OSU Department of Dance Presents ‘Dance Downtown 2008'

Celebrates Decade of ‘Dancing Downtown’

Dance Downtown 2008
Thu May 1 – Sat May 3
Riffe Center's Capitol Theatre

The Ohio State University’s acclaimed Department of Dance heads to the heart of the city for Dance Downtown 2008—the 10th anniversary of the playful and provocative show—at 8 pm Thursday, May 1–Saturday, May 3, with a 3 pm matinee also on May 3. Shows are at the Riffe Center’s Capitol Theatre, 77 S High St in Columbus. Tickets are $20 general admission; $10 senior citizens and students, available from CAPA (614) 469-0939 or Ticketmaster (614) 431-3600.

This year’s event presents the work of four internationally acclaimed choreographers, three of whom were recent guest artists at Ohio State. They are:

• Tania Isaac, from Philadelphia via St. Lucia, who spent fall quarter at OSU. Her piece, Tilted, was created based on research with Ohio State students and is an installment of her “stuporwoman project,” an absurdist fable of contemporary motherhood and a tongue-in-cheek comment on our impulse to “do all and be all.” With mischievous and powerful movement, it explores the human as hero, and the combination of exhilaration, exhaustion, humor, fragility and power that begin to define the feminine. Text is by students, music includes selections by Arvo Part, John Zorn and Youssou N’Dour.
  
• Amy Raymond, from Amsterdam via Chicago, a former Bill Forsythe dancer, who visited in January and created her piece, Sehnsucht, in collaboration with the students. The title is a German word that literally means “longing” and refers to the concept of “home” as a constantly shifting phenomenon in her sensual and mysterious dance. The piece is the continuation of a work, the Odysseus Project, she developed with professional dancers in Amsterdam. Music was written and recorded by Department of Dance composer Michael Wall.
  
• Ming-Lung Yang, from Columbus via Taiwan, who has been at Ohio State for two years. His award-winning piece, Eastern Current (excerpt), deconstructs three Chinese Opera librettos to explore how the self is manipulated by society, and vice versa. Complete with dancers gliding on stage in “Heely’s” shoes, the original full-length piece was created in collaboration with the National Kuo Guang Chinese Opera Theatre and was honored as one of  Taiwan’s top 10 performances of the year in 2003.
  
• Anna Sokolow, New York via Israel, whose dance Steps of Silence was reconstructed from Labanotation score and directed by faculty member Valarie Mockabee. It was recently presented at Hunter College in New York City. Still relevant today, this dance choreographed in 1967 reflects the emotional upheaval of the anti-war and civil rights activism of that era.
  

“The rich and varied outlooks from these talented artists allow performers and audience alike to explore global boundaries and embrace new identities in these dances,” explains Susan Petry, chair, Department of Dance. “The pieces are provocative and playful. Powerful and personal.”

More than 50 undergraduate and graduate dance students will perform these professional works in Dance Downtown 2008.

In addition, on Saturday, the 3 pm matinee will include sharing the stage with the “Absolutely Fabulous Dance Company” of ARC Industries (an association of the Franklin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities). The adults with special abilities will dance with some extraordinary OSU students, faculty and friends.