In his last performance with HKDC before returning to New York City, Denver native Chaz Shanley is featured in Circling Back (2012).

Set to rarely heard music performed live by soprano Irene VanHam Friedlob and pianist Mutsumi Moteki of the Colorado Opera Troupe, Circling Back introduces a hint of narrative into the program. The choreography, which portrays a woman reflecting on memories of her younger self in two love relationships, explores the lush and passionate moods of Joaquin Turina’s song cycle Poema en Forma de Canciones. HKDC’s performance of Thrum and Other Dances will be a one-time opportunity for Denver audiences to witness this unique collaboration as performed by Shanley and the other original cast members.

Chaz graduated from Denver School of the Arts in 2010 and attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts on a scholarship to study dance the following fall.  He returned to Denver after his first year of school and began dancing with Kahn in January 2012, having worked with her at DSA.

As Chaz prepares for his move back to New York, he brings with him an invaluable tool set, enhanced by his work with Hannah, whom he says “has a very specific way of moving that takes a while to catch on to- it’s very physical, but cerebral as well.”

Dancer spotlight: RYA MERSCHAT

Rya danced with HKDC from 1998-2005, when she left the company to raise her two children.  Called back by two years of dance and performance related dreams, Rya rejoined HKDC in 2011. Rya says that she is able to appreciate dancing more this time around.  Look for Rya in Thrum, Cross Purposes, and Dvořák.

Rya comments; “It is a joy to be surrounded by such talented artists that encompass a wide breadth of experience. Working with Hannah truly challenges me. Her choreography is so detailed, rich and always deeply connected to her music choice. The Dvořák piece is one of my favorites! The intricate and layered music fits perfectly with the mentally and physically demanding choreography.”

Excerpts from the 1984 dance Quintet No. 3 in E Flat Major is set to music of Dvořák. An ebullient, vigorous and demanding work, it challenges the current company physically.

That said, it is not just pure stamina that the Company members are working on between now and the concert. Hannah gives every one of her dancers a gift: the chance to breathe their own soul/energy into the amazing choreographic framework (this word seems wrong, what she does is far more than a framework but the correct word escapes me) she creates.  This is a big responsibility for a dancer.  A lot of choreographers tell their dancers what a dance is about or the motivation for a movement phrase, some go so far as to give a narration of the work so the dancers portray the piece as closely to the choreographer’s intention as possible.  Not Hannah.  She allows her dancers to bring themselves to a piece and make it their own. The collaboration between choreographer and dancer fills the piece with something that has more meaning and depth than either could create alone.

All of Hannah’s dancers are hard at work getting their bodies into tip top shape for the show, but they are also fine tuning the nuances of how they will approach the stage in every one of the pieces they perform.

So, if you are a friend of one of the HKDC dancers, ask them about their approach to the next few weeks of rehearsals, you will surely learn a little something about the breadth of preparation that these artists are wrapping their mind, body, and soul around.

Don’t miss the Hannah Kahn Dance Company in “Thrum and other dances” Friday May 3rd and Saturday May 4th, 2013.

www.hannahkahndance.org/performances

Our parts of the program will include a revival of Dancing to Singing, an exuberant and playful dance set to sixties rock songs. We are also reviving Double Helix, a soulful and emotional duet for two women set to piano music of Franz Schubert. A lively premiere for ten dancers will complete our offerings.

The performance is a joyful and entertaining presentation, demonstrating the structure, discipline, and sources of choreography. Kahn leads the program, and five dancers from the Hannah Kahn Dance Company perform five fully staged and costumed dances to demonstrate contrasting styles, musical accompaniment, costumes, and moods. The dances range from gentle and graceful to athletic and raucous. The dances are accompanied by a wide variety of recorded music. There is jazz influenced music from Tunisia, classical music by Felix Mendelssohn, folk/rock music by a Swedish band, as well as a seventies rock song. This family-friendly show lasts approximately 45 minutes.

The Company receives funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, The Denver Foundation and the Denver Ballet Guild.

The twelve-member dance company will perform five dances choreographed between 1984 and 2013.

I will premiere my 125^th work, Cross Purposes, on this program.  The new dance reflects my forty-year fascination with movement and its infinite possibilities. Exploring the body’s journey in space fulfills a myriad of needs and drives for choreographers and dancers alike. This dance is a continuation of a lifetime of celebrating the disparate reasons why human beings dance.

The program will also include Thrum (2012), a sweeping dance for ten set to contrasting musical selections. This suite of three connected dances begins on a lyrical and tender note. The second section evolves from slithering and creeping movements close to the floor to gradually more vertical group partnering sections. The third section features dynamic and powerful movement phrases appearing out of an ostinato of geometric walking patterns.

Circling Back (2012), set to music performed live by soprano Irene VanHam Friedlob and pianist Mutsumi Moteki, introduces a hint of narrative and acting into the program. The choreography explores the lush and passionate moods of Joaquin Turina’s song cycle Poema en Forma de Canciones. Dancer Lara Hayes-Giles portrays a woman reflecting on her past. Two couples – Claire Brunelli and Michael Hernandez, and Caitlin Sikora and Chaz Shanley – represent the woman’s memory of her younger self in two love relationships.

Completing the program will be excerpts from my 1984 dance Quintet No. 3 in E Flat Major, set to music of Dvorak, and an edited version of Rift (1996).These vigorous and demanding works – one ebullient, the other ominous – challenge the current company both emotionally and physically. Months of rehearsal are allowing the dancers to move through the phases of first learning the material, then mastering the physical demands, and finally internalizing the movement and music so that it becomes an expression of their own feelings. It is such a joy for me to watch these wonderful artists breathe new life into these older dances.

We hope to see you at the show!

-Hannah

When: Monday, May 6 from 12:30 – 4:00

Call back will be Tuesday, May 7 from 10:00 – 3:00

Where: Open Studio, 75 S. Cherokee St. Denver, CO 80209

Dancers must be available for class and rehearsal on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00-3:00, beginning as soon as possible after the audition, but no later than Tuesday, July 9. Company members must also be available for occasional (10-15 days each year) outreach performances on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Outreach shows are double cast, so there is some flexibility, and the schedule is set well ahead of time. Dancers must be willing to commit to staying with the company for at least a year.

Fall concert: November 15 and 16, 2013 at the Dairy Center for the Arts

Spring concert: at Lakewood Cultural Center, spring, 2014

For more information contact us

NOTES FROM HANNAH:

Pay structure:

School performance- $80

Double school performance – $140

There is some rehearsal pay, but it is minimal if figured as an hourly wage – usually $50- $100 a month.

Teaching workshops in public schools pays between $60 and $80/ class.

Performance weekends twice a year are paid according to how many dances the dancer is in, so ranges from a total fee of between  $150 and $600 for the two performances, dress and tech.

Yearly pay range is about $1,500-$5,000, depending on how many dances the dancer is in, and how much outreach work they do (performances and teaching workshops).

We rehearse year round, but allow for time off for vacations or out of town work as long as it is communicated well ahead of time.

I ask dancers to commit for at least a year, although we do not do written contracts. I always try to be flexible and work around other gigs dancers may get. Again, constant communication is key.

The twelve member dance company will perform five dances choreographed by Hannah Kahn between 1982 and 2013.

The performances will include a premiere for seven dancers. Also on the program : Thrum (2012) and Circling Back (2012). Circling Back will include live music performed by soprano Irene Friedlob and pianist Mutsumi Moteki.

Completing the program will be excerpts from Kahn’s 1984 dance Quintet No. 3 in E Flat Major, set to music of Dvorak, and an edited version of Kahn’s 1996 dance Rift.

Hannah Kahn teaches modern dance technique classes three times each week. Click on the “classes” link in the menu on the left for more information!

When – January 19, 2013 – 7pm

Where – Performing Arts Complex at Pinnacle Charter School
1001 W. 84th Avenue, Denver, CO 80260

Suggested Donation $20

While we can reserve a seat for you in advance, the performance is general admission. Donations for your reserved seats will be taken at will call – (cash or check preferred, please)

You will receive an email confirmation of your reservation.
Visit http://goo.gl/As1AL to make your reservation.

For more info call 720-432-7704 or amy.hollinger.benefit@gmail.com

In celebration of Denver Arts Week, we are offering a special price for a family four-pack: $52.80 for two adults and two children (or students). This offer is available by phone or
at the box office, using the code DAW.
The large stage at Lakewood Cultural Center has inspired a sweeping new dance for ten set to contrasting musical selections. Thrum is a suite of three connected dances which begins on a lyrical and tender note. The section that follows evolves from slithering and creeping movements close to the floor to gradually more vertical group partnering sections. The final dance features dynamic and powerful movement phrases appearing out of an ostinato of geometric walking patterns.
The program will also feature Circling Back, a premiere set to music performed live by soprano Irene VanHam Friedlob and pianist Mutsumi Moteki. This will be the second time the dance company has collaborated with these wonderful performers, this time choosing a song cycle composed by Turina, and titled “Poema en Forma de Canciones”. The choreography will explore the lush and passionate moods of this beautiful music.

Overlap, which received its premiere at the Dairy Center for the Arts in June of this year, will be on this program as well. It is a dance for seven with music by Louis Thomas Hardin (Moondog), a mostly self-taught American composer who spent most of his career as a street musician in NYC. The vibrant costumes are by Janet White. The dance is structured around unison phrase work performed by constantly shifting groups of dancers. Dancers come and go, coexisting in overlapping sections of the dance phrases, creating fleeting connections which must suffice for interaction. Many of us find great joy and satisfaction in parallel play of this kind!

A trio from Untethered is set to a movement from Leos Janacek’s “Intimate Letters” string quartet, which was inspired by his own letters to a young married woman 38 years his junior. He
conducted an obsessive and (on his side at least), passionate correspondence with her which inspired great creativity in his later years. While not in any way depicting his story, the dance embodies the intense yearnings for the unattainable that we all experience at some point in our lives. Unfulfilled dreams and desires can inspire great energy and creativity.

Excerpts from Arise, set to parts of Handel’s Messiah will provide a joyful and uplifting closer for the program.Describing the dance in a 2011 review in worlddancereviews.com, Don Atwood
said,

“If Arise does not get you into a Holiday Spirit you just may be a Scrooge”, and continued, “the
monumental work includes delightful choreography and phrasing throughout, and makes Handel’s
Messiah vibrate.”