Boulder Ballet Presents Fall Passages

Boulder Ballet Presents Fall Passages

by | May 10, 2022

With Support from KUNC

Door Time: 6:30 PM
Showtime: 7:30 PM

Boulder Ballet presents an evening of contemporary bliss. On this second night of fall, we will present four distinct choreographic voices, that each have their own story to tell. We are proud to present Junk Duet, a lighthearted work by Twyla Tharp, as part of our program for this evening. This will be the first time that Boulder Ballet brings a work by the legendary Twyla Tharp to the stage.

In addition, we will present two world premieres, one by Jacob Mora of Moraporvida and a second by our own Artistic Director. A Denver-based artist, Jacob Mora works not only with the exploration of relationship as a theme but with the merging and fusion of culture, sound, and imagery. This work will be an exciting addition to Boulder Ballet’s repertoire.

We’ll hope to have you join us to celebrate the opening of our 2022/2023 season with an evening of dance at Boulder’s iconic Chautauqua Auditorium.  

 

About Twyla Tarps piece, Junk Duet:

Junk Duet was commissioned by Alexander Kølpin for the Sommerballett Festival in Denmark. He performed the classically structured pas de deux with Stacy Caddell. The duet was later included in Known By Heart, commissioned by American Ballet Theatre. Tharp pits the two dancers against one another in a cartoonish competition. The percussive score by Donald “The Junkman” Knaack is played on 100% recycled materials. The scrapheap sounds enhance the comedic blend of exaggerated pantomime and classical ballet vocabulary. The ballerina dominates her partner until he cowers behind her henpecked and she takes her final bow.

Since graduating from Barnard College in 1963, Ms. Tharp has choreographed more than one hundred sixty works: one hundred twenty-nine dances, twelve television specials, six Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows and two figure skating routines. She received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, nineteen honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, the 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize, and a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor. Her many grants include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. She is a member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1965, Ms. Tharp founded her dance company, Twyla Tharp Dance. Her dances are known for creativity, wit and technical precision coupled with a streetwise nonchalance. By combining different forms of movement – such as jazz, ballet, boxing and inventions of her own making – Ms. Tharp’s work expands the boundaries of ballet and modern dance. In addition to choreographing for her own company, she has created dances for The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, The Boston Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Today, ballet and dance companies around the world continue to perform Ms. Tharp’s works. In 1992, Ms. Tharp published her autobiography PUSH COMES TO SHOVE. She went on to write THE CREATIVE HABIT: Learn it and Use it for Life, followed by THE COLLABORATIVE HABIT: Life Lessons for Working Together. In 2019, her fourth book was published, Keep It Moving: Lessons for the Rest of Your Life. Today, Ms. Tharp continues to create.

New work from Jacob Mora – About Jacob Mora

Jacob Mora works in Dance, Theatre, Film, Fashion and Music with projects ranging from performance, education or the creating, directing or producing of exciting and provocative art. Jacob is the Artistic Director and Founder of Moraporvida Contemporary Dance (MPVCD). A company based and rooted in the relationships and voices that define us and speak for us. As an artist, Jacob works not only with the exploration of relationship as a theme but with the merging and fusion of culture, sound, and imagery. The convergence creates a distinct voice that has defined many of the works within the repertory and abroad. Jacob Mora has created a unique repertory of work that includes dances, shorts and concerts that have seen critical acclaim and awards among many platforms.

With a large repertory of dances among the community and MPVCD, Jacob has also set works on other dance companies and organizations including Ormao Dance, Kaleidoscope Dance Theater and other regional dance groups. He created many original evening length productions and has directed many shows that span from the avant-garde to the corporate, popular and steamy including, The Last Click, A Landing Place and Exhibit M. Jacob currently is on faculty with Metropolitan State University, Sweatshop Dance & Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. He has been on faculty with the University of Wyoming and has done guest work & residencies with many other University programs including UNLV, CU, WOU, and CSU among many.

