Press Release

Los Angeles-based BODYTRAFFIC debuts on the Dance Celebration Series with three Philadelphia premieres

March 13, 2014

(Philadelphia, March 13, 2014) — Known for commissioning repertory from the most acclaimed contemporary choreographers, BODYTRAFFIC’s Philadelphia debut will feature works by Barak Marshall, Richard Siegal and Kyle Abraham, a 2013 MacArthur Fellow. Founded in 2007 by Tina Finkelman Berkett and Lillian Rose Barbeito, BODYTRAFFIC is dedicated to defying the notion that Hollywood only produces commercial dance. Presented by Dance Affiliates and the Annenberg Center, performances will take place on Thursday, April 3 at 7:30 PM, Friday, April 4 at 8 PM and Saturday, April 5 at 2 PM and 8 PM. Tickets are $20-$55 (prices are subject to change). For tickets or for more information, please visit AnnenbergCenter.org or call 215.898.3900. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Annenberg Center Box Office.

Named as one of Dance Magazine’s Top 25 to Watch in 2013 and the first prize winner of the Los Angeles’ A.W.A.R. D Show 2011!, BODYTRAFFIC will kick off its performance with Israeli-American choreographer Barak Marshall’s piece and at midnight the green bride floated through the village square…(2012). Marshall’s hilarious work Harry (2012) was seen recently on the Dance Celebration Series, performed by Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. According to Marshall, the piece, inspired by a real Yemen family, “is a morality tale filled with dark humor.” Set to an eclectic score ranging from traditional Yiddish, Ladino and Judeo-Arabic sayings and songs to the Barry Sisters’ Chiribim Chiribom, and at midnight showcases Marshall’s innovative aesthetic, recognized for its intense gestural vocabulary and fusion of contemporary movement with physical theatre.

Kollide (2013), MacArthur “genius” Kyle Abraham’s first new work since he won the award, combines elements of ballet and hip hop in a fluid, sensual style entirely unique to Abraham that draws on the vocabularies of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Eadweard Muybridge and Michael Jackson. With a five-panel Japanese-style backdrop and set to a string-dominated score, Kollide begins in a tranquil environment of love and desire then moves to the fiery realm of betrayal. The Los Angeles Times raves that “…Kollide is surely a timeless masterwork…Abraham’s structural prowess here is Balanchine-strong.”

The program concludes with the cheerful and exuberant o2Joy (2012). Choreographed by Munich Dance Award Winner Richard Siegal, o2Joy pays adoring tribute to American jazz standards and features music by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Glenn Miller and The Oscar Peterson Trio. The piece is an expression of sheer joy through music and movement, promising to end BODYTRAFFIC’S Philadelphia debut on a high note.

BODYTRAFFIC is helping establish Los Angeles as a major center for contemporary dance. Founded in 2007 by Co-Artistic Directors Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, BODYTRAFFIC has surged to the forefront of the concert dance world. The young company is already internationally recognized for its high quality and vitality. Repertory includes works by Kyle Abraham, Sidra Bell, Stijn Celis, Sarah Elgart, Alex Ketley, Barak Marshall, Andrea Miller, Laura Gorenstein Miller, Zoe Scofield, Hofesh Shechter, Richard Siegal and Guy Weizman & Roni Haver; with an upcoming commission by Victor Quijada. BODYTRAFFIC has performed throughout the United States and in Canada. In June 2012, the company made its Joyce Theater (NYC) debut; in September 2013, BODYTRAFFIC made its Walt Disney Concert Hall debut at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Opening Night Gala performance; and this past summer marked BODYTRAFFIC’s Jacob’s PiIlow Dance Festival debut. Most recently, BODYTRAFFIC presented two sold-out programs at Santa Monica’s Broad Stage.

INSIGHTS

April 4
Audience members are invited to stay after the performance for a talk back with the company.

BODYTRAFFIC will also conduct two outreach activities — a Student Discovery performance for schools on Friday, April 4 at 10:30 AM and a complimentary master class for the dance community on Friday, April 4 at 2 PM. For information on outreach activities, contact annemarie@danceaffiliates.org or 215.636.9000 ext. 110.

Funding for the 13/14 Dance Celebration season is provided by the Connelly Foundation, Friends of Dance (Affiliates), the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and the Virginia C. Mulconroy Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation. State arts funding support is received through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.