The?2015/16?Season for Dark Circles Contemporary Dance will finish off with Spring Series on the Texas Christian University campus at the Erma Lowe Hall, Studio Theatre. The series will include The Rite of Spring by Joshua L. Peugh who was featured in The Scene Stealers in the December/January issue of Patron. The series will also include the world premiere of Italian choreographer Fabio Liberti?s Here is Not There.
Spring Series will give Fort Worth audiences a chance to see Peugh?s most daring work yet. Peugh has recreated Igor Stravinsky?s The Rite of Spring, by using a 1950s high school gymnasium during senior prom night as his setting. Dallas City Performance Hall welcomed this world premiere with a standing ovation on March 4th, 2016.
Peugh, co?founder and artistic director of Dark Circles Contemporary Dance says, ?The night of the premiere was a magical night. I?m very excited to see what kind of response we get from Fort Worth audiences and in a much more intimate space.? Fort Worth?s Erma Lowe Hall, Studio Theatre seats just 141 to give the audience a very personal experience.
Peugh?s personal life experiences are the inspiration behind The Rite of Spring, from seeing emotional artwork by high school students at a Memphis museum to growing up in a small New Mexico town with traditional values. ?There are elements of my work that challenge mid?century American gender constructions. Setting that in the world of senior prom was particularly interesting to me. Prom is a place where teenagers try to leave childhood behind and practice being adults. They practice courtship. I?ve cast a man in drag in the iconic role of ?The Chosen One?, so that makes for some interesting situations.?
We all have our own stories about prom night. Peugh reminds, ?There’s a story we tell ourselves about high school and particularly about prom night.? He adds, ?With this new work, I want to tell a familiar story that?s just a bit off. I want to create a fantasy that takes the audience back to a moment we all recognize and have mythologized. We can have another shared experience in the performance space. That’s what keeps me interested in creating and performing; the shared experiences with the audience and also the other people on stage.?
Dark Circles Contemporary Dance joined forces with Italian choreographer Fabio Liberti for the Spring Series. Liberti holds top prizes from the Copenhagen International Choreography Competition and The Hanover International Choreography Competition. His work has never been preformed in the United States. Peugh says, ?I?m very excited to share Fabio?s thoughtful work with audiences in the USA. The work Fabio has created for the series is very different for us; the spoken word is extremely important. The dancers talk their way through the dance. He?s only used 45 seconds of music in the entire work. It?s great storytelling.?
Spring Series will open April 29 and run through May 1 at Erma Lowe Hall, Studio Theatre, on the Texas Christian University campus. Performances will be Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $12-20. Information about DCCD?s performance can be found online at d arkcirclescontemporarydance.com along with additional details about DCCD?s 2015?16 Season.