LEWISTON — Kyle Abraham, one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" in 2009, and his company, Abraham.in.Motion, will present his latest work at the 30th annual Bates Dance Festival.
The dance presentation, "Live! The Realest MC," was inspired by Abraham's upbringing in Philadelphia. It draws upon themes from his 2007 solo work, "Inventing Pookie Jenkins," and the story of Pinocchio. The common theme in all three sources is the search for acceptance.
Abraham's work explores complex themes, such as the intersection of identity and personal history, in a distinct style that fuses his training in classical music, visual art and dance forms from ballet to hip-hop. "Live! The Realest MC" deals with adult themes.
Abraham is celebrated for his intricate and dynamic choreography. "His choreography wriggles energy through the body, stretches it, suspends it, unleashes it," wrote a reviewer for Dance Magazine. "Control alternates with abandon, infirmity with unbeatable vigor, abstraction with pinpoint-fine character drawing."
"Live! The Realest MC" will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 19, and Saturday, July 21, in Bates College's Schaeffer Theatre, 305 College St. Tickets are $24/$18 for seniors and $12 for students. For tickets, call 786-6161 or visit batesdancefestival.org/tickets.php.
Abraham.in.Motion will give a free lecture-demonstration at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 17, at Schaeffer Theatre. A discussion with the artists will follow the July 19 performance. Dance writer Debra Cash will give an "Inside Dance: Understanding Contemporary Performance" lecture prior to the July 21 performance at 7:15 p.m., also at Schaeffer Theatre.
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