ASU Herberger Institute School of Dance presents Emerging Artists I Re-site

Who
ASU Herberger Institute School of Dance MFA candidates Melissa Britt and Melissa Canto present each of their thesis works. In addition, guest choreographers Mary Fitzgerald, ASU Herberger Institute School of Dance associate professor, and Samantha Basting, ASU Dance alumna also premiere new works Dec. 4–5, 2009.

What
As a combined thesis performance, Melissa Britt and Melissa Canto present a site-specific dance experience in Emerging Artists I Re-site. The work is designed to challenge the audience’s perception of how dance can be viewed, and to bring awareness to the specific site – Bragg’s Pie Factory in downtown Phoenix – and the community involved in the production, the Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development.

Hearing in Color, choreographed by Britt, examines our human similarities and differences through a multi-disciplinary process involving paint, sound and text created in collaboration with the Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development.

Conceived by Canto, Recipes for Work and Play, is a whimsical celebration of Bragg’s Pie Factory. The factory’s rich and vibrant history is portrayed through the eyes of the Bragg daughters’ childhood experience amidst culinary production, where a child’s imagination can make memories become larger than life.

Canto also performs in Toil, a piece that explores habitual patterns, which is choreographed by Mary Fitzgerald. Within a confined space of "flour fields," the dance uses mechanical and repetitive movement that conjures up images of endless labor, and the struggle to break free of limitations.

Pi is a piece that goes beyond fruit-filled recipes and is choreographed by Samantha Basting and performed by Ashle Kozulla, ASU Herberger Institute Dance undergraduate. The work explores pi, (3.14), which represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The work was inspired by Yann Martel’s novel, The Life of Pi. In the story, Piscine “Pi” Patel is stranded and survives 227 days in the Pacific Ocean following a shipwreck.

Where
Bragg’s Pie Factory, 1301 N.W. Grand Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85007

When
Dec. 4–5, installation viewings and pie serving at 7 p.m., performances begin at 8 p.m.

Cost
As a part of First Fridays, the Dec. 4 performance is FREE. The Dec. 5 performance is $7–$20. For more information, contact the ASU Herberger Institute box office at 480.965.6447, or visit: http://herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/events/viewevent.php?eid=33

Public Contact
Melissa Canto
ASU Herberger Institute 
School of Dance 
MFA candidate 
480.965.5029
mcanto@asu.edu

The School of Theatre and Film in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University provides a comprehensive range of courses in performance and directing; design and production; new work development; theatre and performance studies; film; and theatre for youth. Its Theatre for Youth program is nationally ranked in the top three and the dramatic writing/playwriting program is ranked 15th among public institutions by U.S.News & World Report. To learn more about the School of Theatre and Film, visit theatrefilm.asu.edu.

Media Contact:
Sunny Kuo
Operations Manager
ASU Herberger Institute 
School of Dance 
480.965.1208
Sunny.Kuo@asu.edu