Eisenhower Dance Ensemble
| 2012-2013 Press Kit
Company History Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Michigan’s premier contemporary dance company, begins its twenty-second professional season this year. Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower founded the company in the summer of 1991 in metropolitan Detroit. Since its inception, the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has been dedicated to the performance of a diverse range of contemporary dance works. Along with Ms. Eisenhower’s highly acclaimed choreography, EDE showcases the works of young talented artists as well as choreographers with established reputations. The company has boasted works by internationally known choreographers such as David Parsons, Lar Lubovitch, Stephen Koester, Michael Foley, Kiesha Lalama-White, Mark Dendy, Joel Hall, Eddy Ocampo, Lila York, Colin Connor, and Billy Siegenfeld, among others. With support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the company has also collaborated with Michigan Opera Theatre, the Warren Symphony, the Immigrant Suns, the Rackham Symphony Choir in Carmina Burana, and the Motor City Lyric Opera and the Toledo Opera in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has produced several touring productions. These include Motown in Motion, a visual salute to the tunes that made Motown records famous, Laugh Tracks, an evening of comedy in dance, Igor Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale with Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings as part of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Dances from the Heart of Rock and Roll, a heartfelt tribute set to folk and rock music, as well as EDE’s newest touring productions: NewDANCEfest, Drop. Dead. Dance., and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Considered by many critics to be one of the finest contemporary dance companies in the nation, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has received overwhelming critical acclaim along with enthusiastic audience support: “stunning” (Gloria Shay, Holland Sentinel), “intelligently crafted repertoire” (Susan Isaacs-Nisbett, Dance Magazine), “dance that touches the soul” (Susan Hall-Balduf, Detroit Free Press), “an eye-popping production” (David Lyman, Detroit Free Press), “a hearty, nononsense way of moving” (Jack Anderson, The New York Times), and “particularly impressive“ (St. Louis Today). The company’s performance schedule has taken it to theaters throughout the state of Michigan, on tours across the United States, and as far as St. Petersburg, Russia. The company has received numerous grants and awards for its work including a prestigious Touring Award from the NEFA to present NewDANCEfest during the 2012-13 sesason. In 2003, Ms. Eisenhower received the prestigious Artserve Michigan Governor’s Award for Arts and Culture – Michigan Artist and, in 2012, was named a Kresge Performing Arts Fellow for her work in bringing great dance to Detroit. For its twenty-second year, EDE is looking forward to a full season of events, which will keep the company creating and sharing the art of dance!
Press Release Information Praised by critics as one of the nation’s premier contemporary dance companies, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has spent the last 22 years giving life to the repertoire of internationally known choreographers, as well as the highly acclaimed work of Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower. Established in metro Detroit by Eisenhower in 1991, EDE presents an annual subscription series and tours nationally. The company has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Kresge Foundation, and mostly recently was awarded a prestigious Touring Award from the New England Foundation for the Art’s National Dance Project. EDE has been called “No-nonsense moves from the Midwest … would be a pleasure to see them again” (The New York Times), “Stunning!” (The Detroit Free Press), “Contemporary dance at its finest!” (Detroit Examiner) and “Dramatic … structural suavity” (The Los Angeles Times). For more information about EDE, please visit www.ede-dance.org or call the EDE offices at 248-559-2095.
Programs NewDANCEfest
Passion, intimacy, tenderness, humor, power, virtuosity, and daring are all words to describe NewDANCEfest, which is a collection of dances by five American choreographers. Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower, Michael Foley, Harrison McEldowney, Stephanie Pizzo, and Paul Christiano will present their choreography in an evening of non-stop connections, re-connections, impetus, and force. The evocative choreography and technically brilliant EDE dancers combine to create an evening that is both powerful and compelling. Approximately 1 ¾ hours in length with intermission. Works include: • No Angels in my Kamikaze Heaven is a powerful work that showcases the strength and grace of the EDE dancers, by Michael Foley. • Dance Sport is a witty satire on competitive sports and professional dance, by Harrison McEldowney. • Love, Love, Love is a dance that deals with the subject of diminishing love, by Laurie Eisenhower. • Threads is a luscious and passionate work for eight dancers, by Laure Eisenhower. • Virgo is a beautiful and haunting duet set to the glorious music “Ave Maria,” by Paul Christiano. • Unconditional is a dramatic and moving work about unconditional love, by Stephanie Pizzo.
Drop. Dead. Dance.
Dramatic. Striking. Awe-Inspiring. EDE’s newest program Drop. Dead. Dance. is a stunning collection of repertory by nationally-recognized choreographers that have set new works on the versatile EDE dancers. The program includes works by the renowned choreographers Ron de Jesus, Lauren Edson, Harrison McEldowney, and Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower, among others. Consequently, this program expresses a diverse range of artistic viewpoints from virtuosic movement pieces to innovative comedy and soulful introspection. Age-appropriate programming and repertory selections can be designed for particular audiences. Approximately 1 ¾ hours in length with intermission. Available for touring Fall 2013.
Motown in Motion
The Motor City’s premier dance company celebrates the music that made Motown famous in a razzle-dazzle evening of dance and music! Playful, humorous, and wonderfully theatrical, the performers will have you dancing in your seats – and out into the streets! This visual salute to the tunes that rocked the Motor City and made Motown Records famous includes dance vignettes performed by Eisenhower Dance Ensemble to recordings from top Motown artists including: the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, the Supremes, and Stevie Wonder, among others. The dance vignettes for Motown in Motion were created by an impressive roster of nationally and internationally respected choreographers, including Joel Hall, Ginger Thatcher, Stephanie Pizzo, Lindsey Thomas, Gregory Patterson, and Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower. Motown in Motion is designed to appeal to a diverse audience of all ages, Motown fans and dance aficionados alike. It presents an entertaining look at Motown, a distinctly American artistic and cultural legacy. Approximately 1 ¾ hours in length with intermission.
Rite of Spring
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has mounted a lavish production in collaboration with the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. With new choreography by Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower, the dance tells of new discoveries through history that have changed society including: fire, the wheel, machines, and technology. The premiere performance was given the highest ratings by The Detroit Free Press and was called “Stunning” and “…an inventive production that aimed high and often soared higher.” The Rite of Spring is performed with other dances from EDE’s repertory for a program length of approximately 1 ¾ hours with intermission. The touring performance can pbe performed to taped music or in collaboration with local musicians. Available for touring in Fall 2013.
