Heritage Professor of Dance Christopher d’Amboise will premiere his new work, “Full Circle,” at the Mason Dance Company’s 2012 Gala Concert on Friday, March 30, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 31, at 8 p.m. The Center for the Arts Concert Hall on the Fairfax Campus is the stage for this year’s gala.
D’Amboise describes “Full Circle” as a “modern/ballet pas de trois for two women and one man using abstract vocabulary and images to explore themes of limits, boundaries and the tendency to interpolate an obstacle as a self-defining truth.” This work is set to the second movement of Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by Philip Glass.
This annual dance gala will showcase three other works of contemporary choreography performed by Mason’s repertory company of young dancers:
- The last two sections of “Swing Shift” by David Parsons, which will be performed in honor of Mason President Alan Merten and Sally Merten. The work celebrates popular dance moves of the sock-hopping, swing-dancing era of the mid-20th century. Performed to music composed by Kenji Bunch, “Swing Shift” is an intimate, intricate dance for four couples.
- “Bedtime” by Mark Morris, a work that explores sleep and death. The choreography juxtaposes three standing figures, three sleeping figures and one spirit adorned in gold. The work is set to three pieces by Franz Schubert: “Wiegenlied, D498,” “Ständchen, D920” and “Erlkönig, D328.”
- A reconstruction of Part I of Bill T. Jones’ “D-Man in the Waters.” A New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Award-winning work, the dance is set to Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings in E-flat major, op. 20. The choreography celebrates life and the triumph of the human spirit.
Tickets to the dance concert are $20 for adults; $12 for students, staff and seniors; and $10 for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts Box Office, open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or see cfa.gmu.edu.
The Mason Dance Company rehearses "Bedtime" by Mark Morris for the upcoming spring 2012 Gala Concert. Photo by Alexis Glenn