This news comes from Tri-PAC…
The Mélange Contemporary Dance Company returns to the Tri-County Performing Arts Center, 245 E. High Street, Pottstown for a weekend of superb music and dance. On stage for three shows only, April 13th, 14th, and 15th, their performance features new duets, group pieces, and a reprise back by popular demand.
Giving the show its title of “Past Forward” is the dual theme of change and continuity: The more things change, the more they seem the same. Not just a dance performance, this is a show about telling stories and exploring relationships, according to Artistic Director Michelle Jones-Wurtz.
The show begins with “Me and Bessie,” a story-dance telling the tale of the lifestyle and hardships of Bessie Smith, a jazz singer during Prohibition. Her life was a contrast of hardship and success, and by the time she died, she was penniless. However, her music continued; it has been covered by many musical legends including Nina Simone, Eric Clapton, and Billie Holiday.
The Company then reprises an excerpt from “Survivor”, a piece dedicated to Michelle Jones Wurtz’s mother, a stage 3 breast cancer survivor. The show includes a variety of pieces, including a work commissioned for the International Dance Festival in Poland in 2011, a movement interpretation of the famous Botticelli painting, “The Birth of Venus”, and even a celebration of the Beatles, a band that changed music forever. The piece “History Repeating” is a visual study of how the more things change, the more they stay the same. The finale is “Katrina’s Cross”, a look at New Orleans before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. This work is choreographed in part to original music by Deborah Stimson- Snow, Artistic Director of the Tri-PAC.
The dancers include Michelle Jones Wurtz, Elrey Belmonti, Dana Blackman, Christa Campbell, Kathleen Kerner, and Jackie Kokolus. Musical choices range from rock, to blues, to classical and everything in between! Be prepared for an evening of stories, songs, and inspiring movement as the tales unfold.
Tickets for all shows at the Tri-PAC are available online. Please note that seating is now reserved, so go to www.tripac.org to purchase your tickets now or call 610.970.1199 to ensure the best seats. Tickets range from $13 for children 12 and under, $15 for students and seniors (65+), and $17 for adults. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. When available, tickets will be sold at the door.
Village Productions is a dynamic nonprofit performing arts organization that seeks to strengthen community, inspire creative exploration, educate, and entertain, through the presentation of quality performing arts events and educational opportunities geared toward a diverse audience. The new Tri-County Performing Arts Center at 245 E. High Street, Pottstown, PA is the home of Village Productions. You may contact Village Productions through their website at www.tripac.org, or by telephone at 610-970-1199.
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