The Company Laurie Eisenhower, EDE Artistic Director, received her BAE and MFA degrees in dance from Arizona State University where she received the Wanda Turk Choreography Award and the Faculty Excellence Award. In the early years of her career, she danced professionally in both California and New York City with various dance companies and choreographers, most notably, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, David Parsons, Chen and Dancers, Harry Streep III, and Mel Wong. Ms. Eisenhower began her professional choreographic career when she set a work for the Prospect Park Dance Festival in Brooklyn, NY. Since then, she has set her works on numerous professional and university dance companies including BalletMet Columbus, Desert Dance Theatre, State Street Ballet and Harbinger Dance Company, to name a few. In 1991, she formed the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, which, with the help of committed and talented dancers, has become the premiere dance company in the state of Michigan. Since the founding of EDE, the company has grown from a small ensemble of four dancers on a pay-per-performance basis to the current company with an extensive schedule of rehearsals, performances and touring. The company has traveled as far as St. Petersburg, Russia, tours nationally, and is now in the midst of its 22nd season. Ms. Eisenhower has created over 100 dances for EDE and has received frequent grants and honors for her choreography. She has been awarded several Creative Artists grants from state arts foundations, the Michigan Dance Association Choreographers Festival Award, the Women in Art Award for Choreography, Artserve’s Michigan Governor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Michigan Artist and, most recently, the prestigious 2012 Kresge Artist Fellowship. Her work has also been supported through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Skillman Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the National Dance Project, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Ms. Eisenhower is also well known for her teaching and is a former Dance Program Director and Professor of Dance at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. At OU, she was awarded a Travis Professorship and was honored twice by the OU Board of Trustees. She also received an OU Research Fellowship, 25 faculty research grants, and the Faculty Recognition Award for her outstanding contributions in the field of dance. In 2012, she was appointed the status of Professor Emerita.
Stephanie Pizzo, EDE Associate Artistic Director, is a native of Clinton Township, Michigan where she began her training with Orchid Diane and Denise Boucke and continued on with Evelyn Kreason. She danced with the Michigan Ballet Theatre, Oakland Dance Theater and Harbinger Dance Company. She has a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Dance from Oakland University. As a student, she received the Jacob S. Decker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance and a scholarship from the American College Dance Festival to study with the Ririe Woodbury Dance Company in Utah. In 2009, she received a Distinguished Alumni or “MaTilDa” award from the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University. As a founding member of EDE, Ms. Pizzo currently teaches company class, rehearses the company, and choreographs. She has staged works by Laurie Eisenhower on numerous companies and universities including Desert Dance Theatre, Scottsdale Community College, Collin County Community College and Alma College. She has set her own choreography at Illinois Wesleyan University and numerous works on Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Ms. Pizzo is a special lecturer in dance at Oakland University and also enjoys teaching ballet at the Detroit Skating Club to National and International Competitive Figure Skaters.
Mary DeVitt, EDE Rehearsal Director, from Sterling Heights, Michigan, first performed with EDE as a student at the EDE Center for Dance. Ms. Devitt continued her training on scholarship at Oakland University where she earned her BA in Dance. She graduated magna cum laude and was the recipient of the Jacob S. Decker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. She also trained at the Limón Institute in NYC as a Maggie Allesee Summer Study Scholarship recipient. Ms. Devitt has performed with Oakland Dance Theatre and OU Repertory Dance Company and, prior to joining EDE, appeared as a guest dancer and apprentice with the Company. She has performed dance roles in Aida at the Detroit Opera House and in Motor City Lyric Opera’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. Ms. Devitt is also the Director of the EDE Center for Dance where she is in her ninth season as an instructor.
Company DAncers Alicia Cutaia earned her BFA with honors from Point Park University with a double major in Ballet and Jazz. Her previous training included scholarships at Hubbard Street Dance, North Carolina Dance Theater, and River North Dance Company. She has worked with and performed pieces by many renowned choreographers, including: Lar Lubovitch, Louis Falco, Michael Foley, Keisha Lalama-White, Joel Hall, Lou Conte, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Daniel Ezralow, ChooSan Goh, Alan Hineline, Harrison McEldowney, Kevin O’Day, Frances Patrelle, David Storey, Margo Sappington, and Christian Holder. Ms. Cutaia previously danced with Hubbard Street and Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. Her choreography has been chosen as a finalist in the Jazz Dance World Congress “Leo’s Choreography Competitive Event”, the “Maggie Allesee New Choreography Award”, “Michigan Youth Arts Festival” and the “NSAL Mid-Michigan Chapter.” Ms. Cutaia’s teaching credits include the Lou Conte Dance Studio, Oakland University, the ABT Summer Intensive, and the EDE Center for Dance. She also enjoys teaching master classes and setting choreography. Morgan Williams began his dance training at the Joel Hall Dancers & Center and the Hyde Park School of Ballet in Chicago. He attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts, where he studied under Randy Duncan, Guillermo Leyva, and the late Anna Paskevska. He has received scholarships to attend summer intensives at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Deeply Rooted Productions, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He has performed works by Lar Lubovitch, Randy Duncan, Troy Powell, Joel Hall, Kevin Iega Jeff, Harrison McEldowney, and Joseph Holmes. He has danced professionally with Dance Kaleidoscope and Joel Hall & Dancers, and is now in his third season with Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Mr. Williams also dances in commercial projects and has danced for music artist Ginuwine and JQ. In addition, he has choreographed for Ginuwine and assisted Charles Lawrence and is on faculty with Dance Rogue Intensive Workshops. Andrew Cribbett, originally from Thomasboro, Illinois, began his dance training at the age of six. He trained with Christine Rich and Luciana Rezende at the Christine Rich Studio Dance Academy and Performing Arts Center in Savoy, Illinois. He also guest starred in ChampaignUrbana Ballet productions. At the age of 16 Mr. Cribbett received a full scholarship to The Washington School of Ballet in DC to further his training while attending Duke Ellington School of the Arts to finish his senior year of High School. Mr. Cribbett has received scholarships to attend summer intensives at Washington School of Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Rock School of Ballet in Philadelphia, and Faubourg Ballet Chicago. Emily Zatursky was raised in Killingworth, Connecticut where she received her early dance training with Starship Dance Theatre, Eastern Connecticut Ballet and New Haven Ballet. After graduating high school in 2007, Ms. Zatursky attended The Hartt School at the University of Hartford where she graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance. Ms. Zatursky has spent summers dancing with American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet School and Alonzo King Lines Ballet School. Ms. Zatursky danced with Full Force Dance Theatre during their 2010-2011 season. Ms. Zatursky has danced works by Antony Tudor, Jose Limon, and Emery LeCrone. Thomas Fant grew up in Norfolk, Virginia where he was exposed to the arts at a young age through various musical theatre productions. In high school he began classical dance training at the age of fifteen. Later, he attended the Governor’s School for the Arts under the direction of Deborah Thorpe. There, he studied ballet and modern dance with Todd Rosenlieb, Lorraine Graves, Kathy Brenner-Lasakow, and Joni Petre-Scholz. Upon graduating in 2008, he joined Todd Rosenlieb Dance as a company member where he danced the works of Bill Evans, Erick Hawkins, Ricardo Meléndez, and Yuki Ozeki (after Jerome Robbins). He has danced professionally with Virginia Ballet Theatre, Lyric Opera Virginia, Virginia Musical Theatre, and The Virginia Arts Festival, and has been featured as a guest artist with Hampton Roads Civic Ballet.
