THE YEAR
The Very Important Piece + The Cafe + The NiNe Lives
Behnke Center for Contemporary Performance, On the Boards
August 16 + 17, 7:30pm
Tickets | Click Here
Photo: Stefano Altamura, @saltphoto
Dancer: Jane Cracovaner
Photo: Stefano Altamura, @saltphoto
Dancer: Ivana Lin
Photo: Stefano Altamura, @saltphoto
Dancer: Alicia Pugh
Program Notes
The Very Important Piece
choreography| Beth Twigs
lighting design| Amber Parker
music| David Lang + Sumi Jo
cast| Robert Moore + Alicia Pugh
notes|
Sometime all of the angst, the inner turmoil, the passion, the inspiration, the pain, the drive, the desire…
is really just about a piece of pie.
The Cafe
choreography| Beth Twigs
lighting design| Amber Parker
music| Gideon Freudmann, Annalisa Tornfelt, + Camille Saint-Saens
cast|
Meredith Pellon
Charmaine Butcher + Elizabeth Houlton + Molly Levy
Corbin Hall + Devin Munoz
notes|
This piece is not about sex. It is about judgement, it takes place in a cafe, and the dancers are in their underwear.
The NiNe Lives
choreography| Beth Twigs
lighting design| Amber Parker
music| Graham Reynolds
cast|
planet libra: Ivana Lin
survivor kaph: Jane Cracovaner
clones: Hannah Cavallaro + Maia Durfee + Corbin Hall + Elizabeth Houlton + Anna Joswiak +Thomas Phalen + Alicia Pugh + Ana Puzycki + Marissa Quimby
notes|
The NiNe Lives is based on Pacific Northwest’s very own award-winning Science Fiction author Ursula K Le Guin’s short story, Nine Lives. The piece is an exploration into the potential collaborative synergy that lies between Science Fiction and dance, with each having the ability to portray deep humanitarian themes with nuance and curiosity. It’s not always about strongly defining what is right or wrong, but about planting seeds of wonder that lead to the opening of the mind. Le Guin’s work is able to do this impeccably and The NiNe Lives is the start of an exploration for The Gray into how to utilize these abilities with dance.
narrative|
“The story takes place on a remote planet named Libra and primarily involves two workers who are in charge of locating areas for mining. [The workers] send frequent reports back to Earth, which has almost been completely destroyed by wars and famine. [The two] receive help from ten clones, collectively named John Chow and distinguished through middle initials. The story depicts the clones’ symbiotic relationship as well as the process of developing the clones. When a powerful earthquake occurs, nine of the ten clones die, leaving one remaining clone, “Kaph.” Kaph physically and emotionally experiences all nine of the deaths, and he suffers from severe depression from the separation from his companions. The story ends with a new shipment of twelve more clones.”
https://editions.covecollective.org/chronologies/ursula-k-le-guin-%E2%80%9Cnine-lives%E2%80%9D-1968
"NINE LIVES" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Used by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Copyright © 1969
All Rights reserved.