NORTHROP ACROSS CAMPUS

2016//17 SEASON
NORTHROP
ACROSS CAMPUS
Academic Engagement
through the Arts
WELCOME
Northrop seeks to enrich the student experience,
promote engagement beyond the classroom, develop
and foster vitality in arts and culture, and create
opportunities for cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Northrop Across Campus is a program that encourages
University of Minnesota faculty and staff to incorporate
Northrop events into classroom discussion by providing
complimentary tickets for entire U of M classes
to attend performances (based on availability).
Attending a performance can deepen curriculum in
unique and exciting ways by offering an experience
unlike any other on campus.
This guide provides information about each 2016//17
Northrop season event, accompanied by key topics
and themes that link our world-class performances
to the many areas of academic inquiry on campus.
Northrop’s season has a rich tapestry of ideas, with a
wide variety of curricular connections. We are happy
to discuss these connections with you further in order
to provide opportunities for your students to engage
with Northrop performances, and for Northrop
performances to enrich your course themes.
If you would like to be a part of Northrop Across
Campus, contact our Student Engagement Team
at nacampus@umn.edu. Our Student Engagement
Team is available to consult with interested faculty/
staff to craft meaningful experiences for courses that
incorporate one or more Northrop performances into
their instructional strategy.
We invite you to take advantage of all Northrop
has to offer, and we look forward to seeing you at a
performance soon!
celebrating
a whole
wide
world
of
dance
1
ACADEMIC DIRECTORY
Art/Art History/Innovation
Grupo Corpo, pg. 5; Aszure Barton & Artists,
pg. 9; Batsheva Dance Company, pg. 11;
Ballet de Lorraine, pg. 13; Malandain Ballet
Biarritz, pg. 19
Communication
Bereishit Dance Company, pg. 15; Kidd Pivot/
Electric Company Theatre, pg. 17
Dance
Grupo Corpo, pg. 5; Canada’s Royal Winnipeg
Ballet, pg. 7; Aszure Barton & Artists, pg. 9;
Batsheva Dance Company, pg. 11; Ballet de
Lorraine, pg. 13; Bereishit Dance Company,
pg. 15; Kidd Pivot/Electric Company Theatre,
pg. 17; Malandain Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19;
Scottish Ballet, pg. 21; Brian Brooks Moving
Company, pg. 23
English/Creative Writing/ Victorian/Gothic
Literature
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, pg. 7; Ballet
de Lorraine, pg. 13; Malandain Ballet Biarritz,
pg. 19
Film/Media Studies
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, pg. 7;
Aszure Barton & Artists, pg. 9; Malandain
Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19
*
Family and Social Science
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, pg. 7;
Aszure Barton & Artists, pg. 9; Malandain
Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19
Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, pg. 7;
Aszure Barton & Artists, pg. 9; Malandain
Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19; Scottish Ballet, pg. 21
Global Studies
Grupo Corpo, pg. 5; Batsheva Dance
Company, pg. 11; Ballet de Lorraine, pg. 13;
Bereishit Dance Company, pg. 15
Kinesiology
Grupo Corpo, pg. 5; Canada’s Royal Winnipeg
Ballet, pg. 7; Aszure Barton & Artists, pg. 9;
Batsheva Dance Company, pg. 11; Ballet de
Lorraine, pg. 13; Bereishit Dance Company,
pg. 15; Kidd Pivot/Electric Company Theatre,
pg. 17; Malandain Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19;
Scottish Ballet, pg. 21; Brian Brooks Moving
Company, pg. 23
Music/Music History
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, pg. 7;
Malandain Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19; Scottish
Ballet, pg. 21;
Political Science/Middle Eastern Studies
Batsheva Dance Company, pg. 11
Psychology
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, pg. 7;
Kidd Pivot/Electric Company Theatre, pg. 17;
Malandain Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19;
Theater (Acting, Set/Lighting Design,
Costume Design)
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, pg. 7;
Kidd Pivot/Electric Company Theatre, pg. 17;
Malandain Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19; Scottish
Ballet, pg. 21
Spirituality and Healing
Aszure Barton & Artists, pg. 9; Kidd Pivot/
Electric Company Theatre, pg. 17; Malandain
Ballet Biarritz, pg. 19
*The Academic Directory serves as a starting point for
curricular connections, however, it is not all-encompassing.
