TDPS Experimental Performance Series
The World is On Fire, but Here is A Dance choreographed by Maggie Laszewski
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:
From the ancient Greeks to modern American neuroscientists, people have long recognized the healing properties of music. In string quartet Brooklyn Rider’s stirring program Healing Modes, we hear a profound exploration of the power of music to help society recover from tumult and suffering. The program features gripping works by trailblazing living composers Caroline Shaw, Gabriela Lena Frank and Reena Esmail along with Ludwig van Beethoven’s fifteenth string quartet—all creating a sonoric testament to resilience and deliverance.
Equal parts meditation and call-to-action, The Karma Suite is a blend of vocal interludes, instrumental jazz and percussive dances that comment on the social upheaval experienced in the United States in recent years. The piece, by Washington, D.C.-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator Elijah Jamal Balbed, was originally written in response to the threat of unrest brought by the 2016 election results and includes interrogations of voting inequity, gerrymandering and the separation of families at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Risk of Play by Amber Daniels
In Risk of Play, Daniels invites the audience to partner in the storytelling process. This gripping hybrid of performance, dance theater and play generates a full-bodied experience that thwarts expectations of conventional storytelling. Each performance results in a different outcome, creating a charge of spontaneity and raw performance that is crafted in the moment by performers and audiences together. Chance is the name of the game and, in this work, everybody wins.
Join us in person at The Clarice! Please note that this performance will not be livestreamed.
Featuring provocative choreography by M.F.A. Dance students, this concert is a collection of eclectic new works, serving as an unguarded exploration of these diverse artists' talents and interests.