Brochure of Programming - Modern American Dance Company

the company
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MADCO (Modern American Dance Company) is based in St. Louis, Missouri and
is proud to be the Professional Dance Company in Residence at the Blanche M.
Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of University of Missouri St. Louis.
The company reaches over 30,000 people annually and is known for its high energy,
athleticism, and entertaining style that leaves audiences wanting more.
Under the Artistic Direction of Stacy West, MADCO has a commitment to collaborations and to commissioning work that makes an impact on artists, audiences and
communities. The company collaborates with choreographers, musicians, visual
artists, technicians, authors, professional athletes and many others in the development of new work that is uniquely “MADCO.”
MADCO’s education and community programs are as creative as its concert work.
The company enjoys working with presenters to adapt performances, residencies
and classes for almost any event.
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“MADCO left the audience laughing,
gasping for breath, in awe of beauty
and in deep contemplation: all any
modern dance company could hope
to achieve in one evening’s production.” Jennifer Fried, Broadway World
Honors & Awards
2015 “Liquid Roads” HEC-TV feature story
nominated for an Emmy award
2014 St. Louis Post Dispatch Readers’ Choice
“Best Dance Company”
2013 St. Louis Post Dispatch Critics Choice
“Best Dance Company”
2012 Regional Emmy Award for “VEZA”
2012 International Telly Award for “VEZA”
2010 Named “Best of 2010” by St. Louis Post
Dispatch
2005 Named “Best of the Best” at the Toronto International Fringe Dance Festival
2001 Young Audience “Artist of the Year”
education programs
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“Once in a while along comes a program
that is above and beyond any expectations
you could imagine for a school program.
Books in Motion with MADCO is one of
those programs”
Flavia Evermann, Executive Director,
Warren County Fine Arts Council
Books in Motion:
This creative, one-of-a-kind dance residency is targeted to 4th through 6th grade students. In partnership with our collaborating schools one featured “Books in Motion” book is selected. “Books in Motion” promotes teachers and artists working
together to design a creative and inspiring curriculum that fosters appreciation for the arts, love for reading and hands-on
experiences that are unique to the needs of each school. “Books in Motion” students are guided by MADCO’s skilled teaching artists and are encouraged to take ownership of their learning. They become the agents in their education by working
together and with their teachers to use their ideas in a final production inspired by the book, a project that people will actually see. Participants perform for the entire student body, for family and the community. The MADCO dancers also perform
a piece inspired by the featured book. “Books in Motion” comes with a complete study guide including activities, discussion
questions, vocabulary words and more. MADCO also provides schools with assistance in grantwriting and funding.
Master Classes:
MADCO’s accomplished performers are also inspiring teachers who reach thousands of students each year. The company
can provide master classes in modern, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, improvisation, music and composition for beginner through
advanced students of all ages.
University Residencies:
MADCO often shares its vast repertoire with college students through its university residency program. Conducted by MADCO Artistic Director Stacy West, MADCO’s Rehearsal Directors and Senior Company Members, participating college students
go through an audition process and are selected to learn a dance from MADCO’s repertoire. The work can be performed
for student concerts, community events and dance festivals. We recommend adding master classes to reach even more
students.
Classes for Students with Disabilities:
Developed with the School of Professional and Continuing Studies at the University of Missouri St. Louis and many community organizations, MADCO offers creative movement and dance classes for students with intellectual and developmental
disabilities. Students learn the fundamentals of dance while exploring rhythm and creative movement in classes designed
to increase self-confidence, improve body awareness, develop muscle coordination and balance, and encourage positive
interpersonal interaction.
liquid roads
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artistic direction
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“Liquid Roads is the kind of show that could bring new audiences to dance. Gina Patterson’s choreography and Brian
Casserly’s musical direction mesh beautifully to evoke the
majesty of the Mississippi River and the region through which
it flows. It’s about as entertaining as any tribute to that rich
musical culture could hope to be.” Calvin Wilson, dance critic,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch/stltoday.com
Created & Choreographed by Gina Patterson
with Music Direction by Brian Casserly
Available for touring
For generations, St. Louis has been at the crossroads of history and culture –
all fueled by the intersection of railroads and rivers. The echoing “hellos” and
“goodbyes” that originated on the station platform still reverberate across time
connecting us to generations past.
