'Anytown: Stories of America' to be on stage at Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A dance production that follows the lives of three middle-class families will be performed next week at Purdue University's Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center.
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"Anytown" addresses the concerns of today's middle and working class. The work follows the plight of three entangled families through a blend of storytelling and choreography.
The dance production premiered in Philadelphia in October 2005 and is currently on an 11-city national tour.
Purdue Convocations is serving as a commissioning partner for this production.
"We chose to become a commissioning partner because I loved the idea of combining Shapiro & Smith's dynamic and physical style of dance with Springsteen's earthy music," said Todd Wetzel, director of Convocations. "In both, the struggles of everyday life are made heroic, so the combination creates a truly compelling, rock-videolike piece that is open, engaging and ultimately life-affirming."
Shapiro & Smith Dance will be conducting several educational activities for the community, including master classes and an open rehearsal for dance students from Purdue. It will also be offering master classes and an open rehearsal for dance students of the Morton Community Center and Lafayette Ballet Co.
Shapiro & Smith Dance will also lead a free lunchtime "Dance for Non-Dancers" workshop at noon March 3 in Stewart Center, Room 302. The workshop is open to the public and reservations are not required.
This presentation is supported by the Heartland Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from General Mills Foundation, Land O'Lakes Foundation, Sprint Corp. and the Indiana Arts Commission. The production also is funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with lead funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation.
Tickets range from $20 to $28 and are available at campus box offices or by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu
Sources: Kerry S. Nason, Purdue Convocations manager of operations, (765) 496-9071, knason@purdue.edu
Todd Wetzel, director of Purdue Convocations, (765) 494-9712
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
"Anytown: Stories of America," a dance production that follows the lives of three middle-class families, will be presented at 8 p.m. March 3 at Purdue University's Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center. (Photo courtesy Shapiro & Smith Dance)
A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2006/convos-anytown.jpg
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