360° Dance Company June 2, 2011

360° Dance Company presents an evening of six works including the New York Premiere of What Was Still Is, choreographed by artistic director Martin Løfsnes, from June 2 – 4, 2011 at Dance Theater Workshop, 219 W. 19th Street, NYC. Performances: Thursday – Saturday at 7:30pm; Saturday matinee at 2pm. Tickets are $20 for all performances ($18 for members, $17 for students and seniors) and are available at www.dancetheaterworkshop.org or by phone at (212) 924-0077. Opening Night Gala tickets for June 2 begin at $100, which includes an after-party at Elmo, 156 Seventh Avenue, NYC.

360° Dance Company returns to Dance Theater Workshop with a program featuring classic modern dance masterpieces and exciting contemporary commissions. The dynamic fusion of the old and new creates a program combining the dramatic integrity of the great modern dance choreographers with the fearless innovation of today’s dance makers.  The works in this international program, which includes pieces by choreographers from Mexico, Norway, Italy, Japan and the US, are unified by their examination of human relationships.

The evening will include the New York Premiere of "What Was Still Is", a piece for six dancers that explores identity and self discovery. Set to an eclectic mix of Middle Eastern, Mexican, Spanish and American music, the piece asks the question: do we change, or do we simply uncover what was always there?  Other works include renowned Graham artist Yuriko’s signature piece "Cry", a female solo of sorrow, and Jane Dudley’s 1944 solo "Cante Flamenco", which demonstrates female power and political conviction through the character of La Passionara, a heroine of the Spanish Civil War. Ricardo Flores’ work "Que Color Tiene El Amor?" (What is the color of love?) is a duet in which two people long for their soul mates, who may be each other in the end. The dancers struggle to break habitual patterns and shed masks of insecurity. Jane Dudley’s 1932 solo "Time is Money" depicts images of the devastation experienced in America in the early 1930’s. This piece was last performed by 360º Dance Company with a female dancer, but will now be explored with alternating male dancers performing the solo. Alessandra Prosperi’s "Satsang" (2010) is an exploration of the notion that humans cannot thrive alone, and that the need for each other is greater than we often come to realize.