MOVEMEDIA: Program II brings dance, media, innovation

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Patricia Barker, Grand Rapids Ballet continues to innovate in its second season of the exciting dance series, MOVEMEDIA.

MOVEMEDIA merges visual elements of sets, props, costumes and lighting with digital technology and media to enhance the body in space.

“Over the course of several weeks, six choreographers have been welcomed to the Grand Rapids Ballet to work with uninterrupted time and studio space with the dancers – creating and exploring new ideas, approaches, choreographic techniques, music and media. These works accelerate creativity and culture, mixing multimedia and choreography for two stunning weekends of dance,” says Barker. After just two seasons, MOVEMEDIA will have presented 17 new works by some of today’s most gifted choreographers, giving rise to young talent and opening up a new world of innovation in dance.

In 2012, Artist-in-Residence Olivier Wevers delighted audiences with the world premiere of "The Sofa." Since then, "The Sofa" was included on Grand Rapids Ballet’s current season, received its Seattle premiere earlier this year and later this fall will be performed at the Joyce Theater in New York. Grand Rapids Ballet is truly a catalyst to creating great dance for the national spotlight!

This season MOVEMEDIA brings nine incredible works to the Peter Martin Wege Theatre by seven choreographers: Artist-in-Residence Brian Enos, Dominic Walsh, Preston Miller, Francis Lawrence, Rachael Riley, Thomas Dancy and David Strong. The upcoming MOVEMEDIA Program II (April 26-27) will feature four world premieres created specifically for Grand Rapids Ballet:

• Brian Enos premieres his new work, "Nae Regrets," inspired by a piece of music of the same name. Scottish composer and arranger Martyn Bennett takes traditional Scottish folk music and arranges it with techno rhythms to create a whole new score. Says Enos of Bennett’s style, “It was a way of trying to revive Scottish folk music and make it relevant today.”
• Choreographer Preston Miller has unique ties to Grand Rapids – he is the grandson of former Grand Rapids Mayor Lyman Parks. A graduate of Fordham University, Miller has choreographed works for Bad Boys of Dance, Ailey 2, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, LINES Ballet and members of New York City Ballet. For MOVEMEDIA, Miller is creating a new piece called "The Great Divorce," based on the C.S. Lewis book of the same name.
• Former Company dancer Francis Lawrence returns to Grand Rapids to premiere his new work, "Latitude." Originally from Australia, Lawrence danced with Grand Rapids Ballet for three seasons before joining Dance Theatre of Harlem last year. Lawrence’s work, "Disconnect," debuted on last season’s MOVEMEDIA program.
• Current Company dancer Rachael Riley debuts her new work, "Limit(less)." Riley also premiered a work on last season’s program, "Dreams." “Being a woman choreographer in a field still predominantly male gives my work a feminine perspective of movement and passion. I hope my choreography will ignite a spark in not only the audience who sees my work, but in the dancers who have worked so hard to bring it to life,” says Riley.                 

Grand Rapids Ballet is pushing the boundaries of dance and making people stand up and take notice. How lucky we are to experience the caliber of dance that is being presented in major metropolitan cities right here in West Michigan.

“Grand Rapids Ballet is doing exactly what it needs to do in terms of keeping ballet relevant. They are respecting the classics, but at the same time allowing new ideas to thrive,” says Choreographer Preston Miller.

You can catch the edgy, exciting MOVEMEDIA series at the Peter Martin Wege Theatre April 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are just $25 and are available at the Ballet Box Office or Ticketmaster. For more information visit the Grand Rapids Ballet's website. MOVEMEDIA is generously sponsored by The Family of Claire K. and Edsko Hekman and Kendall College of Art and Design.