Oregon ArtsWatch

ArtsWatch Archive


DanceWatch Weekly: Scanning a new year in Portland dance

By Jamuna Chiarini
January 5, 2017
Dance

Happy New Year dance fans and welcome to 2017!

Don’t get too comfortable hibernating in your winter dens because there is a lot to see, and you should see it.

Not only is the upcoming season already packed with dance works from local and international artists—including the premiere of Sensation/Disorientation by Tahni Holt, Urban Meadow by BodyVox, and  Fertile Ground’s Groovin’ Greenhouse hosted by Polaris Dance Theatre in three weeks—but a whole new group of Portland dance artists have just been awarded grants through the Regional Arts and Culture Council and PICA’s Precipice Fund, so watch out for those, too.

Éowyn Emerald & Dancers. Photo by David Krebs

The new year starts with a weekend of performances by Éowyn Emerald & Dancers. Portland choreographer Emerald takes her company to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year and will be performing her latest Fringe festival concert at Reed College’s Greenwood Theatre.

The company, comprised of Éowyn Emerald, Mari Kai Juras, Josh Murry and Joel Walker,
will perform seven contemporary dance works that express a wide range of emotions while picking apart the complexities of human relationships. An apt performance to start the new year.

Oh, and Sunday the 8th is Free Dance Day at BodyVox, which means all dance classes are free, and you can even catch a glimpse of dance company Skinner/Kirk in rehearsal at the end of the day.

I have also put together Portland’s dance calendar from January to June for your planning convenience. If you see a performance missing from the list, just give me a holler at Jamunadasi@me.com and I will add it.

Performances this week!

Éowyn Emerald & Dancers-Fringe Coda
January 6-7
Greenwood Theatre at Reed College, 2903 Botsford Drive

See above.

Upcoming Performances

January
January 14-15, Increspature, Disorder Dance Company
January 18-22, Sensation/Disorientation, Tahni Holt Dance, Presented by White Bird
January 19-21, Urban Meadow, BodyVox
January 19-29, Groovin’ Greenhouse/Fertile Ground, Presented by Polaris Dance Theatre
January 20-22, Rent, Presented by U.S. Bank Broadway in Portland
January 20-29, Ignite, Oluyinka Akinjiola and Subashini Ganesan
January 24-25, BalletBoyz, Presented by White Bird
January 28, Nrityotsava-Indian Classical and Folk Dances, Presented by Kalakendra

February
February 3, ODE 2 Fool, Julian Barnett, Presented by Flock Dance Center
February 10-11, Cabaret Boris & Natasha, Presented by Performance Works NW / Linda Austin Dance
February 17, The Missing Generation, Sean Dorsey, Presented by Reed College Dance Department
February 17-18, New works by Alembic Artists Claire Barrera and Noelle Stiles, Presented by Performance Works NW / Linda Austin Dance
February 18-25, Swan Lake, Oregon Ballet Theatre
February 22, Ballet De Lorraine, Presented by White Bird
February 23-26, Attention Everyone!, A-WOL Dance Collective

March
March 2-4, Cuisine & Confessions, Presented by White Bird
March 3, Local (not easy), Iris Erez, Presented by Reed College Dance Department
March 3-5, In Circadia, Eliza Larson
March 9-11, Companhia Urbana De Danca, Presented by White Bird
March 10 – 12, TPB Studio Company Performance-Featuring dances by Anne Mueller, Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, John Clifford and guest artists from Kukátónón Children’s African Dance Troupe, The Portland Ballet
March 16-18, Carmen, NW Dance Project
March 24, Shaping Sound, Travis Wall, Presented by Portland’5
March 23-April1, Skinner/Kirk Dance Ensemble, Presented by BodyVox

April
April 4-5, Shen Yun, Presented by Oregon Falun Dafa Association
April 6-8, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Presented by White Bird
April 13-22, Terra, Oregon Ballet Theatre
April 14-16, New work by Jin Camou, Performance Works NW Alembic Co-Production
April 25-26, Che Malambo, Presented by White Bird
April 27-29, Contact Dance Film Festival, Presented by BodyVox and NW Film Center
April 28-29, Appalachian Spring Break, Scotty Heron and Brendan Connelly, Presented by Performance Works NW / Linda Austin Dance

May
May 5-7, Inclusive Arts Vibe Annual Performance, Disability Arts and Culture Project
May 10, Martha Graham Dance Company, Presented by White Bird
May 26-28, N.E.W. Residency performance, Dora Gaskill, Jessica Kelley, Stephanie Schaaf, and Kumari Suraj
May 26 – 27, Spring Concert – Tribute to the Ballet Russes, Featuring work by Michel Fokine, Tom Gold, George Balanchine, and Lane Hunter, The Portland Ballet

June
June 8-10, Summer Splendors, NW Dance Project

Oregon ArtsWatch Archives