Maria Caruso METAMORPHOSIS 'Outer-Burgh' Tour Announced

Maria Caruso announces the creation of M-Train Production's Outer-Burgh Tour, a series of FREE pop-up performances on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, inclusive of her first professional performance to date in her home county of Armstrong.

Caruso says, "I have truly been blessed beyond words in my career, and with every major milestone, it is critical that I give back to the community.It is time to bring Broadway to the Outer-Burgh.

"In the past 12 months Caruso's image has been plastered on billboards in New York's Times Square having been the first woman in history to star in two off-Broadway shows at two different theaters on the same night, has had a 5-month run of her solo show Metamorphosisin the Big Apple before a global tour, and is preparing to open at the iconic Lyric Theatre in Londons West End before heading into the studio to create a documentary film of the show directed by Michael Kelly, nephew of legendary dancer/actor Gene Kelly.

As if that isn't enough to exhaust a mere mortal, during the span of one year, Caruso (41) gracefully balanced on her toes while managing her Bodiography family of companies in Pittsburgh (celebrating 20 years this season), her dance conservatory, leadership of La Roche University's Performing Arts Department, and being a wife and mother to her five step-children.

Living her life and legacy with the tenants of Grace, Gratitude, and Love, it is no surprise that this impromptu tour was conceived from just that. What began as a gift to Carusos mother spawned into a multifaceted gift to the broader community and especially to her hometown of Rural Valley, Pa.

When Janie Caruso said she didn't think she could make it to Londons West End to see her daughter perform, her daughter decided to bring the theater to her. What began as an informal showing of Metamorphosis in moms Silver Sneakers class at the Kittanning YMCA, grew into a two week investment into the communities outside of the urban metropolis of Pittsburgh. This little gift caused pause for reflection on the hundreds of social media notes of support from friends and family in her hometown, always saying that they only wished they could see her dance.

In true M-Train style, a nickname for which she garnered for always moving light speed in the future of positive social change, quickly became a reality.

A few phone calls were made and the theater lights went on in Armstrong County via the support of the school district leadership.

The only pre-requisite for Caruso to perform was that every show on the tour, private or public, had to be FREE to everyone.

From Armstrong County she brought up the idea of an informal studio showing while planning to teach at a dance intensive at SheLor School of Dance in Butler County.

Welcomed with open arms by owner, Lori Lewis, the idea again evolved into a larger open performance at the Butler Area Intermediate High School, through the support of the school district leadership, Jeffrey Kroner, Larry Stock, and Michael Beck.While some showings remain closed to the public, both the Armstrong and Butler County shows remain open and free.

Ticket reservations are required and on the Metamorphosis website.

Carusos tenacity and generosity has been seen all over the world through her gift of art and of self, and now she she can extend that gift to the place she calls home. In her eyes, it seems that if you cant make it to Broadway, the M-train will bring Broadway to YOU.

Metamorphosis Armstrong County Jr./Sr. High School, June 15, 2022, at 7p.m.

Butler Area Intermediate School Auditorium, June 21, 2022, at 8p.m.

Metamorphosis highlights life's many transitions and the emotions that accompany them. Although based on Carusos own experiences, the drastic emotional shifts presented in her solo performance are shared among all of us, especially as the pandemic transformed our lives stripped us of our routines that upheld normalcy and provided us with time to reflect on our own lives. Carusos inspiration for Metamorphosis comes from her own life experiences that fill the pages of her story.

From fear, to rage, to confidence, Caruso expresses the changes her character undergoes through a series of costume changes into various colored dresses.

After its birth following Carusos performance of Martha Grahams iconic solo, Lamentations, Metamorphosis premiered in 2018 at Israels Karmiel Dance Festival and has been performed on five continents.

The production has been hailed as one of Carusos greatest solo performances to date. "Embracing the gravity of the moment, Caruso unleashed in her solo a passionate portrayal of a woman knowledged in the heartaches and joys of life that was bursting with her anxieties, sadness, soaring giddiness and breathless embracing of love and desire." - Steve Sucato

"Unafraid to show the pain that comes from within, Maria Angelica Caruso exposes an inward struggle that seems almost insurmountable. With an extraordinary desire to get past a scratching, awful feeling inside ones body, coping with a type of devastation, she elevates herself by returning to her core. Theater Pizzazz

She tries on a series of sheer dresses, the colors of which seem to evoke different moods: rage, sadness, sensuality. Caruso conveys these feelings with her entire body, which extends and contorts in ways that would leave us mere mortals breathless if we tried.

TheaterMania Metamorphosis has been reviewed in New York City by Theater Pizzazz and TheaterMania and featured on the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Maria Caruso is a Pittsburgh native dancer, choreographer, academic, social activist, fitness and wellness practitioner, and entrepreneur whose enterprise encompasses brand models focused in the arts, education, entertainment, and wellbeing sectors.

Caruso's multifaceted conglomerate comprises five performance companies, a dance conservatory, a fitness program, and a dance movement therapy system, all under the auspices of the Bodiography brand.

The alliance of organizations under her leadership include a production syndicate titled M-Train Productions, a fully functional multipurpose dance studio and performance space in her Movement Factory, the dance conservatory Bodiography Center for Movement, an affiliation with an academic institution of higher learning at La Roche University where she directs creative and innovative initiatives in the Performing Arts Department, and a publication known as the Arts Inclusive.

All the encompassing entities led by Ms. Caruso's vision are known for their commitment to health and wellness in the arts and their championing of positive change in communities regionally and globally.

M-Train Productions focuses on the development, creation, and production of commercial dance and theater projects. In addition to the efforts focused in the commercial sector, M-Train places special focus on initiatives that support the presentation of world class arts organizations in the facilities that Caruso owns and operates.

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