Coming to The Capital Fringe Festival: ‘Souls’ by Kent Neidhold

This summer you will only have 5 chances to take part in the journey of Souls, premiering at the 7th annual Capital Fringe Festival in July. Souls is a thoughtful and moving metaphysical narrative. It follows lost souls as they help a new soul navigate through a labyrinth of relationships to help him discover his place and ultimately their place in life. Perhaps they will find that truth lies in their lost state and that they have no permanent self, only to discover their souls are part of an ever-changing entity.

“Souls is a reflection of the point in every person’s life when they begin to lose sight of who they are. We all need a reminder of what it means to be human and need to embrace the changes that may occur,” says Artistic Director Joye Thomas. Mayzsoul is inspired to share this with the Capital Fringe Festival and all who attend. Mayzsoul has had the unique opportunity commissioning two original scores by Paul de Jong, formerly of THE BOOKS and The Fight Mannequins.

Jong, who himself is an experienced musician and composer, saw the importance and unique opportunity that came from composing music for Souls: “Never having met Joye and being totally unfamiliar with her work, initially made me feel that composing this piece might be a bit of a shot in the dark. That quickly changed when we had our first phone conversation, it was quite refreshing to experience so much creative drive, focus and enthusiasm dancing my way through the airwaves! Reading the description of’ Souls and understanding where my music would fit within the development of the ‘storyline’ of the dance movements immediately gave me the creative direction that led to the music I have now called “Orchid”, a symbol of beauty, love and strength.”

Mayzsoul is a Washington, D.C. area based 501(c)3 nonprofit dance company founded by Melanie Lalande, who’s also Artistic Director of Cirque du Soleil’s The Beatles LOVE. Mayzsouls’ mission is to create and grow a community of artists that will continue artistic exploration and education while producing quality performances. Mayzsoul gives regular community workshops and free open classes, and creates groundbreaking work meant to allow others to see the world from a new perspective. Approaching their sixth year, Mayzsoul is excited for the future. “I am deeply proud of Mayzsoul. It continues to exists because of the commitment the people inside the company have to the process and the purpose of the mission as well as the work. They are beauty in motion,” says founder Melanie Lalande.

Mayzsoul has also teamed up with Dreams for Kids: Extreme Recess to introduce dance into kids of all disabilities. Glenda Fu, Executive Director of Dream for Kids has expressed her gratitude to Mayzsoul, “We are overjoyed to be partnering with Mayzsoul Inc. for a second time this year to empower children with disabilities through the magic of dance. It was our first time partnering with Mayzsoul and Chris Collins Dance Studio this past March—and due to high demand—we are excited to hold another one this year! All of our children were excited to be a part of an activity that usually only able-bodied children participate in. Thanks to the compassion of Mayzsoul and Chris Collins we are able to put smiles on all these childrens’ faces once again, and show them that their disability cannot hold them back from reaching their dream!” Mayzsoul will continue to perform while also compiling a technique with hopes that it becomes a globally known codified system of dance.

Along with their advancement in technique, Mayzsoul is also solidifying their voice. “Mayzsoul has come a long way since our first show 5 years ago. We do not maintain, but continue to push ourselves in all aspects of the company. Mayzsoul is a company where we do not just have a show for the sake of having a show. We put on productions that speak to the “taboo” ideas most people avoid,” said Joye Thomas. With help from Operations Manager, Jenn Ruhl Kubulis, and Creative Producer, Laura Lamp, she is confident that Mayzsoul’s voice will be heard.

Venue:
GALA Hispanic Theatre at Tivoli Square – 3333 14th Street NW, in Washington, DC
The theater entrance is located on the second floor by stairs or mezzanine level (M) through the elevator. Metro: One block north of the Columbia Heights Metro Station on the Green line.

Performances:
Thursday July 12 @ 6pm
Saturday July 14 @ 3pm
Tuesday July 24 @ 8pm
Thursday July 26 @ 10pm
Saturday July 28 @ 12pm

LINKS:
Mayzsoul website.
Souls Capital Fringe website.

For more information call (866) 811-4111.