August 13, 2018
DANCECleveland Brings Abraham In Motion to The University of Akron's EJ Thomas Hall October 6 for Akron, Ohio Debut
"[Abraham's] best work combines truth and beauty by making a message about race metamorphose, again and again, into symbol." - The New Yorker
DANCECleveland Brings Abraham In Motion to The University of Akron's EJ Thomas Hall October 6 for Akron, Ohio Debut
Performing a mixed repertoire program filled with Kyle Abraham's emotionally powerful modern choreography
CLEVELAND (August 13, 2017) "" Described as the "best and brightest creative talent to emerge in New York City" by OUT Magazine, Abraham.In.Motion (A.I.M) will make its Akron, Ohio debut for one performance only on Saturday, October 6, at 7:30 p.m. at The University of Akron's EJ Thomas Hall. The mixed repertory performance is presented by DANCECleveland in collaboration with The University of Akron's Dance Program will feature the emotionally powerful modern choreography of MacArthur Genius Award Winner Kyle Abraham.
Tickets are available now at www.DANCECleveland.org or by calling 330-972-7570. Tickets range from $25 - $45. Until October 5, tickets can also be purchased in person at The Akron Civic Theatre box office, located at 182 S. Main Street, Akron, OH 44308. Groups of five or more can call DANCECleveland at 216-991-9000 for more information about discounted group tickets.
The performance will feature four different dance works showcasing A.I.M.'s talented dancers whose varied backgrounds in contemporary, modern, hip hop, tap and more allow them to perform works that range in movement style and tell stories that inspire personal reflection into history, societal issues and how the two intertwine. The afternoon will lead off with State, choreographed for three women by Andrea Miller and shares the stage with Abraham's Indy, a personal solo premiered this year at the Joyce Theatre and danced by Kyle himself. Then, the touching and powerfully moving choreography of Meditation: A Silent Prayer which features text and voiceover as well as music by Craig Harris references the lost lives of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown through faces projected on the stage and through text written and recorded by renowned artist Carrie Mae Weems, reciting an anonymous list of victims. Ending the evening will be Abraham's highly acclaimed Drive which premiered at "Fall for Dance" in 2017.
Born into hip-hop culture in the late "70s and raised with an artistic upbringing including classical cello, piano, and the visual arts, Kyle Abraham's work approaches movement as a way to deeply delve into personal identity and often race and social justice issues. Abraham plays with sound, human behavior and the visual arts in choreographic collaborations that come alive on stage, creating pieces that are described by many as fresh and unique. Abraham was the 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient and 2015 City Center Choreographer in residence. A 2013 MacArthur Fellow, Abraham was one of the youngest people to be named a MacArthur "genius". Previous awards also include being named a 2012 USA Ford Fellow, a Creative Capital grantee, and receiving a 2012 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award. In 2010, Abraham received a prestigious Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance for his work in The Radio Show and a Princess Grace Award for Choreography in 2010. The previous year, he was selected as one of Dance Magazine's 25 To Watch for 2009.
The performance will be surrounded by an array of educational outreach events including; a free contemporary master class on Saturday, October 6, at 11:00 a.m. at The University of Akron's Guzzetta Hall, designed for advanced dancers ages 16 and up. (RSVP required by reserving a spot on Eventbrite), a pre-performance discussion with Kyle Abraham on Saturday, October 6, in the theatre at 6:45 p.m. and a post-performance Q&A session immediately after the performance, allowing audience members the chance to ask the dancers questions and engage more deeply with the company. Kyle Abraham and his company will arrive earlier in the week at The University of Akron for a week-long residency designed for The University of Akron dance students, giving them the chance to learn and work alongside the A.I.M. dancers.
For more information on Abraham.In.Motion, visit: http://www.abrahaminmotion.org
For more information about DANCECleveland, visit: http://www.dancecleveland.org/
For more information about The University of Akron, visit: https://www.uakron.edu/
ELECTRONIC PHOTOS AVAILABLE FROM SARAH HRICKO AT 216-991-9000 OR EMAIL: sarah@dancecleveland.org.
About DANCECleveland: DANCECleveland, a Cleveland, Ohio based non-profit, is one of a handful of presenters in the nation that is dedicated solely to the presentation of modern and contemporary dance. The centerpiece of the organization's programming is its annual performance series. The performances are surrounded by an array of educational outreach events including artist-run master classes, residency programs, student matinees, pre-performance lectures and post-performance Q&A sessions, designed both to break artistic boundaries and provide community access to the dance aesthetic and dance luminaries that DANCECleveland brings to Northeast Ohio.
