Island Moving Company (IMC), Newport’s contemporary ballet, released details today for their Spring Repertory & Family Series Performances.
The company will present Resonant Visions, on May 6 & 7, and their Family Series production of The Tales of Mother Goose on May 7 & 8. Both performances will be presented at the Keats Theatre in the McCulloch Center for the Arts on the Campus of St. Andrews School in Barrington, RI. Information and tickets are available now at www.islandmovingco.org
For the repertory production Resonant Visions, IMC will present two new works from choreographers Tristian Griffin and Colin Connor. Griffin, a native of Kansas City MO., danced with Garth Fagan Dance and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. He is an Assistant Professor, Dept of Theatre & Dance at the University of Kansas, and was recently selected for the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey Artist-in-Residence Program.
Mr. Griffin has created a new work for IMC inspired by a poem by Yung Pueblo. Entitled The Missing Peace he describes that “At this moment, identity is at stake and so is camaraderie. The characters in The Missing Peace, are on a journey to find a balance between the desire to join a community and maintain their individuality. The lesson they begin to learn is that you cannot give to others if they do not practice self-love.”
Colin Connor’s wide-ranging dance career is an award-winning choreographer of over sixty works, a Professor Emeritus at the California Institute for the Arts, and the former Artistic Director of the American legacy Limón Dance Company.
Mr. Connor, a longstanding friend to the company, is creating a new work commemorating IMC’s Founding Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen, who recently announced her retirement at the end of IMC’s 40th Anniversary Season. The work will include live musical accompaniment of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 32 Variations, in C minor by pianist Andre Bauman.
Mr. Connor explained that “from a single figure improvising alone to a company of 18 filling the stage, this work celebrates the act of choreography. It takes us behind the scenes to glimpse the creativity and drive with which Miki Ohlsen, who started from the kernel of an idea, built the kaleidoscopic company that IMC is today.”
IMC dancers will reprise Nicolo Fonte’s seminal work Where We Left Off, for the program. The work, which Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa Magazine called “dynamic…exciting… filled with a multiplicity of possibilities….and memorably beautiful” had its New England premiere at IMC’s production of Masterful Movers in March.
Choreographer Nicolo Fonte is known for his unique movement language and highly developed fusion of ideas, dance, and design which is a hallmark of his work. He has created or staged his ballets for The Dutch National Ballet, Houston Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, The Washington Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and many others.
Works from IMC’s Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen, and Associate Artistic Director, Danielle Genest will complete the program. Performances for Resonant Visions are 7:30 pm at the Keats Theatre in the McCulloch Center for the Arts on the Campus of St. Andrews School, 63 Federal Street, Barrington, RI. Tickets range from $35-$58, and student & senior tickets are $20. Information and tickets are available now at www.islandmovingco.org
IMC Family Series presents its beloved Tales of Mother Goose for audiences aged 3 to 103– on May 7 & 8. The classic nursery rhymes recounted by Mother Goose are imaginatively recreated through a colorful, imaginative dance performance developed & choreographed by IMC’s Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen with additional choreography from production collaborators Meredith Baer, Shane Farrell, Glen Lewis, and Christine Sandorfi.
The character of Mother Goose appears through a delightful performance by actor Lisa Reimer whose whimsical and sharp narration leads audience members through the familiar tales and rhymes, vibrantly brought to life by Island Moving Company’s versatile dancers.
See magical performances of Humpty Dumpty, Miss Muffet, Jack and Jill, and Sing a Song of Sixpence. Mother Goose herself may invite some of the little ones in the audience to dance with the famous Old Woman who lived in a shoe. There will be photo opportunities for all the kiddos in attendance with the characters immediately following the performance.
Performance dates and times for Tales of Mother Goose are Saturday, May 6 at 4:00 pm, and two shows on Sunday, May 8 at 1:30 pm and 4 pm. Each performance is one hour in length with no intermission and is suitable for children of all ages.
Adult tickets are $45 and $20 for students & seniors. A Family Four-Pack at $99 provides a 25% discount for two adults and 2 students. Tickets to both shows can be purchased online at IMC’s website at www.islandmovingco.org or over the phone at 401.847.4470.