Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

By Kelly Skinner
“Dancing that pulls the viewers right out of their seats…16 dancers — all wonderful in their
commitment, energy and precision…” –The New York Times
 
State Theatre presents
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
Program will include Annonciation (Angelin Preljocaj); Sunday, Again (Jo Strømgren);
and frame of view (Didy Veldman)
Friday, April 24, 2009, 8pm; $40, $25, $25, $20
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
 
New Brunswick, NJ (April 6, 2009)—The State Theatre presents the annual return of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet on Friday, April 24 at 8pm. The Cedar Lake program includes Bessie Award-winning Annonciation by Angelin PreljocajSunday, Againby Jo Strømgrenframe of viewby Didy Veldman. Tickets range from $20-40 (group discounts apply).
The Cedar Lakedancers include: Christopher Adams, Jubal Battisti, Jon Bond, Soojin Choi, Nickemil Concepcion, Jason Kittelberger, Ana-Maria Lucaciu, Marina Mascarell, Oscar Ramos, Matthew Rich, Acacia Schachte, Harumi Terayama, Kristen Weiser, Ebony Williams, and Golan Yosef. 
Cedar Lake Contemporary Dance Company, founded in 2003, is dedicated to showcasing the talent of emerging American choreographers and presenting less known artists to American audiences. Under the artistic direction of Benoit-Swan Pouffer, a former Alvin Ailey dancer, the company has developed a unique contemporary vision of ballet that mixes traditional ballet partnering and pointe work with elements of jazz, hip hop, and modern dance to create a delightfully postmodern pastiche of dance. Cedar Lake is also noted for its incorporation of modern technology into dance performances: lighting, music, and live manipulated video work to create an atmosphere that is both gritty and glamorous.
Angelin Preljocaj
A former student of classical dance, Angelin Preljocaj began his study of contemporary dance and has been presenting contemporary dance since 1984 after he founded his own group, Preljocaj Company. Some of his works include: Black Market (1985), To Our Heroes (1986), Romeo and Juliet (1990), Bitter America (1990), The World Skin (1992), Le Parc,1994), L’Annonciation (Paris Opera Ballet, 1996), Firebird (Munich, 1995), Casanova (Paris Opera, 1998), and Personne n’épouse les Méduses (1999), Helikopter (2001), Rite of Spring (2001) and Near Life Experience (2003). He has been awarded the Grand Prix National de la Danse from the Ministry of Culture, the Bessie Award, and the Victoires de la Musique award.
Jo Strømgren
Educated in classical ballet with years as a dancer, Jo Strømgren pursued a multi-disciplinary creative career. As the artistic director of Jo Strømgren Kompani he has dazzled audiences and critics worldwide with his peculiar style. His company has performed its combination of gibberish, live music, film, and puppet theatre in 45 countries, achieving many prizes. As a freelance choreographer he is frequently called upon by ballet companies, such as The Royal Danish Ballet, Gothenburg Ballet, The Norwegian National Ballet, and Ballet de l’Opera du Rhin. Strømgren says “Sunday, Again is first of all a piece that tries to reflect the diversity in Johann Sebastian Bach’s music. Abstract movement patterns are woven together in fugal ways, not unlike the baroque way of assembling melodic phrases and ornamentations.”
Didy Veldman
Trained at the Scapino Academy in Amsterdam, Didy Veldman began choreographing in 1987, and began her own dance company, Alias, in 1992. In 1994, she joined Rambert Dance Company, where she created three works. Since leaving in 2000, he has created and staged works for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Ballet Gulbenkian, Rambert Dance Company, Cullberg Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, New Zealand Ballet, the Komische Oper Berlin, Scottish Dance Theatre, and Phoenix Dance Theatre, among others. About frame of viewVeldman says, “I am investigating the physical movement a particular emotion may take, how it manifests itself in our body, how long that physicality may last, and the energy that it creates. By creating different interior and exterior scenes, and utilizing a varied musical landscape, I hope to create an accessible work with a touch of irony and humor.”
For tickets (or a brochure), call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm and at least one hour prior to curtain on performance dates. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 536.
The State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Continental Airlines is the official airline of the State Theatre. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. William Grant & Sons, our season spirits’ sponsor.
 
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
Fri, April 24 at 8pm
$40, $25, $25, $20
 
STATE THEATRE
15 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Ticket Office – 732-246-SHOW (7469)
Online – www.StateTheatreNJ.org
PHOTOS AND INTERVIEWS FURNISHED UPON REQUEST
Please contact Kelly Skinner at
732-247-7200, ext. 542 or by email at [email protected].
Information in this release is current as of April 6, 2009.
For up-to-the-minute information on events and State Theatre news,
visit the State Theatre online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org.