2
ARTS ADVANCE
EDUCATION
Attending live performance is a communal experience.
It forces students to get up from their computers,
look up from their smart phones, and engage with
the world around them. Live performance can move
and challenge students in a way that no classroom
experience can, reaching something very deep inside
that fosters creativity, interconnection, and renewal.
Research suggests that cultivating an aesthetic
sensibility can help students become wiser and more
responsible decision–makers, developing a way of
seeing and valuing excellence for its own sake.
At a University that celebrates discovery, it is
important to expose students to artists that address
global themes and challenges through a creative lens,
stimulating new solutions and critical thinking about
the world in which we live.
3
STRENGTHENING
STUDENT OUTCOMES
The student experience is all about discovery. The
University of Minnesota creates research opportunities
and community engagement experiences that
prepare students to be leaders, innovators, and
global citizens. The Office for Student Affairs (OSA)
expects students at the University of Minnesota to
participate in experiences both inside and outside
of the classroom, which allow them to develop and
demonstrate skills and characteristics for success
during their college years and beyond. Students who
engage in opportunities outside the classroom not only
develop these skills, but also perform better and feel a
stronger sense of campus community.
The University of Minnesota’s Student Learning and
Development Outcomes are meant to encapsulate
what students should learn in and out of the
classroom. These outcomes provide a framework for
students and help guide faculty/staff as they develop
courses and degree programs.
Northrop programs allow students to achieve
Student Learning and Development Outcomes in
many ways. Attending a Northrop performance
expressly strengthens the following Outcomes:
APPRECIATION OF DIFFERENCES
» By presenting a wide array of international
artists, Northrop exposes students to
different cultures.
» Each artist presented has a unique voice,
offering students a chance to see many
different forms of expression.
» Dance performances are a true
demonstration of collaborative work in
support of a singular vision.
TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITY
» Because dance can be an abstract art
form, it pushes students to experience
something new and communicate in a
non-verbal way.
» In the work presented on stage, artists
ask questions that may not inherently
have answers.
SELF AWARENESS
» Attending a performance offers students an enriched
understanding of his or her own sense of self by
witnessing or experiencing artistic expression and
viewing the world through a new lens.
» Performances can stimulate self-reflection and
encourage dialogue about what was seen and
experienced.
4
GRUPO CORPO
Sat, Oct 1
8:00 pm
Parabelo
Dança Sinfônica
Grupo Corpo is a Brazilian dance company
founded in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 1975. With
a history of over 40 years of pioneering dance,
Grupo Corpo famously combines classical
ballet with Latin dance rhythms. Translated as
“group body,” the name Grupo Corpo reflects
the physicality and movement style of the
dancers.
Parabelo is a work that was created in 1997
during a period of intense European touring
when the company was in residence in Lyon,
France. Designed to inspire imagery of rural
Brazil, it draws inspiration from the art of the
northeast, a very poor region. However, the
paintings created by people there are full of
color, and the music is joyous, as is the dance.
Created to celebrate Grupo Corpo’s 40th
anniversary, Dança Sinfônica revisits the best
works from the group’s entire repertoire.
Over a thousand informal photographic
snapshots from the private collections of
professionals who have collaborated with or
had an influence on the trajectory of Grupo
Corpo over these 40 years, are featured in a
backdrop panel.
5
GRUPO CORPO
vvvvv
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
More about the company
» Brazilian culture
An interview with Rodrigo Pederneiras,
co-founder of Grupo Corpo and Parabelo’s
choreographer
Dança Sinfônica celebrated the best works in
the company’s repertoire. Could you tell when
one piece ended and another began? What
were some of the similarities between all of the
works? What were some of the differences?
» Contemporary art
» Influence of art in communities
» Memory/Storytelling
Video about Parabelo
How did the backdrop of photography make you
feel; did it add or distract from the experience?
The music for Dança Sinfônica was written for
the 90-member Philharmonic and uses the Uakti
group, a Brazilian instrumental group known
for their custom made instruments. Why is this
mixture of music and instruments important to
the group’s 40-year identity?
