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****MEDIA ALERT****
CONTACT: Stacy West 314-341-5407
swest@madcodance.com
WHO: MADCO (Modern American Dance Company)
WHAT: St. Louis’ most prominent dance company shares the stage with Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, another of the Midwest’s finest professional dance companies. MADCO and EDE will perform the work of six nationally and internationally acclaimed choreographers.
WHEN: February 1-2, 2008 at 8pm
WHERE: Lee Theater
Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of
University of Missouri St. Louis
WHY: A rare collaboration with an opportunity for audiences to see two acclaimed companies and sought-after choreographers all in one place.
MODERN AMERICAN DANCE COMPANY (MADCO)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: January 1, 2008
Contact: Stacy West, Executive/Artistic Director
Email: swest@madcodance.com
Website: www.madcodance.com
Phone: 314/341-5407
Photo Attached
Rare Collaboration Kicks Off MADCO’s New Season
On February 1-2, 2008, MADCO, St. Louis’ most prominent dance company shares the stage with Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, another of the Midwest’s finest professional dance companies. MADCO and EDE will perform the work of six nationally and internationally acclaimed choreographers. Performances are at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, Lee Theater. Show times are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for students. Contact the Touhill at 314-516-4949 or go to www.touhill.org.
MADCO Artistic Director, Stacy West, initiated the unique arrangement of sharing concerts with other companies who are the dance leaders in their cities. The two groups will perform the same concert in Detroit on January 26th 2008.
“Sharing resources provides dance audiences in our respective cities the opportunity to see a variety of work from two different companies and sought-after choreographers all in one place. At MADCO we believe it is our responsibility to continue providing fresh and engaging experiences for our audiences,” says West.
At the February performances in St. Louis, MADCO will dance two duets by Frank Chaves of River North Dance Chicago that reflect the emotional range of love found and love lost. San Francisco-based choreographer Janice Garrett has created a quintet performed at lighting speed titled “Fast Brass.” MADCO is also featuring the new dances of local choreographers including Mikey Thomas whose last work for MADCO was honored at the Toronto International Dance Festival and of MADCO’s Associate Artistic Director, Todd Weeks, who has created many of the dances in MADCO’s repertory, including the acclaimed full-length production, “Chimera.”
Eisenhower Dance Ensemble will perform new work by Michael Foley who is based at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Foley was a MADCO guest artist in 2007 showcasing work for MADCO’s 30th Anniversary last year. The remainder of the concert will be rounded out by the original work of Laurie Eisenhower which Dance Magazine has described as “…dance that beckons with a blend of virtuosity and sly humor.”
MADCO, now in its 31st season, is known for its versatile and athletic style, performing the work of accomplished St. Louis choreographers as well as internationally known ones. In 2006, Dance International Magazine named MADCO the “Best of the Best” at the Toronto International Dance Festival. MADCO has a St. Louis home season, touring productions and education programs that reach over 25,000 people annually. MADCO is the Professional Company in Residence at the prestigious Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of University of Missouri St. Louis.
MADCO programs are made possible by the Regional Arts Commission, the Missouri Arts Council, the Fox Associates Foundation, the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis, and by private foundations, corporations and individual donors.
POSSIBLE INTERVIEWS
Stacy West (MADCO Artistic Director)
Todd Weeks (MADCO Associate Artistic Director)
Mikey Thomas (St. Louis Independent Choreographer)
Laurie Eisenhower (Eisenhower Dance Ensemble)
Frank Chaves (River North Dance Chicago)
Janice Garrett (Janice Garrett and Dancers)
Michael Foley (Michael Foley Dance)
POSSIBLE FEATURE STORIES
Highlight two premier Midwestern dance companies coming together
What is the life of a professional dancer/choreographer in St. Louis like?
