Keigwin + Company Offers Kabaret and Dance Concert
Keene, N.H. 10/13/05 - Hailed by critics and audiences alike as the hottest new choreographer/dancer in America today, Larry Keigwin brings his company of six dancers to Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond, Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. The Keigwin + Company will be making its regional debut as part of the Redfern’s 25th anniversary year celebration. In addition to the concert, Keigwin + will offer its raucous Keigwin Kabaret Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7:30.
Keigwin + Company was established in 2003 with its premiere performance at New York’s Joyce Soho. Since then the company has performed at New York’s Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, Thalia Theater at Symphony Space, and NYU/Tisch School of the Arts among other venues. Their national appearances include the American Dance Festival, the Bates Dance Festival, Summerdance Santa Barbara, and Jacob’s Pillow.
Keigwin’s career has found him performing from the Metropolitan Opera House to downtown clubs to Broadway and back. From 1997 to 2000, he was the associate artistic director of Dendy Dance & Theater and received a Bessie Award for his performance in “Dream Analysis.” He has also danced in the companies of Jane Comfort, John Jasperse, Doug Elkins, Ben Munisteri, and David Rousseve. Recent Metropolitan Opera engagements include Doug Varone’s “La Sacre du Printemps” and Julie Taymor’s “The Magic Flute.” Keigwin was the associate choreographer for the Radio City Rockettes production of “Carnivale,” a Disney musical workshop “When You Wish,” and the Off-Broadway musical “The Wild Party.” He recently performed in the Broadway show “Dance of the Vampires.”
The concert Keigwin + performance will be taken from the company’s current repertory. “Mattress Suite,” created over a two-year period, was described by one critic as, “If ‘Will and Grace’ were a dance on HBO, ‘Mattress Suite’ might be it. The mattress becomes the newlywed’s bed, the wall between them, the playground for the groom, a pedestal for the woman. The seven-section piece makes you laugh, contemplate, and marvel at how many ways a mattress can be used and still be interesting.”
“Female Portraits” showcases the talents of the company’s female dancers and is choreographed to music sung by Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, and Annie Lennox. “Natural Selection” is a sextet danced to music by Michael Gordon; the Darwinian reference in the title is reinforced by the choreography that conveys a sense of struggle and survival techniques.
The piece “Urban Birds” finds a trio of dancers exhibiting avian mannerisms. However, while lifting each other they soar through a range of suspiciously human behaviors and relationships.
“Keigwin Kabaret,” Tuesday night’s offering, is a fusion of modern dance, vaudeville, and burlesque acts. Often funny and a bit bawdy, the performance is not meant for the family nor is it a dance concert, but it does give the audience a chance to experience the playfulness and exuberance Keigwin + Company brings to its performances. “Keigwin Kabaret” is free and open to the public.
However, those wishing to attend must call the box office (603-358-2168) and reserve their tickets. The specific theatre for this performance in the Arts Center has not yet been determined.
Keigwin + Company’s visit to Keene is funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, which receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from the state arts agencies of New England and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Tickets for the November 2 concert are $19 and $16 for the general public, $15 and $12 for seniors and KSC faculty and staff, $12 and $10 for youth 17 and younger, and $5 for KSC students with ID. They are available at the Redfern Arts Center’s box office, 603-358-2168, or on the web at www.keene.edu/racbp.