6
CANADA’S
ROYAL
WINNIPEG
BALLET
Thu, Oct 20
7:30 pm
Dracula
with live orchestra
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, founded in 1939 in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, is the oldest ballet company in Canada and the
longest continuously-operating ballet company in North
America. Known for creating contemporary works based
on classical themes, Royal Winnipeg Ballet commissioned
choreographer Mark Godden to create a dance-theater
spectacle ballet based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula.
In his approach to making the story a ballet, Godden chose
to focus on the title character’s effect on a morally strict
Victorian society, and particularly on the two women of
the story. Dracula is an ominous, illusive power, symbolic
of those nameless fears that lurk in the shadows. But, as
demonstrated in this work, he is also a multi-layered and
deeply tortured soul.
This ballet was so popular that it was further reimagined by
filmmaker Guy Maddin as a made-for-television film titled
Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary.
Northrop’s presentation will feature a full 60-piece orchestra
playing the specially compiled score, made up of selections
from three of Gustav Mahler’s greatest symphonies.
7
CANADA’S ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
Romania’s Guide to Dracula
» Gothic Literature
» Filmmaking
Trailer from film adaptation of the ballet,
Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary
Dracula is a classic horror story that has been
reinterpreted and adapted countless times. What
is it about this story that keeps people coming
back to it? What are the universal themes that
transcend the vampire myth?
» Storytelling
Dracula- Xenophobia and Sexism
» Theatricality
» Horror
» Victorian England
» Roles Of Women
» Psychology Of Fear
» Sexuality
Who’s Who?
What other vampire stories are you familiar
with? How is this similar? How is this different?
What are the basic elements of the story that
ring true throughout all of the interpretations
you have seen?
How did the design elements convey time and
place? Did you notice any particularly inventive
use of costuming, sets, or lighting to help tell the
story?
How did the dancing tell the story? Were there
particular movements or sections that stood out
in the way that they revealed the characters or
moved the story forward?
8
ASZURE
BARTON
& ARTISTS
Sat, Nov 12
8:00 pm
Awáa
Hailed by critics and audiences alike, Canadian choreographer
Aszure Barton is the founder and director of Aszure Barton
& Artists. Barton has created works for Mikhail Baryshnikov,
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The English National
Ballet, the Bolshoi, and many others. Her company makes their
Northrop debut with Awáa.
“Awáa” means “one who is a mother” in the language of the
Haida, an aboriginal Canadian people. Barton insists, however,
that she is not as interested in the literal meaning of the word
as in the way it sounds—both like “water” and “mama.” And,
while the images of motherhood are strong, Awáa is a tribute
to life-giving forces of all kinds, including water, oceans, oldstyle river baptisms, and the fruitfulness of uninhibited play.
Barton works collaboratively with her dancers to develop
choreography, and so there is a rich diversity of movement
vocabulary in the piece. The company has also created an
original film sequence that forms a lush backdrop, and an
exciting sound score combining Lev “Ljova” Zhurbin’s melodic
strings and Curtis Macdonald’s thundering, primal percussion,
along with recurring sounds of water.
9
ASZURE BARTON & ARTISTS
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
The Star article “Choreographer Aszure Barton: A
woman in motion”
What images did you see in this work, and what
ideas did they bring to mind?
» Spirituality
New York Magazine “Look at Me”
» Motherhood
Video clips from Awáa
» Women in the arts
» Water
» Artistic Collaboration
» Filmmaking
Describe some of the images you saw of
femininity, masculinity, water, etc.
The lighting, the musical soundtrack, and the
movement were all important elements of
this work. Can you describe how each of these
elements took you from one emotional space to
another?
10
BATSHEVA
DANCE
COMPANY
Tue, Jan 24
7:30 pm
Decadance 2017
Israel’s Batsheva Dance
Company with
is critically
acclaimed
Copresented
the Walker
ArtasCenter
one of the world’s foremost contemporary dance companies.
Artistic Director Ohad Naharin is the originator of the
innovative movement language Gaga, which has enriched
his extraordinary movement invention, revolutionized the
company’s training, and emerged as a growing force in the
larger field of movement practices for both dancers and nondancers. A creative and prolific choreographer, Naharin is the
subject of a new documentary film about his impact on the
art of dance, Mr. Gaga.
