Press Release
2/16/2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ballet Meets Bollywood on Taft Stage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ballet Meets Bollywood on Taft Stage
WATERTOWN, CT – Original choreography and an eclectic mix of dance styles are coming to the Taft School stage Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3 during the school’s annual winter dance concert; both shows begin at 7:00 p.m. in Bingham Auditorium, 110 Woodbury Road, Watertown, CT. The event is free and open to the public.
The concert will feature six original pieces performed by members of Taft’s Dance Ensemble, including a three-part Bollywood production crafted by this year’s guest choreographer Priti Ghatlia. A traditional Indian folk dancer and Bollywood dance teacher at Middlebury’s Westover School, Ghatlia has been working with the dance ensemble since November, when she offered a master class on campus. The class was part of a full week of dance that culminated in a performance by the professional company, Adele Myers and Dancers.
In addition to the rousing Bollywood piece that will end the show, the concert will feature a modern dance number choreographed by Patti Buchanan, Director of Dance at Westover, as part of the Taft/Westover dance exchange. Taft Dance Director Kate Seethaler has created new jazz and ballet pieces for the ensemble, and has re-worked a contemporary piece that premiered at Springfield College. She also worked with Taft seniors Sarah Kaufman and Lexi Rogers to create a duet set to the music of Florence and the Machine.
“There is an overarching sense of playfulness to the show, featuring accessible and familiar music, brightly colored costumes, and, at times, an intentionally approachable stage presence,” said Seethaler. “The performance not only showcases the versatile movement capabilities of our students, but also aims to broaden the audience’s perspective of what dance is and can be. My hope is that the audience leaves the theater with the same joy that I have the pleasure of witnessing daily in the dance studio, as students go bounding through space with freedom and exuberance.”
The Taft School is an independent boarding and day school for 588 boys and girls in grades nine through post graduate. Founded in 1890 by Horace Dutton Taft, younger brother of President William Howard Taft, the school moved to Watertown in 1893. More than a century later, its motto of service—Not to be served but to serve—remains central to the school’s mission today.
Media
Contact:
Julie Reiff
Communications Office
T (860) 945-7743
F (860) 945-7797
JulieReiff@taftschool.org
RSS
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook
Print Page