FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dance New Amsterdam
Peter Ferko
(212) 625-8369 x223
pferko@dnadance.org


DNA PRESENTS:
SPLICE: Kate Weare Company // ad hoc Ballet
Finding the authentic via sensuous physicality and dramatic contrasts

(New York, NY) - Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) is pleased to present a Splice concert juxtaposing two Artists in Residence, Kate Weare and Deborah Lohse. Each presents unique explorations of relationship, intimacy and authenticity. Performances are Thursday – Saturday, May 1 – 3 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m. in the theater@DNA located at 280 Broadway (entrance at 53 Chambers Street). An opening reception will precede the performance on Thursday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. and a discussion moderated by Monica Bill Barnes will follow the May 1 performance.

Kate Weare Company presents New and Recent Work, showing dances not yet seen in New York. In this evening, relationships form the framework for engagement with present day issues of power, sexuality and emotional authenticity. Kate Weare Company is a New York City-based contemporary dance group creating and performing work characterized by fierce physicality, thoughtfulness and emotional presence. The work will be performed by Weare, Adrian Clark, Leslie Kraus and Douglas Gillespie.

Deborah Lohse's premiere Monogrammed features 14 dancers in a three-part work that deals with materialism, grief and lots of flour. Monogrammed asks the question, 'What would you give up in order to bring back the one you love?' and contrasts rapid-fire text with movement that suspends time. In the piece, danced to music by David Lang, Stefan Weisman and Tchaikovsky, ad hoc Ballet continues its exploration of the evocative place where classical dance collides with the avant-garde.

Kate Weare was recently nominated for The 2008 Alpert Award in the Arts. In May 2007, Kate Weare Company (KWCo) won The A.W.A.R.D. Show (a series in which the audience votes on the best modern dance) and received the first prize of $10,000 for Drop Down, danced by Adrian Clark and Leslie Kraus. In July 2007, Kate Weare Company premiered an evening of six dances entitled, Leveling, at SF's Theater Artaud to open The West Wave Dance Festival. In November 2007, Weare was honored with a Choreographic Fellowship at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at Florida State to explore the relationship between music and her movement language. In December and April of 2007/08, KWCo was granted two week long Creative Development Residencies at Jacob's Pillow. In 2008, KWCo works in residence at Dance New Amsterdam to show new work-in-progress from May 1-4. Bridge of Sighs premieres at Jacob's Pillow from August 11-17, 2008 in The Duke Theater. Kate Weare Company, officially formed in 2005, has received generous residency awards from The Joyce Theater Foundation, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, The Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, The Djerassi Artist's Ranch and, most recently, Dance New Amsterdam's A.I.R. Program, as well as development funding from The Greenwall Foundation in 2008. For more company info: www.kateweare.com

Deborah Lohse, Artistic Director of ad hoc Ballet, is a classically trained choreographer and dancer from Sacramento, California. Lohse's ballet foundation was provided by Dame Sonia Arova and Thor Sutowski and continued with modern under Jean Isaacs, Kevin Wynn and Joe Goode. Her eclectic training also includes theatre, comedy improvisation and ballroom. As a dancer, she has performed with a variety of companies, including The Sacramento Ballet, Jean Isaacs' San Diego Dance Theatre and Monica Bill Barnes & Company. ad hoc Ballet was founded in New York City in 2007 to explore the evocative place where classical collides with avant-garde. While maintaining a strong presence in both ballet and contemporary worlds of dance, ad hoc Ballet makes work that questions assumptions, redefines line and embraces radical musicality. Drawing inspiration from experimental music, Lohse makes work with poignant meaning and underlying social commentary.

Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) is Lower Manhattan's newest home for contemporary dance. DNA is proud to present and promote artistic excellence in dance performance, education and the creation process. DNA PRESENTS is part of a 360-degree approach to DNA's mission that includes professional-level training, opportunities for creation and the latest in dance performance. In DNA's studios each week, 170 classes are taught, rehearsals are run, workshops are conducted and choreographers create. DNA is a valuable resource for the aspiring, emerging and established artist, who benefit from artistic residencies, studio and administrative office subsidies, commissions and two performance seasons that offer presentations of new dance works, many of them world premieres. Founded in 1984 in SoHo and originally known as Dance Space Center, DNA changed its name when it moved to 280 Broadway in February 2006. The state-of-the-art facilities include a professional 130-seat theater, six studios, a wellness program and a gallery/reception space. DNA was the first not-for-profit arts organization to move to Lower Manhattan after 9/11 and plays a critical role as a resource for the dance community, as well as a renewing force in downtown Manhattan's cultural landscape.

DNA's Spring 2008 Season is made possible with generous support from Carnegie Corporation of New York; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a federal agency; New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), a state agency; and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), a city agency. DNA's Artist in Residence (AIR) program is supported, in part, by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and public funds from National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts.

Performances of SPLICE: Kate Weare Company // ad hoc Ballet will run Thursday – Saturday, May 1 – 3 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m. at Dance New Amsterdam, 280 Broadway, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10007 (Entrance at 53 Chambers St.). Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 for members, $17 for students and are available through Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com. For more information, press tickets and inquires please contact Peter Ferko, Marketing Director, at (212) 625-8369 ext. 223 or visit www.dnadance.org.