VCU Dance is kicking off its programming surrounding TOROBAKA/FLASH: Cultural Intimacy In Motion, a national conversation originating at the intersection of four artists whose work explodes conventional notions of cross-cultural dialogue. VCUarts, in partnership with the Modlin Center for the Arts, present two dance collaborations (Torobaka and Flash) and a series of in-depth discussions with the tremendously gifted artists who made them. The four world-class artists in these collaborations work in four distinct disciplines: classical Indian Kathak, Spanish Flamenco, American Hip Hop and Japanese Butoh.
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FLASH
Uniting Butoh/fusion choreographer Michael Sakamoto and Hip-Hop great Rennie Harris, FLASH is an evening-long duet representing a conversation between their respective aesthetics, grappling with “the body in crisis.” TOROBAKA takes place at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond Center Stage on February 24.
TOROBAKA
This collaboration unites classical Indian Kathak with Spanish Flamenco in a tour de force duet performed to live music by Akram Khan, one of Britain’s most renowned contemporary choreographers, and Spain’s Israel Galván, who has been at the forefront of contemporary Flamenco for 20 years. FLASH takes place at VCU’s Grace Street Theater on February 21 & 22.
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There will also be a panel discussion at VCU’s Grace Street Theater on February 23 featuring all four artists, who will come together for the first time to discuss their work, their process, and their challenges. The discussion will be open to the public and live-streamed online. Tickets these events are available online through the Modlin Center for the Arts.
Additional programming includes: dance workshops (available for dance majors but open for observations), a community class, public talks and performances. The discussion featuring all four artists will be live streamed and anyone can join the dance conversation online using #DanceCulture2016. To see the full list of events, head over to the VCU Dance project website or to the VCUarts Events Calendar.
Support for this project comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, VCU’s Global Education Office, VCUarts, VCU Community Engagement, and VCU.
Image: (Top) Akram Khan and Israel Galván in TOROBAKA. Photo Jean Louis Fernandez. (Bottom) Michael Sakamoto and Rennie Harris in FLASH. Photo JaNelle Weatherford
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