Jacob Works as a fierce advocate for dance within Modern, Contemporary, Jazz and Hip Hop Traditions. He has conducted workshops and classes for hundreds of programs, businesses and schools, ranging from elementary to senior programs. Jacob works with students to deepen a relationship with dance and the arts through technique classes, lecture, demonstrations, and performances. After graduating from the University Of Northern Colorado with a BA in Dance and Theater Jacob spent the first part of his career as a performer working with many amazing artists and companies. He has danced with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, David Taylor Dance, Hannah Kahn Dance and Santee Smith. Performing repertory and working with choreographers like Gary Abbott, David Dorfman, Milton Meyers, Ron K Brown and David Rousevve to name a few. As a Hip Hop performer he has been a part of groups QG Posse, The Cool Emcees, Static Incision, Bliss Productions & Buggz Brown, opening up for Queen Latifah, All For 1 and still creates works under the Name “Def I”. He has done corporate events for companies such as Starkey, Imprint, Create a Vision, Pro Entertainment and Moments Notice working with many of the bands including Soul X.

Jacob has played hundreds of venues performing for weddings, award ceremonies and runway shows. With a truly diverse group of performance, shows, and experiences, these influences and relationships collide in a body of work that has made Jacob Mora a sought after teacher, artist, performer and choreographer within concert dance and pop dance.

We look forward to premiering the original work Wait less by Jacob Mora at our Fall Passages concert. A Denver-based artist, Jacob brings a unique perspective to the stage creating works based on an idea, often influenced by relationships, media, and pop culture.

Jacob’s creations vary from the avant-garde to more traditional and always aim to centralize the dancers. Patrons at our Fall Passagesperformance will see a work that explores impatience on personal, interactive, and social scales. His organic, virtuosic, and emotional choreography reflects the concept of waiting and its effect on people. Jacob is a fierce advocate for dance within the Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, and Hip Hop traditions and his work is known to reflect these styles.

Another unique feature of Jacob’s work is sound as a big part of his storytelling. Just like layering a painting, he layers and blends sounds. He takes everyday sounds and ideas and puts a different spin on them to enhance the narrative of the work. Most of the score will be edited and compiled by Jacob.

As a dancemaker, Jacob loves to highlight contrasting ideas and opposition as an important part of his work. His world premiere Wait less reflects an optimistic view and he hopes to lift the weight off us and find resolutions.

 

EviDance: A Murder Mystery Ballet

Mystery is in the air during Artistic Director Ben Needham-Wood’s latest ballet, EviDance. The lines between reality and rumor become blurred at a lavish dinner party when one of the guests ends up dead. Tension builds between the eccentric characters, whether it’s a look or a pointed finger. The audience should keep a keen eye on small, hidden moments that may reveal clues to who is innocent and who is guilty. The first chapter of the mystery will be revealed at Fall Passages on September 24.

*All tickets subject to service fees

Frankenstein – Theatre Hike

Frankenstein – Theatre Hike

by | May 3, 2022

Start Time: 3:00 PM

Every Saturday & Sunday September 17 – October 30

Frankenstein by R.N. Sandberg

Set in the icy polar regions where scientist Victor Frankenstein has chased the creature he brought to life, this highly theatrical and emotional play traces Frankenstein’s path to the final confrontation with his intelligent, articulate, sensitive, and powerfully violent child. Due to adult themes, admission will be restricted to patrons aged 10 and up.

Check in and meet at the picnic pavilion behind the Chautauqua Auditorium. Our hikes are usually at a moderate level/pace and last no more than 2 hours. When you first arrive, you will be greeted by your hiking guide who will lead the way down the trail to each scene location. Once you arrive at a scene location, you can sit back and relax and watch a scene from the production. Once the scene is complete, we all gather our things and hike to the next location.

During an Arts in the Open production, you will be hiking along a moderate trail. We encourage all audience members to wear proper hiking attire and shoes. We also recommend you bring: Weather appropriate clothing, water, snacks, hats, umbrellas, sunscreen, and blankets to sit on and/or lightweight camping chairs. There will be water and granola bars available for a suggested donation.



*All tickets subject to service fees

 

Rising Appalachia with Birds of Play – SOLD OUT!

Rising Appalachia with Birds of Play – SOLD OUT!

by | May 3, 2022

Door Time: 6:30 PM

Showtime: 7:30 PM

As world travelers for nearly two decades, Rising Appalachia have merged multiple global music influences with their own southern roots to create the inviting new folk album, Leylines. Remarkably the band has built its legion of listeners independently — a self-made success story that has led to major festival appearances and sold-out shows at venues across the country.

