JMKAC announces new Footlights series lineup
From Big Apple jazz and traditional Quebecois music to a modern take on African dance and the latest in high-tech performance technology from Italy, the 2010-11 Footlights series at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center brings breathtaking performances by international artists to Sheboygan.
Opening the season is the Oct. 19 and 21 appearance of Compagnie Jant-Bi from Senegal. The all-male dance troupe, accompanied by five musicians, presents a powerful exploration of political power in Africa through traditional dance brilliantly reinterpreted for the modern audience. “Amazing … The show is the expression of today’s Africa in its full diversity,” raved the French daily newspaper Sud Ouest.
The New York-based Sachal Vasandani Quartet follows Nov. 9 and 11, bringing fresh stylings of jazz classics and original works. Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center, said Vasandani’s sound is “consistent and unique.” In the 2010 Downbeat
Critics’ Poll, Vasandani topped the category of Rising Star–Male Vocalist.
Live animation and original music make for a multilayered dance event when Gibney Dance comes to town Feb. 15 and 17. In View Partially Obstructed,
the New York contemporary dance company examines the struggle to create a full view of the world and ourselves. Artist Joshue Ott uses superDraw to provide visual accompaniment for the dancers. The New York Times called Gibney “one of the most intellectually stimulating of New York dance artists.”
De Temps Antan brings traditional French-Canadian music to the Footlights series March 8 and 10. The trio harvests songs from Quebec’s past, using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar and bouzouki to bring forth the joie de vivre
of their region’s roots music.
Capping the season April 12 and 14 is Compagnia TPO of Italy. This ground-breaking performance group will present the United States premiere of Kindur,
an ecological fairy tale told by two dancers and a singer moving through a magical performance environment full of sensors that respond to touch and movement. Audiences will experience unparalleled improvisational dance theatre in a virtual realm.
Two series of Footlights performances are offered. Designed for adults and children of all ages, the Family Series offers shorter performances that take place earlier in the evening; the Performance Series showcases the entire range of each ensemble’s artistry in full-length performances.
Season tickets for all five shows offer a significant savings. To purchase tickets, contact the Arts Center at (920) 458-6144 or visit www.jmkac.org/Footlights. Group rates are also available.
All performances take place at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 608 New York Ave., Sheboygan.
Prior to each of the Performance Series evening productions, the ARTcafe offers four-course dining. The menu takes inspiration from the cultural origin of each of the performances. Contact the Arts Center to make reservations, (920) 458-6144.
Footlights is supported in part by M&I Foundation Inc., Quasius Construction Inc., Lakeland College, and Target. Additional support is provided by:
The NPN Performance Residency Program; the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Wisconsin Arts Board, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation; and the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation.
