theatre, (801) 534-1000, heidis@rdtutah.org
