Repertory Dance Theatre Presents BRIO

Repertory Dance Theatre presents a light-hearted and breath-taking performance with BRIO, November 17-19, 2016 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

This pre-holiday, family-friendly show is filled with humor and athleticism that will have audiences gasping for breath, watching unexpected and thrilling moments on The Edge of chaos.

Since the mid-1980s, RDT has collaborated with the Shapiro & Smith Dance Company by presenting their witty and energetic dances inspired by the spirit of friendly competition, ownership and territory, and classic children's games and nursery rhythms. This November, RDT will present a performance made up solely of choreography by Joanie Smith and her late husband, Danial Shapiro.

BRIO's repertory ranges over twenty years including crowd favorite, A Dance With Two Army Blankets, RDT's first acquisition from the duo in 1992. The quirky piece features five dancers hurling themselves through space while their companions catch them in large Army blankets, all set to a score by Toby Twinings.

Turf, which RDT commissioned in 1997, makes an energetic and witty statement about the spirit of friendly competition, ownership and territory. It was created as part of a series of Millennium Commissions leading up to the 2002 Winter Olympics. The RDT Olympic presentations celebrated the spirit of human excellence, human effort and human creativity.

Joanie Smith's Bolero is a thrill ride of a dance about the dynamic tensions that define the human experience and set to the famous, hypnotic music of Maurice Ravel. The dance focuses on community and the power of teamwork. Bolero premiered at RDT in the Company's 2010 as part of WOMEN OF VALOR, a concert dedicated to women in the military. It is a piece that demands much of those who perform it, as the momentum never lets up until after the final note.

On the lighter, more humorous side, Jack and Pat-A-Cake take a spin on classic nursery rhymes. Both duets-- one for men and one for women-- the pieces use the spoken word of well-known nursery rhymes in the choreography. Jack, originally created in 2012 by Joanie Smith, premiered for RDT during the Company's 50th anniversary season last year, while Pat-A-Cake will make it's Utah debut at BRIO.

BRIO is a wonderful kick-off to the holiday season with stunning dance that will delight audiences ages 5-105.