The 18 Batsheva dancers are known for their stunningly
flexible limbs and spines, deeply grounded movement,
and explosive bursts of energy that contrast with extreme
stillness. Decadance 2017 is essentially a “mixtape” or
collage of excerpts from several of Naharin’s full-length
compositions, reworked and reorganized into accessible
snippets that demonstrate his memorable and distinctive
choreographic style.
Copresented with the Walker Art Center
By Ohad Naharin, performed by Batsheva Dance Company dancers, Season 2016/17
11
BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
Forward “In Israel, Still Dancing After All These
Years”
» Music
Review of Decadance
» Somatic Studies
What’s special about the Batsheva company?
Batsheva dancers train with the movement
method Gaga. What is different or distinctive
about the movement? How is it different from
your expectations of dance?
» Innovation in the Arts
» Improvisation
» Hebrew
» Middle Eastern Studies
» Political Science
What was it like, as a viewer, to see so many
small pieces of different works instead of one
or two works in full? How does this differ from
your traditional viewing experience where you sit
down and watch a full movie?
Ohad Naharin’s philosophy is that “everyone
should dance.” Did viewing Decadance make you
want to dance? Did the movement style make
you feel like you could?
Naharin claims his dances are not meant to
be political yet Batsheva Dance Company’s
appearances are often met by protests. Did
you see anything that you regard as a political
statement? Is all art inherently “political?”
12
CCN-BALLET
DE
LORRAINE
Thu, Feb 16
7:30 pm
Sounddance
Fabrications
Devoted
Copresented with the Walker Art Center
Merce Cunningham is a revolutionary choreographer who ranks
among the foremost figures of artistic modernism and among
the few visionaries who have transformed the nature of dance.
Throughout his career, Cunningham continually posed the question
“What if,” forcing audiences to rethink the essence of dance and
choreography. In his final years, while still known as avant-garde,
he was almost routinely hailed as the world’s greatest living
choreographer. Cunningham’s legacy will be celebrated in a major
retrospective at the Walker Art Center. Northrop joins the Walker
in presenting two of his classic dance works, Sounddance and
Fabrications. These pieces, along with an additional work by two
young French choreographers, will be performed by CCN-Ballet de
Lorraine, a celebrated European company.
Sounddance takes its title from a line in James Joyce’s Finnegan’s
Wake: “In the buginning is the woid, in the muddle is the sounddance
and therinofter you’re in the unbewised again.” Cunningham—a fan of
Joyce—played with the body and movement in much the same way
that Joyce toyed with words and language. The world he creates in
Sounddance is one of organized chaos, performed to an electronic
score by David Tudor.
Fabrications examines the dual meaning of the word itself, both
creating something new and making something up. Cunningham
loved to experiment with the element of chance in creating his
works, and in Fabrications, the dance phrases are put together in a
random combination of 64 movements. The soundtrack is random
as well, featuring layered radio static with faint snatches of tunes.
The most recent work on the program is Devoted, choreographed by
duo Cecilia Bengolea and François Chaignaud and set to Philip Glass’
minimalist music. This ballet uses a combination of both classical
and modern techniques to create continuity between past, present,
and future.
13
CCN-BALLET DE LORRAINE
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
About Merce Cunningham
» Contemporary Art
Review of Fabrications
Fabrications was originally commissioned by the
Walker Art Center, and had its world premiere at
Northrop 30 years ago (February 21, 1987). How
do you think audiences might have reacted at
that time? Do you feel it is still as “avant-garde”
30 years later?
» Literature
» Contemporary music
» Creative collaborations
» Visual art
» The Avant-garde movement in America
» American history
About Fabrications
Sounddance Review
Cunningham liked to experiment with the idea
of “chance” as a compositional tool. To select
movement, directions, number of dancers,
music, etc., he would use cards or dice. What
does this do for the feeling the dance imparts?
Does it seem more random or arbitrary, or do
you still recognize a structural framework?
“Ambiguity” and “poetry” were among
Cunningham’s favorite words when speaking
about choreography. Comment on both of these
as it relates to the work you’ve just seen.
