Join us in person at The Clarice! Please note that this event will not be livestreamed.
The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies’ Fall Dance Concert reflects on and celebrates the vitality of live performance. Choreographers explore a range of collaborative and technological processes through devised movement pieces. Each choreography is a living work of art that crystallizes a shared moment for performers and audiences alike.
Join us in person at The Clarice! Please note that this event will not be livestreamed.
In what playwright Lauren Yee describes as an “existential slasher comedy,” Hookman tells the story of Lexi, a college freshman who is haunted by the sudden death of her childhood best friend—all while navigating the pressures of being a young woman entering adulthood. The production brings the horror film genre to the stage, inviting audiences to explore themes of grief, trauma and guilt in an up close and personal way.
From an ornate wind instrument called a saenghwang to a zither-like behemoth called a gayageum, nine-member Korean band Ak Dan Gwang Chil, or ADG7, pairs the traditional tools of their country’s folk music and sacred tunes with three singers and a panoply of percussion. ADG7 taps multiple traditions of Korean music, drawing on the songbooks of what is now the Hwanghae province. But the music they make is unapologetically and enthusiastically modern, with magnetic hooks delivered by colorfully clad singers who bound around the stage.
RAJAS, named after the Sanskrit term that defines the human quality that compels us to act and create, combines improvisation with various musical approaches. Led by University of Maryland anthropology and French language graduate Rajna Swaminathan ’13, RAJAS blends jazz with South Asian harmony and rhythm to create a unique sound. With the group’s own compositions serving merely as points of departure, the ensemble’s collaborative process centers around mutuality and multiplicity. On stage you will hear vocals, the percussive mrudangam, guitar, bass, piano, tenor saxophone and trumpet.
The World is On Fire, but Here is A Dance choreographed by Maggie Laszewski
In Louisa May Alcott’s beloved book “Little Women,” writer Jo March and her sisters Meg, Beth and Amy represent the experiences of women and families during the Civil War. Alcott’s timeless coming-of-age story debuted as a musical on Broadway in 2005, bringing these memorable characters to life through song and movement. The musical immerses audiences in the adventures of the March sisters, through love, hope and self-discovery.
Known for their flamboyant and dynamic style, Harlem Quartet advances diversity in classical music while engaging audiences with underperformed repertoire. From their 2009 performance for former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama to a highly successful South African tour, the quartet performs around the world with such distinguished artists as Itzhak Perlman, Ida Kavafian, Jeremy Denk, Chick Corea and, as in this program, Aldo López-Gavilán.
“El fandango emigró, y yo emigré con el fandango.” Immigrants from Mexico, Honduras and the Dominican Republic living in New York City without “papeles” band together inside a community sanctuary for a fandango—a celebration brought to life by live music, dance and performance. They shelter-in-place as they wait for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids to pass and for a family member making the dangerous trek to the U.S.
Around the world, the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Images of the children of the elite and of post-colonial dictatorships often feature cash and seaside holidays while the working population suffers under sanctions and dictatorships. In this virtual presentation, The Javaad Alipoor Company’s Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran explores entitlement and greedy consumption, as well as the role of digital technology, in creating this new apartheid and gentrification.
PriceFest 2021: A New Black Renaissance is presented by the International Florence Price Festival and sponsored by the University of Maryland School of Music with many events being livestreamed from The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Now in its second year, PriceFest 2021 continues to elevate the work of trailblazing composer Florence Price alongside historic and new works by more Black composers. The festival will feature more than twelve hours of diverse content including:
