Bowen McCauley Dance Company (BMDC), an award-winning contemporary dance company with a legacy of community engagement, announces Two Artists Reunite for the Company’s Season 25 Finale on September 14, at 7pm. BMDC’s Silver Anniversary finale is a one-night “in-person” performance featuring three world premieres with live musical accompaniment. These world premieres build on a repertoire of over 100 original dance works choreographed by Founding Artistic Director Lucy Bowen McCauley in the company’s 25-year history.
The Grand Finale of the 25th Anniversary Season culminates with the retirement of Bowen McCauley. “As I reflect on the past 25 years, I remain thankful for the opportunity to follow my passion and share it with people of all-ages and backgrounds,” she says. “I treasure all the artists I have worked with and look forward to supporting others who are working in the field of dance and music.”
Bowen McCauley’s first post-retirement project will be a partnership with Maryland Youth Ballet (MYB) to continue free Dance for Parkinson’s Disease (Dance for PD®) classes. A faculty member at MYB for three decades, this partnership will allow Bowen McCauley to continue teaching and sharing the joy of dance with people living with PD.
The Company’s Season 25 Finale will open with a reprise of Exuberant Fanfare, Bowen McCauley’s 2019 choreographed piece set to the music of Igor Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne from Pulcinella and played live by violinist Leonid Sushansky and pianist Carlos Cesar Rodriguez of the National Chamber Ensemble. The program features a world premiere and the U.S. debut of guest artist Manish Chauhan dancing a solo created by choreographer Igal Perry, founder and artistic director of NYC’s Peridance Center and accompaniment by local tabla percussionist Broto Roy.
The first half of the program will close with the reprise of Trois Rêves, choreographed by Bowen McCauley, set to Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit and played live by pianist Nikola Paskalov. An example of art reflecting the times, Trois Rêves premiered at the Kennedy Center this past May, and has been choreographed with COVID-19 restrictions in mind. There is no partnering, and the dancers maintain safe physical distancing, along with the graceful sweeping movements that only a Ravel composition could deliver.
The second act will open with the world premiere, Imago, choreographed by Bowen McCauley and set to six songs from German/Croatian Composer Nikola Glassl, played live by the composer’s grandson and Music Director Nikola Paskalov on piano, accompanied by soprano Karin Paludan. Next, guest artists Kardelen Turkish Dance Ensemble of Washington, D.C., will present an authentic traditional Turkish folk dance with a music composition specially created by Eryilmaz and played live by Hoppa Project.
The final world premiere is an expanded collaboration between two award-winning artists, Bowen McCauley and Turkish composer Erberk Eryilmaz. Insistent Music is a rhythmic and choreographic tour de force with the new composition, written especially for Bowen McCauley. It will feature eight company dancers and five musicians from Hoppa Project that include Evie Chen, Samuel Park, Laura Ann Krentzman and Bree Ahern, with Eryilmaz on piano and percussion.
The Turkish collaborations between both artists are supported by the Hoppa Project, which aims to promote music from Eastern Europe and the Middle East through performances that feature music of the region with a wide range of styles from folk to newly commissioned contemporary music. The Turkish translation for “Hoppa” is “Let’s get going”and aligns with BMDC’s desire to finish Season 25 with a bang.
Following the performance, guests can expect an after-party celebration at the Skylight Pavilion at the REACH with cast and crew to raise a toast to the company’s legacy of success.
For tickets and more information, visit www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/dance/2021-2022/25th-season-final-performance.
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