Peak Performances Presents Premiere of FAR by Random Dance, 10/27-30

British choreographer Wayne McGregor, one of England's choreographic crown jewels, has science on his mind, a belief that it can partner well with dance, and help inspire new ideas. "FAR," McGregor's most recent dance, which premieres at Peak Performances October 27-30, is the product of just such a collaboration.

Inspired by Roy Porter's "Flesh in the Age of Reason," Wayne McGregor's "FAR" is a kinetic exploration of the relationship between the mind and the body. Since dance is often a collaborative art form with the dancers contributing their own movement ideas, McGregor was interested in "cognitive distribution," the unique ways in which an idea is received by individuals within a group.

To help open new avenues of exploration of the idea, and find ways to break out of both his own and his dancers' creative habits, McGregor enlisted the assistance of two of the world's most prominent cognitive scientists-Dr. David Kirsch of the University of California and Dr. Philip Barnard of Cambridge University. The scientists used several cameras to track the entire nine-week rehearsal period. The collected data was sent to San Diego, where it was analyzed. The results detailed the creative choices that the dancers made, and helped open them to new ideas.

The result: Set to a haunting original score by Ben Frost, the dance, which explores a wide range of movement and contrasts classical purity with sexual aggression, demands superhuman physical skill from its performers, whose blazing electricity and bold power defines McGregor's singular style. The lighting, which is integral to the production, is by Lucy Carter.

In addition to being artistic director of Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, McGregor is resident choreographer at The Royal Ballet in London. A very much in-demand international artist, in the last six months alone McGregor created new works for both the Bolshoi Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet.

To learn more about Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, please visit www.randomdance.org. For a video introduction to "FAR," please click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrai3NGDUMM.

Background:
Wayne McGregor | Random Dance was founded in 1992 and became the instrument upon which McGregor evolved his drastically fast and articulate choreographic style. The company became a byword for its radical approach to new technology - incorporating animation, digital film, 3D architecture, electronic sound and virtual dancers into the live choreography. In Nemesis (2002), dancers dueled with prosthetic steel arm extensions to a soundtrack incorporating mobile phone conversations; in AtaXia (2004), McGregor's fellowship with the Experimental Psychology department of Cambridge University fueled the choreography; in Entity (2008), choreographic agents were imagined to a soundscape created by Coldplay collaborator Jon Hopkins and Joby Talbot (Chroma); and in FAR (2010), cutting edge design by rAndom International was fused with choreography mined from a radical cognitive research process.

Wayne McGregor | Random Dance is Resident Company of Sadler's Wells, London. Wayne McGregor is Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. In January 2011, McGregor was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire).

Wayne McGregor is a multi award-winning British choreographer, renowned for his physically demanding choreography and groundbreaking collaborations across dance, film, music, visual art, technology and science. He is Artistic Director of Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Resident Company at Sadler?s Wells Theatre in London and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet (appointed 2006). In January 2011, McGregor was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). From 2008-2010 McGregor was appointed the government's first Youth Dance Champion. In 2004 McGregor was a Research Fellow at the Experimental Psychology department of Cambridge University. ??

McGregor is a frequent creator of new work for Milan's Teatro alla Scala, Paris Opera Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, New York City Ballet, Australian Ballet and English National Ballet, as well as movement director for theatre and film (including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). In 2010, McGregor had two Royal Ballet revivals - Infra and Chroma - as well as premieres for New York City Ballet (Outlier, May 2010) and Stuttgart Ballet (Yantra, July 2010). In 2011, McGregor premieres new work for The Royal Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet (L'Anatomie de la Sensation), as well as an opera/dance collaboration with Mark-Antony Turnage for Wayne McGregor | Random Dance at Sadler's Wells. Recently, he choreographed the music video ‘Lotus Flower' for Radiohead. In 2012, McGregor will create a major public dance work in Trafalgar Square for the Olympics, and in 2013 he will create a new Rite Of Spring for Bolshoi Ballet.

TICKET, TRANSPORTATION AND DINING INFORMATION
All tickets are $15 and are available at the Alexander Kasser Theater Box Office, by calling 973-655-5112 or online at http://www.peakperfs.org.

Charter bus service is provided from New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal - arcade on 41st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues - to the Alexander Kasser Theater ($10 per person, roundtrip) for all Saturday and Sunday performances. Bus reservations may be made by calling 973-655-5112 or by visiting http://www.peakperfs.org. For train service, available only on weekdays, go online to www.njtransit.com or call 973-275-5555.

For restaurants close to the Alexander Kasser Theater, visit http://www.destinationmontclair.com.
Montclair State University is located at 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey 07043.

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