FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: September 1, 2009
CONTACT: Stacy West
CELL: 314-341-5407
EMAIL: swest@madcodance.com
Concerts, Community Outreach and Education
MADCO Brings it All in 2009-2010
Vicki Baum, one of the first modern best-selling authors wrote, “There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them.” If that is the case, St. Louisans are destined for much happiness in 2009-2010 with over 30 MADCO appearances in the metro area.
MADCO kicks off the concert season with Music and Moves, September 18-19, 2009 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center where MADCO is the Professional Dance Company in Residence. Performed to all live music by the University of Missouri St. Louis Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Matt Henry, MADCO will rock the Lee Theater with four world premieres by St. Louis choreographers: Rob Scoggins, Cecil Slaughter, Todd Weeks and Keith Williams. Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for students. Performances are 8 p.m. each evening. For tickets call 314-516-4949 or go to www.touhill.org.
MADCO can be found throughout the St. Louis area in September 2009. On September 3 the company will preview Music and Moves downtown St. Louis in the Old Post Office Plaza. On September 11-12 MADCO will perform excerpts of its multi-media, dream inspired experience, Chimera, at the St. Louis Art Fair. Showtimes are 9:30 p.m. each evening. On September 26 MADCO will be on the main stage at approximately 5 p.m. at the Dancing in the Street Festival in Grand Center.
In October MADCO goes full-speed with the opening of its popular residency program, Books in Motion, targeted to upper elementary and middle school students. The 2009-2010 featured book is The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Caldicott winning author, Brian Selznick. Thousands of St. Louis metro area students will participate in a variety of activities related to the book including a two week dance residency with the MADCO artists. Selznick will help kick off the year-long event at The Big Read in Clayton on October 10.
November marks another month of collaboration as MADCO artists show off their choreography in the 60x60 Dance Project with St. Louis’ New Music Circle. On November 8 at the Mad Art Gallery, New York musician Rob Voisey leads the production with sixty, one minute pieces of music while fourteen MADCO artists provide much of the evening’s choreography to accompany the music. On November 13-14 MADCO will perform at the University of Missouri St. Louis’ student dance concert at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.
MADCO will bring in the New Year with performances at First Night St. Louis and is booked throughout January and February with school residency programs at Conway Elementary, Ladue Middle School, Elsberry Middle School, Louisiana Middle School, and Bowling Green Middle School.
In March, MADCO will preview its spring concert at the JCPenney Auditorium for the Center for Humanities on March 15 and at Art in the Limelight Ladue on March 16. MADCO in Concert on March 19-20 will feature both old and new repertory including a new work by Dance St. Louis’ Executive and Artistic Director, Michael Uthoff.
In April, the company holds auditions for the 2010-2011 season, conducts residencies at more area schools, performs at National Dance Week and will be the featured performers for the United Methodist Women’s National Convention at America’s Center.
The 2009-2010 season ends May 27-29 with a three day celebration of dance at the Spring to Dance Festival hosted by Dance St. Louis at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.
For detailed information about all MADCO events visit www.madcodance.com.
MADCO programs are funded in part by the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission, the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, the Boeing Arts and Education Council Fund, the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Trust and by other private foundations and donors. MADCO is the Professional Dance Company in Residence at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of University of Missouri St. Louis.
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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.