Relay Dance Collective to Present RDC3

A rich, colorful and theatrical mix of movement is on the menu for Relay Dance Collective's third-season performance, RDC3, at 7:30 p.m., April 3-5, 2015 at Velocity Dance Center.

Choreographers include veteran and emerging Pacific Northwest artists, including Eva Stone, director of the Chop Shop: Bodies of Work festival; Alana O Rogers; Markeith Wiley and Cheryl Delostrinos. Viewers will see new works and audience-favorites from the past.

"I'm excited to reset the first thing I ever choreographed for Buttrock Suites on Relay Dance Collective," said Diana Cardiff, an acclaimed dancer/choreographer, co-founder of D9 Dance Collective, and longtime collaborator with Wade Madsen and Pat Graney. "I think audiences will be entertained and compelled to truly enjoy dance at this performance."

RDC3 will also include new pieces by Relay cofounder Austin Sexton, and by Jessica Zoller (member of Portland's AWOL Dance Collective and MFA candidate at the University of Oregon). Fiona Vigdor will also set a new work. A Boston Conservatory graduate, Vigdor went on to dance for former Merce Cunningham company member, Alan Good, in New York City.

Seattle's modern dance scene is abundant with evening-length performances by a single choreographer, as well as festival-style outlets such as Chop Shop, Boost, Men in Dance and 12 Minutes Max where many choreographers are featured. Relay offers something unique: a dance company committed to commissioning diverse work. RDC3 will include a range of movement aesthetics and styles.

"Rather than defining ourselves as simply a 'company' Relay functions as a community dance hub," said RDC co-founder and choreographer, Austin Sexton. "In addition to having a strong core of dancers, we place an emphasis on collaboration with artists whose work excites and inspires us."

This year, that includes ARC Dance Company (directed by Marie Chong) and Cheryl Delostrinos and her dancers/collaborators, graduates of the UW dance program performing in RDC3 this year. The entire show includes more than 20 dancers.

RDC3 represents a change in direction for Relay Dance Collective, which, for the past couple years, has been committed to expanding audiences for dance through volunteerism in the community. In 2013, Relay performed at several Seattle schools and elder-care facilities; additionally, the group raised $600 to provide a field trip for 1st grade students in Shoreline's Parkwood Elementary to see The Steadfast Tin Soldier: A Story Ballet.

Now that Relay has worked on exposing new people to dance, its focus turns more pointedly to the artistic side. This year, RDC hopes to showcase its most virtuosic, technically-rigorous dancing and innovative choreography yet. But that's not to say that co-founders Jasmine Morgan, Gabrielle Gainor, Tess Wendel and Sexton are no longer committed to offering dance for all.

"People are often afraid to 'not get' a modern-dance piece; but it's OK to not get it" Sexton said. "The beauty of an abstract art form is that there are greater, not fewer, possibilities. As a viewer, I challenge you to keep an open mind and see where the experience takes you."

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