Upping the ante on its modern dance programming, Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College books Philadelphia-based Brian Sanders’ JUNK for Oct. 18, 2013 performance
September 24, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC – September 24, 2013 – After selling out multiple shows in its first signature season including contemporary dance masters Pilobolus, Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College is bringing the Philadelphia-based dance troupe, Brian Sanders’ JUNK, to Columbia. The company will perform the show Patio Plastico Plus on October 18 at 7:30 p.m. Note: this engagement is one night only.
Far from traditional, the troupe uses found objects from pogo sticks to plastic jugs to create an onstage world that straddles contemporary dance and theater.
Sanders, formerly of the MOMIX company of dancer-illusionists, is known for creating athletic dance pieces that are in turn intense and moving, then light and comical.
Last year, audiences LOVED Pilobolus. I did, too!, says Director of Theatre Operations, Katie Fox. The athleticism and storytelling held us all transfixed. She continues, For some, it was their first experience with live contemporary dance.
JUNK has been jumping over boundaries, setting a new path in modern dance performance since it was founded in Philadelphia, Pa. in1997. The clever and creative repurposing of found objects presents an array of choreographic obstacles to be used and manipulated. Dancers perform with props as if they were animated partners, presenting technique that is both physically beautiful and witty.
Says Fox, This show is so clever! Waiting for the preview show to begin in New York, we heard what sounded like ducks quacking backstage. When the dancers emerged, they danced an entire piece with ‘quacking’ two-liter bottles strapped to their feet!
Patio Plastico Plus is a show of seven pieces performed in two, 40-minute segments with a 15-minute intermission. The segments, illuminated by dazzling light and rhythmic, mood-shifting music, are performed in quick, powerful bursts with little to no pauses.
This performance will leave a smile on the faces of both the new and the experienced dance fan. Tickets for Patio Plastico Plus are $30 and can be purchased at www.HarbisonTheatre.org.
PERFORMANCE PROGRAM
Blotto! is a poignant yet witty look at life in the urban jungle. The work is performed as a suite of four vignettes ranging in style from lyrical to high-energy.
Chutin’ Ladders is a short but intense five-minute solo of a dancer who dangles mid-air from a suspended zigzagged shaped ladder.
The Grid, a spinning aerial dance, begins with down lighting that reveals a solo dancer searching for an escape from below a suspended and spinning metal grid. The dancer breaks through the barrier of whirling black metal and ascends into the air, weaving through and above the floating sculpture, to eventually perch at its apex.
Faux Pas and Air on the ‘G’ String, originally created for dancers of the Pennsylvania Ballet, are two uproarious pieces staged intermittently to aid set transitions. In Faux Pas, a ballerina floats magically in the air and displays uncanny flexibility when her partner leaves her stranded.
Two By Cycle-Mobile features tuxedo-clad dancers performing an aerial duet atop a
suspended mobile constructed out of found bicycle parts. Toying with the physical laws, the dancers go on a bike ride only found in dreams.
Threshold uses driving rock music, floating doors and swinging lamps in a work
inspired by the paintings of Dorothea Tanning. Dancers crawl on and hang from the doors before knocking them down.
Patio Plastico, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival site-specific piece remounted for stage, contains fourteen vignettes that are connected by an animated movie projection. The piece uses a patch of Astroturf, plastic lawn furniture and music from bossa nova to gushy movie-score tracks.
The Last Vaudevillian presents optical illusions with more patio furniture, pogo sticks, umbrellas and a slip-n-slide finale.
Overview of Season Ticketing Features:
· Season ticket packages are on sale at http://www.harbisontheatre.org.
· The Signature Package: Grab the same seat for five shows for a 15% discount of just $120! Shows include : The Doo Wop Project, Brian Sanders’ JUNK, Holiday Pops, Fahrenheit 451 and The Fantasticks.
· The Flex Pass: Purchase tickets to four or more shows for a 10% discount on each ticket.
· Group discounts for 10 or more guests.
Tickets can be purchased at www.HarbisonTheatre.org. Buyers may also order tickets via phone at 803-407-5011, or in person at the Harbison Theatre Box Office, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The box office also will open two hours prior to each show during the season.
About Harbison Theatre
Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College presents high-quality performances and events that strengthen the education of our students, deepen our relationship with the community, and make the Midlands a region where people love to learn, work, play, and prosper. To learn about upcoming events, purchase tickets, or pursue sponsorship and volunteer opportunities with Harbison Theatre, please visit www.HarbisonTheatre.org.
Harbison Theatre on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarbisonTheatre
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About Midlands Technical College
Midlands Technical College (MTC) is a comprehensive, multi-campus, public, two-year college serving Richland, Lexington and Fairfield counties of South Carolina. The fifth-largest provider of higher education in South Carolina and the largest provider of transfer students to four-year colleges and universities in the state, MTC enrolls approximately 18,000 credit students annually. The college’s Corporate and Continuing Education program, one of the largest and most comprehensive in the Southeast, provides continuing education to 30,000 individuals and hundreds of area businesses each year. www.midlandstech.edu
Press Contact: Tracie Broom, Flock and Rally, 415.235.5718, [email protected]
Debi Schadel, Flock and Rally, 803.348.8861, [email protected]
