"Live" show finds Missouri Contemporary Ballet coming alive with new motion and music
When performing this weekend, the dancers of Missouri Contemporary Ballet will underline multiple meanings of their show's title. They will, of course, be "Live," in person, moving gracefully across the Missouri Theatre stage.
But the company will also model one way to live — embodied, athletic, uniting body and spirit to fully come alive and express themselves.
A staple on the MCB schedule, the "Live" show mingles newly-choreographed and repertory works with live, original music by a rich array of composers — including two of Columbia's keyboard maestros, Tom Andes and Travis McFarlane.
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This year's performance features three world premiere dance pieces. MCB artistic and executive director Karen Mareck Grundy choreographed "Torque," which is set to percussion music by internationally-renowned jazz artist Vijay Iyer.
The University of Missouri Percussion Ensemble will supply Iyer's guiding beats, and MCB dancers "will be dancing en pointe and incorporate the use of scaffolding as a prop," according to a news release.
Other premieres include a work by guest choreographer Joshua Blake Carter to Andes music; the piece intends to "feel like a celebration of contemporary ballet," according to the release. And the other will feature original choreography and music by the same artist, Kristopher Estes-Brown.
Repertory pieces include "Hold On," choreographed by Grundy to music by McFarlane; "Beweist," set to the music of Bach and choreographed by Stephanie Martinez; and "Vex'd," invented by longtime dancer and resident choreographer Fernando Rodriguez.
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Describing his piece, Carter expressed the need to create something joyful to counter the sadness and difficulty of the moment.
"I always choreograph about what I know or what is happening in my life, and I admit the past few years have been filled with loss and darkness," he said in the release. "I'm tired of focusing on those things. I want to highlight the incredible talent and artistry of the MCB dancers in a beautiful piece of moving art."
In a way, Carter seems to be looking for the same feeling as the audience. While MCB dancers' movements transcend anything a viewer can accomplish, their work reminds us of the potential energy — and beauty — in bodies we've cloistered and protected the last two-plus years. The word "live" just means a little more when these artists are the ones working it out.
"MCB Live" will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Missouri Theatre. Tickets range from $28 to $48. Find more details at https://concertseries.missouri.edu/ or https://missouricontemporaryballet.org/.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri Contemporary Ballet comes alive with new pieces, original music
