TAKE Dance May 19, 2010

TAKE Dance, a contemporary dance ensemble known for its effortless fusion of Eastern and Western sensibilities led by artistic director and choreographer Takehiro Ueyama, presents two programs exploring poetic and visceral human connections to nature. All performances will feature the World Premiere of "Flight", set to music by artists including Ana Milosavljevic, Terry Riley, Aleksandra Vrebalov, Philip Glass, Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, and choreographed by Takehiro Ueyama. Program A will also include "Footsteps in the Snow" (2009), with music by Arvo Part. Program B features "Sakura Sakura" (2005), a prize-winner at the fourth Certamen International de Choreografia en Danza Moderna Burgos, as well as the New York Premiere of "Left There by the Tide", choreographed by Jill Echo. Performances will take place from May 19 – 22, 2010 at 7:30pm at Dance Theater Workshop, 219 W. 19th Street, NYC. Tickets are $25 ($15 for students and seniors) and are available at 212-924-0077 or www.dancetheaterworkshop.org.

The two programs follow:

Program A: May 19 and 21 at 7:30 pm
"Footsteps in the Snow", "Flight" (World Premiere)

Program B: May 20 and 22 at 7:30 pm
"Sakura Sakura" (2005), "Left There By the Tide" (New York Premiere), "Flight" (World Premiere)

"Footsteps in the Snow" (2009), set to music by Arvo Part, is an ethereal and darkly evocative work about our fleeting existence. Though immortal, we long to leave an imprint of ourselves behind. Hauntingly beautiful imagery of loss, love and community are depicted beneath falling snow. The World Premiere of "Flight", choreographed by Takehiro Ueyama, is performed to the music of a vast array of artists, including Ana Milosavljevic, Terry Riley, Aleksandra Vrebalov, Philip Glass, Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The sizable quantity of musical choices parallels the large group of performers dancing in the piece. "Flight" was inspired by Mr. Ueyama’s encounter with a flock of starlings in Rome, seemingly dancing in the sky with breathtaking unison and elegance. The piece expresses the desire to join in and fly with the freedom of those birds. "Sakura Sakura" (2005), prize winner at the fourth Certamen International de Choreografia en Danza Moderna Burgos, Spain, is an all-female piece danced to a Japanese traditional song by the same title. The phrase translates to “cherry blossoms” in Japanese, and uses that symbol and its musical counterpart to celebrate the beauty and strength of Japanese women. The other piece of music used is the Adagio from Mozart’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 23 in A major. The New York Premiere of "Left There by the Tide" is choreographed by Jill Echo, with music by Philip Glass, Graeme Revell, Damian Eckstein and Lukas Foss. The title of the piece is taken from a line in a poem by Pulitzer-Prize winner Edna St.Vincent Millay. The piece is composed of vignettes that re-create emotional moments from a variety of relationships which begin and end in a sea of waves. Appropriate for ages eight and up.