14
BEREISHIT
DANCE
COMPANY
Tue, Feb 28
7:30 pm
Balance and Imbalance
BOW
with live music on stage
From Seoul, South Korea, the contemporary dance group
Bereishit Dance Company makes its Northrop debut with a
style that merges the control and full-body excitement of
break dance with a pair of traditional Korean drummers and
one traditional Pansori singer. Choreographer Soon-ho Park,
who studied dance in both Korea and Europe, approaches
Korean culture with sleek artistry and urban cool.
In the intensely physical Balance and Imbalance, aggression
and cooperation alternate with off-hand nonchalance and a
healthy dose of humor. The rigorous male duet BOW celebrates
the kinesthetic clarity and power of traditional archery,
demonstrating that the athleticism in sport also has close ties
to the artistry in dance.
15
BEREISHIT DANCE COMPANY
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
More about Balance and Imbalance
Balance and Imbalance brings together
traditional Korean arts with the very
contemporary practice of street dancing. How
do you think the technological advancements of
the 21st century have contributed to this? Do you
think this meeting of styles was successful?
» Generational divides
How body movement is being used to help teens
express themselves
» Integration of cultures/Globalization of
culture in the 21st century
The importance of dance as a nonverbal
language for imagining and learning
» Nonverbal communication
Watch this video on how cultural traditions of
dance and archery intersect
» Interdisciplinary artist collaboration
» Athletics
» Contemporary Korean society/History
» Kpop music and culture
» Technology and Cultural Barriers
How did the live music drive this performance?
What did it make you feel? What do the
musicians add to the experience by being in the
same space?
The dancers in BOW demonstrate how archery
is both a sport and an art form. How did you see
this portrayed? How do other cultural traditions
connect sport and art?
16
Betroffenheit is a boundary-stretching hybrid of theatre and dance that
explores the state of shock and bewilderment in the wake of a disaster
by integrating movement, original music, text, and visual design. The
work was created by two of Canada’s most innovative theatre artists:
choreographer Crystal Pite and her dance company Kidd Pivot, and
Jonathon Young, founder/artistic director of Electric Company Theatre.
Betroffenheit was developed as Young was still processing the
emotional fallout of a horrendous personal tragedy. In the slow
process of recovery, Young learned and thought a great deal about the
impact of trauma on the human psyche and about the various coping
strategies—some helpful, others self-destructive—that people deploy
as a response. Young, the central character in Betroffenheit, struggles
with addiction and tries to find a way to move forward emotionally.
One of the foremost themes of Betroffenheit is the failure of language
in the face of emotional trauma. Pite’s choreography and expressive
dancers fill this void. The dancers portray his inner demons that
function as a metaphor for the damaged man’s substance of choice.
KIDD PIVOT/
ELECTRIC
COMPANY
THEATRE
Tue-Wed, Mar 21-22
7:30 pm
Betroffenheit
Presented in partnership with the University of Minnesota
Department of Theater Arts and Dance.
*Audience advisory: This show is recommended for ages 16 and up. It also contains
strobe lights, non-toxic theatrical haze, and controversial language.
17
KIDD PIVOT/
ELECTRIC COMPANY THEATRE
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
Video with Background to the Piece
» Addiction and Recovery
An Interview with Crystal Pite
The creators of this work borrowed the
untranslatable German term Betroffenheit as a
title. Why do you think they chose such a word?
How does that reflect what happens on stage?
» Art as a healing mechanism
» Grief/Trauma/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
» Interdisciplinary artist collaboration
» Theater/Puppetry
» Tap dance
» Storytelling
Article about the work
Discuss all of the separate elements that you saw
at work in this production. Did they contribute to
making a coherent whole? How?
Did this work have an emotional impact on you?
How do you think it did that?
Jonathon Young plays himself in the production
of Betroffenheit, which is based on his own
personal story. How does the work take the leap
from one person’s story to something more
universal?
