Performed by Dancers' Company
This year’s “Dance in Concert” by the Brigham Young University Dancers’ Company will feature “Esplanade” by world-renowned choreographer Paul Taylor Thursday through Saturday, Jan. 26-28, at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center.
A matinee performance will be presented Saturday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 or $8 with a student ID. To purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 422-4322 or visit performances.byu.edu.
Under the direction of Rebecca Wright Phillips, the 18-member Dancers’ Company is the premier touring and performing modern dance troupe at BYU.
Performed to music by Bach, “Esplanade” has been heralded as one of the 20th century’s pivotal dance works. It premiered in 1975.
“It is a rare treat for BYU to be able to present a dance of this significance and magnitude,” Phillips said. “This is one of my favorite pieces that I’ve dreamed of my students doing.”
New York choreographer Lila York, who created more than 60 roles during her membership with the Paul Taylor Dance Company from 1973 to 1985, taught the work to the students during a fall semester campus residence.
The dancers will also perform favorites from their Southeast Asia tour, including “Disentegration” by guest choreographer Jenny Backhaus, the comical “Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law,” done with foam mattresses and a mini trampoline, and “Ascendance,” a moving dance using Thai silk to sculpt images on stage. New works include film projections and the contemporary music of Michael Buble.
“The company presents modern dance reflective of our values, making them unique among other dance groups,” Phillips said. “There is a beautiful spirit when the dancers perform—it is both uplifting and moving.”
For more information about the Dancers’ Company or “Dance in Concert,” contact Rebecca Wright Phillips at (801) 422-8022.
Writer: Angela Fischer
