Dance Celebration presents Parsons Dance in the Philadelphia premiere of REMEMBER ME

Internationally renowned contemporary dance company Parsons Dance performs the Philadelphia premiere of REMEMBER ME, a rock dance opera collaboration with the East Village Opera Company, December 2 – 4, 2010. Performances by Parsons Dance are part of the 2010/11 Dance Celebration season presented by Dance Affiliates and the Annenberg Center.

REMEMBER ME is the most ambitious production created by David Parsons, known as one of modern dance’s great living dance-makers. A modern day re-telling of the classic story of a tragic love triangle, REMEMBER ME features contemporary and aerial dance, digital projections and lighting design by Tony® Award winning lighting designer Howell Binkley. Austin Scarlett, featured on the first season of the hit Bravo series Project Runway, designed the costumes. The piece features the vocals and music of the Grammy-nominated rock opera band, East Village Opera Company, whose signature works re-imagine opera arias as popular songs. Lead vocalists Tyley Ross and AnnMarie Milazzo blend pieces by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Schubert with the sounds of rock and roll, pop and R&B, creating a truly unique musical experience. Parsons dancer Abby Silva Gavezzoli plays the main love interest, with Eric Bourne and Miguel Quinones as her two suitors. The story follows the typical trajectory of an opera which undoubtedly ends tragically in a powerful finale.

REMEMBER ME first premiered to rave reviews at the Joyce Theater in January 2009, which led to a yearlong
world tour and a PBS special. The New York Times has called it a performance that “won’t be easy to forget” and the Chicago Tribune said of the East Village Opera Company “nobody puts a friskier spin on opera’s greatest hits.”

The program also features CAUGHT, Parsons’ unforgettable signature stroboscopic tour-de-force featuring a solo dancer defying gravity who appears to be caught or suspended in the air. The soloist performs more than 100 jumps. By use of strobe light, perfectly timed and coordinated with continuous jumping motions, the illusion of someone “caught” in mid-air is perceived by the audience.

Under the artistic direction of Randy Swartz, Dance Celebration maintains its tradition of bringing Philadelphia audiences the world’s best contemporary touring dance companies. This season, Superstars of Dance, Today and Tomorrow, pays homage to the great masters of dance while exploring new voices who challenge the status quo and reflect the style, taste and beat of the 21st century. Notes Mr. Swartz about Parsons Dance, “This multi-media extravaganza of sight and sound is the culmination of Parsons’ genius to both entertain and inspires and Caught’s nine minutes of theatrical magic will stay with you forever.”

Parsons Dance performances take place on Thursday, December 2 at 7:30 PM; Friday, December 3 at
8:00 PM and Saturday, December 4 at 2:00 PM & 8:00 PM. Tickets are $24-$42 (afternoon performances)
$28-$48 (evening performances).

In addition to performances, Parsons Dance will offer outreach activities including a master class on
Friday, December 3 at the University of the Arts as part of the Artist to Artist Series and a special school
performance as part of the Annenberg Center’s Student Discovery Series. For more information about the Artist
to Artist Series call 215.636.9000 ext. 110 or visit www.danceaffiliates.org. For more information about the
Student Discovery Series, call 215.898.6789 or visit www.AnnenbergCenter.org/studentdiscovery.

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