RACHEL M. SCHLESINGER CONCERT HALL AND ARTS CENTER,
NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, ALEXANDRIA CAMPUS
3001 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria VA
May 20 @ 7 pm
(703) 933-1111
HALF-OFF TICKETS FOR DCMTA READERS:
Tickets: janefranklindancegala2015.splashthat.com – Use Code MetroDC for 50% off
It’s a natural rhythm if you like to make things, and choreographer Jane Franklin finds a synchrony between movement and image. Previous collaborations with visual artists include a work with a life-size kinetic sculpture, with 3 dimensional pieces crafted from bamboo, with interactive sound and video, with video projection backdrops, with the architecture of a building or with the spatial configurations of an outdoor location. Jane Franklin’s new dances for Zip Through a Tight Space at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center are the outcome of a partnership with The Margaret W. and Joseph L. Fisher Art Gallery Exhibitions Director, Mary Welch Higgins, established during Mary’s first week at the Alexandria gallery. The resulting new works bring forward bold creative ventures that can be seen at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center, at Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria Campus -3001 N. Beauregard Street, in Alexandria, VA on May 20th at 7:00 p.m.
Jane Franklin’s work, ‘Nested,’ intertwines seven dancers in constant change and is inspired by Pam Rogers’ artwork. Ten Mile Range awarded a first place by the DC Arts Center in January of this year, will be part of the Pop Up Exhibition in the forum. Pam says, “I created the work with reference to where I had grown up in Colorado and how the natural forms of the mountains were intertwined with the vegetation. Often there is wind swirling in this particular area and that was something I was trying to capture in the image.” Fabric panels by photographer Rahshia Sawyer will be a scenic element onstage. The lightweight panels move as the dancers move, picking up the momentum of quick passages and in play with light and shadow. The music by Villa Lobos, Bachianas Brasileiras No.6 for flute and bassoon is performed live by Alice Weinreb and Truman Harris of Eclipse Chamber Orchestra.
In Joan Dreyer’s “Calendar Series,” on display in the Pop Up Exhibition, Jane Franklin found inspiration in a circular motif that places circles within circles, a consistency of repetition and regularity. Franklin’s three dancers echo the persistent rhythms of the percussion score that accompanies the dance, with multiple air borne moments and brief partnerships. “Daily we experience many types of loss – of confidence, dignity, youth, mobility, employment, control, etc. Grief is a place we unwilling occupy. The repetitious circles form the tree rings and the “counting” hatch marks allude to the passage of time,” Joan states. “My work seeks to embody a more collective human response to mourning.”
”To Talk of May Things” partners adults with children and incorporates Lewis Carroll’s poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from his book Through the Looking Glass. The dance has a built in history. The three dancers were Jane Franklin Dance company members during the previous decade, and they return this time, each with a son or daughter. The poem is read by Paula Bellenoit of Human Factor, an Arlington music and media company. The rhyming scheme is like a traditional English ballad. The personalities of the two leading characters come to life, as does the little ‘oysters,’ portrayed by the children.
Other new works feature live music by Brian Pagels and Ryan Walker of the band “Beanstalk Library” and new pieces performed by Forty+, the group of performers past the age of 40.
A Pop Up Art Exhibition in the forum features prominent visual artists, and the reception catering by Rocklands Barbeque & Grilling provides a light supper with wine & beer.
Free parking, courtesy of Jane Franklin Dance, is available in the Beauregard Garage adjacent to the theatre.
https://youtu.be/bGKJlRzWffE
A silent auction with merchandise, gift certificates, and tickets offers great deals for one half off/etc. Whatever amount your contribution, it helps support programming for next season and for Capital Fringe this summer and other successful flagship programs including: Forty+ projects, dance education, and camps.
$100 (VIP), $80 at the door, and $60 until today.
$40 Group Discounts available
Info: 703.933.1111, at www.janefranklin.com
FOR HALF-PRICED TICKETS FOR DCMTA READERS:
janefranklindancegala2015.splashthat.com
Use Code MetroDC for 50% off
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center-3001 N. Beauregard Street, in Alexandria, VA