Katharine Larson, originally from Kingwood, Texas, grew up dancing under the direction of Sheryl Rowland. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Chemistry. At U of A, she was the recipient of the Costume Manager Triple Threat Award and the Gertrude Shurr Modern Dance Award. Ms. Larson has worked with and performed pieces by Ann Reinking, Mia Michaels, Bella Lewitsky, James Clouser, Michael Williams, Sam Watson, Amy Ernst, Elizabeth George, Susan Quinn, and Ronn Stewart. She has previously trained at the Juilliard School, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, and Thodos Dance Chicago. Ms. Larson also has a love for choreographing and has had several works selected to perform at Conder Dance’s Breaking Ground, UA Dance Student Spotlight, and RDA’s Southwest Festival. Molly McMullen began her dance training at South Dayton School of Dance in Dayton, Ohio. She was a ten-year member of South Dayton Dance Theatre, where she danced frequently with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company members. Ms. McMullen has attended various summer intensive programs including Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Chicago, DCDC, Parsons Dance, Paul Taylor and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She also danced for Pittsburgh’s Attack Theater in the 2011 Dirty Ball. She has performed in several RDA ballet festivals and in 2006 received the Jeraldyne Blunden Award, which allowed her to attend the national Craft of Choreography Conference at Utah Valley State College with a full scholarship. Ms. McMullen graduated from Point Park University magna cum laude in 2012 with a BFA in dance. She has had the great opportunity of performing works by Daniel Marshall, Jonathan Phelps, Doug Varone, George Balanchine, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Kiesha Lalama, and Alan Hineline. Matthew Schmitz graduated with a BFA in Dance from Webster University where he received departmental and general academic honors. He was a scholarship recipient at The Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet (Chicago), Kansas City Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He has performed choreography by Antony Tudor, Alvin Ailey, Iyun Harrison, Eddy Ocampo, Michael Uthoff, Antonio Douthit, Kirven Boyd, Maggi Dueker, and Christine Kardell. Mr. Schmitz’s professional credits include Dawn Karlovsky and Dancers, Ashani Dances (Seattle), and the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis (MUNY).
Guest DAncer William J. Peake, a resident guest dancer, hails from Akron, Ohio where he started his dance career at Studio West Performing Arts Centre. He moved quickly up the ranks, eventually joining the school’s senior company competition team. He began his college career at Bowling Green State University as a music major, but after performing in a student-choreographed dance showcase his sophomore year, he switched to dance. As a dance major, Mr. Peake choreographed and performed with the University Dance Alliance. During his final year at BGSU, he became a member of the Dance Repertory Ensemble. Later, he was invited to join Bowling Green University’s Rhythm Project, a tap dance ensemble. In addition to choreography and dance, Mr. Peake has a passion for color guard and winter guard. He is a former member of Zydeco Winter Guard from Dayton, Ohio, Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corp in Canton, Ohio, and has taught at Maumee High School’s winter and fall guard for 3 years.
Apprentice Lindsay Chirio began her training at a young age as both a dancer and a gymnast. She trained at Big City Dance Center in Wixom, Michigan under the direction of Lisa Fruchey. She is a scholarship student at Oakland University, where she is working toward her BA in Dance. She has performed as a member of Oakland Dance Theatre and OU’s Repertory Dance Company and has had the honor of working with numerous choreographers, including: Daniel Gwirtzman, Luis Piedra, Rodney Brown, Laurie Eisenhower, Dusan Tynek, and Meg Paul. She has studied with professional companies, such as Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Complexion Contemporary Ballet Company and Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. In addition, she has trained and attended workshops with many commercial choreographers, such as Sonya Tayeh, Dennis Caspary, KC Combs, Mandy Moore, and Pamela Boling. She is currently a teacher at Big City Dance Center and guest teaches at other studios throughout the Detroit Metro area.
Choreographers Ron De Jesus (Teacher, Choreographer, Founder & Artistic Director of Ron De Jesus Dance) danced with Ensemble Español and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 17 yrs, starred in MOVIN’ OUT- Broadway’s Musical, “Come Fly Away’ creative team, Artistic Ambassador of Northeastern Illinois University, Artistic Associate for StagePlay’s Theater Company. Film credits: Road to Perdition, Stay & Across the Universe. Awards for Excellence: Best Choreographer – Chicago Music & Dance Alliance Award, 2 New York Musical Theater Festival Awards , DanceBreak, National Choreographers’ Initiative, Ruth Page Award for “Outstanding Male Dancer”, Carbonell Award, Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS NYC, Created for: Aetna, Philips, Verizon, Matrix commercials, ” A League of Their Own” film, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, BalletMet, Sacramento Ballet, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, Thodos Dance, New Jersey Repertory, Ballet Arkansas, Wayne State University, Western Michigan University, Harvard University, University of Michigan, Suny Purchase College, Fire Island Dance Festival, Music Hall of Performing Arts; Stars of Ballet and Broadway, Vladimir Malakhov’s Staatsballet Berlin, 2012 “Dance For Life” Chicago / Palm Springs, Dance USA, Dance Chicago Dance Festival, Dance Theater of Tennessee- Latin Heat series, Wayne State University, Evanston Dance Ensemble, Music Hall 2012 Gala, Escole Superieure De Ballet Du Quebec Corp De Ballet and for “RAW” representing Matrix & JCPenny. Mr. De Jesus just finished a new creation of a full length story ballet called “Osiris and Isis”. Mr. De Jesús is a repetiteur for Twyla Tharp Productions. Lauren Edson, originally from Boise, Idaho began her training at Ballet Idaho Academy and Westside Dance Academy. She continued her formal studies at North Carolina School of the Arts and The Juilliard School, under the direction of the late Benjamin Harkarvy. She recently finished her third season dancing with Trey McIntyre Project . While a part of this celebrated company she was featured in several of Trey’s works including: “Bad Winter,” “Oh! Inverted World,” “In Dreams,” and “Shape.” Her past professional experiences include: Hubbard Street 2, Ballet Idaho and Idaho Dance Theatre. She has had the privilege to perform the works of Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Angelin Perljicov, Robert Battle, Alex Ketley, and Pina Bausch, among others. While based in Portland, Oregon she established herself as one of the most sought after local choreographers. She recently won the Great Works Dance Project Choreography Prize 2012, a National Choreography Competition affiliated with Western Michigan University. Her work, “Foreground” was chosen to perform at the Kennedy Center as part of the National College Dance Festival. Ms. Edson was selected to participate in The A.W.A.R.D. Show! 2011 and 2010 Seattle, affiliated with the Joyce Theatre, one of New York City’s major dance presenters. In 2009, she won the Northwest Dance Project’s first annual Pretty Creative’s International Choreographic competition. She has recently been named Artist in Residence at Mystic Ballet in Mystic, CT and commissioned by Eisenhower Dance Ensemble (MI), Opera Idaho (ID) Polaris Dance Theatre (OR) Grand Valley State University (MI), Washington and Lee University (VA) and Pacific University (OR) to create work for their upcoming seasons. Michael Foley has been involved in the world of professional dance for over 20 years and is considered a master teacher and choreographer in his field. Mr. Foley received his MFA in Dance from the University of Washington in 2002 where he performed in the works of several of the 20th century’s major choreographers. He has taught workshops and master classes at universities, academic institutions and private studios throughout the United States and around the world. He has served on the faculties of New World School of the Arts in Miami, The Amsterdam Dance Center, The Association of Professional Dancers in Ireland, Balettakademien in Stockholm, and Bates College in Maine. Mr. Foley has received choreographic commissions and conducted major residencies at academic institutions such as Harvard University, Texas Woman’s University, Cornish College of the Arts, University of Texas, New World School of the Arts, and University of Florida. He has received choreographic commissions from nationally touring repertory companies d9 Dance Collective in Seattle, Modern American Dance Company in St. Louis, Moving Current in Tampa, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble in Detroit, and Shade/Lacy Duets in Texas. His notable international commissions have been with Jus de la Vie Dance Company in Sweden, DoubleTrouble in Paris, Delfos Danza in Mexico, Momentum Danza in Panama, and DanzAbierta in Havana, Cuba, among many others. His work has been performed at many venues around the world. In 1994 he formed his own company, “Michael Foley Dance,” touring the United States and Europe. Called “exuberant” and “hypnotic” by The New York Times, the Company received funding for new work and outreach programs. He is currently an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of South Florida where he teaches modern dance technique, choreography, dance history, and directs a yearly study abroad program for American dancers in Paris. He is the recipient of an award for Outstanding Direction of a Play from the Kennedy Center/American Theatre Festival for his co-direction of Metamorphoses, as well as multiple Gala Concert appearances of his choreography at the American College Dance Festival.
