Dance Kaleidoscope, IMA join forces to fill void left by opera cancellation

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DK's Jillian Godwin in "Picture This."
Many arts fans in the metropolitan area have been saddened and disturbed by Indianapolis Opera's decision to cancel its final production of the 2013-14 season, Benjamin Britten's "Albert Herring."

Now Dance Kaleidoscope and the Indianapolis Museum of Art are reaching out to opera patrons to expand the audience for their forthcoming collaboration, "DK@IMA: Picture This." Performances will be May 1-4 in the IMA's Tobias Theater.

The show consists of two pieces inspired by paintings on view in the Noyes Suite of American Art Galleries. They are "Jimson Weed" by Georgia O'Keeffe and "Girl at the Piano: Recording Sound" by Theodore Roszak. The O'Keeffe work is titled  "Heart of Joy"; the one inspired by Roszak carries that painting's title.

DK artistic director David Hochoy provides this guide (slightly edited here) to the two works on the company's website:

“When  'Heart of Joy' was originally put together onstage with costumes and lighting, many of the sections reminded me very much of Georgia O'Keeffe's spectacular swirling landscapes and desert coloring, especially her flower series. While her work wasn’t a conscious inspiration as I created this piece, I would have to say the feel is very much Georgia O'Keeffe.”

“In Theodore Roszak's painting, 'Girl At The Piano: Recording Sound,' I was attracted to the expression on the girl's face. She presented a mystery to me that I felt compelled to solve. For the music, I chose Rachmaninoff’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini, which allowed me to invent several vignettes of the girl interacting with various family members and friends. We meet her dominating father, her mother, brother, teacher, and an artist friend.”

Indianapolis Opera ticket-holders wanting to exchange their "Albert Herring" tickets for "DK@IMA: Picture This" should call the IMA ticket office at (317) 955-2339 or e-mail tcocagne@imamuseum.org.  More information about the contemporary-dance troupe and the show can be found at www.dancekal.org.


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