What does it take to put together a show with artists in 5 different cities?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 1, 2005
Contact: Stacy West
314-341-5407
swest@madcodance.com
MADCO Receives International Honor at Canadian Dance
Festival
In August, the Modern American Dance Company (MADCO) performed at the fFIDA
International Dance Festival in Toronto, Ontario. Out of 30 world premieres,
79 choreographers, and 250 dancers and musicians, MADCO’s performance
of Movement Activities: Response! was recognized as one of the top
7 performances of the two week long festival.
The fFIDA International Dance
festival took place from August 10-21, 2005 in the Distillery Historic District
of Toronto. Artistic Director Stacy West applied for acceptance to the prestigious
festival in December 2004. Two weeks later, the company was notified of their
acceptance into the festival’s
Indie Mix Series. Although technical and marketing expenses were covered
by fFIDA, MADCO was responsible for travel expenses. Through increased fundraising,
MADCO was able to raise $5,000 to take 10 dancers to Toronto for 6 days.
The Toronto Globe and Mail raved that “Movement Activities: Response! [is]
a wonderfully clever and very funny piece, performed with high energy by
MADCO’s army of terrific young dancers.” MADCO is known for its
energetic, innovative, and captivating performances. It was an honor for
the company to perform at the festival and receive international recognition.
Choreographer Mikey Thomas created Response! for MADCO in August
of 2004. Thomas danced with the Sean Curran Dance Company in New York and
is currently on the dance faculty at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
Thomas has nothing but praise for the company. “I am optimistic for
the state of the arts in St. Louis, after working for Stacy West's MADCO.
Having a resident company taking risks in presenting new, provocative and
quality choreography is definitely filling an otherwise vacant role in this
city.”
About MADCO
MADCO is based in St. Louis, Missouri and has
toured throughout the United States. The company’s world class performers
are college trained professional dancers who have studied dance from nationally
and internationally known teachers throughout the country. MADCO is a repertory
company and has gained a reputation for its athletic, entertaining, and versatile
style. The company was founded in 1976 by Alcine Wiltz and Ross Winter. After
Ross Winter’s
death in 1994, Stacy West became the Artistic Director of the company.
MADCO programs are funded by the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission, the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, the Arts & Education Council of St. Louis, and by corporations, foundations and private donors. The company is currently a participant in the COCA dance space initiative and rehearses daily in University City.
Click desired thumbnail image to enlarge suitable for print.
Aerialists, Projection Screens and One-of-a-Kind Costumes take MADCO into new style of dance entertainment
!--Click image to enlarge ------->
WHAT: Chimera (pronounced Ky MEER ah) pushes entertainment to the limit with this incredible journey into one of the most mysterious places in human existence…dreams. MADCO’s team of designers has put the audience into the action in this grand-scale, entertaining and truly unique experience created to stimulate the audience’s senses and emotions. The show combines contemporary dance with cutting edge design, creating a spectacle that should not be missed.
WHO: Modern American Dance Company (MADCO), founded in St. Louis in 1976, creates innovative and memorable dance performances combining passion and technical excellence to provide audiences with a world-class arts experience. MADCO has wowed audiences throughout the United States and Canada with recent engagements in New York, Orlando and Toronto. For more information visit www.madcodance.com.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Chimera is an 80-minute journey into the world of dreams. Rich visual images created with top-notch dancers, elaborate costumes, and stunning visual effects take the audience through a collage of dreamscapes. Performers dance, fly and repel their way through this unforgettable show produced by St. Louis’ premiere dance company.
WHEN: Friday, March 31, 2006 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 1, 2006 8 p.m.
Friday, April 7, 2006 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 8, 2006 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 9, 2006 2 p.m.
