THE THREE BONNIES Returns to The Celtic Junction Arts Center

DA dance will present The Three Bonnies, Thursday, October 19, Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. at The Celtic Junction Arts Center, 836 Prior Avenue N, Saint Paul. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under available at vitalculture.com/thecelticjunction.

The Three Bonnies illustrates different women's views on the male/female relationship. Moving in rhythm to country and blues, the common threads of body language, communication, and emotion are woven through movement, storytelling, and video of both people and horses, to tell a very human story of the ways we interact with each other, and how we can learn from the natural world.

This performance is unique in its approach to dance, not only due to the diverse and demanding mix of styles, but also by exploring the movement of horsemanship as a metaphor for our own non-verbal communication. Although horses will not be used in the performance itself, they are heavily represented through movement and video.

DA dance Artistic Director/Choreographer Denise Armstead provides overall artistic direction and leadership to reimagine and complete this final production of "The Three Bonnies," which will include a new ending to more artistically balance the strong opening, archival video footage that was never edited into the original piece, and creation of a New Group section that will better resolve character relationships that are explored in the work.

Six exceptional dancers command the stage in The Three Bonnies 2017: Experienced artists from the original production are dance-theater creator Sharon Picasso, the powerfully athletic Gerry Girouard, and acclaimed aerialist Cade Holmseth. Two artists bring new energy and vision: Christine Maginnis, 2016 Sage Award winner as outstanding performer and a "...fierce, fearless dancer..." (Rohan Preston, Star Tribune), and the Flying Foot Forum's Brian Evans. Armstead herself rounds out the ensemble, "...a dancer of feline sleekness, elegant sass, and powerhouse grace..." (Camille Lefevre, Star Tribune).

More about Celtic Junction:

The Celtic Junction was created to celebrate and nurture the Celtic Arts by supporting local artists and facilitating the education of those arts to the local community. It is a thriving arts organization/performance venue located on Prior Avenue in Saint Paul's Creative Enterprise Zone.

More about Denise Armstead

Artistic Director Denise Armstead is recognized for her unique choreographic style. Rooted in modern dance, her approach to creating multi-layered, multi-media new work blends high quality choreography and "kick-butt dancing" (Linda Shapiro, StarTribune), with familiar imagery, theatrical storytelling, and an eclectic range of music, typically in popular forms that evoke rich spirits of country/blues and stories of ordinary lives. She creates work that is thematically engaging, artistically exceptional, and accessible to both novice and experienced arts audiences.

There is also another dimension to this richly talented creator... she is an accomplished horsewoman, and her 25 years as a rider, jumping/dressage competitor, and horsemanship instructor powerfully informs The Three Bonnies. Inspired by her passion for horses, The Three Bonnies explores dynamics of human relationships through the eyes of three horsewomen... the first, denying what you love; the second, feeling tensions of wanting and not getting; and the third, the final gift of free will surrender to your dreams.

Armstead is highly attuned to the nonverbal nuances of communication between horse and rider. She draws upon that dynamic to create fluidly choreographed partner dance in The Three Bonnies, and to develop the gut-instinctive, yet carefully choreographed, momentum that transitions dancers seamlessly through this "everywoman" movement narrative.

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