Danielle Georgiou Dance Group presents THINGS MISSING/MISSED

In a unique partnership with Dallas-based dance theatre company the Danielle Georgiou Dance Group, the Dallas Public Library will present the local premiere of Things Missing/Missed, a devised, movement theatre work by playwrights Philip Hays, Melissa Flower, and Justin Locklear. Directed by Locklear, the ensemble cast, including Danielle Georgiou and Gloria Benavides, will use physical theatre techniques, puppetry, and contemporary dance to bring to life the story of a young couple on the brink of disaster and a hermit, who may or may not, be stealing their property.

Things Missing/Missed is a based on the real story of a hermit, who renounced all interaction with other people and hid the woods outside of North Pond, Maine for 30 years, engendering myths of forest monsters, stealing from pantries and sock drawers. The legend is juxtaposed against T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," and from this structure, the play explores the sensations of missing, being missed, and being erased.

"We believe in storytelling through movement and the power of dance to communicate ideas that are normally hidden," said DGDG founder Danielle Georgiou. "Each word or phrase embodies a gesture and movement that can fundamentally alter our perceptions and emotions, and there is something beautifully haunting in exploring that."

The play was first performed in Houston in 2015, with the intent to share and develop works between Houston and Dallas. Philip, Melissa, and Justin were curious how a devised work could grow and breathe in different spaces, under different hands, and in different cities. Upon receiving their residency, Danielle and Justin saw this as a perfect opportunity to bring this engrossing work to Dallas. And most appropriately, a work exploring erasure, redaction, and stolen property will take place in the one location with the most collected truth and history: the library!

Danielle Georgiou founded DGDG in 2011, and began collaborating with Justin Locklear in 2013. Since then, the duo has created a number of award-winning shows, includingNICE, for the first Elevator Project, and The Show About Men. Their latest production, the comedic, original musical, Donkey Beach, was a part of the 2017 Elevator Project, and DGDG had the honor of being the only company invited back for the second year of the series. Georgiou, a choreographer and director, and Locklear, an actor and director, found that their particular theatrical aesthetics could be combined to create entire narratives that are at the same time abstract and absurd, while also being accessible.

Things Missing/Missed is directed by Justin Locklear with Colby Calhoun as choreographer. Danielle Georgiou serves as assistant choreographer. The cast includes William Acker, Gloria Benavides, Matthew Clark, Danielle Georgiou, and Meaghan Patterson. Original music by Donovan Jones. Costume design by Ryan Matthieu Smith. Set and lighting design by Lori Honeycutt.

Things Missing/Missed will perform Friday, December 15 at 7:30p.m., Saturday, December 16 at 2:00p.m. and 7:30p.m., and Sunday, December 17 at 2:00p.m. All shows are free and open to the public.

Selected as Best Dance Troupe for 2017 by the Dallas Observer and Best Dance Company for 2016 by the readers of D Magazine, The Danielle Georgiou Dance Group is currently in its 6th season of creating and producing original works of dance theatre in Dallas, TX. DGDG was created by Danielle Georgiou in 2011 and is a dance theatre company that works within the ideas of contemporary dance and physical theatre. DGDG's work reflects Georgiou's interest in social and psychological issues, and in creating compelling images of a "new female." The works break with the tradition of contemporary dance and tend to be more conceptual or narrative-driven. Whether collaborating or defining her own work, Georgiou looks for performers that constantly strive to transform themselves, either in image or skill. Technique is your foundation-not your identity.DGDG recently wrapped their second production with the Elevator Project, Donkey Beach, at Hamon Hall inside the Winspear Opera House; their first, NICE, in 2014,premiered at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre and won a Dallas Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum Award for Outstanding Creative Contribution for Choreography. DGDG's The Show About Men (2015) was named Best New Play or Musical and cited for Outstanding Creative Contribution for Choreography by the Dallas Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum Awards.

Danielle Georgiou was named one of TheaterJones' Forward Thinkers for 2015, one of the top North Texas choreographers to watch in 2014 by the Dallas Morning News, and cited as one of the standout female performers of 2013 by the Dallas Observer. DGDG's seasons have been listed one of the highlights of dance in Dallas since 2012 and have performed throughout Texas, Oklahoma, California, and Oregon.

Performance Dates and Times:

• Friday, December 15 at 7:30 PM
• Saturday, December 16 at 2:00 PM
• Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 PM
• Sunday, December 17 at 2:00 PM

All shows are free. Free parking is also available in the Library Parking Garage located on Wood Street. Things Missing/Missed will take place at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX 75201.

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