Backhausdance to Stage World Premiere of DRIFT at Irvine Barclay Theatre

Irvine Barclay Theatre is pleased to present the world premiere of Jennifer Backhaus' new work DRIFT, an exploration of journey, risk and re-imagining oneself, on Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 8 p.m. Recognized by Joyce SoHo in NYC as one of seven emerging dance companies to watch, OC's own Backhausdance has an eclectic and dynamic vocabulary with a wonderful sense of fluidity and strength.

As part of a week-long residency at the Barclay, Backhausdance will also do a master class with dance students at UCI, an invitation workshops with local dance students, and a Family outreach program at the Irvine Fine Arts Gallery.

The concert features the world premiere of DRIFT, exploring the concepts of journey, risk and the re-imagination of self, set to an original score by Los Angeles-based electronic band, Fol Chen. Inspired by the 1876 emigration story of Orange County's Helena Modjeska, the work speaks of those who bravely re-imagine themselves in a new landscape. Also on the program is Artistic Director, Jennifer Backhaus' critically-acclaimed, The Elasticity of the Almost.

Tickets: $37; students $18. Irvine Barclay Theatre is located at 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA 92612. Visit www.thebarclay.org for more information.

About Backhausdance: Backhausdance has a diverse repertory that is entertaining as well as artistic. Repertory works include powerful, athletic dances, emotionally charged dramatic pieces, and whimsical, humorous glimpses at the human experience. Each year, the company serves thousands of people through their arts education programs. Backhausdance is a member of the Arts Teach artist roster, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Art's Education and Community Programs department, reaching public and private schools throughout Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Backhausdance is also a part of the Lincoln Center Aesthetic Education Program through the McCallum Theatre Institute. In addition, Backhausdance hosts over 50 students annually at their Summer Intensive held at Chapman University, a life-changing experience for pre-professional and professional dancers. The company is so dedicated to making this powerful program accessible to the art community that they provide scholarships for almost half of the attendees.

About Jennifer Backhaus: Jennifer Backhaus is the Founder and Artistic Director of Backhausdance, Orange County's award winning contemporary dance company. Jennifer was included in OC Metro's 40 Under 40 in 2009 and was recently honored by Chapman University as Alumni of the Year for her success with Backhausdance. As a choreographer, Jennifer's works have been commissioned and produced by the Los Angeles Ballet, Orange County Regional Ballet, the McCallum Theatre, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Utah Regional Ballet, Chapman University, Mount San Antonio College, Santa Ana College, Impact Dance Theater, TDC of the Bay Area, Brigham Young University, among others. Many of Jennifer's works have been honored by Regional Dance America and her piece Disintegration was selected for national performances with the American College Dance Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. For Backhausdance she has created thirteen pieces, three of which (Sitting on January, Love and Other Impossibilities and Shift) have received multiple Lester Horton Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography. At the McCallum Theatre's Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival, Jennifer has been the recipient of three consecutive choreography awards for her work with Backhausdance. Jennifer is currently a member of the full time dance faculty at Chapman University where she teaches modern Dance Technique, Dance Improvisation and Introduction to Dance Studies. She is also a teaching artist for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts Education Programs where she shares her love for dance and choreography with local students in public and private schools across Southern California.

About Fol Chen: Fol Chen makes soundtracks to a future that never was. To listen is to leave the comfort of nostalgia and land with both feet in a bolder 21st century. Since 2009, the Los Angeles-area collective has created their signature sound from field recordings and an electronic junk drawer, splicing compound beats and sending warped vocal transmissions. The False Alarms, Fol Chen's third full-length, is electronic music with rich chords, progressive beats, and addictive melodies. The band calls their genre "Opera House," a name lifted from Malcolm McLaren but re-coined as beat-driven electronica with grand, operatic gestures and lyrically dense storytelling. The False Alarms is a set of pop symphonies that are chopped, screwed, mangled and beautiful. Fol Chen has been praised by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and many more, as well as being remixed with or by legends such as David Bowie and club producer Junior Vasquez. Think of it as pop music for people who aren't sure where or when they are, but who know it's nowhere they've been before.