Patricia Noworol Dance Theater Debuts CULTURE, Now thru 6/15

The Patricia Noworol Dance Theater (PNDT), a NYC-based company committed to the creation of unique dance and physical theater performances that demand life, passion, and physicality, presents the U.S. premiere of Patricia Noworol's latest work Culture over the course of three evenings tonight, June 13 - 15, 2013. Celebrating its five year anniversary, PNDT is joined by the award-winning Hip Hop troupe, Renegade (Herne, Germany), in this risk-taking, provocative piece that sharply criticizes institutionalized culture and business.

Culture is an insightful, profoundly personal look into contemporary culture that tears the civic picture of art and cultural funding. It asks how much freedom, opportunity, and risk are left in an artistic work if an explanation is expected in every stage, and thus, together with her dancers, Noworol questions the condition of being an artist (and thereby oneself) in the 21st century. "I don't want to add to the stifling, standardized traditions of art. Instead, I want to express my frustration with the current art construct through dance," explains Noworol. "I hope this piece serves as a relevant contribution to the continued evolution of contemporary dance expression."

In Culture, five performers pull gritty, urban culture from the streets and blend it with renowned, educated dance, acting, and break dancing in order to push real human passions into the theater of today. Noworol's "character" is politically incorrect. The curators and Board of Trustees rejected her project proposal that deals with homosexuality and Hip Hop. But, she refuses to give up and accept it.

She unabashedly shares her anger without being afraid of taboo and stylistic inconsistencies. From an oversized dinosaur costume to Noworol's screaming escapades while climbing down a fire escape in a pink robe to a beat boxer, Culture is a theatrical exploration that blurs the line between theater and real life.

Originally formed as Patricia Noworol Dance (PND) in 2008, Patricia Noworol Dance Theater (PNDT) is led by choreographer and artistic director Patricia Noworol. With a keen eye for direction and a clear understanding of the ability of the human form to move in space, Noworol pulls on her company of international performers and designers to create original, raw displays of dance, theater, and multimedia that demand life, passion, and physicality. Though each new work and commission for PNDT is cast according to its content, many of PNDT's performers have worked with Patricia on more than one production. Thus, as a company, PNDT pushes the limits of the human psyche now and igniting the primal instincts.

PNDT has been presented in NYC at The Ailey Citigroup Theatre, 92nd Street Y, Manhattan Movement Arts Center, Robert Moss Theater, Duo Theater, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Atlas Theater, Dance Now Festival, American Dance Guild Festival, The Gala Benefit & Festival Performances at Dumbo Dance Festival, La MaMa Moves Dance Festival, HATCH, Fete de L'Hurricane, White Wave Dance Festival, The Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) Conference, and NYC Fringe Festival, where Patricia's work, Circuits,was awarded with the EXCELLENCE AWARD for Outstanding Choreography in 2009. Noworol also is a recipient of the 2002 The Young Artist Award of the Ministry of Arts and Culture in North Rhine - Westphalia / Germany. The RUHR 2010 European Capital of Culture invited PNDT to perform Circuits in many significant venues in Germany -- including Schauspielhaus Bochum, Pumpenhaus Munster, Kulturzentrum Herne, as well as at the 6.Urban Street Art Pottporus Festival in North Rhine - Westphalia. PNDT has obtained residencies at The Bessie Alumni Workshop and The DMAC Duo Theater in NYC. www.PNDance.com

Renegade (under the umbrella of the Pottporus Association) realizes free dance Theater Productions with national and international partners, dancers, choreographers and cultural institutions - with a focus on street art. The hallmark of Renegade Productions is the equal combination of different dance styles and the influence of the artistic elements of street art (graffiti, breakdancing) and takes this principle nationally and internationally acclaimed. Renegade was awarded the main prize at the theater forced NRW 2004, the Herald Angel 2004, the Guardian's Best Physical Theatre and the Fringe First Award 2004. Recently, Renegade was invited to the Germany Dance Platform 2012 in Dresden, presenting one of the 10 best dance German productions.

Founded in Herne in 2003, Renegade immediately managed to gain a place in the European off-theater scene with its first project, "Rumble," a Hip Hop interpretation of Shakespeare's classic "Romeo and Juliet". After much acclaimed victories at NRW Theaterzwang 2004, Germany and the international Fringe Festival 2004 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the crew started touring through Europe, India and the Middle East and joined the Harare Festival in Simbabwe, Africa. As far as directing and choreography are concerned, Renegade regularly works together with young and praised freelance choreographers like Samir Akika, Patricia Noworol, Julio Cesar Iglesias Ungo, Lorca Renoux, and or Malou Airaudo. www.Pottporus.de

CULTURE - Premiered: The 8th Pottporus Festival in Germany (2012). Concept, Direction, Choreography: Patricia Noworol. Performers: Dodzi Dougban, Shawndrick D. Hallman ("Iron Monkey"), Patrick Williams Seebacher ("Twoface"), Sefa Erdik ("Sefa Break"), and Patricia Noworol. Dramaturgy: Martina Gimplinger. Costume Designers: Patricia Noworol and Martina Gimplinger with special thanks to Schauspielhaus Bochum. Lighting Designer: Brian Jones.