I am so excited about our upcoming night of dance and more – a performance on Saturday, Nov. 14 we are calling – Beacon.
Co-producers Helen Hansen French and Lauren Ree Slone have curated an evening of contemporary performance works for the Palladium that explore ideas of place and connectivity. French and Slone (both Saint Petersburg natives) selected professional artists who work locally, nationally, and internationally, but always return to their roots in Florida. Dance, visual, literary and sound artists will present original works made in collaboration for our community.
Thanks to Mitzi Gordon and Creative Loafing for a great piece on the show.
To read the entire story, click this link. I’m publishing an excerpt below:
Modern movements: The new BEACON performance series at the Palladium
The series sheds new light on local dance.
Posted By Mitzi Gordon on Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 3:16 PM
For St. Petersburg-based choreographer and performer Helen Hansen French, collaboration is a natural component of art. So rather than lament the current shortage of local outlets for contemporary dancers, French teamed up with artist and grant maker Lauren Ree Slone and others to create opportunities and share a passion for movement.
“Ten creative brains in a room are better than one dictator,” French said. “We decided that if professional dancers need a place to perform in St. Petersburg, we’ll just have to make the platform.”
French and Slone launch their BEACON performance series next month with the goal of bringing dance into greater prominence in the Bay area. And it’s a far cry from the salsa, ballroom, or poi dancing that pepper the mainstream scene. BEACON audiences can expect contemporary movements, bold imagery, and multidisciplinary collaborations at the November 14 series kick-off event, spotlighting four strong choreographers with local roots during an evening showcase at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg.
“We’ve got a perfect stage for dance,” said Palladium Executive Director Paul Wilborn, pointing out the sprung floor, marley padding, and multiple entrances. “It’s the most beautiful art form, I get lost in it.”
The program includes three world premieres, including Kellie Harmon’s ROGUEDANCE company presenting “Where thou art, that is home,” exploring the importance of relationships we build to art with a dance inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name.
Slone collaborates with Loren Davidson, a Florida State University School of Dance teaching artist, to perform an excerpt from an edgy duet entitled “for waking,” and choreographer Michael Foley, an artist who teaches at the University of South Florida, will present solo work in homage to the legendary Joan of Arc.
French joins local visual artist Rebekah Eugenia Lazaridis, actor Roxanne Fay, writer and actor Jan Neuberge, and fellow dancer Paula Kramer for the premiere of her “Movement Love Letter to St. Petersburg,” supported in part by an individual artist grant from the city.
“This is something that’s local, these people are first-class talents, and it’s affordable as well, not like bringing a company of 20 dancers here from New York,” Wilborn said. “This is a way to do some really first-class dance that we can build on.”
BEACON is expected to grace the stage at least once a year, though both French and Slone aspire to expand into multiple performances and eventually establish a longer program inspired by New York’s Fall for Dance Festival.
For the rest of the article, click the link above. For tickets and more info click this link.
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