The Portland-based dance company will perform their original repertoire
On April 12, BYU’s BRAVO! Series will present a performance by NW Dance Project, a contemporary dance company at the forefront of Portland’s art scene. The concert will include a number of NW Dance Project’s original dances.
As a company, NW Dance Project focuses on the creation of new, innovative dance works. Their dedication to providing dancers and choreographers with resources and creative space has led Dance International Magazine to call them “a laboratory, factory and repository for risk-taking new works from the next generation of choreographers from Europe and North America.”
One of the dances audiences will see is “MemoryHouse,” choreographed by NW Dance Project’s founding artistic director Sarah Slipper. “MemoryHouse” gives a view into the domestic world of a woman and a man, allowing the audience to catch a glimpse of the emotionally intimate interactions of two human beings. The dance also incorporates unique set pieces, like aprons and flour contained in the aprons’ pockets, that further solidify the domestic feel of the piece.
The variability of each performance of “MemoryHouse” keeps the piece fresh and unique. “The movements in the final minutes of ‘MemoryHouse’ are decided by the dancers onstage,” said company manager Michael De Farias Moura. “The female dancer’s eyes are shut and she is completely vulnerable to her partner. Is he there or not? As the duet comes to a close, she chooses one of multiple endings suggested by the choreographer, but chosen by her in the moment.”
This dedication to the progression of dance informs the company’s other activities as well. NW Dance Project is engaged with dance education. They use intensives and other classes to help aspiring dancers and lend their company performers to established and up-and-coming choreographers to help enable the creation of new works. They also host accessible concerts and masterclasses and take dance to the streets and the public in an effort to engage with their community.
They will bring this education mindset to BYU campus, as well. The company will teach a masterclass and dance students will get to hear Slipper give a visiting scholar lecture.
Tickets and Show Details
Performance Dates and Times: April 12 | 7:30 p.m.
Location: Pardoe Theatre, Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU
Price: $24-40. Students may also get cheaper tickets via YTix.
Tickets: Available in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the HFAC or Marriott Center, by phone at (801) 422-2981 or online at byuarts.com