William H. Gile Trust Brings Dorrance Dance To The CCA

Award-winning NYC-based tap dance company Dorrance Dance will perform at the Capitol Center for the Arts (Concord, NH) on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 7PM. This performance is part of the free 2018-'19 William H. Gile Concert Series.

Dorrance Dance aims to honor tap dance's uniquely beautiful history in a new, dynamic, and compelling context; not by stripping the form of its tradition, but by pushing it - rhythmically, technically, and conceptually. The company's inaugural performance garnered a Bessie Award for "blasting open our notions of tap" and the company continues its passionate commitment to expanding the audience of tap dance, America's original art form. Founded in 2011 by artistic director and 2015 MacArthur Fellow, Michelle Dorrance, the company has received countless accolades, rave reviews and performed for packed houses around the world.

Tickets for the January 15 Dorrance Dance performance are limited to four per patron and are available starting Monday, December 10 at 11AM. They may be ordered by calling the Capitol Center for the Arts at (603) 225-1111 or online at ccanh.com. Tickets may also obtained at the CCA's box office at 44 South Main St., Concord, NH, which is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11AM to 6PM and Saturdays from 11AM to 2PM.

The William H. Gile Concert Series opened on December 16, 1960, after a legacy of more than $700,000 was left by Helen B. Gile in 1952 to finance a free concert series for the residents of Concord, New Hampshire. The bequest was made in memory of Ms. Gile's father, William H. Gile, who had resided in Concord for a number of years. Ms. Giles stipulated that the details of the concerts were to be left to a committee of three Concord citizens and that the events were to be "of the highest type in all respects." After much consultation, the first Gile Concert Series was arranged for the 1960-61 season and was held at the Capitol Theatre (now the Capitol Center for the Arts). Over the first few years alone, the Gile Series enabled the Concord community to enjoy choir, dance group, and operatic performances, as well as luminary soloists such as Van Cliburn, Isaac Stern, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Victor Borge. While the concert series has been held at various locations over the decades, it is currently being performed again at the Capitol Center.

Previous Gile Series performances have included Drumline Live, Gobsmacked, Cashore Marionettes, Tom Rush, Veronica Swift, and the Soweto Gospel Choir. Other upcoming performances include Mnozil Brass (February 7, 2019), and the U.S. Army Field Band (March 26, 2019).

The award-winning Capitol Center for the Arts (www.ccanh.com) inspires, educates, and entertains audiences by providing a quality venue for the performing arts as well as a wide range of professional-level, artistically-significant presentations. The Center is conveniently located off Rt. 93 in downtown Concord, New Hampshire and is close to several quality restaurants, shopping boutiques, and other area attractions. The facility first opened in 1927 as the Capitol Theatre, a prime stop on the Vaudeville circuit; it later became Concord's premier movie house and concert hall. After closing in 1989, it underwent a multi-million dollar renovation / modernization and reopened in 1995 as the Capitol Center for the Arts. Today, the Capitol Center is home to the 1304-seat Chubb Theatre, the Spotlight Café, The Governor's Hall ballroom, and the Kimball House, a Victorian mansion. Its newest venue, the Bank of New Hampshire Stage at 14-16 S Main St, is scheduled to open in Spring 2019.