Jessica Lang Dance Closes Eccles Center's 2013-14 Season, 4/5

Jessica Lang Dance brings the 2013-2014 Eccles Center season to a close with a stunning collection of ballet-modern performance on Saturday, April 5. Performance begins at 7:30 p.m.

A prolific and sought-after choreographer (as well as a former dancer with Twyla Tharp), Jessica Lang branched out on her own with her eponymous company in 2011. Her New York City-based troupe blends solid ballet technique and point work with more contemporary barefoot dance and gymnastics. The company's repertoire incorporates striking design elements into each piece, leading Dance Magazine to dub the company founder, "a master of visual composition."

The Park City performance includes a mixed repertory evening of six works: "Lines Cubed," "Mendelssohn/Incomplete," "Among the Stars," "The Calling," "White," and "i.n.k." These pieces run the spectrum of contemporary and classic dance with Lang's impressive eye for composition.

"Lines Cubed," according to a Dance magazine critic is just one example of Lang's affinity for design: "It's easy to imagine [Land] sketching as she choreographs, or carefully arranging her dancers one by one, like a photographer or a still-life painter. In Lang's case, of course, it's moving life." And according to Dance Europe, "What makes Lang's work groundbreaking is that she hasn't just discovered some clever effects- she meticulously choreographs these on-screen interactions so expertly that we feel we are no longer watching film, or dance, or dance on film: it's like a completely new medium."

While Lang has created more than 80 works for companies ranging from The National Ballet of Japan and Joffrey Ballet to Ailey II and Hubbard Street 2, her young dancers come from equally impressive backgrounds: Julliard, Ailey, MOMIX, White Oak and a range of renowned ballet companies from across the country and globe. On April 5, nine "wonderfully intelligent and unaffected dancers" (The Financial Times), will fill the theater with grace and talent.

"It's fitting to end our main stage season with a company that pushes the boundaries of an art form, combining beautiful, traditional roots with contemporary elements," says PCI executive director Teri Orr. "Such artistry moves us, enlightens us, educates us and entertains us, which, of course, is what we are all about at The Eccles Center."

Park City Institute presents Jessica Lang Dance on Saturday, April 5 at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City). Show starts at 7:30 p.m. Main Stage Eccles Tickets range from $20 to $69 with a 20-percent discount for seniors; ½ price tickets for children ages 16 and under; $5 seats available in the Copper Section for Summit County students (K-12). Tickets and information are available at The Eccles Center box office, 435-655-3114 or www.ecclescenter.org.