Sarasota, FL — December 14, 2010 —The Historic Asolo Theater takes a bold step forward this winter with a five-part exhibition of provocative contemporary dance/theater, which runs from January through March 2011. Celebrating The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art’s inaugural season of Art of our Time, it features world premieres by OtherShore and performances by Monica Bill Barnes & Company, the Japanese dance duo of Eiko & Koma, international mime sensation and Broadway veteran Bill Bowers, and Kate Weare Company.
The Ringing Museum’s newest initiative Art of our Time showcases new art -- modern and contemporary art, visual and performance art. The first season launched with this year’s Ringling International Arts Festival. It will continue through 2011 with visual art explorations including Beyond Bling: Voices of Hip-Hop in Art, a new exhibition that opens in May 2011 that explores the continuing influence of hip-hop on 21st century art and culture.
“The Historic Asolo Theater's contemporary dance/theater exhibition is a great chance to experience new and wonderful expressions of this art form that speaks to our individual, as well as collective need to enjoy and connect with the world around us,” said Dwight Currie, Interim Deputy Director for Collections, Exhibitions and Programs for the Ringling Museum. “With their own unique language and stories, each artist stretches the boundaries of performance while endearing themselves to us in a way that captures our hearts and minds.”
January 27-29: Monica Bill Barnes & Company
Celebrating individuality, humor and the innate theatricality of everyday life, Monica Bill Barnes & Company perform Another Parade and mostly fanfare, January 27-29. Harkening back to the care-free and blissful days of adolescence Another Parade celebrates the singular, exhilarating experience of being on stage. The high energy piece features four ungainly performers who flirt with subtlety while wearing their hearts on their sleeves. A go-for-broke, all-out-dance event, it packs a punch while straddling the awkward and debonair.
Through the support of creative residences provided by the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at Florida State University and the Joyce Theater Foundation among others, Barnes work has been produced at The International Fabbrica for Choreographers in Florence, and the Fourth International Dance and Movement Festival on the Volga. Last year, the company also performed at the Bates Dance Festival, American Dance Festival, The Joyce Theater and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
February 17-19: OtherShore
As a follow-up to their powerful performance Snow Falls in Winter at the 2009 Ringling International Arts Festival, OtherShore delivers an encore presentation with two world premieres: The Social Band and The Goats, February 17-19. The Social Band, choreographed by Stephen Petronio features original music by Son Lux. Choreographed by Annie B-Parson and Paul Lazar, The Goats is a re-telling of the story of Heidi. The troupe is co-directed by Sonja Kostich, a former member of American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Zurich Ballet and the White Oak Dance Project -- and -- Brandi Norton, a former dancer with the Trisha Brown Company. OtherShore debuted in 2008 at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York.
February 24-26: Eiko & Koma
Eiko & Koma present elements from their Retrospective Project (2009-2012), February 24-26. For the past 40 years, Eiko & Koma have explored the vulnerabilities of their own bodies as it relates to navigating the earth’s surfaces and landscapes by infusing a stillness that subverts and transcends the notions of time and space. Derived from collaborative works with visual art and performing art curators around the country, performances include Night Tide (performed with full nudity), an excerpt from White Dance, and Raven. Two-time Grammy winner Robert Mirabal accompanies Eiko & Koma on Raven. Performing a musical score that features cedar and clay flutes, percussions, rattles and vocals inspired by Mirabal's Native Land, located at the foot of the Taos Mountain in northern New Mexico, his sound underscores the mystical and suspenseful nature of Raven.
March 10-12: Bill Bowers
Bill Bowers takes audiences on an unforgettable journey as he performs It Goes Without Saying directed by Martha Banta, March 10-12. This one-man show is a masterpiece of mime and storytelling featuring Bowers hilarious, heart-breaking, and unbelievably true stories. Bowers self-proclaimed “75-minute joy ride” incorporates movement and physical expressions as he reminisces about his childhood in the wilds of Montana, his outrageous jobs as a performer, the whirlwind of working on Broadway, and studying with legendary mime Marcel Marceau. Bowers heartfelt style of acting and pantomime have led him on an incredible path from regional stage to tours, television, film, and even Broadway, where he has appeared in The Lion King and The Scarlet Pimpernel.
March 24-26: Kate Weare Company
Drawing on people’s basic urge to move and decode movement, Kate Weare Company explores a contemporary view of intimacy with her humorously sly and sexy style in Bright Land and Bridge of Sighs. Both productions evoke our communal need for safety, a longing to connect, and desire to be seen. Set to old-time music, Bright Land is inspired by the struggles of her ancestors, presenting a new twist as it relate to today’s economic troubles, social isolation and essential desire to feel connected. Bridge of Sighs features an ardent and unusual quartet for two women and two men, looking at the instincts - both reckless and wise - that drive them upstream toward love. Involved in intense interludes, each dancer's individuality shines through to fuel a deeply vibrant, wry and tender investigation of partnership and loneliness. The piece was co-commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow dance through its Creative Development Residency Program, a Choreographic Fellowship at The Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at Florida State University, and an Artist-in Residency at Dance New Amsterdam.
Serving as the Ringling Museum’s performance gallery, the Historic Asolo Theater presents museum quality performances that explore and exemplify the rich diversity of ideas and forms at play in the world today. Tickets are available at the Historic Asolo Theater box office: 941.360.7399 or online at www.ringling.org Contemporary dance/theater performances take place Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., as well as Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $35, $30, $20 / $30, $25, $15 for Museum Members. Subscriptions to all five programs: $150/$125 for Museum Members. For information/reservations, contact the Historic Asolo Theater Box Office at 941.360.7399 or visit www.ringling.org
General Admission includes the Ringling Museum of Art, special exhibitions, Ca d’Zan Mansion, Circus Museum, and Mable’s historic Rose Garden, all on 66 acres of lushly landscaped grounds. Adults are $25; senior citizens (65 and over) are $20; children ages 6-17 are $10. Free Admission for children 5 and under accompanied by an adult, museum members. Advance tickets are available by calling 941.358.3180. Visit www.ringling.org for more information.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Florida State University, is one of the largest museum/university complexes in the nation. It preserves the legacy of John and Mable Ringling, educating and enabling a large and diverse audience to experience and take delight in a world-renowned collection of fine art; Cà d’Zan, the Ringling historic mansion; the Circus Museum; the Original Asolo Theater; and historic architecture, courtyard, gardens and grounds overlooking Sarasota Bay.
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