FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Emily Hefley
901-766-9366
Project: Motion Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Project:
Motion, Memphis’ premier contemporary dance collective, presents Muscle
Memory: Looking Back, Moving Forward May 16-18 and May 22-25 at TheatreWorks. The innovative dance collective
celebrates its 20th anniversary with a dance performance that will
include new and timeless dance works that reflect the company’s unique
character, while drawing from its rich and vibrant history.
About the Production
Memphis becomes the center of
a “creative convergence” for modern dance as former influential dance artists
from Project: Motion’s past return home to reconnect with current collective
members in Muscle Memory: Looking Back, Moving Forward. By exchanging new ideas, reflecting on past work,
and reuniting its artists, Project: Motion fuses past with present to produce
new and visionary works that will propel the company’s artistic vision forward
into the next twenty years.
About the Dance Artists, the Works and the Process
Project: Motion, deeply
rooted in the Memphis artistic community, has produced a vast array of diverse
and innovative dance artists, choreographers, educators, directors, and arts
administrators who have migrated on to new places throughout the globe to
continue to grow as creative artists. Four of these artists journey back to
Memphis to become reacquainted with the organization they helped establish.
Returning guest artists include: Ann Donahue (Project: Motion co-founder and co-artistic director,
1987-1995) comes from the Washington D.C. area and will present Begin
Again…& Again…&… a dance for
three that is a physical exploration of the unique stops and starts that
punctuate the cycles that are inherent in a lifespan. Judith Wombwell (Project: Motion co-founder and co-artistic director,
1987-1995) travels to the south from Boston, MA and will present and perform in Shed, a compelling duet that
investigates loss and rebirth accompanied by the music of Sigur Ros. Laura
Marsh (Co-artistic director,
associate choreographer/performer/ teaching artist, 1995-1998) glides in from
San Francisco, CA to present and perform her humorous dance/theatre solo piece, Cake of Salt, in which she
portrays a man struggling to control himself and his environment, but beneath
the surface lurk forbidden desires. Wayne M. Smith (Associate choreographer/performer/teaching artist,
1987-2005) joins us from Atlanta, GA where he will set his newly reworked
improvisational group dance Posh, Petal & Push…#7. Performed to the lush music of Billy Strayhorn and
Duke Ellington, this dance work is reminiscent of an intimate wine and cheese
social gathering set to music with light body contact and expressive dancing
between players. Smith will also perform a new audience interactive solo work
yet to be revealed.
In addition to the guest
artists’ works, local choreographers and current Project: Motion collective
members will present new works inspired by and drawn from its origins. After
scanning through two decades of Project: Motion archives, unfamiliar collective
members unearthed dances with themes that ignited their creative minds to
produce something new. Emily Hefley creates Deadweight a new work
performed to tango fusion music that explores how four dancers attempt to free
themselves from excess by flinging, spinning and pushing through space. A new
trio by Sarah Ledbetter, Bread, is a highly physical and eclectic celebration of the
body and its cravings for the simple joys of life. Inspired by Egyptian
history, Marianne Bell presents The
Beloved One, a group dance that is a
physical exploration of a power struggle and how societies are both influenced
and impacted by conflict. Louisa Koeppel presents a playful new work set to the music of Haydn that
investigates the games we start to play as children and continue to play as we
grow up, constantly strategizing to position ourselves in a win/lose situation.
About the Collective
Project: Motion is a
professional contemporary dance collective specializing in modern dance –an art
form characterized by a spirit of exploration and creativity. The organization
is devoted to the creation and presentation of innovative and well-crafted
dance works that inspire, stimulate and engage audiences on an intellectual,
emotional and physical level. Project: Motion fosters artistic collaborations
and provides a forum for local dance artists to experiment, develop skills and
hone artistic vision in a nurturing and challenging environment.
About the Photographer
R Salant has been producing
art and photography in Memphis since 2000. Salant's work has been included in
exhibitions at Jay Etkin Gallery, Jack Robinson Gallery, the Memphis College of
Art, the Art Museum at the University of Memphis, Studio 1688, Space 2B arts
collaborative, and TheatreWorks. Salant has been working with Project Motion
since 2004, recording movements and moments during live performances, along
with glimpses of the troupe backstage. For the upcoming project motion
production, Salant will be taking the dancers off the stage and under the
water, in search of their muscle memory.
Ticket Information
May 16-17 and 22-24 at 8PM
May 18 and 25 at 2PM
$20/Adults & $10/Students
and Seniors
Reservations: 901-766-9366
TheatreWorks: 2085 Monroe
*Saturday, May 24- Tickets
include “Cocktails and Conversations” directly following the performance with
Project: Motion
*Friday, May 16 and Thursday,
May 22-Tickets include Q & A with Project: Motion dancers
*Thursday, May 22 “Buy One
Get One Free” Admission
$5 discount available by
visiting Project: Motion's website, www.projectmotiondance.org
Websites: www.projectmotiondance.org and
www.myspace.com/projectmotiondance