Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble Comes to COCA This Weekend

COCA presents the next installment of its new performance series COCA Presents 2013-2014, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, this weekend, January 11-12, 2014, in COCA's Founders' Theatre.

This collaborative dance concert features the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (CPRDE), plus choreography they set on COCAdance. The COCA Hip-Hop Crew will also perform choreography from Anthony "Redd" Williams. Similar In the Loop productions (COCA, 2011-2013), this production provides the dynamic energy audiences have come to love about these companies. The show is recommended for ages 5 and up.

COCA Presents: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble with COCAdance and COCA's Hip-Hop Crew at the Founders' Theatre at COCA, 524 Trinity Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63130. The performances are set for Saturday, January 11, 2:00pm and 5:00pm Sunday, January 12, 1:00pm and 4:00pm. Tickets ($14-$18) are available for purchase online at www.cocastl.org, by phone at 314.561.4877 or in person at COCA during box office hours. Subscription packages comprised of at least six season shows are also available.

CPRDE: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (CPRDE) has transformed the stage into a sanctuary of healing art by entertaining, elevating and educating for more than 30 years. Guided by the pioneering vision of Cleo Parker Robinson, the Ensemble continues to uplift and excite audiences worldwide through an explosive body of works inspired by the African American experience and rooted in Black dance traditions. Legendary and emerging artists alike are drawn by the spirit of the company to create works that transcend the boundaries of culture, class and age while unequivocally communicating the complexity of the human condition.

The Ensemble performs regularly for Denver, Colorado, audiences, including three major concerts each year in the fall, winter and spring. As a National Cultural Treasure, the Ensemble tours nationwide throughout the year and has performed in many prestigious venues and festivals such as New York City's Lincoln Center, American Dance Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, MOJA Festival and Jacob's Pillow. As Cultural Ambassadors, CPRDE has toured around the world to more than 20 countries including Nigeria, Egypt, Peru, Germany, Greece, Italy, Singapore, Israel, Kenya and South Africa.

COCA Presents is COCA's new performance series. It includes the quality family theatre for which COCA is known, but now also includes offerings for older children, teens and adults. Comprised of shows created and produced by COCA, as well as the best touring productions from around the world, COCA Presents offers bold, cross-disciplinary performances for all ages.

COCA-Center of Creative Arts is a non-profit community arts center with a mission to enrich lives and build community through the arts. COCA connects our community to the arts through programs that emphasize social and artistic diversity, economic and cultural accessibility, hands-on experience of the artistic process, and the highest quality in our faculty. Founded in 1986, COCA is a national leader in innovative community arts education. COCA annually serves more than 50,000 area residents of all ages through multidisciplinary, multi-cultural arts programs that include educational classes, camps and workshops, both on-site and in community venues; COCAbiz; COCAedu; COCA Presents; and exhibitions of contemporary art in the Millstone Gallery.