Kennedy Center & Hubbard Street 2 to Present MARIKO'S MAGICAL MIX, 10/2-11

The Kennedy Center and Hubbard Street 2, the acclaimed early-career ensemble of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, present the world premiere production of Mariko's Magical Mix: A Dance Adventure in the Kennedy Center Family Theater from October 2 - 11, 2015 as part of the Kennedy Center's Theater for Young Audiences 2015-2016 season. The press opening performance is Friday, October 2, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Mariko's Magical Mix is most appropriate for patrons ages five and up.

Created in collaboration with Manual Cinema-Chicago's innovative company merging shadow puppetry with live performance and filmmaking techniques-the production features choreography and original concept by Princess Grace Award-winner Robyn Mineko Williams; story by Sarah Fornace, Julia Miller, and Robyn Mineko Williams; music direction and sound design by Kyle Vegter; puppetry and projection devised by Sarah Fornace and Julia Miller; puppetry and projection design by Lizi Breit, Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, and Julia Miller.

The production is part of the Kennedy Center's Springboard program which provides artistic, educational, and financial resources as a co-commissioner to assist companies in creating new work for young audiences. The performance on Saturday, October 10 at 1:30 p.m. is Sensory-Friendly-designed to create a theater experience that is welcoming to all families with children on the autism spectrum or with other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities.

It's the not-too-distant future, and the tedium of everyday life is making Mariko restless-until one day when she discovers a crate in her attic, filled with vinyl records that her mother collected. Armed only with headphones, our young hero is transported to a world of music and shadow, where she makes friends, builds impossible machines, escapes entrapment, and slays her own demons.

Under the direction of Terence Marling, the cast features Hubbard Street 2 dancers Katlin Michael Bourgeois, Zachary Enquist, Jade Hooper, and Natalie Leibert, and HS2 Apprentices Oscar Carrillo and Christina Vargas. Mariko's Magical Mix brings Hubbard Street 2 back to the Kennedy Center following its sold-out premiere run in 2010 of Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure, the first standalone Hubbard Street production specifically for young people and families, based on the beloved children's book by Crockett Johnson. Audience-interactive and critically acclaimed, Harold and the Purple Crayon was co-choreographed by Terence Marling and Robyn Mineko Williams, and toured the United States through October 2013.

Founded by Julie Nakagawa and Lou Conte in 1997 and now led by Terence Marling, Hubbard Street 2 (HS2) prepares young adults for careers in contemporary dance, in a dynamic environment that fosters artistic growth while allowing them to hone multiple techniques. To date, 14 members have advanced to Hubbard Street's renowned main company, with numerous others joining top dance companies worldwide. HS2's dancers reach thousands annually with diverse programming in the classroom, site-specific work for museums and cultural institutions, and evening-length performances of mixed repertoire.

HS2 has been honored to perform at many prestigious venues including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Joyce SoHo and North Carolina School of the Arts, and overseas in Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, South Africa, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. As part of its mission to identify and nurture choreographers, HS2 initiated the National Choreographic Competition in 1999. Renamed the International Commissioning Project for its 15th anniversary, the program continues to provide residencies to choreographers, offering them opportunities to create original works and to conduct master classes. Part of Hubbard Street's Choreographic Development Initiative, the IC Project has produced 43 original works and proactively diversifies contemporary concert dance.

HS2 is additionally an integral component of Hubbard Street's Youth, Education and Community Programs, which bring students into the world of dance by actively engaging them in perception, research, reflection and discussion, assisting them in strengthening basic proficiencies to develop analytical and abstract thinking, interpretation and problem-solving skills. Visit hubbardstreetdance.com to learn more.

Mariko's Magical Mix: A Dance Adventure is funded in part by the Princess Grace Foundation-USA and Individual Sponsor R. Penny Rodes DeMott. Original music for Mariko's Magical Mix: A Dance Adventure is commissioned by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by Choreographer's Circle Members Meg and Tim Callahan, and Richard and Barbara Silverman.