KENNESAW, Ga. | Jan 17, 2023
Spring production encourages patrons, dancers to dream without boundaries
ʯֱ Department of Dance will welcome New York-based company
presenting “Aǰ” Jan. 27-28 at the ʯֱ Dance Theater on the Marietta campus at 8 p.m. Led by acclaimed choreographer Omar Román de Jesús, features breathtaking movement vocabulary, drama, fantasy, and humor, all derived
by events and practices traced back to personal and collective experiences.
Román de Jesús hopes that his choreographic work helps performers, viewers, and leaders dream without boundaries, a perfect mission for dance works that thrive on extremes. He explains, “I am excited to share not only the movement, but also the sound, lighting, sets, and costumes that transform a thought into magic. The dances are surreal, theatrical, poetic,dramatic, variegated roller coasters. I hope audiences will buckle into their seats, feel therush of speeding downhill, brush back their windswept hair, and ache to ride again.”
Chair of the Department of Dance and Associate Professor says that “Aǰ” is a unique and exciting opportunity for collaboration between Boca Tuya and ʯֱ Dance. “This work highlights our program’s efforts to present national and international work as a means of providing our students and the community with new perspectives on contemporary dance. We are incredibly proud to invite Omar Román de Jesús back to ʯֱ, and even more proud to have an alumnus of our program working with his company.”
ʯֱ Dance alumnus Bailey Jo Harbaugh met Román de Jesús in summer 2021, when he was in residence as one of the first Eleo Pomare/Glen Connor choreographers. The program was made possible by the Eleo Pomare–Glenn Conner Dance Endowment, which is funded by a generous gift from Jay and Debra Yunek.
ʯֱ Dance faculty and Artistic Director says, “During his residence, Omar created a beautiful work for our alumni students. He has a gift to create captivating work that reflects his cultural heritage as well as the pulse of New York City, driven by a unique and inventive movement vocabulary.”
Believing that dance is an art of relationships and transformation, Román de Jesús says, “The residency at ʯֱ gave me the resources to ask ‘What if?’ and then say ‘Yes!’ to the dances that wanted to be made. This creative process served as a pathway to build connections. My time here acquainted me with ʯֱ dancers, production team members, and Atlanta audiences, all of whom were previously outside my orbit. These relationships have manifested in my new works both conceptually and literally.”
For patrons, the choreographer hopes for one takeaway: that audiences have a chance for their minds to wander and wonder. He says, “I do hope each person finds a moment to wander curiously into a dreamscape and wonder what else might be possible there. Room for excitement abounds when we let imagination roam free.”
“Aǰ” by Boca Tuya will be performed Jan. 27-28 at 8 p.m. at the ʯֱ Dance Theater on the Marietta campus. Tickets are $15-20 and are available at . Visit ʯֱDance.com for more information.
--Kathie Beckett