The Contemporary Voices and Visions Series at Hamilton College continues on Saturday, October 25, at 8 p.m. with a performance of the Seán Curran Dance Company in collaboration with the Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership. It will take place at Wellin Hall in the Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts.
Known for his wit, intelligence, ingenuity, and uncanny physical humor, choreographer and dancer Seán Curran and his company will present a full-length evening piece with all live music, performed by Hamilton College music faculty. A former principal dancer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and original member of STOMP!, Curran successfully blends a myriad of influences into a purely original style.
The Hamilton program includes solo and ensemble work performed to live accompaniment provided by Sar-Shalom Strong, piano and Vladimir Pritsker, violin. This performance is one of only two live music performances by the Seán Curran Dance Company this season. The repertoire for this program consists of: "The Nothing that is Not There and the Nothing That Is," with music for solo piano from "On An Overgrown Path" by Leos Jancek; "Five Points of Articulation," which consists of three different solos featuring virtuosic dancing and the emotionally drive scores of Leos Janacek, Fritz Kriesler and Antonio Dvorak; and "Sonata: We Are What We Are," a work for eight dancers performed to the music of Janacek. "Sonata" reflects community, how individuals hold shared memories, and how these memories impact our present relationships.
Violinist Vladimir Pritsker immigrated to the United States from his home in Kharkov, Ukrainia in 1989. He became a member of the Syracuse Symphony that same year. His professional career in Ukrainia included performances as associate concertmaster for the Kharkov State Opera Theatre Orchestra and later as a first violinist with the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra. Since moving to Syracuse, Pristker has performed with the Skaneateles Festival, Glimmerglass Opera, and the Society for New Music. He also teaches violin at Hamilton College.
Pianist Sar-Shalom Strong is well known to east coast audiences as both a soloist and a collaborative pianist. He has performed at the Skaneateles Festival and the Society for New Music. In 2002, Strong was a featured performer in collaboration with soprano Janet Brown at the annual convention of the Emily Dickinson International Society. Strong teaches piano at Hamilton College and is a staff accompanist/coach for Syracuse University's Setnor School of Music. In addition, he regularly performs orchestral keyboard with the Syracuse Symphony.
This presentation of the Seán Curran Dance Company is a project of the Mohawk Valley Dance Partnership which combines the talents and resources of three community partners: Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, the Arts in Education Institute of the Central New York Community Arts Council, and Hamilton College. This performance is made possible by the New York State Dance Force, a statewide consortium of choreographers, arts organizations, presenters, and educators. The Dance Force receives major sponsorship from the New York State Council on the Arts and Altria. Additional support is provided by JPMorganChase and the National Endowment for the Arts. Administered by Dance Theatre Workshop and Danspace Project, Dance Force projects include artist residencies, community outreach activities and dance programming that link artist and communities throughout New York State. Additional funding for this project is provided by Bon Appetit Catering.
Tickets for the Seán Curran Dance Company at Hamilton College's Wellin Hall are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students. Discounts are available for groups and Munson-Williams-Proctor members. All seating is general admission. For more information or tickets, call the Wellin Hall box office at 859-4331 or the Munson-Williams Proctor box office at 797-0055 or 1-800-754-0797.
