DANCE UNDER THE INFLUENCE to Return This Spring; Events Announced

Following last year's sold-out inaugural season, Dance Under the Influence returns with a schedule packed with groundbreaking newcomers and icons of contemporary dance. Revealing the interplay between dance and other artistic disciplines, Dance Under the Influence provides a platform for innovators in tap, flamenco, postmodern dance, Indian classical dance, and a variety of cross-disciplinary dance forms. Each night in the Theater at MAD several choreographers present works full of excitement, humor, and beauty. After the performances, the dancers engage with the audience in a post- performance question-and-answer session. Together these elements not only showcase some of the best of today's contemporary dance, but also explore the artistic process behind each choreographer's creative endeavor.

Among the performers returning to the series for an encore are the renowned tap dancer and choreographer Jason Samuels Smith and flamenco artist Nelida Terido. Notable newcomers are Kathak masterPrashant Shah and modern African fusion dancer Khaleah London,along with the celebrated Stephen Petronio and Ailey II.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Dance Under the Influence is guest-curated by Valerie Gladstone.

Dance Under the Influence is made possible in part by Patricia Tarr and the 2WICE Foundation.

All programs will be held in MAD's Theater at 7:30 pm. All tickets $20 General, $12 MAD Members and Students with Valid ID.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

May 4 and 5, 2012

Payal Kadakia and Sa Dance Company, Khaleah London, Jodi Melnick and Stephen Petronio

Trained in various Indian classical and folk styles, Payal Kadakia is known for her creative choreography and has earned acclaim for her mastery of many traditions. Her troupe Sa Dance has performed at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, Peabody Essex Museum, and at NYC Fashion Week.

Khaleah London has performed with companies in the UK, Trinidad, and in the United States, and made her debut with her own troupe, Layers, in Senegal in 2009. Her works, have been presented at Dance Theater Workshop and Symphony Space, among others. She gives workshops at Ballet Hispanico, Long Island University and Yale University.

Jodi Melnick has performed with the Twyla Tharp Dance Company and choreographers Sara Rudner, John Jasperse and Vicky Shick, at venues such as The Kitchen and La Mama. She was a guest artist with the Trisha Brown Dance Company and has collaborated and performed in the video/ film works of Burt Barr and Charles Atlas. She won two "Bessie" awards for sustained achievement in dance in 2001 and 2008, and recently earned a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Stephen Petronio has built a body of work with some of the world's most talented and provocative artists including composers Nico Muhly, Laurie Anderson, and Diamanda Galás; visual artists Cindy Sherman and Anish Kapoor, and fashion designer Benjamin Cho and the late performance artist Leigh Bowery. Founded in 1984, his company has performed in 26 countries, and won commissions from Dance Umbrella Festival/London, Festival International Montpellier-Danse, and The Joyce Theater and Wexner Center for the Arts.

June 1 and 2, 2012

Souleymane Badolo, Bridgman/Packer Dance, Misnomer Dance, Claire Porter

Souleymane Badolo, who was born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, is the director and founder of Kongo Ba Téria, a company that fuses traditional African dances with Western contemporary dance. He has had a distinguished career working with the renowned African choreographer, Gnapa Béatrice Kombé, and acclaimed French choreographer Mathilde Monnier, among others, and has performed at Danspace and DNA in New York.

Bridgman/Packer Dance-the innovative duo of Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer- bring together live performance and video technology to create highly visual and visceral theatrical experiences. Magically populating the stage, they blur the line between image and reality. Recipients of a Guggenheim Fellowship and multiple National Endowment for the Arts grants, they have performed worldwide and at New York City venues including the Baryshnikov Arts Center and City Center Fall For Dance Festival.

Misnomer Dance Theater has performed in the United States and abroad, with seasons at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and The Joyce Theater, among other venues, and has also conducted large-scale, cross- medium collaborations, from choreographing Bjork's "Wanderlust" video to creating an 8,000 square-foot labyrinth with the Danish Dance Theater.

Claire Porter has performed her Portables, a collection of funny and poignant character sketches, internationally and in the New York City area-at PS 122, Joe's Pub, Dance Theater Workshop, The Kitchen, The Joyce Theater, The Bottom Line and New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She has also brought them to the American Dance Festival, The Lucille Ball Festival of Comedy, Jacob's Pillow and The Kennedy Center.

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