CAP UCLA Presents Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company's WHAT PROBLEM?

UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) presents the acclaimed Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company's latest work What Problem? on Saturday, November 19 at 8 p.m. in Royce Hall. Tickets starting at $39 are available now at cap.ucla.edu, 310-825-2101 and the UCLA Central Ticket Office.

An institution in the dance world since the 1980s, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company's latest work, What Problem?, explores the tension between belonging to a community and the feelings of isolation that many feel during these divisive political times. Adapted for proscenium stages from the massive work, Deep Blue Sea (2020), Jones conceived of this highly personal work in pursuit of the elusive "we" including a cast of local community members, a deconstructed text from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Jones and the company develop individual content with local community members in each of the touring locations making each performance specific to its host city. Jones reflects on King's immortal words, we shall overcome, mixed with the scripture of our democracy as formed and shaped by WE THE PEOPLE.

What Problem? is divided into three sections: the first section focuses on one person, Bill; in the second section the lone person is joined by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company of ten performers; in the third section the company is joined by approximately 20 members of the community. Participants will be invited to generate material and structures through guided improvisations and task-based instructions, which will become the vocabulary for the third section. The work will be unique to each community and the set of questions and instructions will be shaped by whom the participants are.

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company was founded in 1982 out of an 11-year collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane (1948-1988). During this time, the pair redefined the duet form and foreshadowed issues of identity, form and social commentary that would change the face of American dance. The Company has performed worldwide in over 200 cities in 40 countries on every major continent and is recognized as one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the dance-theater world.

There will be a post-show Town Hall Discussion immediately following the performance with Bill T. Jones, his company of dancers and local community participants on the Royce Hall Terrace. Light refreshments will be served.

What Problem? is adapted from Deep Blue Sea which was originally commissioned by Park Avenue Armory and Manchester International Festival in collaboration with Holland Festival and first performed on September 28, 2021. Additional commissioning support provided by The Mann Center for the Performing Arts with original support for Deep Blue Sea provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Philadelphia. What Problem? commissioning support provided by Carolina Performing Arts, Lumberyard Center for Film and Performing Arts, Indiana University Auditorium, George Mason University and Dancers' Workshop. Rehearsal support provided by Mana Contemporary and Bethany Arts Community. What Problem? was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.