Press Release
Annex Dance Company announces its 16th season of live and digital programming for the company. The season opens October 1st with an event at High Wire Distilling Company, followed by a revisit of their digital series entitled Small Plates. In the new year, the company will be in the final month of preparations for their two city tour of a concert in February to the Etherredge Center in Aiken, SC and the Sottile Theatre in Charleston. The Spring will include a new dance film with dance filmmaker and former company member Maggie Bailey, and the annual residency at the College of Charleston during the Piccolo Spoleto Festival.
“Our season can be captured by the word catapult.” states Kristin Alexander, artistic director. “It feels like we are springboarding into the next phase of the company. The company is welcoming new dancers, performing in bigger venues, and creating a new dance film. Many of our collaborations from last season are continuing, so we are excited to see how our work with them develops. We also feel very fortunate that we will be moving more with members of the dance community as we open up company classes again and look forward to a number of residencies throughout the school year.”
The company will kick-off Season 16 with a Season Opener Fundraising Event on Saturday October 1st from 4:00-6:00pm at High Wire Distilling Company. Meet and mingle with the company and hear about the season while enjoying a High Wire cocktail and farm-driven fare (available for purchase). A performance of the piece One Who Sees will begin at 4:45 pm. One Who Sees (2018) is a 35-minute work created from three pieces previously choreographed by Alexander. Space Seer (2001), To See What Comes (2014), and I Watched Her Talk (2017) were all created from people watching and taking note of spatial relationships, proximity, body language, and physical connection between 2-10 people in various locations. The observations were developed into movement vocabulary that became its own language for each dance, and in 2018, excerpts of the three works became one piece. One Who Sees is danced to a playlist voted on by the audience, so the work is truly unique every time it is performed. Tickets are $25/$15 for students, and can be purchased at tickets.annexdancecompany.org. High Wire Distilling Company is sponsoring this event.
In November the company will revisit their digital series, Small Plates. An idea that originated in Fall 2020, “it's our take on a dinner and a show…just a smaller version of both…and in the comfort of your own home!” states Alexander. The company will take a few short pieces of repertory, film them in locations other than the studio or a theater, and pair them with a delicious small plate of food. Family and friends of the company will provide an array of recipes to share with each virtual release which will be emailed weekly to patrons.
In February the company will have a two city run of a concert based on the work of Aiken-based visual artist Leslie Alexander. Three pieces of the company repertory will be restaged: Glimpses & Layers (2015), Behind, Beyond, Between (2021), and the company’s newest work, Hover (2022), which premiered during the 2022 Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Hover has an original commissioned musical score by Laura Ball and costume design by Janine McCabe, both artists in Charleston. In addition, the concerts will premiere a new work that was started while in-residence at Camp Ballibay for the Fine and Performing Arts entitled Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. NY-based multimedia and sound artist John Jannone created arrangements of Vivaldi's Four Seasons for the piece, and the artistic directors will continue collaborating with Jannone leading up to the premiere at the Etherredge Center in Aiken, SC on February 4, 2023 and Sottile Theatre in Charleston, SC on February 11, 2023.
In the Spring the company will begin their screendance collaboration with filmmaker and former company member, Maggie Bailey. Bailey danced with Annex Dance Company as an apprentice and company member from 2013-2016 prior to moving to Austin, TX to pursue an MFA in Film and Media Production. Julie Clark, associate director, shared, “The pandemic challenged us to think outside the box, and one of our planned stage performances became a dance film: Salt in the Soil. We've wanted to create a second film ever since, and it’s so exciting to collaborate with a former company member on this new project. Maggie's knowledge and experience dancing with Annex is really going to enhance our ability to showcase our movement and concept from the rehearsal process to the screen.” The film will premiere at a Charleston venue prior to a virtual release to patrons of the company.
As always, the artistic directors look forward to the Piccolo Spoleto Festival to round out the season with collaborations and performances. Included will be the company's annual residency performance with the students at the College of Charleston as part of the Stelle di Domani Series. Performances related to the Festival will be shared in Spring 2023.
Patrons are encouraged to find more information regarding the performances and take a look into the behind-scenes process by on the following social media outlets: https://www.facebook.com/
2022-23 Season
Season Opener Event — October 1, 2022
Small Plates — November 2022
Annex Dance Company at Etherredge Center — February 4, 2023
Annex Dance Company at Sottile Theatre — February 11, 2023
Dance Film Premiere — May/June 2023
Piccolo Spoleto Festival — May/June 2023
