Merseyside Dance Promoters Network present
ONLY UK DATE FOR CHICAGO’S JOEL HALL DANCERS AFTER 20 YEAR GAP.
Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI) and the Merseyside Dance Promoters Network (MDPN) are delighted to announce that the world renowned Joel Hall Dancers, last seen in Liverpool over 20 years ago, will play their only UK date of 2010 at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton on Tue 7 & Wed 8 September.
Following Matthew Bourne’s phenomenal first visit to Liverpool in February, this spectacular performance from one of America’s top Jazz Dance companies promises to be the highlight of the second half of LEAP 2010 year of dance.
The Joel Hall Dancers are celebrated for their joyous blend of jazz, ballet, modern and “street” dance techniques. In their thirty six-year history as a professional Chicago-based dance ensemble, the company have performed all over the world, presenting works by Joel Hall and many nationally and internationally recognized choreographers, achieving a noted reputation as a quintessential American Contemporary Urban Jazz Ballet Company: sophisticated yet accessible.
During the past three decades, Joel Hall has achieved an international reputation for his dance company along with acclaim as a choreographer. Similarly to what Matthew Bourne has done for British Ballet, Joel Hall has done for Chicago Jazz Dance having created his own innovative Chicago urban jazz style of movement. Hall’s unique dance style expresses a rich vocabulary of movement embracing both classical and modern styles.
In addition to the many works created for his own company, Hall has choreographed for Maria Tallchief’s Chicago City Ballet, Chicago Opera Theatre, the Zenon Dance Company, Ballet Tennessee and Eisenhower Dance in Detroit. In addition, he was choreographer for Goldie Hawn’s now classic film Wildcats. Joel Hall is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Dance World Congress, a Katherine Dunham Award, a Lifetime Service Award from the Chicago Dance and Music Alliance, the African American Arts Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement for his choreography for ‘In The Shadow of Nina Simone’.
You can see an exert of one of The Joel Hall Dancer’s pieces by clicking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezhPuIgk6VQ
This world class performance will feature some of Joel Hall’s most exciting and memorable choreography including breathtaking pieces such as the award winning ‘In the Shadow of Nina Simone,’ a tribute to the legendary performer and songwriter who was Nina Simone and ‘El Gato Negro’ featuring a house mix of music by artists such as CeCe Penniston, Zig Zag, Nightmares on Wax and Black Sheep.
In the Shadow of Nina Simone is a collaborative work by Joel Hall and Paul Sanasardo. This wonderful work came as a result of a conversation between two old friends both choreographers that admired the world of the ‘High Priestess of Soul’.
Joel explains ‘I chose to thread Nina’s music to take our audience on a journey. Nina Simone seemed to be moving in a similar direction through her work with Verve records. Though her music remains timeless, she was a pioneer who was always searching for new ways to present her music. I chose the closing of In the Shadow of Nina Simone for this program because I know how much she is loved throughout the world.’
El Gato Negro by Joel Hall is a work inspired by club and house music. With Chicago being the global catalyst of house music, Joel developed a piece around the cool black cats that would dance the night away. Finally, dawn comes round and the patrons leave the club rolling out like tumbleweed. This piece is about the all night forays into the club world with the origins of house music at the Warehouse owned by DJ Frankie Knuckles.
“If you’ve never seen a jazz dance performance, you’re in for a real treat. If you’ve seen other companies perform jazz dance, then you’re in for a real awakening! Spend an evening with us and we guarantee to awaken the dancer in everyone’s soul. A performance by Joel Hall Dancers takes an audience to the edge of their seats, providing an artistic experience that moves the heart and soul.” Joel Hall.
Tickets are on sale now! Make sure you don’t miss out on this rare and exciting opportunity to see one of the world’s best professional Jazz Dance Companies perform exclusively on Merseyside.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
The Joel Hall Dancers
Floral Pavilion Theatre, New Brighton
Tue 7 & Wed 8 September, 7.30pm
Tickets: £15 – £18 (Concessions £12- £15)
How To Book: In person from The Floral Pavilion Box Office, Marine Promenade, New Brighton, Wirral CH45 2JS. Call 0151 666 0000 or go online www.floralpavilion.com.
A YEAR OF DANCE IS HERE!
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About The Joel Hall Dancers
The mission of the Joel Hall Dancers & Centre is to use the arts to enrich the lives of its community members through dance performance and education. The company reach out to the community, targeting those who would not otherwise be exposed to the arts by providing performances, classes; both with in-school outreach and after-school dance programs, along with local, national, and international performances.
