Internationally Acclaimed Choreographers At ‘Berg

Muhlenberg College is proud to host the works of internationally-recognized choreographers Charlotte Boye-Christensenand Tiffany Mills in Master Choreographers at Muhlenberg in the Paul C. Empie Theatre, Baker Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College from February 9-11, 2006.

 Monday, January 23, 2006 01:59 PM

Performances are Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The concert produced by the Muhlenberg Dance Association also includes five dance pieces ranging from ballet and jazz to tap choreographed by faculty artists. Tickets for Master Choreographers are available online (www.muhlenberg.edu/tickets) and at 484-664-3333. The box office will open after the winter break on January 17th. Adult/senior tickets are $15; teen/youth tickets are $8.

Charlotte Boye-Christensen , associate artistic director of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, has had her choreography and solo performances presented at venues across the globe, from her native Denmark to Tokyo, Barcelona, Lisbon, Mexico City, Copenhagen and New York City. A Fulbright Scholarship recipient and an MFA graduate of the Tisch School in dance, she has previously been invited to perform at the International Choreographic Platform in Portugal and at Marato D’espectacle in Barcelona. The Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is recognized as a successful modern dance company combining formal performances internationally with community residencies.  Charlotte Boye-Christensen received her formal training at London Contemporary Dance School and at the Laban Centre in London and completed her MFA Degree at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. 

Much in demand internationally as a choreographer, Boye-Christensen is working intensely during the January break with the Muhlenberg Dancers. For Master Choreographers, she is restaging a piece entitled “Stirrings,” which she originally created on commission from the Singapore Dance Theatre. The work is set to music by John Adams and is ritualistic in its form, with a sense of spaciousness that pays tribute to the musical style of Adams. An artist very familiar with the art of collaboration, Boye-Christensen recently created a collaborative work with multi-media artists Juhl/Viktov, involving the military device “night vision,” which was staged at the Second Opera in Copenhagen.

Tiffany Mills , artistic director and founder of the Tiffany Mills Company in New York City, will also choreograph for the concert. Mills, who also teaches at Muhlenberg College, is creating new work for her New York company by choreographing the work in progress to be performed by eight Muhlenberg dancers this February. Entitled “looking for crystal,” Mills says the piece “explores inner churnings, secret desires, and awkward encounters.” The dancers traverse a strange and surreal terrain, cloaked in coats, surrounded by the eerie sounds of Ikue Mori's mesmerizing score. All the while they are searching for someone, something, or some place called crystal. Last year Mills developed an excerpt from Godard for the Muhlenberg stage as a work in progress for the Tiffany Mills Company. Godard, with music by John Zorn inspired by the films of Jean Luc-Godard, premiered at Portland Institute for Contemporary Art in September 2005 and will premiere in New York in 2006 at Duke on 42 nd Street.

Artistic Director Karen Dearborn, head of the dance program at Muhlenberg College,will be joined by fellow Muhlenberg College artists Charles O. Anderson, Edward Choi Augustyn, Shelley Oliver, and Robert Torres for Master Choreographers.

Charles O. Anderson , artistic director of the Philadelphia-based dance company, dance theatre X, is creating a new work entitled “Reckoning of Angels,” inspired by generations of Caribbean mythologies which depict angels as earth-bound protectors and messengers. Edward Choi Augustyn is restaging a piece from the Grand Waltz section in Act II of the ballet Raymonda. Augustyn’s piece is representative of the classical style developed by Petipas during the late 19th Century. Shelley Oliver choreographs a tribute to the influence of Ray Charles on American Music. The only artist ever to have hits in the genres of Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Rock, Pop, and Western, Ray Charles leaves a rich musical legacy. The spirit and soul of his early recordings inspired the choreography. Robert Torres is restaging a piece originally choreographed by Karen Dearborn.

The work of these exceptional choreographers and the participating Muhlenberg dancers has been nationally recognized and featured in the American College Dance Festival for the last four consecutive years.  For further information on interviews, reviews or photos, please call 484-664-3693 or email [email protected] at Muhlenberg College.

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION
Tickets are $15.00 for adults and seniors, $8.00 for Youth 17 and younger. Call 484-664-3333, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or visit www.muhlenberg.edu/tickets on the web. For more information about the dance program at Muhlenberg College, visit The Department of Theatre & Dance on the Muhlenberg College web at www.muhlenberg.edu.