Fri 6/10 @ 8PM
Cleveland ensemble Dancing Wheels has come up with something really special for aficionados of its distinctive form of dancing, which blends wheelchair and “standup” dancer in its choreography, to celebrate its 41st season.
Its gala performance at Playhouse Square’s Allen Theatre is called Beyond Barriers, Boundaries and Belief!, and it features two other companies who followed in the footsteps of what Dancing Wheels started: Miami, Florida’s Karen Peterson Dance (1990) and New York City’s Heidi Latsky Dance (2006). Like Dancing Wheels, they are “physically integrated” companies.
The evening will include three world premieres for the Dancing Wheels by choreographers Brian Murphy, Mark Tomasic, and fabled Donald Byrd, along with personalized works by each visiting company. The Cleveland performance kicks off the National Touring Physically Integrated Dance Festival, which will then move on to New York and Miami to present in the hometown of each of the other companies. Each stop includes workshops and master classes as well.
“I felt that it was important that our nation recognize the distinct talents of the artists with and without disabilities that participate in physically integrated dance,” says Dancing Wheels founder Mary Verdi-Fletcher. “The field is growing, and there is a plethora of talent that deserves exposure and support.”
Dancing Wheels will also host a VIP pre-party prior to the performance @ 6:30PM and a champagne meet-and-greet reception after the show for all attendees in the Allen Theatre lobby.
For more information and gala tickets go to dancingwheels.org. For tickets to the performance only, go here.