Liquid Roads, created specifically for MADCO by choreographer Gina Patterson,
is a poignant 90-minute reflection of an era when steamboat and train travel
served as backdrop for countless journeys. Infused with the music that flowed
up the Mississippi and into our hearts, Liquid Roads is an emotional snapshot
of the sounds and movements of the age.
Liquid Roads reaches beyond contemporary dance to pure entertainment, as
four musicians accompany the dancers onstage with original as well as familiar
songs. Selections by Music Director Brian Casserly include well-known pieces
such as “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “What a Wonderful World,” along with the
title song “Liquid Roads” and the unforgettable “Hellos and Goodbyes.”
As with all great journeys, there is something
new to discover every time you see Liquid Roads.
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“I was completely captivated
by the union of music and
dance...What makes this all really cook is the contribution of
Music Director Brian Casserly
and his fellow band members.”
Chris Gibson, critic, Broadway
World
Stacy West joined MADCO in 1988 as a dancer and was appointed Artistic Director in 1994. Using her background in Marketing, Business and Dance, she has tripled the company’s operating budget and led MADCO
to its current home as the Professional Dance Company in Residence at the prestigious Blanche M. Touhill
Performing Arts Center on the campus of University of Missouri-St. Louis. MADCO now reaches over 30,000
people annually with its concert performances, community outreach and education programs. West studied
dance and dance education with Robert Small, Erick Hawkins and Jacque D’Amboise’s National Dance Institute
in New York. In her professional dance career, Ms. West has served as a Master Teacher and consultant for
numerous organizations and academic institutions including: Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney World, State University New York Fredonia, University of South Florida, the Tennessee Association for Dance, and the American
College Dance Festival, among many others. Ms. West is an Assistant Research Professor at the University of
Missouri-St. Louis where she oversees professional internships and apprenticeships in dance; additionally,
she has served as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Dance at Webster University. In 2011, she conceived
a work entitled “Still Standing” that used dance to tell the stories of Bosnian immigrants living in St. Louis, a
population of over 50,000. The piece was covered in a documentary by HEC-TV and in 2012 won an International Telly Award and a Regional Emmy Award.
LIQUID ROADS choreographer Gina Patterson has been hailed as a choreographer of “startling originality”
(Back Stage) and “engaging creativity” (Richard Christensen) and is the artistic director of VOICE Dance Company. She was awarded the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, the B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding
Choreographer, was selected five times for the Ballet Builder’s Showcase in New York and was recently nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award in Choreography. Ms. Patterson is a winner of the Hubbard Street
2 National Choreographic Competition and the National Choreographic Initiative, and her ballets have been
presented internationally in Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Spain.
Since 1998, she has created over 70 original works for companies including Richmond Ballet, Atlanta Ballet,
Ballet Austin, Ballet Concierto, Ballet Florida, Dayton Ballet, BalletMet, DanceWorks Chicago, Ballet Pacifica
and Ballet East. In May of 2013, her world premiere of “Romeo and Juliet” for CoDa21 brought audiences
roaring to their feet. Her commission from Nashville Ballet is the most recent of her multi-disciplinary works
featuring collaborators such as Matthew Perryman-Jones, Tucker Livingston, Sons of the Never Wrong, DBR,
Emily Leonard, Eliza Thomas, Sara Lovett and Pollyanna Theater. Known as a versatile, consummate performer
of classical and contemporary ballet Ms. Patterson has danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Ballet Austin,
Ballet Florida, American Repertory Ensemble, and has performed as a guest artist in Canada, Iceland, Greece,
Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and France.