Founded by sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, the band established an international fan base due to relentless touring, tireless activism, and no small degree of stubborn independence. However, for the first time, they opted to bring in a producer for the new album, teaming up with the legendary Joe Henry on the sessions. These were also their first recording sessions outside of the South. For 10 days, all six band members lived and recorded in a castle-like studio in Marin County, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As a result, a sense of unity and immediacy can be heard throughout their seventh album, Leylines.

“As far as recording goes, we’re open creatively, but we’ve often preferred elements of live recording. I mean, we’re folk musicians at our core,” Leah explains. “The experience of playing music together in one room, looking at each other, is the bedrock of what we do and how we’ve grown up with music. I think Joe very much felt that way as well. He was very clear at the beginning that he was going to encourage us to have as many elements of a live recording as possible.”

Although Leah and Chloe Smith consider their voices as their primary instrument, Leah also plays banjo and bodhran on the album, while Chloe plays guitar, fiddle, and banjo. They are joined on Leylines by longtime members David Brown (stand-up bass, baritone guitar) and Biko Casini (world percussion, n’goni), as well as two new members: West African musician Arouna Diarra (n’goni, talking drum) and Irish musician Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello). The sonic textures of these two cultures are woven into Leylines, enhancing the stunning blend of folk, world, and urban music that has become Rising Appalachia’s calling card.

“Our songwriting ties into those traditions as well,” Chloe says. “With some of our original songs, it’s a reflection of the times. We’re folk singers and we consider this a folk album, so there’s a lot in there. There’s word of politics, of being women in the music industry, as well as a lot about our lives on the road.”

Indeed, Rising Appalachia has toured British Columbia by sailboat, traversed the U.S. and Europe by train, and engaged in immersive cultural exchange programs in Bulgaria, Ireland, Southern Italy, Central, and South America – not to mention the countless miles in a van. Tour highlights include: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco; Music Hall Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York; Boulder Theatre in Boulder, Colorado; and the Showbox in Seattle, Washington. The band consistently sells between 400 and 1500 tickets wherever they play, a testament to their loyal fan base.

Leah and Chloe grew up in urban Atlanta as the city’s hip hop scene began to flourish. They absorbed those rhythms through the music they heard at school, then traveled with their family to fiddle camps all across the Southeast on the weekends. The young girls weren’t all that interested in the old-time playing, but their parents were incredibly devout in their study and practice of Appalachian music.

After high school, Leah decided to postpone college and travel internationally. Feeling homesick while living in Southern Mexico, she looked for a connection to her past and taught herself how to play the banjo. “I realized that I wanted something from home that I could share, something that would tell people a bit more of the story of where I came from, other than the news,” she recalls.

A few years later, when Chloe came to visit her abroad, Leah offered some clawhammer banjo lessons. They didn’t necessarily realize it at the time but a musical partnership had been established. Upon their return to the United States, they recorded an album, which they considered an art project, to sell whenever they sang at farmer’s markets. They printed 500 copies, figuring that would last them a lifetime. However, when a local college professor heard them singing at a Christmas party, he booked them as part of a Celtic holiday concert in Atlanta. After two performances, every CD had been sold.

Surprised and overwhelmed, they mulled over a career as full-time musicians, then realized that performing could be just one component of a greater overall vision – one that includes advocating for social justice, racial justice, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights.

“We’re able to filter in so many of our passions into this project,” Chloe says. “We do a lot of activism work. We do a lot of outreach. Leah is a visual artist and she can funnel her visual eye into the project. I love to write, so that comes in. There’s a big container and canvas for our life’s work here. Music is part of it, but there are a lot of other creative vehicles that are driving Rising Appalachia.”

Special guests on Leylines include folk hero Ani DiFranco, soulful songwriter Trevor Hall, and jazz trumpeter Maurice Turner. The album title alludes to the concept of invisible lines believed to stretch around the world between sacred spaces, bonded by a spiritual and magnetic presence. That deep sense of connection is key to understanding Rising Appalachia as a whole.

“Rising Appalachia has come out of this idea that we can take these traditions of southern music – that we’ve been born and raised with – and we can rise out of them, creating all these different bridges between cultures and stories to make them feel alive,” Leah says. “Our music has its foundation in heritage and tradition, but we’re creating music that also feels reflective of the times right now. That’s always been our work.”

 

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