Innovative program to promote artistic collaborations in Northeast Ohio supporting the world premiere by Philadelphia-based Ronen Koresh

Breen Center for the Performing Arts
2008 W. 30th  St., Cleveland (Ohio City)
February 3 & 4, 2012, 7:30 pm

Akron-Summit County Public Library
60 S. High Street, Akron (Downtown)
February 24 & 25, 2012, 7:30 pm

 

Cleveland, Ohio (January 17, 2012) – GroundWorks DanceTheater will present the world premiere of a work by choreographer Ronen Koresh in performances in Cleveland and Akron in February 2012.   The piece was commissioned with generous support from Toby Devan Lewis through her contribution to the GroundWorks NewWorks Fund. The Fund was initiated in June 2011 to support the Cleveland-based dance company’s artistic mission to generate new work in collaboration with its artists, produced and supported in Northeast Ohio.

Also supported by the NewWorks Fund, “Hindsight” by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, will be on the concert program.  This homage to Northeast Ohio rock legend Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders , premiered in the summer of 2011 and was commissioned by Chuck and Charlotte Fowler through their contribution to the NewWorks Fund.

“We are extremely grateful to Toby Devan Lewis and Chuck and Charlotte Fowler for their visionary support in helping to establish GroundWorks NewWorks Fund, and their belief and understanding of the value of supporting creative risk,” said GroundWorks Artistic Director David Shimotakahara.  Now in its 14th season, GroundWorks has commissioned works by several nationally and internationally renowned choreographers including Dianne McIntyre, David Parker, Gina Gibney, KT Niehoff and Jill Sigman, as well as Koresh and Taylor-Corbett.

“These are some of the most creative voices in the field,” noted Shimotakahara.  “The New- Works Fund allows us to collaborate with renowned guest artists to produce original new works with our artists, that we can bring to audiences throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond. It is my hope that as the Fund develops, we will be able to increase the number of new commissions that the company can produce.”

The third work on the program, “Valence,” by GroundWorks Artistic Associate Amy Miller was created with Oberlin composer Peter Swendsen.   GroundWorks and Oberlin’s Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA) program, for which Swendsen is a professor, have an ongoing collaborative relationship.  “Valence” premiered in September 2010.

The Cleveland concerts will be at the Breen Center for the Performing Arts (2008 W. 30th Street in Ohio City) on February 3 and 4; the Akron concerts will be on February 24 and 25 at the Akron- Summit County Public Library (60 S. High Street, downtown).      All performances will begin at 7:30 pm.  Tickets for all performances are $25 preferred seating, $20 general admission, $17 for seniors and $10 for students and can be purchased by calling GroundWorks at 216-751-0088 or at www.groundworksdance.org.

GroundWorks DanceTheater’s performances are made possible with funding from The National Endowment for the Arts, The Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, The Cleveland Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Murphy Foundation, The Kulas Foundation, Cleveland City Dance, Individual Contributors, and Members of the GroundWorks Board of Trustees.  The Akron/Summit Co. Public Library concerts are generously supported by the GAR Foundation, Akron Community Foundation and the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, the Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation and the Knight Foundation.

For more information on Ronen Koresh: http://koreshdance.org