One of Western North Carolina’s most notable
young cultural prodigies returns to the mountains with his hip, original dance
troupe The Chase Brock Experience at
Diana Wortham Theatre on Friday and Saturday, March 21 and 22, 2014 at 8:00
p.m.
A Hendersonville native, Chase Brock performed
on Broadway, choreographed Broadway’s SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark, and formed The Chase Brock Experience all
before hitting age 30. However, he notes that his “professional debut” actually
took place on the stage of Diana Wortham Theatre when the Junior League paid a
then 12-year-old Chase Brock to perform an original tap dance routine at their
meeting.
At age 16 Chase Brock began his dance career in
the original cast of Susan Stroman’s Broadway revival of The Music Man
and assisted choreographers and directors including Ann Reinking, Kathleen
Marshall, Tina Landau and Robert Wilson on and off Broadway before beginning
his choreography career. Brock has choreographed for American Ballet Theatre,
New York Theatre Ballet, and Ballet Spartanburg, where Brock was a longtime
student. In addition to his theatre dance work, he has choreographed for opera,
television, music projects, and created video game choreography for the
bestselling Dance on Broadway for Nintendo Wii (Ubisoft), which was released
in North America and Europe in 2010.
Brock brought his well-honed talents back home
in 2011 when he was invited by Flat Rock Playhouse artistic director Vincent
Marini to present “The Nutcracker” on the Playhouse’s main stage as a
reimagined, non-ballet piece of dance theater. The production’s cast included
students with the Playhouse’s YouTheatre, where Brock got his start.
The Chase Brock Experience is dedicated to
developing and presenting Brock’s original choreography. Since the company’s
inception in 2006, Brock’s crowd-pleasing works have been making ripples
throughout the contemporary community. His body of work is compelling and
unique, significant for melding exceptional dance by a multi-faceted collection
of dancers, commissioning original scores from outstanding contemporary
composers, placing dance in fully considered visual environments, using live
music when possible, and collaborating with artists from a broad range of
media.
In its March 21 & 22 performances at Diana
Wortham Theatre, The Chase Brock Experience performs: Mission: Implausible,
an exhilarating, fast-paced dance theater extravaganza more akin to Looney Tunes
than modern dance; Curious Episode, a witty duet for two women (Friends?
Frenemies?) who tease and needle each other in alternating classical and jazz
modes; What
a Wonderful World, a full company explosion of athleticism, color
and abandon; Slow Float, a folk-rocky five-song suite for the full
company in a series of snapshots of friendships, relationships and summer
coming to and end; and Whoa, Nellie! A wild and wacky traveling carnival of a dance
performed to acclaimed and eclectic singer-songwriter Nellie McKay’s album Obligatory Villagers.
The Chase Brock Experience has performed in
numerous festivals, residences and prestigious venues including six New York
seasons at Abrons Arts Center, Joyce SoHo, Dance New Amsterdam, The Connelly
Theater and Baruch Performing Arts Center, in performances at Fire Island Dance
Festival, Dance Gotham Festival, Downtown Dance Festival and Solstice in Times
Square, and in coveted residencies at Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center and The
Orchard Project.
For insight and increased enjoyment, ticket
holders of the March 21 & 22 evening performances can attend free pre-performance discussions with Chase
Brock in The Forum at Diana Wortham Theatre at 7:00pm both nights prior to the
performances. Seating is limited and offered on a first come, first served
basis. We regret that we may not admit patrons to the discussions after 7:10pm.
In addition to the public performances, Chase
Brock teaches a Master Class for
intermediate to advanced dancers on stage at Diana Wortham Theatre on Saturday,
March 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Dancers will meet Chase Brock, engage in exercises with The Chase
Brock Experience company members, and learn repertoire from a piece presented during
the public performances. The class ends with a question and answer period. The
Master Class is an excellent opportunity for dance students and aspiring
professional dancers. Cost for the class is $10. Advance registration is
required and is limited to 30 participants. Tickets for the class may be
purchased by calling the box office at 828-257-4530.
The Chase Brock Experience is also a part of the
Matinee Series for Students and Families, with a performance on Friday, March 21
at 10:00 a.m. The Matinee Series is open to school groups, homeschoolers,
community groups, and families.
The Chase Brock
Experience’s Asheville
performances are made possible by Performance Sponsors William & Catherine
Gay and Richard E. Howell, DDS; and by Mainstage Dance Series Sponsors Hedy
Fischer & Rancy Shull, Tina & John McGuire, Ronna & Rob Resnick,
BMW of Asheville, and Diamond Brand Outdoors; with additional support from
Media Sponsors WNC magazine and WCQS 88.1FM.
The new entrance for the Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place
is marked by the location of the theatre’s new marquee between 12 and 14
Biltmore Avenue. Patrons enter the theatre through the breezeway between Marble
Slab Creamery and Circle in the Square restaurants, and into a large interior
courtyard for Pack Place with multiple glass doors to the theatre’s lower lobby
and new box office. The intimate theatre seats just over 500 and boasts
exceptional acoustics and sightlines, making it the premier performance space
in Western North Carolina. The Mainstage Series is supported by a grant from
the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency. The Mainstage Series 2013/2014
Season Sponsors are the Asheville
Scene,
Blue Moon Water, Creative Energy, Laurey’s Catering and Gourmet-to-go, the
North Carolina Arts Council, and the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. To obtain
more information on the Mainstage Series or to purchase tickets, call the
theatre’s box office at (828) 257-4530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment