It has been a long time since Dance in the Annex (DITA) put together a night of music and dance that I have honestly lost track of that time between.
But lest you think that DITA has been resting on their laurels of the past glory of their theatrical bliss in their annual shows like Salmagundi or Trip The Light, then you have not been paying attention.
Not only has DITA consistently placed in ArtPrize top ranks, including a 2013 jurors award in the time-based category for “respirador (breather)”, but they have ventured out by appearing in video dance performance pieces and engaging audience members by taking their productions to the streets of Grand Rapids and, most recently, at the Sidewalk Festival in Detroit.
DITA’s return to Wealthy Theatre on Saturday night is an opportunity for those who have missed these staged theatrical celebrations of dance married and performed side-by-side with works from musicians, filmmakers, and even guest dancers.
In addition to local dancers joining DITA on stage at “transcend" is the chance to welcome guest performers like Nic Lincoln (Minneapolis), Kristi Faulkner (Detroit), and a new film by Carolyn Pavlik (Kalamazoo).
According to DITA Founder Amy Wilson, this production will feel similar to Trip the Light and Salmagundi, keeping true to their mission to foster greater appreciation for dance in Grand Rapids by making it accessible and inclusive.
Wilson is most excited that "transcend" provides an opportunity to showcase Lincoln and Faulkner’s choreography alongside the works of our local dancers.
“I met Nic Lincoln while teaching at Blue Lake this summer and just fell in love with him as a person,” says Wilson. “We had a lot of down time between classes. I honestly had not even seen his work before inviting him to do "transcend" because I just knew that he was a special artist. When I finally did see his work, I was even more amazing by him.”
Wilson’s take on Faulkner came after seeing how she was able to weave activism into her work while DITA was at Sidewalk Festival in Detroit.
Faulkner will be performing excerpts of her piece called "Four Letter Word,” which explores feminine sensuality and gender identity as set against the sounds of Detroit’s iconic Motown and other 60s era pop. Check out the
preview trailer for the piece.
Pavlik’s film "Lady Boy” was screened one year ago, but Wilson really wanted to bring it back due to the overwhelming response from the audience. You can think of this as Wilson’s gift to you, Valentine.
Trip the Light, before it left the stage, ran for five triumphant sold-out years. “Returning to Wealthy for "transcend" was a natural progression from all the work we've done the past few years,” says Wilson.
Luckily for us, the wait for their return is over and is made possible from sponsors New Holland Brewing, Artpeers and DITA. Guest artists’ appearances are made possible through a generous grant from the Robert D. Mieras Fund for Dance and Music at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. Mieras believed in the power of dance to move society and after his death his final act on the world stage was to provide a fund for dance and music to access. That, my friends, is the ultimate valentine that transcends time.
Admission: Varies including a special artist only pricing. See
website for all the details