Photo Flash: Stephen Petronio Company's THE ARCHITECTURE OF LOSS and UNDERLAND at Irvine Barclay Theatre

Stephen Petronio Company presents The Architecture of Loss and Underland at Irvine Barclay Theatre as part of its Contemporary Dance Series, November 14, 2012 at 8pm. Get a first look at both pieces in the photos below!

American choreographer Stephen Petronio has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. Regarded as one of the leading dance makers of his generation, he has built a body of work with some of the most talented and provocative artists in the world, including a variety of leading composers, visual artists and fashion designers.

Underland, a sexy, enigmatic fusion of dance, music and visual imagery was originally choreographed in 2003 for the Sydney Dance Company, using songs of Australian alternative rocker Nick Cave. This provocative, hour-long work features Petronio’s signature style of fast, daring movement – dancers hurl through space with razor sharp precision; fiercely energized one moment, sensually lyrical the next. Described by Petronio as an “archaeological dig through some of Nick Cave's most beautiful masterpieces,” Underland unravels in a series of solos, duets, quartets and asymmetric ensemble formations. Joining Petronio for this work are Tara Subkoff, of the 'Imitation of Christ' fashion label, and visual and lighting designer Ken Tabachnic. The soundscape is by Paul Healy.

The Architecture of Loss is about formation and disintegration, the physical manifestations of "losing" and all that implies. Both formal and emotional, the work reaches for the immediacy and unpredictability of "disappearing" through constantly morphing, visceral structures. The music is by groundbreaking Icelandic composer Valgeir Sigurdsson, founder of the Bedroom Community record label as well as Iceland's top recording facility Greenhouse Studios, with contributions by New York-based composer Nico Muhly. Sigurdsson, Nadia Sirota and Shahzad Ismaily perform the score live. Rannvá Kunoy is a London-based painter from the Faroe Islands whose work has been described as occupying a space between abstraction and figuration. Her images are woven throughout the piece by visual and lighting designer Ken Tabachnick. The open knit and fragile designs of Gudrun & Gudrun wrap the work's eleven dancers.

Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, Stephen Petronio is widely regarded as one of the leading dance-makers of his generation. New music, visual art, and fashion collide in his dances, producing powerfully modern landscapes for the senses. He has built a body of work with some of the most talented and provocative artists in the world, including composers Valgeir Sigurðsson, Nico Muhly, Fischerspooner, Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Son Lux, James Lavelle, Michael Nyman, Sheila Chandra, Diamanda Galás, Andy Teirstein, Wire, Peter Gordon, Lenny Pickett, and David Linton; visual artists Cindy Sherman, Anish Kapoor, Donald Baechler, Stephen Hannock, Tal Yarden, Arnaldo Ferrara, and Justin Terzi III; fashion designers Jillian Lewis, Adam Kimmel, Benjamin Cho, Michael Angel, Tony Cohen, Rachel Roy, Tara Subkoff /Imitation of Christ, Tanya Sarne/Ghost, Leigh Bowery, Paul Compitus, Manolo, Yonson Pak, and H. Petal; and Resident Lighting Designer Ken Tabachnick.

Founded in 1984, Stephen Petronio Company has been presented at prestigious venues on six continents and Petronio has been commissioned by premiere modern and ballet companies throughout the world. The Company looks forward to upcoming engagements in Dallas and Houston, TX; Chicago, IL; and New York, NY.

The Stephen Petronio Company.
Photo by Sarah Silver.

Reed Luplau and Natalie McKessy in Underland.
Photo by Sarah Silver.

Stephen Petronio Company in Underland.
Photo by Sarah Silver.

Julian De Leon dancing in Stephen Petronio's Architecture of Loss.
Photo by Steven Schreiber.

Stephen Petronio Company in Architecture of Loss.
Photo by Steven Schreiber.