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Chamber Dance Company - On Their Own
October 11 - 13, 2012, 7:30pm Meany Theater
October 14, 2012, 2:00pm Meany Theater
Pre-Performance lectures
October 11 - 13, 7:00pm Meany Theater West Lobby
October 14, 1:30pm Meany Theater West Lobby
The end of the 19th century gave rise to a new art form: modern dance. While a number of men contributed to its early development, it was the pioneering efforts of a number of daring women who played a vibrant role in shaping the first 50 years of this emerging form of expression. The Chamber Dance Company’s 24th anniversary concert pays tribute to five of these pioneers in a suite entitled On Their Own that features nine solos choreographed between 1906 and 1944 by Ruth St. Denis, Ethel Winter, Helen Tamiris, Jean Erdman and Mary Wigman.
Winter was a first generation Graham company member known primarily for her stunning performances, although En Dolor, which she created at the age of nineteen, has become a modern dance classic. Also an original Graham dancer, Erdman was interested in the dances of other cultures and how they expressed those cultures' worldview. Tamiris was a concert dance solo performer known for her advocacy of repressed groups and her commitment to creating dances drawing on indigenous sources and reflecting progressive social change. Born into a poor Orthodox family on the lower Eastside, Tamiris’ created dances that highlighted important social issues of the time such as racism, poverty, and war. Her use of Negro spirituals paved the way for the inclusion of spirituals in the works of many prominent choreographers in the years to come. Often collaborating with Ted Shawn and Doris Humphrey, Ruth St. Denis, a modern dance pioneer, introduced Eastern ideas into her solo works. Mary Wigman used dance to delve into the fusion of mysticism, spatial theory and emotionally driven choreography. Together this unique band of pioneering artists blazed a path across the stage over the first half of the 20th century and gave rise to the newer artistic voices we appreciate today.
Susan Marshall’s Arms is considered one of her early signature pieces and features two dancers using their arms in a series of ever expanding movements; the implied embrace, the glancing blow, the pull away. These basic simple movements are familiar to the audience, yet they take on a life of their own in this work that strips away the artifice of “performance” and brings movement back to its most basic of beginnings.
Louis Falco’s Escargot is a joyful sexy romp that builds on a series of solos by a group of dancers, each trying to outdo the other in a wild creative frenzy. Springing from decades of intimate movement explorations, this work explodes onto the stage in a creative celebration of all the body can do as it moves.
These singular works come together in a celebration of movement that marks twenty-four years of exploring modern dance history. Performances are October 11-14 at Meany Hall for the Performing Arts. Thursday, Friday and Saturday curtain is at 7:30 PM and the Sunday performance begins at 2:00 PM. Advance tickets are $18 ($20 at the door), $16 ($18 at the door) for UW faculty, staff and UWAA members, $10 ($12 at the door) for students and seniors. Visit www.meany.org or call 206.543.4880 for tickets.
Ticket Pricing:
$18 Advance General Admission, $20 at the door
$16 Advance Faculty/Staff/UAA, $18 at the door
$10 Advance Students/Seniors, $12 at the door
Ticket information for all concerts:
UW Arts Ticket Office 206-543-4880
For information about other Dance performances, please visit the
Dance Performance Calendar page
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