Chamber Dance Presents World Premiere Ballet Film Shot Outdoors Across the Country

On July 31st Chamber Dance Project (CDP), Washington's premier contemporary ballet company, is presenting New Works 2020 (& beyond). CDP will broadcast these free new contemporary ballets from sites all over the country rather than on stage from Washington as they have in the past. In previous years, leading ballet dancers were brought to D.C. in the summer while their prestigious ballet companies were on hiatus. This year due to the coronavirus the dancers stayed home in LA, Columbus, Milwaukee and elsewhere while working with remote choreographers and local videographers to produce outstanding ballet filmed outdoors and in public spaces.

The free screenings of new works were recorded in July near LA's Sepulveda Dam, in the Milwaukee Art Museum and in a pristine forest near Columbus, OH. CDP's eight dancers, and three choreographers combined forces to create these new ballets to be screened July 31st.The screening will be presented nationally with free tickets available at https://chamberdance.org/beyond Call 202-499-2297 for more information.

The July 31st world premiere screenings of contemporary ballets: Berceuse with Luz San Miguel and Davit Hovhannisyan (Milwaukee), Sarabande featuring dancer and choreographer Christian Denice (Los Angeles) and In the Silence with Emmy Award-winner Grace-Anne Powers and Austin Powers (Columbus), will be presented. Preceding the ballets will be a live red-carpet pre-show with the dancers and Artistic Director, Diane Coburn Bruning.

The dancers in Columbus carried the stage floor on their backs into the forest used as the ballet's backdrop. The ballets are being staged remotely for online streaming and rehearsals were held in each dancer's home to build new repertoire for CDP's June 2021 theatre season while ensuring the health of both audience members and performers.

"Embracing the new realities of a world living under pandemic, CDP's New Works 2020 (& beyond) looks to offer audience members a unique and memorable virtual performance experience that they can take to heart every bit as much as if they were seated in a theater. Perhaps even more so, as they will be part of a global audience sharing in the creativity of CDP's fabulous artists together," says international arts writer/critic Steve Sucato.

There will also be a September 24th world premiere of a new film which will incorporate eight of the company's dancers and be a collaboration by the creators of last seasons acclaimed Prufrock: choreographer Diane Coburn Burning and composer James Bigbee Garver in consultation with filmmaker David Hamlin and film editor Sal Vecchio. The evening will also include the first public screening of a film made of Exit Wounds with the original cast. In keeping with the positive and creative outlook of CDP founder, Diane Coburn Bruning, there will be another "red carpet" pre-show before the film.

Photo Credit: Owen Scarlett

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