18
MALANDAIN
BALLET
BIARRITZ
Sat, Mar 25
8:00 pm
La Belle et la Bête
Malandain Ballet Biarritz, based in a Basque coastal resort town in
Southern France, is one of the most productive choreographic centers in
the country, with an active international touring program. Artistic Director
Thierry Malandain has developed a very personal vision of dance that is
rooted in classical ballet with a contemporary expression. His works (he
has created more than 80) are known for their use of the full body, and
their celebration of sensuality and humanity. The company of 22 dancers is
dedicated to that vision.
In La Belle et la Bête, Malandain approaches the fairy tale of Beauty and the
Beast in a way that evokes Cocteau’s treatment in his famous 1946 film. In
the ballet, dancers are called upon to represent the actual characters of the
story, but also play roles of a more symbolic nature. One dancer represents
man (or the artist or storyteller), and two others represent the good and
pure side of human nature, and the evil or more basic instincts. Like our
fall semester presentation of Dracula, the work can be a springboard for
discussion about exclusion, difference, the art of negotiation, and respect
of others, going far beyond the simple love story between a young woman
and a monster.
Malandain has created his own score for the work drawn from several
different Tchaikovsky symphonies.
19
MALANDAIN BALLET BIARRITZ
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
More about the work
This work suggests there are two sides of human
nature, and there is an inherent struggle to find
unity. What other cultural representations or
stories can you think of that address this same
theme?
» Film history
» Storytelling
» Theater technology
» Music/Music composition
» Duality of human nature
» Moral values and the capital sins
» Interdisciplinary artist collaboration
An in-depth look at the history of the Beauty and
the Beast story
Read The Story of the Beauty and the Beast on
e-book
Beauty and the Beast negotiate a kind of
tentative coexistence that moves to kindness,
friendship, and ultimately love. Comment on
how this developing relationship was shown
through movement and stagecraft.
Can you remember simple scenes that did
something to affect you emotionally? How do
you think the choreographer/dancers did this?
20
SCOTTISH
BALLET
Sat, Apr 8
8:00 pm
Matthew Bourne’s
Highland Fling
with live orchestra
The Scottish Ballet is Scotland’s national dance company,
based in Glasgow. Highland Fling is a ballet created by
Matthew Bourne, a choreographer who has created works
for the Broadway stage as well as concert dance. The subject
matter is inspired by the classic romantic ballet La Sylphide, in
which a young man, about to be wed, falls in love with a sylph
(a kind of fairy sprite), leading to disastrous consequences.
Bourne has radically altered the tale by setting it in the mean
streets and gritty bars of contemporary Glasgow, where
the club-hopping hero’s fantasy is probably drug-induced.
Recently married to his girlfriend, his obsession with the
strange and beautiful sylph sets him on a fateful journey into
a magical world beyond reality and reason.
21
SCOTTISH BALLET
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
Across the Arts Blog
Look at the original synopsis of La Sylphide.
Why do you think the choreographer wanted to
update this story? Do you think the change of
time and place worked?
» Themes of the supernatural and witchcraft
» History of ballet
» Scottish culture
» Storytelling
» Theater technology
» Comedy
» Interdisciplinary artist collaboration
The Guardian Review
Trailer for Highland Fling
Synopsis of La Sylphide
What other examples can you think of where an
“ancient” tale gets a fresh take and becomes a
contemporary story?
Bourne is a choreographer known for his ability
to tell a story through movement. How did you
see the story play out in the dancing? How did
the dancing reveal characters? Move the plot
forward?
How did the costuming impact your
understanding of the story? How did they
incorporate elements of Scottish culture?
22
BRIAN
BROOKS
MOVING
COMPANY
Sat, Apr 22
8:00 pm
Mixed Repertory
including Torrent
with U of M dancers
Brian Brooks is a Guggenheim Award-winning choreographer
based in New York who creates contemporary work focused
on speed and endurance. His sources of inspiration come from
a variety of dance forms (he has even worked with classical
ballerina Wendy Whelan), but also from sports and athletics.
There is a rigor and athleticism to his choreography, but there
is also elegance in the movement.
Brian Brooks Moving Company will perform a repertory
program consisting of several different pieces, and the U of M’s
own student dance majors will participate in Torrent, a largescale, high-speed work with complex partnering. Exploring the
group dynamics of co-dependency and cause and effect, the
work is sweeping and fluid. The soundtrack is Max Richter’s
reimagined score of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with the Vivaldi
used as source material but sampled and selected to create an
entirely different composition.
