Island Moving Co. continues the celebration of its 30th Birthday with A Handful of Pearls, a one night only engagement at Newport, RI’s lovely Stanford White Casino Theater, on the grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame at 9 Freebody Street. The Company will premiere Noon, a new work by California choreographer Laurence Blake, Associate Director of Pasadena Dance Theatre, as well as several new works created by the Island Moving Co. dancers. The performance will begin at 7:30pm, preceded by a cocktail reception at the nearby Canfield House. The Canfield House also offers a prix fixe dinner for after the performance, where patrons can meet and talk with the dancers and Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen. Tickets to the performance only are $25; performance and cocktails $50, with a $75 ticket all inclusive for the evening. A perfect evening for a Mother’s Day outing.
Miki Ohlsen’s work will be represented on the program by her 2000 work, Ruth…less, to music by Philip Glass, and excerpts from her popular tango piece, Hora Cero. Choreographer Laurence Blake began work with the Island Moving Co. dancers when Pasadena Dance Theatre visited Newport as the 2011 residency company in the Island Moving Co.’s Great Friends Touring Project. His piece will also be performed April 20 & 21 in Pasadena, when Island Moving Co. visits California as part of the Touring Project. Before Mr. Blake joined PDT, he danced with the Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, California Ballet and the Nevada Dance Theatre. Mr. Blake has set original works throughout the West and has been resident choreographer for the Los Angeles Chamber Ballet, Hawaii Ballet Theatre and Pasadena Dance Theatre, where he serves as Associate Artistic Director. He is been on the dance faculty of the California Institute of the Arts. He was recently the recipient of an individual artist grant from the Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division for his collaborative work with composer Cary Belling.
On March 30, the public is invited to the Island Moving Co. studios at 3 Charles Street in Newport to meet Mr. Blake at an Open Rehearsal, where he will be running and working on Noon. The Open Rehearsal is informal; patrons are welcome to stay for as long as they like to watch the dancers at work with Blake. The rehearsal will conclude with a short reception with refreshments to give audience members an opportunity to meet the dancers and the choreographer. The Open Rehearsal is free and is part of the Arts & Cultural Alliance’s Spring Into Art celebration. On April 11th, the winning ticket for Island Moving Co.’s Paris Raffle will be drawn at the Clarke Cooke House at 7pm. Tickets, at $10 each, are still available.
For more information on Island Moving Co.’s 30th Anniversary Season visit www.islandmovingco.org.
