RDT presents BRIO
Featuring all choreography by Shapiro & Smith, this family-friendly show is filled with humor and athleticism that will have you gasping for breath as you watch unexpected and thrilling moments on the edge of chaos.
Featuring:
BOLERO - (2010) by Joanie Smith
BOLERO is a thrill ride of a dance about the dynamic tensions that define the human experience.. a dance about community and the power of teamwork. The work explores the endless nature of physical struggle, from war to personal ordeal. It is a dance that demands much of those who perform it which tests the limits of physicality. BOLERO is explosive, with the dancers and momentum never letting up until after the final note.
A DANCE WITH TWO ARMY BLANKETS (1992) by Shapiro & Smith
This quirky piece features five dancers hurling themselves through space while their companions catch them in large Army blankets, all set to a score by Toby Twinings.
TURF - (1997 RDT COMMISSION) by Shapiro & Smith
TURF makes an energetic and a witty statement about the spirit of friendly competition, ownership and territory. It was created as part of a series of Millennium Commissions leading up to the 2002 Winter Olympics which encouraged a way of living based on the joy found in effort.
JACK (2012) - by Joanie Smith
Smith creates a new spin on classic nursery rhymes in this duet for two men.
PAT-A-CAKE (2011) by Joanie Smith
A duet for two women, Pat-A-Cake uses the spoken word of well-known nursery rhymes and children's games in the choreography.
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"Dance With Two Army Blankets" by Shapiro & Smith
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"Bolero" choreographed by Joanie Smith
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"Turf" choreographed by Shapiro & Smith
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"Jack" choreographed by Joanie Smith
About The choreographer
Shapiro & smith
Joanie Smith & Danial Shapiro
Joanie Smith and Danial Shapiro founded Shapiro & Smith Dance in 1987 and developed a collaborative method through which they created their work, taking turns developing material and directing the choreographic process. Danial Shapiro died in the Fall of 2006 and now Joanie Smith serves as sole Choreographer and is honing that process in new ways with the members of Shapiro & Smith Dance.
Shapiro & Smith’s choreography has been commissioned by companies as diverse as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Phoenix Dance Company of Leeds, UK; and the PACT Dance Company of Pretoria, South Africa. The Company has toured all over the U.S. and abroad including four times at The Joyce Theater in New York City. Over 600 dancers in professional and university dance companies have performed their work.
Joanie Smith
Joanie Smith was recognized as an “Artist Of The Year,” in 2011 by City Pages, Minneapolis, and was named a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Dance to Helsinki, Finland. Smith holds the Barbara Barker Endowed Chair in Dance at the University of Minnesota, an MA in Dance from UCLA, and toured the world in the companies of Murray Louis and Alwin Nikolais before founding Shapiro & Smith Dance.
Learn More
Video interview
Hear from Joanie Smith & her dancer Scott Mettille after working with RDT to set "Jack". Learn more>>
More video excerpts
Check out excerpts from "Turf" here>>
Study guide
BRIO will be performed for close to 1000 students in free matinee performances. Click here to download>>