Harrison McEldowney has created original dances for special occasions of the 97th Birthday Celebration of noted dance historian, critic, and friend Ann Barzel, the Finale for Dance Chicago’s 10 Year Anniversary, a work to open the 10th Anniversary of Dance for Life, and for the past three years original pieces for Dance for Life. This includes in 2010 the first time in its 19-year history an outside choreographer has been asked, to create its world-premiere finale. His choreography may be seen on dance companies around the world including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street 2, River North Chicago Dance Company (his work was featured as well on both companies nationally televised specials and a HSDC2 special aired in Europe), DanceWorks, the Civic Ballet of Chicago, the Cerqua/ Rivera Art Experience, Ballet Met, Louisville Ballet, Ballet Ensemble of Texas, American Repertory Ballet, Configurations, Omaha Theater Ballet, and Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Mr. McEldowney is the inaugural recipient of the Prince Prize and has received the Ruth Page, After Dark, and Choo-San Goh Awards for choreography. He choreographed the 35th Anniversary Tour of American Bandstand and directed the Australian Tour of More Dirty Dancing. Harrison has done film, television, concert dance, Broadway, off- Broadway, the West End, Carnegie Hall, and danced in the Barcelona Olympics’ Closing Ceremonies. He has also worked with stars Sammy Davis Jr., Van Johnson, Chita Rivera, Dorothy Lamour, rap artists Salt n Pepa and Nell Carter (a televised special from LA’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion), Carol Channing, Debbie Reynolds, and collaborated with or worked for directors and choreographers Alan Johnson, Sam Mendes, Mark Medoff, and Rob Marshall. He was chosen to collaborate with Ben Vereen on an original musical for the star. He starred in the revival and re-imagining of the Ruth Page ballet Billy Sunday for both stage and the televised documentary of the same name, earning an Emmy nomination for his performance. He served as one of the directors of the John G. Shedd Aquarium’s multispecies show Fantasea and recently made his Chicago Lyric Opera debut as choreographer. Mr. Eldowney is a Creative Director for Chicago’s Under the Radar and Wilson Dow Group, the latter leading to directing and choreographing shows for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines including their production of the Broadway musical Hairspray.
Paul Christiano trained pre-professionally in Chicago suburbs for eight years before joining Hubbard Street II in 1998, Thodos Dance Chicago in 1999, and The Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2008. Paul’s first choreographic effort, Miracle, Interrupted, formerly in the repertory of The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, merited a 2001 Ruth Page Award and inspired the Chicago Tribune to designate Paul one of sixteen “Chicagoans of the Year.” In 2003, Mr. Christiano was voted “Best Dancer in Chicago” by Chicago Magazine. Paul also received the 2003 Dance Chicago Choreography Award for Balada para un loco, currently in the repertory of River North Chicago Dance Company, and was nominated one of TimeOut Chicago’s “Dancing Men of 2010” for his work with Dmitri Peskov Dance Theatre.
MOtown in Motion Choreographers Gregory Patterson, is Dance Program Director and Associate Professor of Dance at Oakland University and a certified McEntire Method Pilates instructor. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Patterson Rhythm Pace Dance Company (PRP). Born in Toledo, OH, he received his BS from Bowling Green State University and his MFA from the University of Michigan. Mr. Patterson has been a member of Harbinger Dance Company, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble (EDE), Ann Arbor Dance Works, and Rigmarole Dance Company. He has also performed as a guest artist with both the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and the Doug Elkins Dance Company of New York. His work has been set on EDE, Orchesis Dance Company at Western Michigan University, University Performing Dancers at Bowling Green State University, Alma College, and Bal-Chi Dance Company based in Chicago. Mr. Patterson received the Maggie Allesse Choreography Award, and his work was chosen for the Leo Choreography competition at the Jazz Dance World Congress. His signature piece, “Who’s the Boss,” was performed in Russia as part of an EDE appearance with the Pushkin Ballet. In 2003 Mr. Patterson choreographed Die Fledermaus for the Michigan Opera Theatre. In 2008, Mr. Patterson received a Travis Professorship, an award that will enable him to develop his dance company through annual stipends for the next three years. Last June, his company made their debut in New York City at the Ailey Citigroup Theatre.
