Spectrum Dance Theater Arrives At Bristol Riverside On 1/9

Bristol Riverside Theatre concludes its Bridges Informance Series with Donald Byrd's renowned Spectrum Dance Theatre on Friday, January 9. Byrd recently choreographed Broadway's Tony-nominated hit The Color Purple, and he is the collaborator and co-director for BRT's upcoming World Premiere of What You Will.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Bristol Riverside Theatre, located at 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol. Tickets are $15 for adults or $10 for students and are available by calling the BRT Box Office at (215) 785-0100 or in person.

A special website has been created with artist video interviews, photos and information about the Bridges Informance Series and the development of What You Will at www.howwewill.org. Byrd is also presenting workshops to area schools including Bristol High School, FDR Elementary School, Bucks County Technical High School, and Chandler Hall Center for Life Long Learning.

Spectrum Dance Theater's appearance continues to introduce audiences to innovative performances as the theatre gears up for the February 2009 Premiere of What You Will, a BRT original urban theatre adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night. To illuminate the unique concept of What You Will, the Bridges Informance Series brings nationally renowned theatre artists to the Philadelphia area for evenings of performance and conversation that challenge and inspire audiences' ideas of theatre today.

Spectrum Dance Theater (SDT) was founded in 1982 to bring dance of the highest merit to a diverse audience composed of people from different social, cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds. SDT's principal objective is to make dance accessible through contemporary performances and high-quality training in a variety of dance styles.

Under Donald Byrd's visionary artistic leadership since 2002, the organization has embarked on an exhilarating transformation that has attracted world-class dancers and produced some of the most avant-garde works in contemporary dance. Spectrum Dance Theater has become a champion in partnering with Seattle-based arts organizations. In 2007, the company collaborated with the 5th Avenue Theater, Northwest Sinfonietta, and Seattle Opera.

Byrd studied at Tufts and Yale Universities, The Cambridge School of Ballet, the London School of Contemporary Dance, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and with Mia Slavenska. He danced with Twyla Tharp, Karole Armitage, and Gus Solomons Jr. among others. Since 1976, Byrd has created over eighty works for his former company and for Spectrum Dance Theater, as well as for many major modern dance repertory companies including The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco, and Dallas Black Dance Theater. He has also choreographed works for classical companies including Pacific Northwest Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theater. His best known work is his reworking of the Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, into The Harlem Nutcracker, which received critical acclaim and toured nationally for 5 years. Byrd has also choreographed for numerous stage productions including work at Seattle Children's Theater, Center Stage in Baltimore, the New York Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, San Francisco Opera, and New York City Opera. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Dance Theater Workshop in New York. Recent projects include choreography to Motown classic hits for The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and the Tony nominated musical, The Color Purple.

A daring and bold take on Shakespeare's classic comedy Twelfth Night, What You Will premieres on February 10 and runs through March 1, 2009. This new adaptation is created by BRT Artistic Director Keith Baker and collaborator Byrd. Shakespeare's original language is heard with a distinctively contemporary American voice as the worlds of modern urban and classical theatre are fused. Music by composer and hip hop producer Justin Ellington completes the marriage of text, high-energy movement and heart-pounding music. Ellington also composed music for Will Power's acclaimed The Seven and is a member of the multi-platinum production company Bangladesh which has created songs for artists such as Ciara, Kelis, Marsha (Floetry), Lil Wayne and Ludacris.

The Bridges Informance Series has been supported by a grant from the Marketing Innovation Program, a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and administered by The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

What You Will has been supported by a grant from the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative with additional support from the Marketing Innovation Program, both programs of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and administered by The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

 

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