Sophia Torres, artistic director and founder of Psophonia Dance Company, is not the only person disturbed by the slew of public figures and athletes who have been recently accused of abusing women — but she may be one of the few who have choreographed a dance about it. Torres explains that the piece, titled Fractured, is her “first attempt to decipher the emotional complexity of the physical act” of such abuse. It may be a heavy subject, but Torres, along with six other modern dance choreographers from the Houston area, is interpreting myriad contemporary problems, familial ties and wide-ranging ideas within their showcase, Ensemble Dance Works.
The subject matter for the works, which will be performed by the University of Houston’s pre-professional company, the UH Dance Ensemble, differs for each choreographer. For instance, Annie Arnoult’s jazz trio is upbeat, features dime-a-dance girls and even pays tribute to the dance marathon craze of the 1930s — so we know the tone of the evening will range from contemplative to jubilant. But these vastly diverse pieces promise to be passionate and exhibit the utmost in modern dance technique. Says Teresa Chapman, dance professor at the University of Houston and director of the event, “Discipline is nonnegotiable.”
7:30 p.m. March 26 to 28; and 1:30 p.m. March 29. Quintero Lab Theatre, 133 CWM Center for the Arts. For information, call 713-409-2838 or visit udtdance.info. $10 to $20.
March 26-28, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., March 29, 1:30 p.m., 2015
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2015.