Support provided by the University of Minnesota Dance Program
through the Sage Cowles Land Grant Chair
23
BRIAN BROOKS MOVING COMPANY
CONNECT
DISCOVER
REFLECT
This performance engages with topics and
themes such as:
Video of Torrent
» Group Dynamics and interaction
About the composer for Torrent
Brooks has said that he likes to display the
“effort” in dance. Where did you see examples
of that, and how did it contribute to your
appreciation of the work?
» Cooperation
» Speed and endurance/Athleticism of dance
» Music interpretation/composition
» Interdisciplinary artist collaboration
New York Times Review
A day with Brian Brooks Moving Company
The word “torrent” is defined as “a strong and
fast-moving stream of water or other liquid.”
How did you see this definition come to life
through the movement and music in this piece?
Torrent’s music was inspired by Vivaldi’s Four
Seasons. How did you see that influence in both
the music and even the choreography? What
do you think of artists reinterpreting/remixing
classic works? Where else have we seen this
happen in the works presented in this Northrop
dance season?
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EXPAND THE EVENING
NORTHROP STUDENT LOUNGE
The Northrop Student Lounge is a dedicated
space for U of M students to gather at Northrop
season events. Located on the first floor,
students can enjoy complimentary snacks and
beverages before the performance and during
intermission. The Northrop Student Lounge
is meant to foster community and create
conversation among students. The lounge opens
45 minutes before each show and admission is
free with U of M Student I.D.
PERFORMANCE PREVIEWS
Gain insight into Northrop season performances
at an in-depth, intellectual conversation about
the company and the evening’s program, often
with the choreographers and artistic directors.
We recommend Performance Previews as a
starting point to introduce students to the
dance works they will see. The format allows
for further investigation into the work along
with time for questions. Performance Previews
are free and open to public, and held in the 4th
floor Best Buy Theater. Each preview begins 75
minutes before curtain time.
NORTHROP 2016//17 DANCE
SEASON FILM SERIES
AFTERTHOUGHTS BLOG
Northrop presents a film series in the Best Buy
Theater that corresponds directly with our
dance season. The films are meant to expand
audiences’ knowledge of the work they will see
and the companies performing. These screenings
are free and open to the public. For specific
information on the films, visit our website.
Students are invited to share their ideas on the
Northrop Afterthoughts Blog following the
performance. The Afterthoughts Blog is a public,
online forum where audiences can share their
thoughts and feelings about the works they have
just seen, stimulating, critical conversations
about the work.
25
northrop.umn.edu
NORTHROP
84 Church Street, SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
PHOTOS: Scottish Ballet in Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling. Photo © Nisbet Wylie. Scottish Ballet in Matthew Bourne’s Highland
Fling. Photo © Andy Ross. Northrop patrons in Carlson Family Stage. Photo © Tim Rummelhoff, 2015. CCN-Ballet de Lorraine in
Devoted. Photo © Arno Paul. Grupo Corpo in Dança Sinfônica. Photo © José Luiz Pederneiras. Grupo Corpo in Parabelo. Photo © José
Luiz Pederneiras. Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Liang Xing and Katie Bonnell in Dracula. Photos © Réjean Brandt Photography. Aszure
Barton & Artists in Awáa. Photos © Kim Williams, courtesy of The Banff Centre. Batsheva Dance Company in Decadance. Photos ©
Maxim Waratt. CCN-Ballet de Lorraine in Sounddance. Photo © Laurent Philippe. CCN-Ballet de Lorraine in Devoted. Photo © Arno
Paul. Bereishit Dance Company in Balance and Imbalance. Photo © Sang-yun Park. Bereishit Dance Company in BOW. Photo courtesy
of the artists. Kidd Pivot/Electric Company Theatre in Betroffenheit. Photos © Michael Slobodian. Malandain Ballet Biarritz in La Belle
et la Bête. Photos © Olivier Houeix. Scottish Ballet in Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling. Photos © Andy Ross. Brian Brooks Moving
Company. Photos © Erin Baiano. Best Buy Theater. Photo by Northrop.