ABT Studio Co. - New work by Reeder, Buffalo residency

[Dale]

The official company release:

ABT Studio Company and Filmmaker Elliot Caplan to COLLABORATE on Newly Commissioned Work by Brian Reeder

University at Buffalo to Sponsor Studio Company Residency

January 8 – February 4, 2007

Award-winning filmmaker Elliot Caplan will document the dance-making process as the ABT Studio Company creates a new work to be choreographed by Brian Reeder. Commissioned by the Center for the Moving Image, University at Buffalo, the creative process will be recorded by Caplan and will be archived as an education resource for dance history, instruction and choreography. Caplan will document the choreography process over a three-week rehearsal period in New York City and will follow the Company to Buffalo for a one-week residency, January 27-February 4. This unique collaboration will culminate in two performances of Reeder’s work on January 29 at the Shea’s Performing Art Center and on February 3 at The Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo. Additionally, the Mayor of Buffalo, Byron Brown, will present the work as a gift to the residents of New Orleans during the ABT Studio Company’s visit to the city, March 30 and 31.

Brian Reeder’s new work for the ABT Studio Company, a ballet for six dancers, will be set to Music for the Theater by Aaron Copland and features costumes designed by Reeder. Reeder studied at the School of American Ballet and has danced with New York City Ballet, William Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt, and American Ballet Theatre. As a choreographer, Reeder has created works for Midsummer Arts Festival at Chateau de Courances, France; the Vermont Dance Festival; St. Barth’s Music Festival,and American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company. This commission will be Reeder’s fourth work for the ABT Studio Company.

Elliot Caplan, known for his extensive film and theater work including an Emmy award and the Cine Golden eagle for his work for PBS, and numerous international film and television awards, chose ABT for its long history and commitment to new choreography. Caplan said, “There are several aspects to the art of dance which deserve closer attention; documentation of the choreographic process and clear, interpretive performance footage are two areas I am particularly interested in pursuing with regard to this commission.”

Commenting on Caplan’s work and the UB commission, Kirk Peterson, Artistic Director of the ABT Studio Company said, “We are so thrilled to be collaborating with Elliot Caplan on this fascinating project. The combination of our very talented Studio Company dancers, Brian Reeder, one of the most interesting choreographers working today, and Elliot Caplan, is a dream project for us. Documenting the process of creation and the evolution of movement ideas in dance has been a much-neglected area of preservation, particularly in the ballet world. We all look forward to our participation in this noble effort.”

The ABT Studio Company is a small classical company of twelve young dancers of outstanding potential. In its eleventh season, the Studio Company prepares these dancers to enter American Ballet Theatre and provides opportunities for the emergence of new and established choreographers and composers. Through national performances, lecture-demonstrations and academic residencies, the ABT StudioCompany brings the excitement of close contact with a professional company into communities around the country.

A series of master classes, lecture demonstrations and seminars will take place during the ABT Studio Company’s one-week residency at the University at Buffalo. Reeder’s new work will be featured on January 29 at a special performance for 3,000 public school students at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo. Students will be given an opportunity to meet with Mayor Byron Brown and members of ABT in a question-and-answer session following the program.

Tickets for the 8:00 PM premiere performance on February 3 at The Center for the Arts, University at Buffalo are priced at $22, $15 for faculty and staff, and $10 for students. To purchase tickets, please visit www.ubcfa.org <http://www.ubcfa.org/> .