Ginger Thatcher has choreographed over 30 works for theater, television, film and concert dance. Most recently, she choreographed a ballet of Pinocchio for Dancing Wheels, a dance company dedicated to integrating dancers of all physical abilities. Other works include Oklahoma!, Swing, the film Far From Heaven, and Maury Yeston’s new musical Hans Christian Anderson for Maine State Music Theatre. She has self-produced her own evening of work, Dances by Ginger Thatcher, at Lincoln Center and was the founding director of New Steps Choreography Project in Cleveland, OH, for which she received an Achievement in the Arts Nomination. Ms. Thatcher’s other New York City choreographer credits include Warsaw, Wild Women of Planet Wongo for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the Umbrellas of Cherbourg for Two Rivers Theatre Company, Syncopation for Stamford Theatre Works, Big for Gateway Playhouse, The Lucky Chance for Jean Cocteau Repertory Theatre, among others. Broadway credits as Associate Choreographer, Assistant Choreographer and Resident Choreographer include: The Red Shoes, Carousel, Big, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Oklahoma! and A Year with Frog and Toad. Other credits include PBS Dance in America-Othello, American Ballet Theatre, the San Francisco Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, A Brahms Symphony, and Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, Berlin. As a dancer and actress Ms. Thatcher has appeared with the Cleveland Ballet (Principal), the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Oklahoma! on Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera, Showboat, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate, Peter Pan, Woman of the Year, and Evita. Her television and film credits include Blue in the Face, As the World Turns, and Another World. Bill De Young has danced with the companies of Al Huang, Bella Lewitzky, Rudy Perez, Elizabeth Keen and Cliff Keuter. In 1975, he formed the DeYoung Dance Theatre in New York City and took the company on two national tours. Professor De Young has received choreography commissions from the Harvard Dance Center, the Joffrey II, the Chautauqua Festival Dance Company, NBC Television, The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard, Danza Universitaria in Mexico City, Truzka of Hermosillo, Mexico, Danza Una and Danza Universitaria of Costa Rica, Ann Arbor Dance Works, the National Company of Paraguay, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, and others. During winter semester of 2000, he was guest faculty and choreographer for the Institut del Teatre in Barcelona, Spain, and guest teacher for the Jove Compania of Barcelona. In 1990, he was guest director of the National Dance Company of Costa Rica. Mr. De Young has been a Fulbright Senior Lecturer and Research Scholar in Costa Rica and has taught and performed in Germany, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Venezuela, Chile and Paraguay. Joel Hall is Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer for the Joel Hall Dancers and Chief Dance Instructor for the Joel Hall Dance Center. Co-founded in 1974 by Mr. Hall and the late Joseph Ehrenberg, the Joel Hall Dancers & Center comprise one of Chicago’s most diverse and respected performing arts organizations. During the past thirty-three years, Mr. Hall has achieved an international reputation for his dance company along with acclaim as a choreographer. He is noted as the creator of his own innovative Chicago urban jazz style of movement. Mr. Hall’s unique dance style expresses a rich vocabulary of movement embracing both the classical and modern idioms. Apart from the many works created for his own company, Mr. Hall has choreographed for Maria Tallchief’s Chicago City Ballet, Chicago Opera Theater, the Zenon Dance Company, Ballet Tennessee and Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. In addition, he was choreographer for Goldie Hawn’s now classic film Wildcats. Under Mr. Hall’s leadership, the Joel Hall Dancers have performed nationally and internationally, in places such as New York City, England, Scotland, the former West Germany, Norway and the former Soviet Union. Mr. Hall is the recipient of numerous awards including the Katherine Dunham Award, two Awards of Merit from the Black Theater Alliance and the King/Chavez/Parks Visiting Scholar Award from Western Michigan University. Mr. Hall was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame by the late Mayor Harold Washington and in 2001 received the Black and Hispanic Achiever of the Year Award from the Metropolitan YMCA of Chicago. Lindsay Thomas (1952-2003) was a member of the dance faculty at Western Michigan University from 1979 until July of 2003. She was responsible for developing the jazz dance program to a level of international recognition. Ms. Thomas received numerous professional awards, including Michigan Dance Teacher of the Year (1988), the Leo “Gold Shoe” Award for excellence in jazz dance choreography (1997) and third place in the jazz/hip hop category at the Prague Dance Festival (2000). Ms. Thomas’ musical choreography was presented at a Regional American College Theatre Festival and her jazz concert choreography was showcased at four Jazz Dance World Congresses, winning the Gold Leo Award at the 6th Congress in Germany. Ms. Thomas conducted workshops for several organizations including International Dance Association, Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and the American College Dance Festival Association.
Education & Outreach Kids in Motion Lecture Demonstration EDE presents an exciting, athletic, and educational dance presentation where students learn about the dance profession and choreography, including the different styles of dance, why people dance, the elements of choreography, and the lifestyle of a dancer.
Mini Motown in Motion Lecture Demonstration Specially designed for schoolchildren, this scaled-down version of EDE’s lavish production, Motown in Motion, is a fast-paced and lively presentation.
Healthy Kids Residency Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has created an outstanding educational program addressing childhood health issues. Through lecture demonstrations, movement activities, family fun nights and performances, “Healthy Kids” inspires children to make healthy lifestyle choices. “Heathy Kids” was created in collaboration with Beaumont Hospitals and with a grant from the NEA.
Specially Designed Educational Residencies Eisenhower Dance Ensemble can design residencies lasting one to six weeks that meet the curricular or arts education needs of your school. Residencies can include creative dance workshops, lecture demonstrations, master classes, performances, and classroom visitations for participation and discussion.
Choreographic Residencies Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower accepts commissions to set her choreography on other companies or pre-professional dance programs. Programs can be designed to allow student companies to perform Ms. Eisenhower’s choreography as part of a collaborative performance with EDE.
Performance Opportunities for Community Dancers Eisenhower Dance Ensemble will send dancers in advance of a performance to teach local dancers a work they can then perform in the concert with EDE.
Creative Movement Workshop One of Eisenhower Dance Ensemble’s most popular activities, the Creative Movement Workshop focuses on teaching the basic elements of dance (shape, level, direction, speed) while at the same time providing activities that develop team building, confidence, discipline, problem solving, creativity and cooperation skills.
Master Classes EDE dancers are qualified instructors. They are available to teach all levels of technique (i.e. ballet, modern, jazz, tap) and choreography classes. EDE members have received pedagogy training in order to conduct a well-structured master class with age and level appropriate instruction. For more information on these programs, contact Jodie Randolph, Company Manager at randolph@ede-dance.org.
Booking INformation Contact Person Jodie Randolph Eisenhower Dance Ensemble 20300 Civic Center Dr., Suite 100 Southfield, MI 48076 Office: 248-559-2095 Fax: 248-559-2098 randolph@ede-dance.org
Technical Rider The following technical information is presented as a general overview; however, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble can be flexible in order to accommodate the needs of each presenter. The specifications for the stage and lighting will enhance the overall performance quality but are not requirements. The stage: Proscenium stage or other performing space, approximately 40 ft wide by 25 ft deep. The floor should be resilient with a smooth surface covered by vinyl dance flooring. Crossover space is preferred but not necessary. Technical requirements: For concert performances, performing space should have white cyclorama, black scrim, black legs creating four wings on each side, theater lighting capabilities including side lights, washes, and two overhead specials. EDE will provide presenter with detailed lighting and hanging plots. The company will need approximately two hours to load in, five hours to hang and focus, and three hours for technical rehearsal. Preferably the technical rehearsal occurs the day before the performance(s). Sound: The Company travels with recorded music in CD format. EDE requests the presenter equip the performance space with an appropriate sound system. The speakers should be sufficient for the house and include two on-stage monitors. In addition, EDE requests one wireless, handheld microphone. Crew: Eisenhower Dance Ensemble travels with a Technical Director who will serve as the lighting director during the run of the show. The presenter should provide the following crew: 4 people for load-in, 4 people for run of show (sound, lights, 2 grips), 4 people for strike and load-out. The personnel that run the technical/dress rehearsal must be the same crew that run the performance. Dressing Rooms: Two separate dressing rooms with counters, mirrors, sinks, toilets and showers. Hospitality: The Company requests noncarbonated bottled water, juice, yogurt, fruit and deli tray on day of technical rehearsal. Bottled water is requested for day of show.
