Neos Dance Theatre will perform four company premieres at the Akron Art Museum on Saturday, May 16. The evening will take the audience on a tour through the museum to view each dance work, just as they would walk through to view the art.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and are available at www.neosdancetheatre.org until noon on May 16 and at the door.
About the new works:
Sung Yong Kim created “BACHDANCE” with seven Neos dancers. Kim, a South Korean choreographer, came to northeast Ohio for a three-week residency, and his creation process explored Bach as a person, how he created music, his use of notes and what music was to him. This work is a continuation of the project funded by a grant that Neos received last year from the Knight Foundation to acquire new works by upcoming and renowned contemporary choreographers.
Wen-Jen Huang, a New York choreographer originally from Taiwan, created an untitled work with three Neos dancers while in residence at the Averitt Center for the Arts and Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga. Neos has a strong relationship with the Averitt Center through former Neos dancer and current director of the Statesboro Youth Ballet at the Averitt Center for the Arts, Jurjis Safonovs, and his wife Jennifer Safonovs, current Neos dancer and northeast Ohio native.
Penny Saunders created the “Berceuse” duet for one man and one woman while dancing at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Neos will present it as a company premiere at the Akron Art Museum. Last season, Saunders created “Flight” with Neos as the first stage of the Knight Foundation new work acquisition project.
The fourth work to premiere, “VinagerTwo,” was created for the full company by Artistic Director Bobby Wesner, who adds, “This work combines different ideas about movement and musical concepts in the body and structure of the choreography. It is music driven, allowing the Schubert Sonata to lead. Decisions to move through musical phrases are present and intentionally develop an arch of visual energy from one musical selection to the next.”
About Neos Dance Theatre:
Neos Dance Theatre is a company made up of young artists who are classically trained in ballet and passionate about new and contemporary dance. Its mission is to develop and serve audiences within Northern Ohio and to become an ambassador of dance for the region and to a global dance community.
Dancers: Mary-Elizabeth Fenn—Resident Choreographer (Akron), Juliana Freude (Akron), Theresa Holland (Akron), Ethan Michael Lee (Canton), Jennifer Safonovs (Statesboro, GA), Anna Trumbo (Oberlin), Bobby and Brooke Wesner—Co-Founders (Ashland).
For more information on Neos Dance Theatre, visit www.neosdancetheatre.org.
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