Dear Dance Friends,

SHARE THE CELEBRATION!

Momentum Dance Company celebrates its 25^th Anniversary Season with dynamic performances at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, on December 1^st and 2^nd at 8 PM. The anniversary concerts will feature the Florida premiere of The Exiles, Jose Limon's 1953 classic dance recreation of the biblical story of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden; as well as Artistic Director Delma Iles' most celebrated work Sand Calendar (1989) and the world premiere of two new works.

Tickets, from $15 to $50, are available by clicking the button above, and by calling Momentum at 305-858-7002 or the Colony Theater at 305-674-1040.

I am so proud that Momentum has performed and created dance works continuously for twenty-five years.  We are the only company in Florida with that record, and very few modern dance companies in the U.S. can claim such consistency and longevity. Even in the toughest years, we continued to plough forward to create and perform our work. This is remarkable, given the current, rather difficult, climate for performing arts in our country at this time. 

Momentum was recently awarded its first grant from the National Endowment of the Arts for the training and performance of Jose Limon’s 1950 classic The Exiles which will have its Florida premiere at the Colony during the 25^th Anniversary celebration. The twenty-minute work set to music by Schoenberg is considered one of the great classics of American modern dance, and one of Limon’s signature works. A dance recreation of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, its three sections depict the expulsion, the memory of paradise, and the long road ahead into exile. Momentum dancers worked during the summer with Limon master teacher and former principal dancer Jennifer Scanlon. In tribute to the 34^th anniversary of Limon’s death, Ms. Scanlon will attend the Florida performances and immediately prior to the December 2^nd concert, will give a brief talk about Jose Limon’s work and her experiences in working with him.

The 25^th Anniversary program reintroduces Sand Calendar with innovative set design by Miami architect Bernard Zyscovich and costume by visual artist Marcia Kreitman.  At its 1989 premiere, the Miami Herald called Sand Calendar " ...gripping imagery within a powerful frame." The work places a single woman within a continuous rain of white sand, as though in an hourglass. The poetic imagery of the passage of the "sands of time" takes the viewer to a place that is neither present nor future, but incorporates elements of both, evoking memory and vision.

Continuing Momentum’s commitment to new work, the concert presents the World Premiers of two pieces: Haram by soloist Odman Felix, Grow!, a group work with music by Handel. The beautiful melodies of this late Baroque master reflect the powerful and virtuosic movement of the dancers in a technically demanding group work that is my valentine to Momentum's 25th season. At times tender and delicate, at times lyrical and serene, and often full of energy, and great scooping curves and jumps, this work displays the company at its best - beautiful, sensitive dancing for the joy of it!

 Haram explores repression, both personal and societal, with an innovative movement style. The struggle can be seen as the individual grappling with the search for a unique voice in spite of self-doubt and self-censorship; or as a cultural struggle for release from repression and a movement towards the joys of freedom. Spoken word is intermixed with music from Dead Can Dance as an abstract vocal expression of the theme in Felix’ distinctive movement style influenced by Brazilian contemporary dance, his sports and physical education training and the martial arts form Capoeira.

Parsing the Curve takes a completely different direction. Developed last season as a solo for principal dancer Barbie Freeman, who performed it at five months pregnant, Parsing the Curve looks at the pregnant body as an opportunity for the emergence of new lines and shapes not normally seen on dancers. It reflects the introspection, hope, and internal sweetness associated with new motherhood. Guest artist Colleen Farnum, a soloist with the Dance Now! Ensemble, currently expecting her first child will perform the work at six months pregnant.

The program also includes the critically acclaimed Birds Flying in Warped Time, which premiered in spring 2005 at the Miami Beach Dance Festival.  This evocative and mysterious dance explores the emotional dissonances that occur when individuals cannot express themselves or act in the moment. We frequently seem to say the right thing, but at the wrong time, make moves to connect when the other person cannot see us, or in so many other ways miss the timing between people that would make everything right. This dance seeks to cull out the moments of disconnect that should have connected but somehow miss.

Back by popular demand is Cheers, Darling, the introspective, emotional solo by Odman Felix that rocked the 2006 Miami Beach Dance Festival. A man lives through his regrets for not acting on his feelings for a lover who has chosen another without ever knowing of his love.

I founded Momentum Dance Company with a group of loyal dancers in the 1981-82 season. The company has become Florida's most celebrated and active contemporary dance company with over 60 performances annually including concert seasons, a series of children performances, and educational residencies in two public schools since 1992. Momentum tours in Florida, nationally and internationally and is founder and producer of the Miami Beach Dance Festival. The company regularly performs at festivals and community events, and creates specific environmental programs and dances for museums, art galleries, and libraries.

Momentum's 25^th Anniversary Concerts take place December 1 & 2 at 8:00 PM at the Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach. Tickets are $25 General Admission and $12 for students and seniors.

On Friday, December 1 only, a special $50 Patron Ticket guarantees best seating and provides admission to the 25^th Anniversary bash at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden immediately following the performance. The party features live music, open bar, hors d'oeuvres, and a chance to meet and mingle with the artists.

Tickets are available now by clicking the button at the top of this page. For ticketing and information call 305-858-7002. Colony Theater Box Office 305-674-1040 X 1.

These programs are made possible with support from: the National Endowment for the Arts, the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Pillars, Funding Arts Network, and Citizens Interested in Arts.