Mannes School of Music And Rovaco Dance Present 7:1, May 13th

7:1 is a four-month long interdisciplinary collaboration between seven composers from Mannes School of Music and Rovaco Dance Company choreographer Rohan Bhargava. It results in the creation of seven new works of contemporary dance and music. The final pieces will be performed live in an exciting 90-minute show followed by a short talk-back session with composers, dancers, and 7:1 founders. This project is supported by funds from The New School, Mannes School of Music, and The Alsop Entrepreneurship Award. It is open to public free of charge. Saturday, May 13 at 3:00pm.

Seat reservation link: www.sevencolonone.eventbrite.com

Each piece premiering as part of 7:1 fashions different instrumentation ranging from a piano solo to 7 cellos. There is also variety in the concepts researched -- one piece explores sexual intimacy between two men in a militaristic setting, another uses complex labyrinths to reflect on day-to-day city life, and another piece is based on improvisational elements between one dancer, an electric guitarist, and a soprano singer. The number of dancers also varies from piece to piece-there are 2 solos, 2 duets, 1 trio, 1 quartet, and 1 quintet.

A major goal of 7:1 is to ensure that both music and dance pieces maintain clear artistic voices while complementing each other. Each work has been created through an in-depth collaboration process to instill a sense of cohesiveness and clarity. 7:1 has also become a platform where artists can experiment and take creative risks. With financial and infrastructural support from Mannes School of Music and The New School, commissioned composers have been able to work with ambitious instruments such as the timpani and marimba which are otherwise hard to transport.

Operating under Artistic Director, Rohan Bhargava, Rovaco Dance Company creates dynamic movement, capturing everything from highly detailed gestures to raw physicality. Through a hybrid movement style of modern, ballet, hip hop, funk, improvisation and groove, the company takes real-life themes and concepts to a different, more abstract, experience. Rovaco's work has been presented at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Jamaica Performing Arts Center, Gaertner Center for Performing Arts in Texas, Triskelion Arts, Jack Crystal Theater, and DeBaun Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. The company is scheduled for a CUNY Dance Residency at LaGuardia Community College in 2017-18 as well as a new commission for Dance Gallery Festival's Level UP program at Ailey Citigroup Theater.

Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Rohan Bhargava began his formal dance training at The Danceworx Academy of Performing Arts. He went on to pursue a B.F.A in Dance from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU and has performed in works by Bill T. Jones, Sean Curran, Deborah Jowitt, Doug Elkins, and Laura Peterson. Currently, Rohan dances for Cameron McKinney/Kizuna Dance and Randy James' 10 Hairy Legs. Since founding Rovaco Dance Company, Rohan has gained widespread acclaim as an emerging choreographer. He has won awards for Best Choreography at South Asian International Performing Arts Festival and Tamasha NYC, received commissions from The Moving Beauty Series and Mare Nostrum Elements, and he was entitled Artist-in-Residence 2016 by the James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation.

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