Press Quotes “Stunning!” Detroit Free Press, June 2012
“If you are interested in experiencing
contemporary dance at its finest you don’t have to go to New York.” Detroit Examiner, March 2011
“...left the audience clamoring for more” Noozhawk, Santa Barbara, November 2009
“Excellent!” Los Angeles Times, June 2012
“No-nonsense moves from the Midwest …
would be a pleasure to see them again” New York Times
More Praise for Eisenhower Dance Ensemble | “… an altogether satisfying evening.” (Ann Arbor News) | “An inventive production that aimed high and often soared higher.” (Detroit Free Press, June 2012) | “Danced with panache … succeeds from beginning to end.” (Dance Magazine) | “Dance that touches the soul” (Detroit Free Press) | “Dramatic … structural suavity” (Los Angeles Times) | “… dance that beckons with a blend of virtuosity and sly humor.” (Dance Magazine) | “funny and touching” (New York Times) | “the dancers … had the back row eating out of their hands.” (Detroit Free Press) | “Intelligently crafted repertoire.” (Dance Magazine) | “The athletic skill and synchronized execution of the seven young dancers mesmerized the audience.” (Oceana’s Herald-Journal) | “Michigan’s premier modern dance company” (HOUR Magazine) | “Particularly impressive …” (St. Louis Today, May 2011)
‘Rite of Spring’ dance reveals perils of progress By Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press Music Critic | Monday, June 18, 2012 Of the many striking images choreographer Laurie Eisenhower creates in her newly conceived “The Rite of Spring,” a sweeping parable about the double-edged sword of human “progress,” one in particular continues to resonate in the aftermath of Saturday’s Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival premiere. Four dancers sit with their backs to the audience, staring like drugged zombies at hypnotizing rectangles of light -- televisions -- symbols of the dehumanizing effects of technology. Meanwhile, a solo dancer, Rebecca McLindon, twirls exuberantly around the others, a beacon of eloquent self-expression and humanity amidst the mechanized wasteland. Igor Stravinsky’s visceral score breathes life into her. The message seems to be that if we have any chance at all, art and the individual imagination will be our salvations. The Great Lakes festival reached its midpoint with Stravinsky’s famous “Rite.” The festival collaborated with the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble to bring the work to the stage. This was one of the largest undertakings in Great Lakes history, but the ambition paid off handsomely in an inventive production that aimed high and often soared higher. A number of major Stravinsky works are at the core of the 2012 festival, but the status of “The Rite of Spring” (1913) as a modernist icon and the rare chance to see a fully staged production held special allure. Stravinsky’s piano four-hands reduction of his massive orchestral score provided the backbone. Pianists Elizabeth and Eugene Pridonoff untangled the rhythmic densities with admirable clarity. The welcome addition of three players from Percussion Group Cincinnati interpolating Stravinsky’s original orchestration restored a small but potent measure of the savageness lost in the piano arrangement. Vaslav Nijinsky’s groundbreaking original choreography told the story of a sacrificial virgin who dances herself to death. Eisenhower’s retelling charts a birth-death-resurrection arc through human history, building tableaus around human conflict, the discovery of fire and the inventions of, among others, writing, the wheel, machines, cell phones and a mysterious force that ultimately annihilates us. A simple curtain backdrop, effective lighting and sleek white costumes added to the starkness of the conception. There was wit -- a wheelbarrow, roller skates and bicycle lightened the mood -- but not much optimism. Eisenhower sometimes sent bodies ricocheting off each other to match the music’s violence; elsewhere, she put individuals in lonely silos. The evocation of the primordial dawn of life, with the dancers covered by a large, gauzy curtain and “erupting” in time to Stravinsky’s syncopations seemed to wink at Disney’s “Fantasia,” while some stomping suggested Nijinsky. But Eisenhower was telling her own story in her own way.
'Rite of Spring' dance reveals perils of She set up an intriguing parallel near the end, placing a woman in a dominant role where a man had been at the start. If women were in charge, progress would things end any better for humanity? Eisenhower leaves the question unresolved, but without art, it won’t matter either way. June 18, 2012 |
Eisenhower Dance Ensemble To Premiere ‘Rite of Spring’ - June 16 Posted on June 5, 2012 by Admin
Eisenhower Dance Ensemble To Premiere ‘Rite of Spring’ - June 16-17, 2012 By Julie Gervais, Dancepanorama | Tuesday, June 5, 2012 The 19th Annual Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival will present two fully staged performances of Igor Stravinsky’s famous ballet, The Rite of Spring, on June 16 & 17. Laurie Eisenhower, Artistic Director of Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, squeezed in a few minutes with Dancepanorama to tell us about it! dp: You said that this music has been on your mind for a very long time. When did you know that now would be the time to finally choreograph to it, and how long have you been working on it? LE: I’ve been listening to Stravinsky’s music over the years, since I started choreographing, and this piece is pretty powerful. I was in NY when the Joffrey revived it and learned a lot about it at that time. They were reviving the original work and I don’t think there’s any film available, but I think Nijinsky’s sister was alive then, and they were working with notes, and trying to reconstruct it. They worked on it for a couple of years. I also saw Pina Bausch’s version, Martha Graham’s, Paul Taylor’s…but I always liked the music and felt like if I took it on at a very young age that people might feel it was a little arrogant. So I decided to wait a bit. It’s a complex piece of music: mixed meter, and then the meter changes all the time. It’s a difficult piece for dancers to count. I spent over forty hours coming up with my own ‘score’, what I call my ‘dancers’ score’, so we had something to work with. But I had always wanted to tackle the piece; I had an idea for it probably ten years ago and was just waiting for things to kind of come together in order to take it on. Of course I wish I had another two or three weeks, now! But there’s never enough time, and I’m excited about what we have. dp: After spending so Laurie much time with this music, can you say why it might be that something so poorly received at first has become so cherished and Eisenhower exalted? LE: Well, of course it wasn’t just the music that people had a problem with. The dance was very turned in, very radical and against the ballet tradition. And by Julie Gervais the subject matter was controversial. And the music is very percussive, and rhythmic in a very odd way. So you put all those things together, and people started booing, and it just got out of control. So I can understand the history of that. But the music appeals to me because of the driving force that it has, the percussiveness, the wide range of dynamics. I find all those things very exciting, and I like how it’s complex and has so many shadings. Often these days, I think choreographers are picking music that has a regular 4/4 meter, and it’s easy to have only one dynamic in a piece like that. So it’s nice to work Annual Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival will present two fully staged performances with music that has allThe sorts 19th of dynamics; it helps inspire the choreography.
of
dp: The piece has a long lineage. There famous are iconic movements, thaton are June strongly with it. Do these resonateArtistic with you while Stravinsky’s ballet, Theposes Riteand ofshapes Spring, 16associated & 17. Laurie Eisenhower, Director you work?
Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, squeezed in a few minutes with Dancepanorama to tell us about it!
