Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie Presents ELVIS AND THE MAN IN BLACK, Now thru 5/31

Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie (CLC) proudly presents Elvis and the Man in Black, a double bill featuring James Kudelka'sacclaimed The Man in Black and the world premiere of Looking for Elvis, choreographed by CLC Co-Artistic Director Laurence Lemieux. Elvis & The Man in Black runs at the Mimi Herrndorf Studio Theatre at The Citadel, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm from today, May 21-31.

The Man in Black
Choreographed by James Kudelka
Music: Six covers, sung by Johnny Cash
Dancers: Luke Garwood, Tyler Gledhill, Daniel McArthur, Christianne Ullmark.
Lighting Design: Trad Burns, Simon Rossiter; Costume Design: HOAX Couture.

Originally commissioned by BalletMet Columbus and premiered there in 2010, The Man in Black was part of last year's season at the National Ballet of Canada. A celebration of American working-class grit and of the man whose voice embodied it so movingly, the work features six Johnny Cash songs - all covers from the later part of his career (ranging from Ian Tyson's Four Strong Winds to Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind), giving visual resonance for an ensemble of three men and a woman, all in cowboy boots.

"Only such a master of his craft as Kudelka could draw from the vernacular of American country-western dance styles to create a work so inventive, so alert to the music and their lyrics, and so deeply moving. It's a dance you could see time and again, knowing you'd discover some new layer at every viewing." -Toronto Star

Looking for Elvis - World premiere
Choreographed by Laurence Lemieux
Music: Songs and interviews by Elvis Presley
Dancers: Ryan Boorne, Michael Caldwell, Luke Garwood, Tyler Gledhill, Daniel McArthur, Erin Poole, Christianne Ullmark.
Lighting Design: Simon Rossiter; Sound Design: John Gzowski; Projection Design: Jeremy Mimnagh; Costume Design: HOAX Couture.

Looking for Elvis is both a tribute to and a study of the life of Elvis Presley. It is based on Laurence Lemieux's experience of travelling to Graceland in 2012. She says, "I was looking for the man. I was surprised to find a pretty regular, simple, loving man, who was himself just looking for his own happiness. The work also takes its inspiration from my desire to reconcile the place of artists in the public forum, and their capacity to function in society."

James Kudelka is widely acknowledged as one of North America's most innovative choreographers. His mastery of both classical ballet and modern/contemporary dance has earned him commissions from companies as stylistically diverse as American Ballet Theatre, Chicago's Hubbard Street Dance and Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. Kudelka's work covers an impressive range, from virtuoso pas de deux, through large-scale and always arresting adaptations of such classics as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Cinderella, to boldly innovative creative collaborations with dancers, designers and musicians. After nine distinguished years as artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada (1996-2005), James Kudelka continues to undertake collaborative projects that engage and challenge him as a choreographer. In 2008, Kudelka became CLC's Resident Choreographer.

Laurence Lemieux joined Toronto Dance Theatre in 1986 through 1994, and has danced for such choreographers as David Earle, Patricia Beatty, James Kudelka, ¬Margie Gillis, Jean-Pierre Perreault and other esteemed dance artists. A Dora Mavor Moore Award winner for Outstanding Performance and a 2013 nominee for her performance in Kudelka's From the House of Mirth presented by CLC, she has choreographed more than 25 works including her own solo Les cheminements de l'influence that launched The Citadel in 2012.
Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie, founded in 2000 by Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux, creates both intimate, small-scale performances and spectacular stage shows featuring some of Canada's greatest dancers, as well as now-legendary site-specific events in both urban and rural settings. Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie presents Elvis and The Man in Black A double bill choreographed by James Kudelka and Laurence Lemieux May 21-31, 2014; Performances Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm The Citadel, 304 Parliament Street, Toronto Regular Tickets: $20 / Gala on May 22: $100 All tickets available through the Box Office at 416-364-8011 or online at colemanlemieux.com

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