California dance crew storms University of Wyoming

Written by Elise Welch

Monday, 23 February 2009 18:53

The Los Angeles Diavolo dance crew will perform Tuesday at 7:30 in the Arts & Sciences Auditorium.

The crew from Los Angeles is comprised of ten technical dancers with qualifying backgrounds of various dances, gymnastics, cheerleading, yoga, acting and even Tai Kwan Do. The show has been described as a fresh circus dance act with bodies falling and floating. The award-winning artistic director Jacques Heim created this abstract artistic vision.

Heim created this abstract collaboration of dances and movements along with the performing team. The inspiration for this acrobatic magical act came when Heim worked with Cirque du Soleil. He has been named one of the “Faces to Watch in the Arts” by the LA Times and one of the “100 Coolest People in L.A.” by Buzz Magazine.

The dancers, along with their director, are exceptionally qualified for this dynamic innovative show. The 10 dancers include Briana Bowie, Jonathan Curtis, Gioel Enriquez, Phillip Flickinger, Becca Greenbaum, Erica Juergens-Bow, Renee Larsen, Melinda Ritchie, Anibal Sandoval and Garrett Wolf.

With this performance is a subtle plot line involving the evolution of life and a survival of the fittest in a modern technical world, that has transcended to a loss of intimacy skills due to the isolation technology brings.

“Architectural structures or sculpted adaptations of everyday items—sofas, doors, stairs—provide the backdrop for dramatic and risky movement, revealing metaphors for the challenge of maintaining human relationships in modern environments,” Heim said.

The 2008-09 season marks Diavolo’s 10th U.S. tour. In addition, Diavolo has performed internationally in Scotland, Japan, Chile, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Brazil and Italy.

“We saw Diavolo in L.A. when it was rehearsing a piece commissioned by the L.A. Philharmonic, a piece that involved a cube that was constantly being taken apart and reassembled in different configurations, with dancers flying through the air, throwing, and catching, each other. It was breathtaking, scary and whimsical,” UW Cultural Programs Director Cedric Reverand said.

Tickets cost $28 for adults and $24 for students and senior citizens.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites