Fall Arts Celebration to feature modern dance

Modern dance by a nationally celebrated choreographer will be featured next during Fall Arts Celebration at Grand Valley. The unique pairing of iconic American music, will celebrate the many moods of summer, and its interpretation in dance.

“Memories of Summer - The American Identity in Dance”
Monday, November 4, at 8 p.m.
Louis Armstrong Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus
Performance followed by reception

Lauren Edson and the Lauren Edson + Dancers will present a fresh modern dance interpretation of iconic American music by Samuel Barber and Virgil Thompson. The music, from the historical period at the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century, captured a newly emerging American identity while exuding the regional nature of the South and Midwest.

“Lauren had trained heavily in ballet before developing her interest in modern dance,” said Shawn Bible, dance program coordinator. “She has a magical way of taking your eyes on a fabulous dance journey that at times is fast and angular, yet also includes rhythms that allow a moment to be still.”

The performance will include Thompson’s “The Plow that Broke the Plains” and Barber’s “Summer Music” and “Knoxville 1915” – which will also feature special guest soprano Christina Pier, currently an artist in residence at Catawba College in North Carolina. Music will be performed by the Grand Valley Chamber Orchestra, directed by Kevin Tutt.

Award-winning choreographer Edson, originally from Boise, Idaho, studied at The Juilliard School and is a 2003 alumnus of the School at Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Dance Program. Most recently, she was one of three finalists selected to participate in Milwaukee Ballet’s 2013 “Genesis” International Choreographic Competition, and received the Audience Favorite Award. Her work “Foreground” was chosen for performance at the Kennedy Center in 2012, as part of the National College Dance Festival.

All Fall Arts Celebration events are open to the public with free admission. Seating is limited for these popular performances. For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/fallarts, or call (616) 331-2185.