WHERE: Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, Lee Theater
TICKETS: $25 Adults
$20 Students
General Admission
For tickets and other information, please call (314) 516-4949 or online at www.touhill.org
CONTACT: Stacy West (314) 341-5407
swest@madcodance.com
www.madcodance.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2006
Contact: Stacy West
Phone: 314-341-5407
Email: swest@madcodance.com
Website: www.madcodance.com
MADCO Opens Grand-Scale Event Chimera
Aerialists, Video, Elaborate Costumes take MADCO into new style of dance entertainment
Modern American Dance Company (MADCO) is excited to embark on its biggest artistic endeavor to date. Artistic directors Stacy West and Todd Weeks have been working on a new experience in dance entertainment. The title of their creation is Chimera (pronounced Ky MEER ah), which will premiere at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, Lee Theater, on March 31, 2006. MADCO pushes entertainment to the limit with this incredible journey into one of the most mysterious places in human existence….dreams. MADCO’s team of designers has put the audience into the action in this grand-scale, entertaining and truly unique experience created to stimulate the audience’s senses and emotions. Chimera will be performed March 31, April 1, April 7 and April 8 at 8pm and on April 9 at 2pm. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students. For more information call the Touhill box office at 314-516-4949 or online at www.touhill.org.
Chimera is a greek word meaning an illusion or fabrication of the mind. MADCO welcomes audiences to the world of dreams, where inner most thoughts, desires, and fears are reality…a world whose inhabitants are creatures of your own making. A place where nothing…and yet…everything is what it seems. “Dreams have been here as long as mankind,” said Associate Artistic Director and Chimera creator Todd Weeks. “One third of your life is spent sleeping and in your lifetime you will spend 6 years of it dreaming, yet 5 minutes after the end of the dream, half of the content is forgotten. After 10 minutes 90% is lost. Dreams are a fascinating aspect of human existence that everyone can relate to,” added Weeks.
MADCO has hired the production team of Brawner & Associates to take imagination to reality. Brawner & Associates offers exciting, colorful, monumental creations for the full entertainment spectrum. Brawner’s seasoned design professionals will transform the Lee Theatre into a unique layout that will disperse the audience throughout the venue; thereby making the audience feel as if they are in the middle of a dream or land of fantasy.
Make-up and costume design artists from Associated Theatrical Contractors were given the task of creating elaborate costumes for each dancer that combined human, animal and creature-like characteristics. Their amazing work has resulted in unique costumes that are pieces of wearable art. They include headpieces, three-dimensional
design and extraordinary make-up. These one of a kind creations play a vital role in creating the illusions within Chimera.
The production will be further layered with the incorporation of four large projection surfaces built into the set. Woodland Media has taken on the creative task of designing video images that will aid in bringing Chimera’s dream world to life.
“MADCO stands at a new era in the company’s existence,” said Executive/Artistic Director, Stacy West. “We are preparing to celebrate our 30th Anniversary Season, we have recently modified our name and we received critical acclaim in our international debut last summer in Toronto.” MADCO is even pictured and mentioned in the current issue of Dance International Magazine. “Chimera is no regular dance performance. It is a theatrical event incorporating dance, aerial work, video and cutting edge design,” West said.
Following the five world premiere performances at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in March and April 2006, MADCO plans to re-work the show in preparation for the next phase of its existence. The company is exploring future national touring and collaborations for 2007-2008.
MADCO, founded in St. Louis in 1976, creates innovative and memorable dance performances combining passion and technical excellence to provide audiences with a world-class arts experience. The company is known for its versatile and athletic style, presenting dance that is entertaining for audiences to watch and demanding for dancers to perform. MADCO has wowed audiences throughout the United States and Canada with recent engagements in New York, Orlando and Toronto. For more information visit www.madcodance.com.
MADCO programs are made possible with financial assistance from the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission, the Missouri Arts Council, the Arts & Education Council of Greater St. Louis, Ronald McDonald House Charities and by other private, foundation and corporate donors. The company rehearses daily at COCA in University City as part of the COCA Dance Space Initiative Program.
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Interview with the Artistic Director
Interview
for Students | click here to download a pdf | full text below
Q1. How long have you been the Executive/Artistic Director of MADCO?
