Peak Performances to Present Premiere of ICKamsterdam's ROCCO, 2/12-15

Dancers are often described as athletes; and with their deft footwork, virtuosic body moves, and grace in space, boxers have been dubbed dancers. ICKamsterdam's production of "ROCCO," combines the two, pitting four dancers against each other in the ring, with the audience seated arena-style on the stage of the Kasser Theater, where Peak Performances presents the 65-minute show, February 12-15.

Inspired by Luchino Visconti's 1960 classic film "Rocco and his Brothers," Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten's fast-paced, fleet-footed, alternately angry, loving and emotionally charged competition between the boxers uses the sport to metaphorically explore a search for identity and enhance their social status. The dancers suggest the brotherhood that exists in the ring, their relationship fraught with all such possibilities: they are Cain and Abel, Romulus and Remus, Laurel and Hardy.

To better understand the sport's singular demands and distinctive physical and psychological extremes, the performers worked with an Italian boxing instructor during the dance's development. "ROCCO" is performed to a soundtrack by Pieter C. Scholten.

On February 17 at 6:30pm, Dr. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair, Montclair State) will moderate a discussion with Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten on the relationship between Luchino Visconti's operatic 1960s film Rocco and His Brothers and their choreography for ROCCO. Select scenes from the film will be screened and dancers from ICKamsterdam will demonstrate choreographic excerpts to illustrate "dancing a film." The discussion takes place at the MSU Memorial Auditorium. It is free and open to the public. RSVP at tinyurl.com/DanceAFilm.

The discussion is presented in collaboration with the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, the Film Studies Program and the Amici Italian Club at Montclair State University.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Emio Greco (Choreographer/Artistic and General Director, ICKamsterdam) was born in Italy and received his dance education at the Centre de Danse International Rosella Hightower in Cannes. He danced with the Ballet Antibes in Côte d'Azur. From 1993 to 1996, he performed in works by visual artist and director Jan Fabre and from 1996 to 1998 collaborated with Japanese choreographer Saburo Teshigawara in various productions.

Pieter C. Scholten (Choreographer/Artisticand General Director, ICKamsterdam) was born in the Netherlands. He studied drama and initially directed theater productions about historical characters such as Oscar Wilde, Yukio Mishima, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. He also worked with several choreographers as a dance dramaturg. In 1995, he developed the Dance Instants, short "work-in-progress" projects for choreographers and dancers.

Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten since 1995, and have worked together in their joint search for new dance forms, creating their joint work in 1996: the solo Bianco, which became the first part of the trilogy Fra Cervello e Movimento (between brain and movement). That same year they wrote a manifesto setting out seven principles of dance and their impact on the body and the spectator. They founded dance company Emio Greco | PC in 1996. From the beginning, they have been driven to be more than just a dance company: their company promotes a broader attitude toward the consciousness of the body. In 2009 this ambition gave rise to ICKamsterdam), which they jointly lead. The Centre strives for a continuous development and enrichment of dance and breaks through artistic barriers, producing dance productions by the in-house company (Emio Greco | PC), supporting emerging artists, and maintaining educational and research programs.

Together, Greco and Scholten have created 17 productions, 12 dance performances, 2 dance films, an installation, a theater production, and an opera. Some of their past works include Great Expectations (2013), Passione in Due (2012), Le Corps du Ballet (2011), Nardini Cascate (2011), You Para | Diso (2010), Beyond Seoul (2009), (Purgatorio) Popopera (2008), (Purgatorio) In Visione (2008), The Assassin Tree (2006), Hell (2006), Orfeo ed Euridice (2004), Teorema (2003), Rimasta Orfano (2002), and Conjunto di Nero (2001), to name a few. They have toured internationally to France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Finland, Russia, Hungary, Belgium, China, Korea, Australia, the United States, and Venezuela. Greco, Scholten, and ICKamsterdam's body of work have consistently received numerous awards and accolades. The company and both directors are recognized around the world as leading voices in dance performance.

In 2013, ICKamsterdam was appointed as the City Dance Company of Amsterdam and is a major player in the international dance development of the city. In February 2014, Greco and Scholten were appointed artistic directors of the Ballet National de Marseille by French Minister of Culture Aurélie Filippetti.

WHERE TO GO:

The performances on February 12, 13 are at 7:30pm; February 14 at 8:00 pm; February 15 at 3:00pm.

The Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University is located at 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey 07043. Tickets are $20, and are available at the box office, www.peakperfs.org, or by calling 973-655-6112.

Charter bus service is provided from New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal-arcade on 41st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues- to the Alexander Kasser Theater ($10 per person, round trip) for all Saturday and Sunday performances. Bus reservations may be made by calling 973-655-5112 or by visiting www.peakperfs.org.

For restaurants close to the Alexander Kasser Theater, visit www.destinationmontclair.com.

Programs in this season are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Dept. of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and the National Dance Project (NDP) of New England Foundation for the Arts.

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