IDT, Michigan's only professional jazz and tap company, and guest company Michigan Dance Collective will perform at Hope College on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 19-20, at 8 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.
IDT, Michigan's only professional jazz and tap company, and guest company Michigan Dance Collective will perform at Hope College on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 19-20, at 8 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.
IDT, formerly InSync Dance Theatre, is an affiliate of the department of dance at Hope. The company is led by artistic directors Rosanne Barton-DeVries and Ray Tadio of the Hope dance faculty.
IDT performed with Michigan Dance Collective last year in Traverse City, and now the northern-Michigan group returns the visit to IDT's home theatre. Each company will be performing separate pieces.
Highlighting IDT's performance is "Silk Stockings," a work by guest choreographer Mark Yonally, who is artistic director of Chicago Tap Theatre. An internationally renowned dancer and choreographer, Yonally spent time on Hope's campus this fall as a guest artist. "Silk Stockings"celebrates the richness and fluidity of classic tap. From open to close, the piece moves through classic constructions, even integrating elements of the traditional chair dance. The piece, commissioned with support from the Hope College Patrons for the Arts, is about strong women and strong, sweet rhythms. IDT recently performed in Chicago with Yonally's company at his request.
The company will also perform three works by Tadio. "Tik-ka" is created from images of the Philippine culture and shows Tadio's work in ballet, jazz, Horton, African, East Asian, and Philippine folk dance. The piece is in the repertory of several U.S. dance companies as well as in Jamaica, the Netherlands, and Japan. An excerpt from "pij'in" finds its inspiration in the diverse texture, rhythm, sound, & intonation of spoken communication. Finally, Tadio's work "Kiss" explores the flirtatious relationship between a man, woman, and the pursuit of a simple kiss.
The concert will feature four pieces by Barton-DeVries.
Her work "Face Time"re-imaginesSt. Makarios's ancient vision of hell using the narrative form of tap dance. According to the vision, hell is a faceless place where people are eternally bound back-to-back--never able to see into the eyes of another.
Barton-DeVries's "Holidaze," set to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra's funk arrangement of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker," shows the zaniness of holiday shopping as dancers "make a list" and check it more than twice before seaching for just the right gift. The work premiered at the University of Illinois at Chicago Theatre this past December.
Her piece "Words," a cappella rhythm work,explores the journey of self-becoming. The work "Interplay"celebrates the body as percussion instrument; the a cappella hand-slapping, foot-tapping, cheek-popping, back-drumming piece is simply about the joy of making music.
Michigan Dance Collective, under the direction of Hope College alumnus Philip Leete, will perform three works. "Who's the Boss" is a comical look at the typical "give and take" in an often-times typical relationship. "Haunted," which is premiering during the concert, takes a look at the inner pressures that women face, whether struggling to be accepted into social circles or seeking forgiveness for a choice or belief. "Acquiesce" explores the release of control and the struggle to maintain power while constantly trying to please someone else in a relationship. The last two works are choreographed by Michael Mizerany.
Tickets are $7 for regular admission and $5 for children and senior citizens, and are on sale at the ticket office in the main lobby of the DeVos Fieldhouse. The office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890. Tickets will also be available at the Knickerbocker during the two performance evenings.
More information may be obtained online at www.hope.edu/arts.
The DeVos Fieldhouse is located facing Fairbanks Avenue between Ninth and 11th streets. The Knickerbocker Theatre is in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St.