I was appointed the Artistic Director in 1994. The previous director was killed in a car accident. I had been dancing with the company since 1988 and had college degrees in marketing and dance and a master degree in business management. I had all the academic qualifications but it was my history with the company that got me the job. I understood what the company was and where the Board of Directors wanted it to go.
Q2. What exactly does an Artistic Director do?
As the Executive/Artistic Director my job is one of vision. My primary focus is on what the company will be doing 2 to 10 years in the future. In the arts you really have to plan ahead. We have to decide what we will be performing, hire artists to do the work, book theatres and other performance venues and find funding to help pay for our work. This takes a lot of coordination between many groups of people, including artists, presenters and funders. My job is to make it all happen so that when the audience gets to the theatre it is all magically there. Despite all this, I am a dancer at heart. I also enjoy teaching company technique classes when I have time.
Q3. What university did you attend and what was your major?
I went to Southern Illinois University. At the time I began college I didn’t even realize that you could major in dance. I was planning to be a fashion buyer. One day I went with a friend to the theatre department to borrow some costumes for a fashion show. I saw the dancers in dance class and absolutely fell in love with it. It was at that moment I knew I would be involved in the arts. I signed up for dance classes and luckily had talent. I kept my business major and ended up with a dance minor. I continued dancing throughout graduate school and earned a master degree in business administration. For my final project in business school I decided to work with the theatre department in marketing their performances. I realized that artists needed good business people around them because most artists aren’t interested in the business side of their art form. I have been working in dance and arts administration ever since. That was more than 20 years ago.
Q4. When did you begin dancing?
I didn’t begin dancing until college. It some ways it was a perk. I got great teachers from the beginning and was introduced to modern dance right away. Many young dancers begin at studios who participate in dance competitions. I don’t think competitions are reflective of dance as an art form. By starting in college, I didn’t have any pre-conceived ideas about dance. I just knew I wanted to do it and would do whatever my teachers told me. After college I went to New York to continue study. I also worked with many great teachers at MADCO.
Q5. What is a typical day like for you?
My days are never the same. I often start out by teaching company classes at MADCO’s rehearsal studio. After that, I may head back to my office for administrative work; I may meet with someone interested in working with the company as an artist, collaborator or funder; or I may attend a performance that the dancers are doing.
Q6. What made you want to become the Artistic Director of MADCO?
Ross Winter, the previous Artistic Director of MADCO, was my friend and mentor. I loved him and he taught me so much. I could not stand the thought of the company going out of business or being taken in a direction that Ross would disapprove of. It has now been many years since Ross’ death. My motivation for wanting to be the artistic director has changed into something bigger. I have developed a passion for making sure that dance thrives as an art form. I want people to be moved by it. I also want to support artists who are good for our community.
Q7. How old is the company?
The company was founded in 1976.
Q8. Are the dancers trained in one particular style of dance?
MADCO dancers are very versatile. They are trained from college dance programs that focus on ballet, modern and jazz. The work we do requires them to be able to adapt to a lot of different styles. MADCO is a contemporary or modern dance company. But modern dance encompasses a lot of styles of movement. We hire choreographers from across the country. Our dancers have to pick up the style of each choreographer they work with. I think that’s what makes our company exciting to watch and to work for.
Q9. If a dancer is interested in pursuing a professional career, what path should they take?
I think anyone interested in pursuing a career in
dance should go to college. Performing careers are so limited. It is vital
to have a plan for what to do when the window for performing is over. There
are so many options. I don’t
think you discover them unless you go to school. There is teaching, booking,
marketing, fundraising, directing, choreographing, designing….the
list is endless.
Modern American Dance Company
MADCO:c/o University of Missouri St. Louis, One University Blvd. 243 GSB, St. Louis, MO 63121
email: info@madcodance.com
© 2007, The Modern American Dance Company (MADCO) All Rights Reserved.
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