Julie Nathanielsz & Karen Nelson to Present THE TUNING PROJECT in January

Acclaimed Austin dancer-choreographer Julie Nathanielsz presents new work directed by internationally celebrated dancer-choreographer Karen Nelson, featuring a cast of some of Austin's most exciting dance-artists. Performances will take place on Saturday January 17 at 4:00 PM and Sunday, January 18 at 2:30 and 7:00 pm at the Ballroom at Hancock Center, 811 East 41st Street, Austin.

This two-day, three-performance event is the culmination of several years of dialogue between Nelson and Nathanielsz. The Tuning Project is the result of an intensive rehearsal period with Karen Nelson, who brings decades-long experience of working with dance visionary Lisa Nelson's Tuning Scores, a series of compositional and communication forms that deliver clarity to dance-making in performance and practice. Part installation, part straight-ahead dance concert, The Tuning Project promises to leave a multi-sensorial community imprint.

The intention of the collaboration is to present new directions in dance and visual art, and vitalize the growing dance community in Austin as a whole. The performances and Nelson's Austin residency represent the ongoing efforts of Julie Nathanielsz/The Meeting Point to inspire communication and collaboration between Austin and the national and international scene.

The Tuning Project is a landing point for personal dancing histories in collaborative performance and brings together an exceptional group of dancers/artists for the first time in performance.

Participants in the project include dancers Kirstan Clifford, Elaine Dove, Silva Laukkanen, Susan Prins, Lauren Tietz, Kirsche Dickson, Nathanielsz and Nelson, lighting designer Natalie George, and multi-instrumentalist Henna Chou.

Nathanielz describes the work, "The work amplifies while at other times unravels human behavior. The Tuning Project credits the fact that human movement has evolved in the natural landscape, and considers ideas and movement possibilities normally left out of the frame. It is a study of the images we build within the body, as we imbue space with the rhythm, cadence and color of those images. The Tuning Project is a performance of observation, feeling, choice, and resonance in context," she says.

Seating is limited. Advance tickets are available now on a sliding scale $18-$30, and are available on line at http://tmpt.bpt.me. A reservation may also be made by emailing nattie.hjn@gmail.com, or calling 512-669-6985. For more information go to julienathanielsz.com