LE: Well, except for the Paul Taylor version, the other versions I’ve seen have all taken on the original scenario, that of the sacrificial virgin. I’ve not done that so it’s been easier to stray from the originals. Also, for the last ten years I’ve purposely not been watching any of the original versions. I didn’t want any of their images in my brain. I think that when you watch other dances, sometimes that choreography can come out subconsciously and I try to avoid that as much as I can.
dp: You said that this music has been on your mind for a very long time. When did you know that now
dp: You have chosen to forge your own path with the storyline, forgoing the tale of maiden ritual sacrifice and instead using a theme of human timeCan toyou finally choreograph toWere it, and long have you workingand ondoit? discovery and innovation. say what led you to this? therehow specific images that the been music conjured, you depict any of these ideas in a literal way on the stage?
LE: Well, I actually choreographed a dance in 1999 called ‘Rites and Passages’. Many years before that, a choreography teacher had told me that you couldn’t choreograph LE: a dance about the listening history of the And I thought, ‘Well over why not?’ I did! since But I was a youngerchoreographing, choreographer at that time, I’ve been toworld. Stravinsky’s music the So, years, I started and this p and I liked the concept but later on, felt like I didn’t completely realize it, and I always wanted to go back to it. And then, listening to the ‘Rite of Spring’ music, I thought that I powerful. could merge that ideain with thiswhen music.the So itJoffrey all made sense to evolve those ideas through this music. I was NY revived it and learned a lot about it at that time. They were re dp: And do you think that the teacher was saying that it’s just too broad of a concept?
original work and I don’t think there’s any film available, but I think Nijinsky’s sister was alive then,
LE: Yes, and I understood what she was saying, but I think how you approach things is what matters. In a way, I am dealing with the whole history of the working with notes, and trying to reconstruct it. They worked on it for a couple of years. I also saw world but specifically, with the idea of change – things have transformed our society and how conflicts arise with change.
Martha Graham’s, Taylor’s…but I always liked theormusic like dp: How many dancersversion, are you working with, and is there Paul more solo/partnering work or more corps work is it kindand of a felt balance?
Pi
if I took it on at a
ageandthat might feel it was littleare arrogant. decided to wait bit. It’s a complex piece toof mu LE: There are 10 dancers, theypeople are mostly working as one tribe.aThere some solosSo andI duets. Originally I hadawanted 20 dancers but I decided narrow it down and I’m glad I did. The 10 dancers really fill up the stage and 20 would have been crowded, so I think it worked out well. And we have a thenso the changes time. a difficult for together. dancers to count. I spent over f set design, and there’smeter, all sorts and of props, theremeter logistical crazinessall butthe I think it willIt’s be exciting when piece it all comes upthings withyoumy ‘score’, what I call my ‘dancers’ score’, sowant wetohad something work with. dp: Can you name just coming a few of the areown most excited about, for this premiere, maybe things that you tell the audience toto look out for?
B
LE: Well, for one the music is going to beto really incredible. The Pridonoffs, anditEugene, are going to be performing the music some for always wanted tackle the piece; I had anElisabeth idea for probably ten years ago and was just with waiting percussionists, and that will be amazing. I have so many collaborators on this project and I’d like the audience to notice their work too – costumes designed by Monika Essen and executed by Shari Bennett. My lighting is Kerro Knox 3I and design istwo by Jeremy Barnett. In terms of the of come together in order to take it on.designer Of course I wish hadset another or three weeks, now! But th choreography, I like the work to speak for itself. I know some people tend to focus on the technique of the dancers, others on the figuring out the story. This is being performed at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, a lot ofwe the audience enough time, and I’m excited aboutsowhat have. will be chamber music fans. Overall, I’m just excited for that moment when an audience sees a piece for the first time. It’s one of the thrills of being a choreographer!
How Sweet It Is -- Eisenhower Dance Ensemble rocks the Opera House! By Patty Nolan, Detroit Theater Examiner | Sunday, March 20, 2011 Last night the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble brought its trademark moves – at once playful, gymnastic and elegant – to the Detroit Opera House for ‘Motown in Motion.’ The show is a visual romp through the history of the Motown Sound, opening with the Holland-Dozier-Holland classic ‘How Sweet it Is’ and working its way through other favorites made famous by the likes of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Martha Reeves, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder and other legends. The show’s dance vignettes were created by an impressive roster of nationally and internationally respected choreographers, including Joel Hall, Stephen Koester, Ginger Thatcher, Bill DeYoung, Lindsey Thomas, Stephanie Pizzo, Gregory Patterson, and EDE artistic director Laurie Eisenhower, who introduced the show. ‘Motown in Motion’ showcases the astounding talent of EDE principal dancers Mary Bischoff, Alicia Cutaia, Rebecca McLindon, Ahmad Simmons and Morgan “Mo” Williams, apprentice dancers Barbara Schoen and Will Jordan Peake, plus community dancers recruited specifically for this program, including Eisenhower dance students. As a special treat for the audience, the second act included a flash mob sequence in which dancers planted in the audience suddenly jumped to their feet and began dancing in the aisles. Although this presentation of ‘Motown in Motion’ was a one-day-only event at the Detroit Opera House, check out the Eisenhower Dance ensemble website to review their 2011 schedule. If you are interested in experiencing contemporary dance at its finest – you don’t have to go to New York. Motown’s got it all going on.
