Pittsburgh dance lovers will be in for an early Valentine’s sweet treat next February when Compagnie Kafig, the Brazilian hip-hop dance ensemble comes to the Steel City as part of the Pittsburgh Dance Ensemble’s 2013-2014 Dance Council Season.
“Pittsburgh audiences haven’t seen anything like that before. They are Brazilian trained dancers from the streets of Brazil,” said Pittsburgh Dance Council Executive Director Paul Organisak “Their execution is original and their choreography is original. They learned to dance in Brazil and now they are touring the world.
“I went to Brazil and saw them and they were powerful and strong and I said ‘when are they coming to Pittsburgh!’ They are vibrant, exquisite dancers and their sound track is a unique mix of salsa, samba and bossa nova music,” Organisak said.
On Feb. 1, Compagnie Kafig will present “Correria” and “Agwa,” two heart-stopping works that showcase a sensational combination of athletic samba, hip-hop and capoeira dance styles. The all-male company showcases humor, fun and vitality on stage.
“I feel like I have an obligation to give people what they are looking for, which is something new and exciting,” Organisak said. “I try to balance out the season with styles that will be of interest to everyone.”
The rest of the Dance Council season, which features two U.S. premiers, is peppered with dance companies that meet everyone’s tastes.
The Season opener is Compagnie Marie Chouinard. The company will delight Pittsburgh audiences in September with a
U.S. premier of “Gymnopedics,” as part of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. “Michaux Mouvements”
The piece was birthed from a book of poetry and features drawings by Belgian’s Henri Michaux.
Zimmerman & de Perrot will premier its “Hans Was Henri” in October. Think an amped up Cirque De Solel as the group of five circus artist dancers is inspired by dance, theater, the circus.
March will feature the Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve and works by up-and-coming international choreographers Ken Ossola and Andonis Fonladakis.
Beautiful dancer, New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan, will offer up “Restless Creature. She has partnered with four rising choreographers, including Pittsburgh’s own Kyle Abraham to create “Restless Creature.”
“Wendy is beautiful to watch and wonderful to work with. I love her,” Abraham said.
The season will end in April with Wayne McGregor’s ground-breaking vision of dance, music and film that is “Random Dance.”
“There are Black dancers in each company that is spread throughout the season,” Organisak said. “But anyone with an interest beyond race, culture and ethnicity should be exposed to these companies.”
All of the performances will be held at the Byham Theater and subscriptions are available by calling 412-456-6666 or visiting www.trustarts.org. Individual tickets for dance performances go on sale in August.
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