Sunday, April 21, 2013

Rites Of Passage, Quick Silver Dance Company



Scroll down for video trailer

Simmons Hall Associate Housemaster Steven Hall, gave a tribute for MIT Police Officer Sean Collier who was killed after the Boston Marathon Bombing. The audience stood for a moment of silence in his honor.

Quicksilver Dance's third annual performance at MIT's architectural wonder, Simmons Hall! Eight marvelous dancers take you back in time to experience evolutionary history in Epoch Tales; play with the subconscious genius of advertisements in Got Art? and enthrall you in the world of turn-of-the-20th-century Spain with several new sections of Festivals and Visions.

They're raising $4,000 to support the dancers in Rites of Passage! Every dollar you give goes directly to the artists involved in bringing the show to life. Donate and learn more about the project. They offer  great perks for donations from $5 up - like a dozen delicious cookies from Huttenhouse Home Bakery!

Rites of Passage is a proud part of the Cambridge Science Festival, an annual celebration showcasing the leading edge in science, technology, engineering, art, and math. A multifaceted, multicultural event every spring, the CSF makes science accessible, interactive and fun - like "Epoch Tales," a showcase dance inspired by evolution. Be Curious!

See web site for upcoming events at
http://quicksilverdance.com/

Quick Silver Dance Company gave a concert, Rites of Passage, at MIT's Simmons Hall (known as "The Sponge"). The event was part of the annual Cambridge Science Festival. The connection to science is the portrayal of evolution in dance.


MIT's Simmons Hall

Eight dancers performed interpretations of classical paintings, advertisements and evolution. Revealing my musical tastes and how old I am my favorite was Frankie Sings, We Dance. . .Ok, Pop? It's a video of Mariah Steel and Virginia Byron dancing around the MIT campus to Sinatra singing "All Or Nothing At All." In a classroom, outside on the grassy malls of MIT, inside the infinite corridor at MIT, and on the steps of Stata Hall.


Frankie Sings, We Dance... OK, Pop? from Mariah Steele on Vimeo.

Epoch Tales exhibited movement of water animals. PBS in Boston, WGBH is showing in April 2013, a four part series Australia's First 4 Billion Years: Awakening. Some parts of this dance piece reminded me of the ancient animals shown in that feature -- how they moved in water and on land. The dancers did not show attacks on and devouring of smaller animals by larger ones that happens in real life. Perhaps that aspect was omitted due to the graduate thesis of Mariah Steele, about "using dance in peacebuilding." It was more of how the animals inspected each other, and mated during their travels in the water. Movement of sports teams can also be seen.

Art | Facts was part video showing advertisements accompanied by music and performances by Amy Caine, Jennifer Roberts and Nicole Sao Pedro-Welch. The humorous text written and read by Mariah Steele was humorous and got many laughs for the audience.

Peregrine (2005) is described as a following "a young woman's journey of self-discovery in relationship to those around her." Dancers, Hans Rinderknecht and Mariah Steele show differing degrees of success in doing and being with another.

Festivals and Visions (Part II - Premiere) shows how people lived and played in early 20th Century Spain. A full length (14 sections) production of this piece will be shown in July 2013.

Other videos of Quick Silver Dance Company can be viewed at:
http://vimeo.com/user2236023

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