Acclaimed New Zealand Dance Company Black Grace to Perform at Kingsbury Hall

As part of the UtahPresents 2016-17 Season, Black Grace, one of New Zealand's leading dance companies, will perform at Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus on Wednesday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20-30, with a $5 U of U student ticket and a $10 ticket for all other students, and are available at utahpresents.org or by calling 801-581-7100.

Founded by Neil Ieremia, one of New Zealand's most accomplished choreographers, Black Grace draws from Neil's Samoan and New Zealand roots to create innovative dance works that reach across social, cultural and generational barriers. The work itself is highly physical, rich in the story telling traditions of the South Pacific and expressed with raw finesse, unique beauty and power.

Black Grace features some of New Zealand's finest dancers and has toured internationally to Europe, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Australia and New Caledonia. In 2004 Black Grace made its USA debut, performing a sold out season at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, with a subsequent return to the Festival in 2005. Since then, the Company has performed regularly throughout North America earning audience and critical acclaim.

For the Salt Lake City performance, Black Grace will perform Minoi, based on a traditional Samoan dance, Pati Pati, based on some of Black Grace's early work, Mother Mother, which was originally choreographed for a music video for a New Zealand band, As Night Falls, a new work about hope in response to news stories from around the world, and an excerpt from Crying Men, a new work exploring the challenges and expectations of what it means to be a "real man."

See a video clip of Black Grace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUOM2RaSVLQ