BILL T. JONES/ARNIE ZANE DANCE COMPANY’S NEW WORK EXPLORES LEGACY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN ANN ARBOR, MI (December 15, 2009) — The University Musical Society (UMS) presents the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in Fondly Do We Hope…Fervently Do We Pray, a new dance‐theater evening inspired by the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, on Friday, January 22 and Saturday, January 23, at 8 p.m., in Ann Arbor’s Power Center (121 Fletcher Street). The most ambitious project in the company's 26‐year history, Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray explores the myriad meanings of Lincoln, rejecting accepted truths in favor of challenging ambiguities and celebrating the lasting contributions of this great man. The dance‐theatre work explores a handful of key moments from Lincoln’s remarkable life, and features the sophisticated movement of diverse dancers, accompanied by a pulsating, contemporary original score inflected by folk and rock (performed by a live band); film; and a striking, modern stage design. For tickets or additional information, contact the University Musical Society at 734‐764‐2538 or online at www.ums.org. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the League Ticket Office (911 North University Avenue). UMS Ticket Office hours: Monday‐Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., closed Sunday. The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company celebrated its 25th anniversary season in 2008. It was founded after 11 years of collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane (1948 – 1988) which redefined the dance duet form and foreshadowed issues of identity, form, and social commentary that would change the face of American dance. The company entered the international scene in 1983 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the world premiere of Intuitive Momentum featuring legendary drummer Max Roach. Since then, the ten‐
member company has performed worldwide in over 200 cities in 30 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Today, the Harlem‐based company is recognized as one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the modern dance world. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Page 1 of 4 The company has distinguished itself by its teaching and performing in various universities, festivals, and under the aegis of government agencies in Eastern Europe and Asia. The company has been acknowledged for its collaborative method of creation that has included creative partnerships with artists such as Keith Haring, the Orion String Quartet, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Cassandra Wilson, Misia, Fred Hersch, Ross Bleckner, Jenny Holzer, Robert Longo, Julius Hemphill, and Peteris Vasks, among others. The collaborations of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company with visual artists were the subject of Art Performs Life (1998), a groundbreaking exhibition at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN. The company has received numerous awards, including New York Dance and Performance Awards (“Bessie”) for Chapel/Chapter at Harlem Stage (2006), The Table Project (2001), D‐Man in the Waters (2001 and 1989), musical scoring and costume design for Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land (1990), and for the 1986 Joyce Theater Season. The company was nominated for the 1999 Laurence Olivier Award for “outstanding achievement in dance and Best New Dance Production” for We Set Out Early…Visibility was Poor. Artist, choreographer, dancer, theater director, and writer Bill T. Jones has received major awards ranging from a 1994 MacArthur “Genius” Award to a 2007 Tony Award for Best Choreography for the original Broadway production of Spring Awakening. Jones is the recipient of the 2005 Harlem Renaissance Award, was named “An Irreplaceable Dance Treasure” by the Dance Heritage Coalition in 2000, and was honored with the Dorothy B. Chandler Performing Arts Award in 1991. Most recently, he was one of 22 prominent black Americans featured in Timothy Greenfield‐Sanders and Elvis Mitchell’s HBO documentary The Black List, which premiered at the Sundance Festival in January of 2008 and was broadcast nationally in fall 2008. Fela!, a new musical directed and choreographed by Mr. Jones, opened on Broadway in fall 2009. Fondly Do We Hope…Fervently Do We Pray is an original work that was commissioned by the Ravinia Festival and received its world premier at the Festival in September 2009. Quick Facts Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius and the Metlife Community Connections Fund of the National Dance Project, a program administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Page 2 of 4 Media Partners Between the Lines, Metro Times, Michigan Radio 91.7 FM, Ann Arbor’s 107one, and Michigan Chronicle. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company previous UMS appearances: This performance marks Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company’s fourth UMS appearance. The company made its UMS debut in March 1995 and last appeared in January 2004. FONDLY DO WE HOPE…FERVENTLY DO WE PRAY BILL T. JONES/ARNIE ZANE DANCE COMPANY Bill T. Jones, artistic director
Friday, January 22, 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 23, 8 p.m.
Power Center (121 Fletcher Street, Ann Arbor) Tickets: $18‐$44 Free Education Events PENNY W. STAMPS DISTINGUISHED VISITORS SERIES: BILL T. JONES “A Question of Strategy and Objectives: Fondly Do We Hope…Fervently Do We Pray” Thursday, January 21, 5:10 p.m. Michigan Theatre The Tony and MacArthur “Genius” Grant Award‐winning iconic American choreographer Bill T. Jones is renowned for taking risks and making bold statements in his distinguished dance pieces. The fierce and bold artistry we see on stage is rooted in a research‐intensive and highly collaborative choreographic process; Bill T. Jones will share his thoughts on how a work is made and the process of understanding it. A collaboration with the Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Series. POST‐PERFORMANCE Q & A: BILL T. JONES/ARNIE ZANE DANCE COMPANY Friday, January 22, immediately following the performance Power Center The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company takes audience questions after the Friday, January 22 performance of Fondly Do We Hope…Fervently Do We Pray. All participants must have a ticket to the performance to attend. ARTS OF CITIZENSHIP BREAKFAST: “Lincoln in American Culture's Collective Memory” Friday, January 22, 9 a.m. U‐M Museum of Art (Commons Area) In conjunction with the UMS presentation of Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray, a dance meditation on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, Arts of Citizenship and UMS sponsor a participatory discussion on the role of arts, culture, and politics in shaping the public memory of President Lincoln, the civil war, and the end of slavery. Participating U‐M faculty include Kristin Hass, Assistant Professor of American Culture and author of Carried to the Wall: American Memory and The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1998); Martha Jones, Associate Professor of History and African‐American Studies and author Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Page 3 of 4 of All Bound Up Together: The Woman Question in African American Public Culture, 1830‐1900 (2007); and Robin Wilson, Associate Professor of Dance, choreographer and dance historian. A collaboration with the U‐M Ginsburg Center, Arts of Citizenship, and UMMA. Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius and the Metlife Community Connections Fund of the National Dance Project, a program administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts Media Partners Between the Lines, Metro Times, Michigan Radio 91.7 FM, Ann Arbor’s 107one, and Michigan Chronicle. * * * * UMS Ticket Office 734‐764‐2538 * Outside the 734 area code, call toll‐free 800‐221‐1229. (These numbers should be published.) http://www.ums.org Mail or fax orders to: University Musical Society Burton Memorial Tower Ann Arbor, MI, 48109‐1011 Fax: 734‐647‐1171 Special discounts for groups! Call 734‐763‐3100 Press information/Photos: Contact Jim Leija, 734‐647‐4020 [DO NOT PUBLISH] Television crews and still‐photographers are welcome to cover UMS events; however, please provide 48 hours notice so that we may secure permission from the artists and alert the production staff. Please contact Jim Leija at 734‐647‐4020 to arrange media coverage. Media Inquiries / Further Information: Jim Leija, University Musical Society 734‐647‐4020 [email protected] www.ums.org/news ‐‐30‐‐ Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company Page 4 of 4