Above and Beyond Dance premieres DREAMSCAPES Sept. 19-21

Above and Beyond Dance incorporates dynamic stilt dancing, aerial artistry, and dance theater choreography in its world premiere of Dreamscapes. Appearing as part of the full-length production, Dreamscapes and Other Imaginings, Dreamscapes carries the viewer through six otherworldly vignettes depicting the ethereal wonder of dreams and the surreal terror of nightmares.

Performances: Fri Sept 19 @ 8pm, Sat Sept 20 @ 8pm, Sun Sept 21 @ 4pm
at The Muse
32D S. 1st St. (btw Kent & Wythe), in Williamsburg Brooklyn

Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 at the door
To purchase, visit: http://aboveandbeyonddance.com/company/performances.htm

Presented by: Above and Beyond Dance, in a co-production with The Muse
Artistic Director: Chriselle Tidrick
Performers: Kailee Combs, Fernando Francisco, Alicia Gerstein, Tomomi Imai, Fran Sperling, and Chriselle Tidrick
Composer: Brian Questa (additional compositions by Lauren Buchter and Reinaldo Moya)
Costumes: Juanita Cardenas

September 19-21, Brooklyn-based Above and Beyond Dance will present Dreamscapes and Other Imaginings, its 2014 season of circus-infused dance. The company’s signature blend of dynamic stilt dancing, aerial artistry, and dance theater choreography enables the generation of vivid, dreamlike imagery by altering the viewer’s sense of proportion and creating an environment which functions beyond the bounds of gravity.

The company is set to unveil the world premiere of Dreamscapes. A cast of six highly trained dancer-circus artists utilize aerial harness, aerial fabric, trapeze, stilt work, and contemporary dance to carry the viewer through six otherworldly vignettes depicting the ethereal wonder of dreams and the surreal terror of nightmares. The scene shifts from tattered, misshapen bodies, to larger-than-life beauty, to a suspended figure unable to flee malicious attackers, to a lone figure overcome by turbulent waters, and finally to the mystical appearance of angelic beings. Avant garde sound artist Brian Questa contributes a brilliant new score, providing audiences with a fully integrated visual and auditory journey which transcends reality.

Three shorter repertory works exploring the fantastical relationship between dancers on the floor and in circus apparatus comprise the evening’s “imaginings.” Entangled (2008) explores the search for connection between an earthbound figure and a figure unable to descend from an aerial hammock. Equilibrium (2009) reveals the graceful elegance in the supportive relationship between a dancer on stilts and a dancer on the floor. Absentia (2011) is a solo which communicates a woman’s experience of loss and longing, as expressed in relationship to an aerial silk.

A Boerum Hill resident for 17 years, Ms. Tidrick founded Above and Beyond Dance in 2007 to explore the limitless potential in the fusion of dance and circus arts techniques. The company has presented three seasons of circus-infused dance: RAW (2011) at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center; Ascendance (2009) at The Flea Theater; and Seeking (2008) at Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts. The company has also appeared at Output Club, Brooklyn (Raw Artists Showcase); Streb Lab for Action Mechanics; NYC Aerial Dance Festival 2011 (LaGuardia Performing Arts Center & MMAC); Dixon Place; Galapagos ArtSpace; NYC Aerial Dance Festival 2010 (JCC Theater); Sky Box; Brooklyn Arts eXchange; La Mama Moves 2009 Festival; WaxWorks; and the Zipper Theater. Dreamscapes is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).

The Muse is located at 32D S. 1st St, between Wythe & Kent Aves. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It is is reached by the L train to Bedford Ave. or the J/M/Z trains to Marcy Ave.

*Photo by: Nicole Mago. Dancers: Tomomi Imai with Fernando Francisco.