A professional musician since the age of 14, LIQUID ROADS music director Brian Casserly—who also performs
under the stage name “Big B”—plays trumpet, trombone and saxophone and is also a vocalist. Known for his
unique “one-handed” trumpet playing style, Casserly has played alongside many of the greats in the music
business including Tony Bennett, Tex Beneke, Stan Kenton, Chuck Berry and even Tiny Tim. He is also a regular
performer at the prestigious Monterey Pops Festival; a session musician for commericals, professional recordings and musicals in the U.S. and Canada; and is the past musical director for the S.S. Admiral, a riverboat
venue on the St. Louis riverfront. He has decided to devote his musical talents entirely to traditional jazz. He
is currently touring the U.S., Europe and Central America with his own jazz band, Cornet Chop Suey, playing
concerts, festivals and cruises.
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“Bright, witty, theatrical and
unabashedly entertaining…”
Kansas City Times
touring repertory
booking
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For more information go to our website, www.madcodance.com,
or follow MADCO on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter (@madcodance)
and Instagram
MADCO’s vast repertoire has been described as a perfect blend of style and substance, showcasing the troupe’s technical and theatrical range. The company works to design performances that meet the needs of presenters taking into consideration audience demographics and currently actively repertoire.
For video samples visit MADCO’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/Madcodance.
Contact:
MADCO (Modern American Dance Company)
c/o University of Missouri St. Louis
One University Blvd., 243 AAB
St. Louis, MO, USA 63121-4400
Points of Contact by Roni Koresh (Philadelphia) was commissioned in 2014 by Dance St. Louis for PNC Arts
Alive New Dance Horizons. Inspired by Koresh’s Israeli background, this piece is about community. Stylistically athletic and challenging, this work is an audience favorite.
Emilee Morton
Company Manager
314-681-4923
[email protected]
Seven by Jennifer Archibald (New York) was underwritten by the St. Louis based Sports Medicine and
Training Center. The work is inspired by and dedicated to World Champion Track Star and St. Louisan Jackie
Joyner-Kersee.
Stacy West
Executive and Artistic Director
314-341-5407
[email protected]
The Carpet by Michael Foley (Tampa) shows off MADCO’s athletic and entertaining style and is based on
Foley’s childhood fantasy of figures from his family’s Persian rug coming to life. Foley is an internationally
active choreographer who is a favorite of both MADCO dancers and audiences.
Fast Brass by Janice Garrett (San Francisco) was created in 2006. Ms. Garrett, who was named by Dance
Magazine as one of the Top 25 Choreographers to watch, set the work on MADCO in 2008 and it became
an instant hit. Set to Romanian brass music, this is one of the fastest moving pieces audiences will ever see!
Conversations and Fits by Lindsay Hawkins (St. Louis) was created in 2012. Hawkins is MADCO’s former Assistant Artistic Director, named by St. Louis Post Dispatch critic Calvin Wilson as a choreographer to watch.
Emphasizing Hawkins’ quirky side, the piece leaves audiences smiling, cheering and tapping their toes.
Second Line by Gina Patterson (Austin) was commissioned for MADCO in 2012 by Dance St. Louis for PNC
Arts Alive New Dance Horizons. The popular piece features New Orleans style blues and jazz music and is a
celebration of life. It is also included in the company’s full-length production of “Liquid Roads.”
Wallstories by Nejla Yatkin (Chicago) was commissioned by MADCO to commemorate the 25th anniversary
of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The piece was awarded the Overall Excellence in Dance at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2011.
Reflections in the Well of Solace by Joseph Mills (New York) was developed in 2001 in the emotional wake
of 9/11. This architecturally stunning work features two water-filled reflecting pools and leaves viewers
moved to tears.
Bach Cantata #10 by Michael Uthoff (St. Louis) is an abstract, spiritual piece for nine dancers. Uthoff is a
former Joffrey Ballet dancer and current Artistic and Executive Director of Dance St. Louis. Stylistically, the
work is a hybrid of ballet and modern dance.
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“…so integrated a performing
style, such physical fluidity, and
such technical excellence…a most
entertaining, satisfying evening.”
Chicago Reader
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