Dallas Bach Society's new balletic work Le Mozart Noir: the Untold Story
Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) February 03, 2016 -- Dallas Bach Society presents Le Mozart Noir in collaboration with Contemporary Ballet Dallas (CBD) in a special evening on the life and times of the illustrious Joseph Boulogne. The concert features live music, including both period music led by DBS Director James Richman and original composition by Mark Landson of Open Classical. Valerie Tabor of CBD is chief choreographer, while period social dance has been restaged by New York Baroque Dance Company Director Catherine Turocy. Consulting for the project is Haitian dance expert Marcea Daiter.
Artistic Director James Richman says, “Though the story is individual to the Chevalier, the ballet explores in vignettes the universal struggle to find oneself. It is a story we can all appreciate.” This unique evening, funded by a grant from the Donna Wilhelm Family New Works Fund of TACA, will be performed on February 26-27, 2016 at the BTHSPVA in their fabulous Montgomery Arts Theater.
The Chevalier’s life story and work are rich indeed, but not often written about in the books. Later famously known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Boulogne was the son of a French planter of the nobility in the Caribbean and a woman of African heritage. The Chevalier’s talent and intelligence led to his advancement, where he was an important musical figure. He became a champion fencer, skillful equestrian, virtuoso violinist, and conductor of the leading symphony in Paris in the 18th century. The Chevalier was composing contemporaneous with Mozart and became known as Le Mozart Noir among the French bourgeoisie. He conducted the premieres of Franz Josef Haydn’s Paris Symphonies with his Orchestre de la Loge Olympique. Women swooned for his exotic features and superb talent. During the French Revolution, he became a colonel of the Legion St. Georges, the first all-black regiment in Europe, fighting on the side of the Republic.
Tickets are currently on sale to the general public at http://www.dallasbach.org.
About the Dallas Bach Society
The Dallas Bach Society was formed in 1982 to promote and encourage instrumental, choral, vocal, operatic, chamber, and keyboard music composed before 1800 through live performances in Dallas and its vicinity. Since its founding, the Society has been the city’s primary resource for early music performances by professional musicians. Instrumentalists perform on replicas of instruments from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Chorus is trained in the vocal style and performance practice of the period. National and international soloists specializing in the interpretation of Baroque join musicians to present the highest level of choral, chamber, and orchestral productions each season. The Dallas Bach Society’s season consists of ten traditional concerts and more intimate chamber concerts are offered in private homes. The Dallas Bach Society is a member of the Association of Professional Vocal Ensembles, The Neue Bach Gesellschaft, and was a founding member of Early Music America. Learn more at dallasbach.org
About Contemporary Ballet Dallas
Contemporary Ballet Dallas, CBD, is a unique dance company for a unique city and was founded in 2000 by SMU dance alumnae. CBD performs a diverse repertoire of modern, ballet, and jazz influenced works that inspire the North Texas community. The company’s progressive, diverse & contemporary style combines with a variety of musical genres, in turn, engaging a broader audience. Utilizing professional dancers and recent college graduates, concerts are billed for the everyday man, as well as dance enthusiasts interested in a full spectrum of dance styles. CBD has received favorable reviews from dance critics throughout the area and continues to be recognized throughout the local dance scene. CBD provides a platform for emerging artists to set works at no cost to them, performs at local community performances and art festivals, serves as entertainment for charity events, and continues to present community outreach programs to underserved students through our Chance to Dance educational initiatives. Learn more at http://www.contemporaryballetdallas.com
About Catherine Turocy of New York Baroque Dance Company
Catherine Turocy, recognized as one of today’s leading choreographer, re-constructors and stage directors in 17th and 18th century period performance, has over 60 Baroque operas to her credit. She co-founded New York Baroque Dance Company in 1976 and continues as the Artistic Director today. She has been decorated by the French Republic as a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters. She received the prestigious BESSIE Award in New York City for sustained achievement in choreography as well as the Natalie Skelton Award for Artistic Excellence. NEA International Exchange Fellowships supported extended visits where she lived in London and Paris, conducting research and interacting with other artists. Ms. Turocy began her studies of historical dance as a freshman with Dr. Shirley Wynne at Ohio State University where she graduated magna cum laude. A founding member of the Society for Dance History Scholars, she has lectured on period performance practices around the world. As a writer she has contributed chapters to dance history text books, articles to Opera News, Early Music America and Dance Magazine, many which have been translated into French, German, Japanese and Korean. Learn more at http://www.nybaroquedance.org
About Marcea Daiter
Ms. Daiter is a choreographer, performing artist, dance educator and artistic director of New York-based dance theater company Kaleidoscope of Kultures DanceTheater. She is currently an Adjunct Instructor in the Dance Education Program at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, teaching African Dance and Intercultural Studies. Ms. Daiter received an M.F.A. degree in Dance from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 1992 and her B.A. degree in Sociology from Loyola University of Chicago in 1975. Her field-study trips to Africa, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti - and nationally at the Katherine Dunham Institute of Intercultural Studies (1995-2006) and Jacob's Pillow (1996/1999) - have influenced her methodology. Ms. Daiter is a licensed Teacher of Dance in New York State and has taught contemporary (modern/jazz), classical ballet, and Afro-Caribbean for the New York City Department of Education public school system (5th-12th grade), Borough of Manhattan City College, City College, Long Island University, Hofstra University, and Movement for Actors in the Graduate Acting Department at Tisch School of the Arts. She is certified to teach the Zena Rommett Floor Barre Technique, the Method and Mat work of Joseph Pilates, and the technique of Katherine Dunham. Learn more at http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/dance
About Mark Landson
Based in Dallas, TX, Mark Landson’s passion is in the ongoing flourishing community of supporters, fans, and performers which has enabled the organization Open Classical to fulfill its mission of putting classical music into the heart of everyday popular culture. A lifetime commitment to classical music combined with an entrepreneurial drive, Mark has brought a dream to life with Open Classical. His vision is to provide an opportunity for musicians to hone their skills while simultaneously creating a new experience for fans and performers. His creativity, leadership and love for story-telling is central to the spirit of the organization. Mr. Landson attended Eastman School of Music and works as composer and violinist at Neo Camerata. Learn more at http://www.openclassical.org
Hillary Coyle, The Dallas Bach Society, http://www.dallasbach.org, +1 214.320.8700, [email protected]
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