City in Motion Dance Theater will celebrate it’s 40th season with a full length dance concert “Past, Present, Future” on Saturday April 19 at 7:30 p.m., at City Stage Theater in Union Station. On Friday night, April 18, a dress rehearsal will be open for community engagement and to provide an alternative opportunity for those who need it to see the show for free or donation. The show includes new works by Co-artistic directors Ann Shaughnessy and Bobbi Foudree, reportorial works by former Artistic Directors Andrea Skowronek and Dale Fellin, new works from former Artistic Directors Tracie Jensen and Amanda January, as well as a new work presented by company member Anna Boehm. This season the company is comprised of returning dancers Ann Shaughnessy, Jadelyn Ransom, Anna Boehm, Johnny Dihn Phan, Allay Lu Freeman and Selah Thompson, and welcomes new dancers Maria Kennedy, Brigitte Benyei, Heidi Loubser and apprentice Jason Izquierdo. Former company member Katie Brennan will be performing as a guest dancer and City in Motion’s Youth Dance Theater will also be featured in one of the dances.
“Past, Present, Future” reflects on the past, lives in the moment, and looks to the future. It features very different dances of various themes, some abstract and some with a story to tell. It is a beautiful portrayal of the diversity of works the company has presented and will continue to present in years to come.
Artistic Co-Director Ann Shaughnessy will show two new works to music by Regina Spektor. “Bleeding Heart” is about the sometimes awkward and painful process of maturing and finding self-understanding, and having sympathy for those just starting out on their own journey. It is fresh and upbeat with focused moments of vulnerability. “The Light” is a tribute to those who have gone before us, who were for us like bright lights in our lives.
Ann and fellow aerialist Jadalyn Ransom will perform a collaborative duet with original choreography on the apparatuses of Silks and Lyra. Ann will also show a piece set on three Youth Dance Theater members and three of the professional company dancers, to music by Isaac Delusion.
Artistic Co-Director Bobbi Foudree is premiering a new work entitled “Silent Among the Many”. This piece is a representation of feeling isolated and alone even when surrounded by love and friends. It looks at how we view ourselves within relationships as well as when we are alone. This piece is set to music by Olafur Arnalds.
FRAGILE FACADE, choreographed by company member Anna Boehm is a new work exploring our desire to manipulate how others perceive us, either intentionally or subconsciously. The piece begins with a solo which represents the unmasked self, and moves into a group which starts to demonstrate the consciousness of others’ perception of you.
Former Artistic Directors Tracie Jensen and Amanda January are presenting new works. In Dark Waters Rite, Tracie Jensen employs choreographic storytelling to recount a frightening rite of passage from her recent past. In this piece, one woman helps a new initiate swim across a dark pool of flowing water in the blackness of night to emerge on the far bank renewed and strengthened. Amanda January’s new work “Untitled 45” is inspired by the movement of birds and is a perfect example of her precise and eclectic style of choreography. It features an original composition by David Broome.
Another former Artistic Director and one of the founding members of the company, Andrea Skowronek, is presenting her work Fractals that premiered in 2012. Fractals are rough or fragmented geometric shapes that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole. The minimalistic, repetitive music of Steve Reich works well with the fractal theme and has inspired the manipulation of patterns and shapes in this work.
Another repertorial work being presented is “Anudu” choreographed by former Artistic Director Dale Fellin. It first debuted for Modern Night in 2012. Anudu has a very grounded and primal movement quality that shows off the technique and strength of the company dancers. This dance was re-staged by co-artistic directors in memory of Dale who passed in 2017.
Please join us as we present creative and stunning dance works which celebrate the company’s Past, Present, and Future.
Support City in Motion Dance Theater by attending our Saturday show after-party at Cliff’s Tap House while you mix and mingle with CIM Dancers and Board Members.
Tickets are available at cityinmotion.org, unionstation.org, and on Eventbrite.
- $20 general admission, $18 for students, seniors, and Union Station members
- Saturday: Premiere & After-Party Reception open for all at Cliff’s Tap House
- www.cityinmotion.org | www.unionstation.org | www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-by-city-in-motion-dance-theater-tickets-863184216227
Financial support for this performance will be provided by the Missouri Arts Council; a state agency, ArtsKC, the Estelle S. and Robert A. Long Ellis Foundation, the Torosian Foundation, and the Louis & Elizabeth Nave Flarsheim Foundation.
City in Motion Dance Theater was incorporated as a 501(c)3 arts organization in 1985. Its mission is to foster the development of high-quality contemporary dance programming and expand the dance audience in the Kansas City metropolitan region. City in Motion is a school of dance, a professional dance company and a presenter of dance.