The Joel Hall Dancers & Centre’s focus is on developing Chicago’s native talent pool in an encouraging environment that celebrates multiculturalism and ethnic diversity. The Joel Hall Dance Center, which opened in 1976, is one of Chicago’s largest dance education facilities. With over 150 adult and children’s classes per week, the centre offers one of the most extensive dance and movement curriculums in the Midwest. The community-based Centre is particularly committed to making dance available to all people. Serving students of all ages, interests and experience levels, the Canter supports a comprehensive work exchange program. Students are offered performance and choreography workshops providing them with the opportunity to present original works. Other disciplines are cultivated through master classes and exposure to teachers and performers from prestigious national and international dance organizations.
Previous Press Praise for The Joel Hall dancers
“An electrifying demonstration of American Dance.”
Irish Times, Belfast Ireland
“The Joel Hall Dancers are storytellers of the first order…”
Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-
“His mixture of styles is inventive and gives the choreography a rich texture, displayed almost off-handedly.”
Jennifer Dunning, New York Times
“The ensemble work in this dance, performed by the whole company is truly awesome.”
Maura Troester, The Reader On ‘El Gato Negro’
“Hall matches Simone in creating a desert of the mind, an emotional vastness. An emptiness punctuated with vivid harsh truth.”
Ballet Review on ‘In the Shadow of Nina Simone’
“Grace, sophisticated taste, audacity of artistic decision and superb technique.”
The Soviet Culture, Moscow
JOEL HALL DANCERS & CENTER
5965 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60660
773-293-0900
Founded in 1974, the Joel Hall Dancers are noted for their joyous blend of jazz, ballet, modern and “street” dance techniques. In our 35-year history as a professional Chicago-based repertoire dance ensemble, we have performed works by Joel Hall and many national and internationally recognized choreographers. We have achieved a noted reputation as a quintessential American Contemporary Urban Jazz Ballet Company:… (read more)
About Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI)
MDI (Merseyside Dance Initiative) is a dance development agency of local, national and international significance, based in the NW of England. Set up to develop dance in Merseyside and beyond, MDI inspires people through dance to take part, create and see dance, working in partnership with artists, venues and others in an environment that is inclusive, supportive, challenging and innovative. Focusing on strengthening the dance sector, it nurtures and sustains a healthy dance culture, through contacts locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. A Regularly Funded Organisation of the Arts Council of England (ACE) and Liverpool City Council, MDI provides a strategic overview for dance development in the Merseyside region and beyond. MDI was established in 1993 following the success of the first LEAP Contemporary Dance Festival which took place in 1992. MDI was involved in developing the initial bid prior to the announcement of Liverpool’s success in being named European Capital of Culture 2008. MDI has worked in partnership with Liverpool Culture Company since 2003 to ensure the cultural impact of dance is fully represented in the city during 2008.
MDPN (Merseyside Dance Promoters Network) was initiated in 2009 by MDI to work with all of the venues in the region to increase the presentation of dance across Merseyside offering more frequent opportunities to see the best of dance and to build new audiences and an increased and quality programme of all types of dance remains in the city. Liverpool Empire, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, The Bluecoat, Unity Theatre, Floral Pavilion, Rose Theatre, Black-E and Southport Arts Centre are all part of the network.
About 2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing
The 2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing aims to engage individuals and groups in thought and action to improve health and wellbeing, by integrating the work of public, third and private sectors at a neighbourhood level.
It provides an opportunity to not only communicate the importance of health and wellbeing to the people of Liverpool, but also to promote the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle and present a wide range of accessible activities to get involved in.
This year is about raising the importance of good health and wellbeing for everyone in Liverpool and the City Region – public bodies, businesses, communities and individuals. The framework being used to structure 2010 is the Five Ways to Wellbeing – an evidence based equivalent to 5 fruit and vegetables a day. The evidence shows that if we build actions from the Five Ways into our day, then we could add 7.5 years to life.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing are:
- Connect
- Be Active
- Take Notice
- Keep Learning
- Give
Further information on the 2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing is available from the website: www.2010healthandwellbeing.org.uk
Festival Contact:
Artistic Producer: Karen Gallagher Karen@mdi.org.uk
Telephone: 0151 708 8810
Information can also be found on www.leap2010.co.uk and www.mdi.org.uk