Houston Met to Present #WOMENFORDANCE, 4/11-12

The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company (MET Dance), Houston's leading dance company known for its invigorating jazz and contemporary repertoire, presents #womenfordance: two nights featuring five female choreographers with two world premieres on April 11-12 at 8:00 p.m. at the Cullen Theatre, Wortham Center. MET Dance resident choreographer Kiki Lucas will premiere The Essence and Andrea Dawn Shelley premieres The Broken Column. The company will also restage November premieres Under Your Skin by Sidra Bell, After the Rain by Lauren Edson and repertory piece Stand Back by Kate Skarpetowska. Invited artists from Island Moving Company in Newport, RI will round out the performance roster with three premieres.

"With the increasing social discussions surrounding gender inequality in dance, more specifically, the lack of female choreographers and artistic directors, this collection of work aims to shorten the gap between the male and female presence in dance making," says MET's artistic director Marlana Doyle. "The program features five emotionally charged and socially relevant works as well as three dynamic premieres from the outstanding Island Moving Dance Company-we are pleased they are joining MET Dance on Houston's stage."

The Essence will make its world premiere this season from choreographer Kiki Lucas. A reactive reflection in three movements of the female path through history, the common male/female struggle is personified through references to the Bronte Sisters, The Vagina Monologues, Ginger Rodgers, Mae West and Lucille Ball and their definable roles in pushing social boundaries. "The work is a peek into what makes women tick," remarks Lucas. "I hope that there is a moment that audiences can connect with the stage and find a small amount of validation that they are not alone in their own trials and tribulations. How we are remembered is only what we allow ourselves to be."

Also to debut at #womenfordance is The Broken Column, referencing the acclaimed self-portrait of the same title, by Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Choreographed by Andrea Dawn Shelley, this sextet delves into the speculation and expression of the emotional torment and turbulence derived from Kahlo's painting. Shelley examines the desperation and need for love through movement, music and gestures. Of her tribute work Shelley explains, "I want to educate and introduce Frida Kahlo, one of the most important twentieth-century artists of the Americas, to those who possibly do not know of her life and contributions to the art world"

Special guests Island Moving Company will present three new works-Levitation and Suited Up choreographed by Spencer Gavin Herring, and an expanded version of Miki Ohlsen's A Tessellation of Beauty and Light, which premiered May 2014 in Rhode Island. Suited Up takes a primal and universal comedic approach to defining the role of the suit for both male and females. Tessellation incorporates a series of contemporary ballet duets into a mysteriously mosaic journey of beauty and light.

Audiences will also enjoy Under Your Skin, originally premiered in November after a one-week residency with Sidra Bell, After the Rain by Lauren Edson, a loose-jointed ballet and contemporary fusion, as well as Stand Back, by MET Dance frequent choreographer, Kate Skarpetowska.

Tickets range from $10 to $40 and can be purchased online at www. METdance.org or www.explorehouston.org/ticketing. Tickets can also be purchased by phone, (832) 487-7041, or in person at the box office. MET Dance performances will be held at the Cullen Theater, Wortham Center, located at 501 Texas Avenue, Houston. The Wortham is conveniently close to downtown Houston and is host to many of the world's most accomplished entertainers.