“All at Once” The Seldoms with Tim Daisy

The Seldoms Dance Group Celebrates 25 Years with World Premiere of 'All at Once' at Studio5

Cubist-inspired dance and live percussion collaboration with Tim Daisy draws inspiration from Pablo Picasso

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EVANSTON, IL – Chicago-based dance company The Seldoms will kick off its 25th anniversary year at Studio5 Performing Arts Center with the world premiere of the new full-length "All at Once," a Cubist-inspired performance work by choreographer Carrie Hanson in collaboration with composer and percussionist Tim Daisy. Performances are Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17 from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m.

Blending contemporary dance, live percussion and voluminous costumes, "All at Once" creates a kinetic, kaleidoscopic landscape inspired by principles of Cubism. Hanson and an ensemble of six dancers explore an intentionally impossible choreographic challenge: unfolding the three-dimensional body to reveal multiple perspectives at once. The work begins with one dancer and one musician and builds until all nine performers are moving and playing together.

FROM PICASSO'S CANVAS TO THE STAGE

The full-length "All at Once" grew from Hanson's ongoing Cubist movement studies and a solo piece developed with Seldoms' ensemble member Haley Marcin. Drawing specifically from Pablo Picasso's 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Hanson and the dancers explore the shaping and torque of the body as the performer attempts to reveal multiple facings and perspectives at once.

In 2023, the 50th anniversary year of Picasso's death, The Seldoms performed a related Picasso-inspired solo piece at the Art Institute of Chicago, in proximity to works by the artist. Now, the dance company is expanding the work into a full-length work for six dancers and three percussionists in "All at Once."

See Chicago Dance described the choreography as "a living canvas, with limbs extending in sharp, disjointed angles that evoke Picasso's fractured planes and overlapping dimensions."

A LIVE SCORE BUILT FOR MOVEMENT AND SURPRISE

For his third major collaboration with Hanson and The Seldoms, Daisy has created an original score for three percussionists built on a structured architectural framework. Its open design allows the music to meet the choreography while leaving room for improvisation and chance operations, introducing risk and unpredictability. Marimba, drums, cymbals, gongs and an array of smaller percussion instruments create a rich acoustic environment alongside the dancers' driving, angular movement.

Hanson and Daisy previously collaborated on "Marchland" (2010) and "This Is Not A Dance Concert" (2012), a site-specific performance involving 24 dancers and musicians that moved audiences through the lobbies, house, and backstage spaces of The Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

CREATIVE TEAM AND 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Costume design for "All at Once" includes voluminous pieces by Lara Miller, an important early collaborator with The Seldoms, along with garments created by Associate Director Damon D. Green. Lighting design is by Kevin Rechner. The Seldoms ensemble for the premiere includes Faith Balderrama, Laren Chang, Damon D. Green, Haley Marcin, Rachel Newton and Dillon Zamora. Percussionists are Timothy Daisy, Phillip Sudderberg and Scott Taylor.

Founded in Chicago in 2001, The Seldoms has built a reputation for ambitious multimedia performance driven by bold physicality, research and collaboration across disciplines including visual art, theater, sound and fashion. Founding Artistic Director Carrie Hanson was named the Chicago Tribune's "Chicagoan of the Year in Dance" in 2015. "All at Once" launches the company's 25th anniversary year with a work that brings dance, live music, and visual-art ideas into direct conversation.

EVENT DETAILS

Ticket Information: www.studio5.dance | Direct Ticket Link

ABOUT THE SELDOMS

The Seldoms is an acclaimed Chicago dance company that creates multimedia performance charged by bold, exacting physicality and the belief that dance can inspire thinking about critical social issues. Under the direction of Carrie Hanson, the company works with artists and specialists across disciplines to create expansive performance environments with dance at the center. The Seldoms has performed in 20U.S. cities and toured internationally in Russia, Canada, Taiwan, and Scotland, and has twice been commissioned by ART on THE MART.

For more information or to arrange interviews with Carrie Hanson, Tim Daisy or members of The Seldoms, please contact Lauren Carrane at 954-554-0336 or Lauren@sharppencilmarketing.com

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