Helene

SATELLITE BALLET presents the world premiere of a new trilogy PROGRESS: COSMONAUT: EPISTASIS A strong statement of direction for classical dance in a multimedia age October 14, 2011 Baryshnikov Arts Center Jerome Robbins Theater featuring New York City Ballet dancers Teresa Reichlen, Chase Finlay, Ashley Laracey, Marika Anderson, Daniel Applebaum, Samuel Greenberg and Lauren King Friday, October 14, 2011 at 8 pm Baryshnikov Arts Center Jerome Robbins Theater, 450 W 37th Street, New York Tickets are $25; $10 for students available at SatelliteBallet.org Satellite Ballet presents its NYC premiere, a full evening's work featuring the choreography of Troy Schumacher, dancers of the New York City Ballet, original music performed live by Nick Jaina and ensemble, and multimedia projections by Kevin Draper, the trilogy PROGRESS: COSMONAUT: EPISTASIS Satellite Ballet is a new face in contemporary dance - a collaboration of emerging New York City choreographer Troy Schumacher, established composers from the American Northwest indie scene, and new artists working with experimental video and photography. Satellite Ballet is premiering a new trilogy of two ballets and a song cycle that make a strong statement about the direction of classical dance in a multimedia age. High intensity graphics, fiery musical performance and athletic, highly musical choreography are the signatures of the Satellite Ballet. This new trilogy is a direct engagement of themes of decadence, heroism, and human connection in the America of today. Satellite Ballet artists collaborate as equals: music, dance, imagery, story and abstraction are the result of continuous interaction through the entire production cycle - a commitment to collaboration that transcends the piecework nature of traditional productions. Troy Schumacher, Choreographer and founding Ballet Director, began dancing with New York City Ballet in 2004 after training at the School of American Ballet and Atlanta Ballet. Seeing ballet as rooted in history, he proposes a fresh perspective to the future - including direct involvement in the creation of original scores for the Satellite Ballet. His choreography forms an essential relationship with music and multimedia space: he selects highly individual dancers with inherent, unique movement qualities and creates dancer specific movement to advance the language of modern classical dance. Schumacher's work has been noted for an “emphasis on expressivity and beauty.” (Marina Harss, Faster Times, April 21, 2011). Librettist and Projection Artist Kevin Draper is an architect, poet and multimedia artist and founder of the Satellite Collective, an arts incubator with studios on Lake Michigan. Draper studied architecture at the University of Michigan under Lise Ann Couture and Tulane University under Raphael Moneo; he holds an MBA in entrepreneurship from Notre Dame University. He has developed the web presence of noted brands including Hush Puppies, Merrell and Caterpillar. Draper's art engages the human presence in the urban environment. Working in a deconstructionist mode, his flash fiction texts drive the story arcs and structure of Satellite Ballet works. Composer and Music Director Nick Jaina is an accomplished musician inspired, in part, by the vast number of cities he has lived in - San Francisco, New Orleans, New York and Portland, to name a few. The wide range of his musicality has emerged from that broad range of American flavors, as well as the many instruments that he plays, including guitar, piano, drums, ukulele, harmonica, and flute. Together with his talented band, Jaina has recorded nine albums and regularly tours the entirety of the United States. His scores for PROGRESS:COSMONAUT:EPISTASIS are written for piano, viola and violin. Satellite Ballet 2011 repertory is made possible in part through the support of private donors and foundations, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, corporate support of Nestle Nutrition and SAP America, and the Satellite Collective, an arts incubator.