Introducing NOW : A new International / Interdisciplinary, Dance and Arts Company based in Salt Lake City
Dear Friends and Supporters of NCM. This next project is very important to me. It is with great excitment and love that I present the following...
This is NOW: a brand-new interdisciplinary dance and arts company by internationally renowned choreographer, Charlotte Boye-Christensen and Canadian Architect, Nathan Webster.
A Danish choreographer and dancer based in Salt Lake City, Boye-Christensen is creating a company that is internationally positioned and connected while at the same time reflecting the unique beauty and culture of its base. “We are eager to bring eyes and talents of the world to Salt Lake City, and a Salt Lake City perspective to the world,” she says. Boye-Christensen, who recently stepped down after 11 years as Artistic Director of Utah’s Ririe-Woodbury dance company, is excited to step forward and expand her unique vision in both the international and local landscapes. She is also excited to venture into an increasingly contemporary and experimental path. “The company is titled NOW - The name functions as mission statement and mantra that reflects the company’s commitment to constant renewal and leaning into the present. We have a dynamic Board of collaborators, who are crucial in moving this company forward." Current Board Members include: Gary Vlasic, Jesse Walker, Cody Derrick, Amie Tulius, Kay Cummings, Robert Wood and Scott Hinton.
The company is a framework for collaboration between local and international artists, designers and thinkers. In addition to dance, NOW will advance theater, visual art, music, site specific work and design.
Boye-Christensen is committed to an innovative approach to her work, which includes the invention of unique forms that inspire and push the perception of what dance can be. Central in this commitment is her partnership with artist and architect Nathan Webster. The two have partnered on several successful experimental collaborations in the past, and Webster – who is a co-founder of NOW – is a key figure in NOW’s inaugural project, which will be titled:
The performance will explore the space of ritual, and will be staged July 26 and 27 in the historic Salt Lake City Masonic Temple.
The Wedding will showcase the talents of Joffrey Ballet’s Yumelia Garcia, Ballet West's Katherine Lawrence, Ted Johnson, NY based dancer most recently seen in "Sleep No More" and Ririe Woodbury’s Joseph Blake, with composers contributing from Australia and Denmark, along with local artists Gary Vlasic, Jesse Walker, and many more. The performance is a collaborative and context-driven work where the artists and site itself generate many of the fundamental ideas for the project. All together the various elements will combine to create a highly charged, intellectually and emotionally provocative experience.
About The Wedding: (It will not be a white wedding.)
The Wedding is a mixed media dance performance in which we will explore the space of ritual in three tableaus: Preparation, Fire/Threshold and Transformation.
The Wedding is a collaborative and context-driven work where both artists and site generate the fundamental ideas for the project. The work will juxtapose the contemporary with the historic - It will be staged in the domed theater-in-the-round at Salt Lake City's Masonic Temple.
The Wedding performance will be both personal and public. It will be topical and evocative on both local and (inter)national levels.
Together, the various elements combine to create a highly moving visceral, intellectual and emotional experience.
Company/Project Collaborators: A primary objective of this exciting new company is to conspire with local and international artists from a variety of creative disciplines. The collaborators involved in The Wedding are listed at our Kickstarter. But note that most of these people are hard to label succinctly! Please see their full bios and more at www.now-id.com
When and where is the Wedding? The performance takes place July 26 and 27, 2013 at the historic Salt Lake City Masonic Temple at 650 East South Temple, in the grand auditorium's theater-in-the-round. The evening length performance starts at 7:30PM.
Why should I support this project? As a local in Salt Lake City, you get to experience new dancers and musicians, and see what happens when we bring formidable artists from abroad together with some of our best. This will be a topical, cultural exchange... for both artists and audience, and we believe this project will create waves outside of Utah. Not many people know how interesting and diverse Salt Lake City is. We are aiming high in our goal to share this with the world and invite you to do the same!
Where does my money go? Your money goes directly to pay the artists and for equipment associated with this production. We intend to pay all the creative and technical artists and crew fairly; We need a temporary floor, lighting and sound equipment to transform the historic Masonic auditorium into a professional dance venue; We must also rent the space, create the costumes, etc.
Note that the funds we state as our goal are a minimum to make this amazing and ambitious project happen. Any additional funds beyond that goal will allow us to make the project even better.
As we launch this new and ambitious endeavor, we ask for your support. Your donation is a declaration that you believe in innovative contemporary art, performance, and dance. If you know the work of our founders and collaborators, you know the amazing potential of this company. We are eager to bring the eyes and talents of the world to Salt Lake City, and a Salt Lake City perspective to the world.
We have a resourceful and engaged group of board member/collaborators ready to take us to the next level. The success of this project on Kickstarter is really what will make this important international collaboration happen.
There are some amazing rewards for each level of support. Find the one that excites you the most and jump on board NOW! Even donations as small as $15 help.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help us spread the word!!! Social media and word of mouth is key to bringing awareness to NOW. Tell everyone you know about The Wedding.
How can you contact NOW? Press inquiry's and general inquiries may reach us directly at contact@now-id.com. We check this quite often and will get back to you. We promise.