Bryan Koulman Dance Company will perform at the Performance Garage this spring, with a group of talented and dedicated dancers and musicians. The outstanding list of professional dancers includes Sydney Dolan and Austin Eyler of the Pennsylvania Ballet. They are joined live by Branson Yeast, principal cellist of the Philadelphia Opera Orchestra, and Benjamin Hoffman, noted piano accompanist and faculty member of the Settle Music School. A collaborative performance by these highly renowned artists will allow the audience to experience the magical partnership of live music and dance at its highest form.
Koulman’s choreography is inspired by the talent of the dancers and musicians he works with. Their capabilities and unique artistries have entirely influenced Koulman’s broad range of choreographic work and musicality. Musical selections span two centuries including music by Joseph Haydn, Alexander Scriabin, jazz great Dolores Gray and independent singer-songwriter Charlie Hilton, formerly of the Portland dream-pop trio Blouse.
Koulman’s work ranges from traditional balletic structures, in the pas de deux set to live music, to an Americana styled work performed en pointe and set to the jazz stylings of Dolores Gray. The largest work will involve ten professional dancers, with six soloists, and is set to the newly released music of Charlie Hilton, who personally gave permission to Koulman for use in his choreographic work.
Bryan Koulman Dance presents a blend of contemporary ballet & modern dance that has a dynamic and creative relationship to classical music, due to Koulman’s previous study in piano and French horn. His balletic and contemporary movement is expressively intertwined with live music, creating a compelling theatrical experience for the audience. The company aims to continue presenting work with an emphasis on combining dance and small music ensembles. Koulman also intends to work with composers who have an interest in creating original scores for dance.
Bryan Koulman (choreographer and director) began studying modern dance at Swarthmore College in 1979. After performing professionally with the Milwaukee Ballet and the North Carolina Dance Theater, he began performing, teaching and choreographing in Philadelphia and New York. The recipient of a choreographic fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, his work has been presented in the Merce Cunningham Studio in New York and the Painted Bride in Philadelphia. He received an MFA from the Tisch School of the Arts in 1991 and presently teaches ballet at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet in Narberth, PA. In the spring of 2016, he collaborated with the Circus School of Philadelphia in a production of the full-length ballet ‘The Magic Toyshop’, presented at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center.
Bryan Koulman Spring Show 2018
June 7th, 8th and 9th at 8:00 pm
Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia
Tickets: $22 General admission online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3393631
Student and dance artist discounts available by email: [email protected]
***Photo by Anthony Zingara
