First U.S. Tour for Bruno Beltrão/Grupo de Rua

Brazil's Bruno Beltrão/Grupo de Rua will start the new year with their first U.S. tour, performing H3 in thirteen cities from January 7 to February 23.

In the piece, nine dancers collide and balance against each other, blending elements of break dance in their duets and performing such feats as running backwards at full speed. A black mirrored stage is wired to pick up the screech and slide of the dancers' shoes, which becomes sampled sound in a minimalist, modernist electronic soundtrack that pumps around the venue.

The Times (UK) wrote, "Some hip-hop choreographers rely on splashy, head-spinning virtuosity while others--especially in Britain--have worked to make hip-hop a viable means of theatrical expression. Beltrão chooses neither route. Instead he is interested in how the building blocks of his movement can be used to form interesting yet thoughtful dance essays. In this, he's like the hip-hop equivalent of the American postmodernist Trisha Brown."

The Flying Inkpot (Singapore) attested to a particularly masculine flavor in H3. "These boys were dancing in a way I can honestly say I had never seen before. Like street warriors going to battle, they hurtled around the space at breakneck speed, defying the conventions of any form of dance."

The tour begins January 7 in Hanover, NH at the Hopkins Center and proceeds to Columbus at the Wexner, La Jolla at ArtPower, Irvine at the Barclay, Los Angeles at REDCAT, Santa Barbara at UCSB, Seattle at On the Boards, Portland with White Bird, Austin at Texas Performing Arts, Minneapolis at the Walker, Knoxville with University of Tennessee and Burlington at The Flynn before culminating in NYC at Dance Theater Workshop February 20 to 23.

Denver Shivers at Universes Account of NOLA Hurricane

Curious Theatre Company in Denver is presenting Universes in Ameriville November 14 to December 5 and the production there has been a testimony to the power of theater.  The play indicts our nation's failures when New Orleans was overwhelmed by Hurricane Katrina. Denver critics seemed to shiver as they asked, "what if something like this happened here?"

ColoradoDrama.com (Bob Bows) wrote, "In a dazzling display of storytelling virtuosity and multimedia savvy...the UNIVERSES troupe...capture(s) in poetry, rhythm, song, and dramatic talent the zeitgeist of our promising national experiment that has been subverted by corporate interests and hate groups masquerading as religious and patriotic zealots."  The review stated, "Ameriville doesn't hit us over the head with these political truths: it doesn't have to; rather, it immerses us in a seamless series of vignettes and percussive events that open windows to the American soul, in all its melting pot glory."  It went on to recount the Bush administration's failures in New Orleans as the deliberate, not accidental, policy of the "vultures of greed."

Bows continued, "From the beginning, you'll recall that the Bush Administration was criticized for its lack of response to the approaching storm, the breaching of the levees, the evacuation, and the rebuilding efforts. Excuses and apologies were made, but don't think for a minute that this strategy wasn't deliberate."

The Denver Post (Kurt Brighton) added, "The show is a deliberate slap in the face for a short attention span nation, a necessary reminder of a shameful moment in our history. We are reminded that these were our fellow Americans, mothers and grandmothers, cousins and friends, and they died needlessly, by the thousands....The twin elephants in the room are race and wealth, and the show is fearless about addressing them. It may be unpleasant to face, but a strong argument can be made that if the Katrina story had unfolded in a wealthy, white city, there would have been a very different response from not only the government but also from our fellow citizens."

Karole Armitage's Itutu

From November 4 to 7, Armitage Gone! Dance performed the U.S. premiere of Itutu at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House as part of the 2009 Next Wave Festival.  It was a haunting yet unabashedly festive mix of dance and music, evoking African notions of syncretism with polyrhythmic music by Lukas Ligeti, African pop sounds of Burkina Electric (performed live), and Armitage's own off-kilter ballet.

Deborah Jowitt wrote in the Village Voice, "The dancers are a pleasure to watch: Those not yet mentioned are Kristina Bethel-Blunt, William Isaac, Luke Manley, Abbey Roesner, Bennyroyce Royon, Marlon Taylor-Wiles, Emily Wagner, Mei-Hua Wang, and Masayo Yamaguchi. Eda shines with Zoko Zoko in several variants of a pas de deux. The fabulous, long-limbed Bethel-Blunt and Arpon dance arrestingly, while others lie curled on the ground like slain (or sleeping) animals. Lingani is a mesmerizing presence, whether singing or moving vigorously. The opening audience's wild applause was, in good part, for the power of the performers, for their stamina, their virtuosity, and their beauty. And, in case you hadn't noticed, audiences these days like extremes: loud, bright, hyper-kinetic, fast. Hot is the new cool."

Welcome Ichun Yeh to Our Staff!

I-Chun Yeh joined H-Art Management as Administrative Associate this month. She completed her MA at Yale School of Music in May, 2008 and received her Artist Diploma in Violin Performance in May, 2009 under the tutelage of Ani Kavafian from Yale School of Music.

Ms. Yeh has appeared as a soloist with the Academy of Taiwan Strings and has been invited to perform as a chamber musician in various occasions throughout the States and Asia. She has been Concertmistress of the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra and has participated in such international music programs as Morningside Music Bridge, Banff Summer Music Programs and Pacific Music Festival String Quartet Academy.  A founding member of the Altura Quartet, she manages engagements for the group.

Aside from being a vigorous violinist, Ms. Yeh has a solid background in business and management. She has been assistant manager of the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra and Assistant to the Artistic Director of the Canada-Taiwan Music and Arts Exchange. She took part in the Theater Management program in Yale School of Drama, where she worked in the Department of Marketing, Communications, and Audience Services.

Inspired by these experiences and by her work at H-Art Management, she is now redirecting her career into Arts Management.

She grew up in Taipei, Taiwan and so is bilingual. (Her childhood language was Mandarin Chinese.) She is enthusiastic about building relationships between artists and presenters both nationally and internationally.