The Eisenhower Dance Ensemble: Promoting An Art And Building A Community By Nicole Rupersburg | Thursday, January 29, 2009
If you would have asked me a week ago about the presence of the art of dance in the metro Detroit area, I would have maybe been able to name a handful of dance schools located in strip malls out in the suburbs that I remember driving by, with fond recollections of watching friends’ dance recitals in grade school and driving an old boyfriend’s little sister to and from dance class on Tuesday nights. I would also have been able to tell you that the Music Hall and Detroit Opera House occasionally see the Russian Ballet and the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre come through. If you would have asked me about contemporary dance, I would have retorted with, “You mean where they trot around in ridiculous outfits and attempt to address philosophical issues like environmentalism and gender construction?” THAT was my perception of Detroit’s dance culture. Then I discovered, and entirely by accident, the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Did you know that, right here in metro Detroit, we have a critically acclaimed national and international touring dance group? Neither did I. Did you know that the same dance group also opened a dance center, providing the highest-quality dance instruction to students of any age while also fostering an appreciation for the art of dance and allowing students to share the stage with the professional members of the Ensemble? Got me again. Laurie Eisenhower, founder and Artistic Director of the very community-minded Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. In fact, the more I learned about the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and the Eisenhower Dance Center, the more impressed I became. The mission of EDE—and, by extension, its founder Laurie Eisenhower—is to be a professional dance company with the highest artistic standards and showcase the works not only of the founder but also of national and international choreographers and artists, as well as provide community outreach and education programs. Since the company was founded in 1991, founder Laurie Eisenhower has built it into quite a formidable presence in the national dance community. The Ensemble has toured all over Michigan and the Midwest, as well as Texas, California, Washington D.C., New York, and even Russia. They’ve showcased works from a variety of internationally known choreographers, and have even produced several full-length touring productions of their own. The Eisenhower Dance Center, which opened in 1995, further aides in EDE’s mission to provide community outreach and education. Student companies have the chance to perform onstage as part of the Pre-Show for the Ensemble, and perform all over the community in nursing homes and assisted living homes as well as at local festivals. Since 2004, the Center has teamed up with the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center to offer a full schedule of dance classes, expanding their Rochester-based school into Birmingham. Founder and Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower is certainly no egomaniacal artist, either. The EDE is very community-minded, not just in the promotion of dance as an art form but also in the promotion of other choreographers and artists. Just last year the company initiated its first choreographers’ competition, and the winner of that competition was able to create a new work for the Ensemble for the 2008-09 season. The Ensemble regularly performs works of other choreographers, in addition to Eisenhower’s acclaimed choreography. EDE also emphasizes community health and does quite a bit for the benefit of children, including “Healthy Kids,” a program developed in conjunction with the Beaumont Weight Control Center which uses dance as an interventional method in addressing overweight issues in children. Impressed yet? Now you just have to see them. I was invited to attend the NewDanceFest VII at the Troy High School Performing Arts Center, and found myself utterly enthralled by what I was seeing. Firstly, of six works performed, only two were created by Eisenhower—the rest were set by choreographers from EDE’s first choreographer competition, as well as a piece set on the EDE by another choreographer for a previous season. This fact continues to impress as it shows just how much EDE is truly committed to highlighting and promoting dance in the community and on a national scale. The performances were visually breathtaking, from the witty costuming to the graceful and elegant dancers. Some of the pieces were slightly more serious in tone, while others were playful, exhibiting a certain joie die vivre. My personal favorite of the playful pieces was Ces Petits Riens (These Little Nothings), which began with an almost slapstick-style musical chairs performance; the child-like nursery-rhyme intro to Reading a Book By Its Cover was also quite fun and playful, but segued unexpectedly into something much darker. Of all the pieces performed as part of this program, it was Unconditional that was the real standout. Set by Stephanie Pizzo for the 2007-08 season and premiering at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts in April of 2008, this piece proves how powerfully the art of dance can communicate a story. Unconditional tells the story of lovers in love, lovers spurned, lovers jaded, and lovers regretting. A masterful work of human emotion executed flawlessly, set with precision as the piece follows one girl as she moves from her group of friends to one lover to another lover, the heartbreak and anger and healing and renewing that takes place in her wake, and the regret she later feels. It is poignantly simple, at once both mournful and hopeful, and speaks to all of us equally. Watching the dancers float across the stage I rediscovered my childhood love of dance and appreciation for its beauty. In this day and age where Dancing with the Stars is one of the most-watched shows on television, it seems amazing to me that more people aren’t flocking out to see their local dance ensembles perform live right in front of them—then it occurred to me that, much like myself, they probably don’t know about them. Coming up this season you have the opportunity to witness the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble in action performing one of their own full-length touring programs, the popular Motown in Motion. This program showcases the work of nationally renowned choreographers including Laurie Eisenhower, Joel Hall, Stephen Koester, and Bill DeYoung, and celebrates the 50th anniversary of Motown with the legendary group the Contours in a playful and humorous theatrical dance performance. This performance will be on Saturday, April 4th and 8:00PM at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts; tickets range in price from $15.00-$35.00. Dance is an under-appreciated art form that the majority of people outside of the dance community itself have little awareness of, though it is every bit as enjoyable and entertaining to watch as any other theatre performance, opera, musical, or comedy act. EDE is here to help people realize this and appreciate the art that is dance; I fully encourage all of you to experience this fine Ensemble for yourself and perhaps rediscover a little bit of your own child-like wonder.
Contact For Booking, please contact: Jodie Randolph, Company Manager: randolph@ede-dance.org • (248) 559-2095
Artistic Personnel Laurie Eisenhower, Artistic Director: eisenhower@ede-dance.org Stephanie Pizzo, Associate Artistic Director: pizzo@ede-dance.org
Administrative Personnel Dana Gill, Executive Director: gill@ede-dance.org Natalie Bruno, Vice President for Marketing and Development: natalie.bruno@ede-dance.org Margo Strebig, Communications Manager: strebig@ede-dance.org Erica Battle, Controller: battle@detroitchamberwinds.org Jill Overacker, Public Relations & Marketing Associate: overacker@ede-dance.org
Send Contracts & Correspondence: JODIE Randolph Send Payments to: Erica Battle
Eisenhower Dance Ensemble 20300 Civic Center Drive, Suite 100 Southfield, MI 48076
Phone: 248-559-2095 Fax: 248-559-2098
2012-2013 Schedule Date
Location
Venue
Activity
September 4-8
Harrisonburg, VA
Forbes Center
Residency & NewDANCEfest Performance
September 12-15
Grand Rapids, MI
Midwest Arts Conference
Showcase Performances
September 19
Miami, FL
Little Haiti Cultural Center
Showcase Performance
October 4
Bluffton, OH
Yoder Recital Hall
Performance
October 20-21
Rochester, MI
Oakland University
On the Move Repertory Performances
October 27
Fremont, OH
Dogwood Center
NewDANCEfest Performance
Oct 31 - Nov 1
Paradise Valley, AZ
Paradise Valley Community College
Master Classes
November 3
Queen Creek, AZ
Queen Creek Performing Art Center
NewDANCEfest Performance
November 8
Alamogordo & Las Cruces, NM
Dance Studios
Master Classes
November 9
Alamogordo, NM
Flickinger Center for the Perfoming Arts
Mini-Motown Performance
November 10
Alamogordo, NM
Flickinger Center for the Performing Arts
NewDANCEfest Performance
November 11-13
Savannah, GA
Savannah Arts Academy
Choerographic residency
November 12-16
Birmingham, AL
Leslie Stephen Wright Center
Residency & NewDANCEfest Performance
Nov 29 - Dec 1
Rochester, MI
Varner Recital Hall, Oakland University
Resident Artist Performances
December 7
Beverly Hills, MI
Seligman Performing Arts Center
December Dances Performance
January 19
Detroit, MI
Detroit Opera House
Red, Hot and Blue Performance
February 10
Mission Viejo, CA
McKinney Theatre/ Saddleback College
Residency & NewDANCEfest Performance
Feb 25 - March 1
Greenville, OH
Darke County Center for the Arts
Residency Activities
March 2
Rochester, MI
Varner Recital Hall
Dance Day Performance
March 9
Seaside, CA
CSU Monterey Bay World Theatre
NewDANCEfest Performance
April 5
Clinton Township, MI
Macomb Center
Body to Body Performance
April 14
Chicago, IL
Auditorium Tehatre
Motown in Motion Performnace
April 18-19
Hart, MI
Hart Community Performing Arts Series
NewDANCEfest Residency & Performance
April 21
Roscommon, MI
Kirtland Center for the Performing Arts
NewDANCEfest Performance
April 27
Macomb, IL
Hainline Auditorium
NewDANCEfest Performance
May 11, 15, 17-19
Detroit, MI
Detroit Opera House
Aida Opera Performance
June 1
Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Lake Superior State University
NewDANCEfest Performance
June 8-9
Troy, MI
Troy Performing Arts Center
Center Spring Showcase Performances
2012-2013 Subscription Season Repertory Performance