In celebration of our 15th Anniversary, we are extending our summer
festival programming throughout this special year! We began this
past July with a prologue to our yearlong celebration; the Boston premier
of the great hip-hop company, Illstyle & Peace Productions,
directed by Brandon "Peace" Albright. A true jump-start to the
festivities, The Boston Globe called the 20-member company and their
production, Impossible, IZZpossible, nothing less than "the
groundwork for a new generation of hip-hop….it jolted Concord
Academy's sleek Performing Arts Center."
Next in our series of anniversary events, and a perfect choreographic
chaser to Illstyle’s performance, was the Co Lab: Process & Performance
presentation at the Institute of Contemporary
Art. Dance maker,
Trajal Harrell, and sculptor, Sarah Sze,
created a small gem, "The
Untitled Still Life Collection," that was as provocative, intellectual
and rich with emotion as the art enveloping
it – the wonderful Dance/Draw exhibition that included
work by Trisha Brown, Fred Sandback, David
Hammons and Yvonne Rainer, among others. Again The Boston Globe said
that Sze and Harrell "epitomize
the themes of the ICA "Dance/Draw exhibition with a world
premier that integrates movement and visual
art."
In January, we invited our audiences to start their New Year with a Bang! Summer
Stages presents "Misters & Sisters" at Oberon, a
great nightlife spot on the fringe of Harvard
Square. Fresh from it’s
critically acclaimed performances at Joe’s Pub in New
York City, David Parker and The Bang Group’s new dance cabaret
embraces the Great American Songbook including
songs of Frank Loesser, Irving Berlin and Rogers and Hammerstein among
many others. This
special evening celebrates Parker’s amazing 20-year friendship
and collaboration with Jeffrey Kazin. Misters and Sisters:
Part One was a great hit when presented by Summer Stages Dance
as a work in progress during the 2010 summer
performance series.
The celebration continues with Dance Feast, very special event on March 25th
and, as always, our Meet the Artist Performance Series will take place
at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and in historic Concord
in July. Stay tuned for details and please come out to celebrate
our landmark anniversary in true Summer Stages fashion!
15
Years of Dancing: A history and vision for the future!
Summer Stages 15th Anniversary