Quince Productions is pleased to announce the return to Philadelphia, for the first time in five years, of the New York-based dance troupe The Bang Group.  The group will present their cabaret Misters and Sisters, a romantic reverie in song and dance celebrating the dreams of young gay boys and the power of Hollywood goddesses, in its premiere Philadelphia performance.  “Misters and Sisters” will run Friday and Saturday, August 3 and 4, at 7pm at Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Place in Philadelphia.  It will be followed on August 3 by a gala opening night party for GayFest! – the glbt festival for which “Misters and Sisters” is the opening event.

“Misters and Sisters” follows the lives of two young gay boys, growing up unknown to each other and listening to recordings of the great Hollywood stars.  Eventually the two meet and it results in an explosion of dance and song.  The two boys are, of course, The Bang Group’s directors David Parker and Jeffrey Kazin; they’re joined by The Bang Group regulars Nic Petry (with the company since 2005) and Amber Sloan (with the company since 2002) for “Misters and Sisters.”

The Bang Group is a rhythm-based, theatrical dance troupe serving choreographer David Parker’s fascination with the rhythmic potential of the dancing body.  Working its alchemy on American popular and contemporary forms, The Bang Group is known for a repertory of joyful, smart, funny dances which resonate with the rich tradition of percussive dance, vaudeville, silent film comedy, movie musicals, and classical ballet.  The company, directed by David Parker and Jeffrey Kazin, is best known for its comic/subversive, neo-vaudevillian “Nutcracker” entitled Nut/Cracked, a choreographic refraction of “Annie Get your Gun” called Showdown, and for a series of male duets ranging from the Velcro-clad Slapstuck to Bang and Suck, Friends of Dorothy, and Old Fashioned Wedding.

Their work has been presented in New York eight times by Dance Theater Workshop, as well as by Danspace Project, Joe’s Pub (a presentation of Dance Now/NYC), Symphony Space, the Joyce Theater, and many others.  They have performed for the last twelve summers in Concord MA’s Summer Stages Dance Festival, and have appeared internationally in The Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Morocco, Monaco, and the Czech Republic, as well as an appearance in Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival.

The Bang Group was last in Philadelphia for Quince Productions’ presentation of Backward and in Heels at the Painted Bride Art Center in 2008.    Says Quince Producing Artistic Director Rich Rubin: “This toweringly important dance company was essential to Quince’s beginnings; they were the first show we ever produced.  As we celebrate our fifth season in Philadelphia, it’s only fitting that we bring The Bang Group back for a brand-new show for Philadelphia.  Five years is far too long to wait for a company that combines modern dance, ballet, and other dance forms with an extraordinary amount of humor.  If we’re lucky, we won’t have to wait five more years for their next performance.”

Tickets for “Misters and Sisters” are $25 and can be charged at www.quinceproductions.com.  For more information, please call 215-627-1088.