October 4,2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Susanne Voeltz, Publicist, Kanopy Dance Company
susivoeltzpr@gmail.com 608.284.0848

Kanopy Dance Taps Modern Dance Mega Star Pascal Rioult
to Guest Direct his iconic “Views of the Fleeting World”
in Kanopy’s Kanopy Redux: No Limits
Exquisite Dance. Stunning Costumes
October 20-23, 2022

At the Overture Center for the Arts Madison, WI—October 4, 2022—Kanopy’s Kanopy Redux: No Limits with guest director Pascal Rioult’s (Rioult) iconic work “Views of the Fleeting World, (“Views”) at center stage, as well as restaged Kanopy favorites choreographed by the Company’s co-artistic directors, \ Robert E. Cleary and Lisa Thurrell will open at the Overture Center for the Arts, Thursday, October 20-Sunday,October 23, 2022. (Rescheduled from April 2022) Rioult was a principal dancer for the Martha Graham Dance Company , interpreting many of the most prestigious roles in the Graham repertory, including the “Christ” figure in Graham’s El Penitente, with guest artist Mikhail Baryshnikov, appearing as “El Penitente” . In 1994, Rioult also founded the critically acclaimed Rioult Dance NY, which performed internationally. Rioult’s “Views”, a rare artistic treat that intertwines the parallels in Bach’s music and Asian culture, was a commission in memory of a couple whose life had been dedicated to the love of life and of the arts. In this contemporary dance work, inspired by the ancient woodblock prints of the Japanese master Hiroshige and the ingenious structure of Bach’s “The Art of Fugue “, Rioult explores the ephemeral quality of all living things and the eternal cycle of life. Each of the seven short vignettes; “Orchard,” “Gathering Storm,” “Wild Horses,” “Dusk, “Summer Wind,” “Moonlight,” and “Flowing River” captures a moment in time and nature through the colors, lines, and rhythm of the dance. The series of dreams, or meditations in “Views” are performed in large ensembles and in three duets directed by Rioult. Projected watercolor paintings evoking Japanese woodblock prints provide the backdrop for the dance and recorded nature sounds are played during the transition between its sections. Kanopy Dance is the only professional company other than Rioult Dance NY, to perform this technically and emotionally demanding contemporary work. Seven Kanopy dancers in “Views” will be joined by guest stars: Michael Knight, a company member of the Charlottesville (VA) Ballet, and Brad Orego, principal dancer with NYC’s Sokolow Dance /Theatre Ensemble .

Rioult’s original costumes- for “Views”–inspired in part by the hearth tones in nature and by the pleated pants/skirts worn by the Samurais in ancient Japan– will be utilized in Kanopy’s production. They were designed by Karen Young (Young) who has worked extensively with renowned dance companies globally and is noted for creatively exploring constructed and manipulated materials in clothing for movement. For “Views”, all seven parts of the dance use a combination of the same two costumes: non- gender leotards of luminous velvet fabric and the showstopper, signature, red pleated skirts. Young creatively translated Rioult’s vision of
a dramatic skirt with an accordion pattern that is stiff, but pliable enough to open like a fan when the dancers raise their legs, fabricating it in a plastic mesh. A very full train of light red fabric extends the skirt at the back for accentuating motion. The program for Kanopy Redux: No Limits will also feature restaged works by Kanopy’s co-artistic directors, Robert E. Cleary, and Lisa Thurrell. Cleary presents “Primavera”, a joyful solo, celebrating springtime , innocence and wonder and “Bound and Determined”, a highly physical, and provocative duet about a mutually abusive relationship. Thurrell reimagined her “Cassandra’s Cry” as an emotion driven piece pushing though the repetitive music of Phillip Glass, with dramatic, punctuated, and powerful dancing. Cassandra is choreographed in three stages of life: the young Cassandra with the newfound power of true prophecy –only to not be believed; the warrior Cassandra, a bit older- fighting for the truth, endeavoring to stave off the Trojan War, amongst other prophecies; and finally, the older yet priestess Cassandra resigned to her fate- a state of resignation with a frantic insanity. Wisconsin native, NY -based costume designer David Quinn, has designed a collection of new costumes for “Cassandra’s Cry”.

Kanopy Redux: No Limits Performing at Overture’s Promenade Hall
THU Oct 20, 7PM; FRI Oct 21, 7:30PM; SAT Oct 22, 5 & 8PM; SUN Oct 23, 1 & 4PM
Tickets (reserved seating): $40; Groups: 4 or more $35; Ages 18 & under $20 Students $20
Overture.org (608) 258-4141

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About Kanopy Dance

Kanopy Dance is a quintessential modern dance company. While the company “informs” its works through its roots in the Martha Graham tradition, Kanopy has cultivated its own brand, working to forward a new dimension and visual language to advance American dance. Kanopy’s artistic directors, Robert E. Cleary, (former principal dancer for Ballet Minnesota and Minnesota Dance Theater) and Lisa Thurrell, (former dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, NYC), not only strive to preserve the best of Graham; but also, to cultivate the dynamic growth of American dance by training professional dancers, choreographing new works and collaborating with artists to establish new creative benchmarks. Kanopy is comprised of Kanopy Dance Company, Kanopy 2, (Kanopy’s second company and pre-professional training program), and the Kanopy Dance Academy housed at the new Kanopy Center for Modern and Contemporary Dance. Kanopy is a resident company of Overture Center for the Arts. Pease visit us at https://kanopydance.org/