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Juniata College

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Juniata College

(Posted February 13, 2006)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- The bold athleticism and creative choreography of BodyVox will highlight a dance show at Juniata College that combines movement, music, movies and other media at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 20 in Rosenberger Auditorium in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts on the Juniata campus.

For tickets and information about the Juniata College Artist Series, please call (814) 641-3605. General admission tickets for single performances are $20, except where otherwise noted. Single-show tickets for seniors over age 65 and children age 18 and under are $12. Juniata College students are admitted free with a student ID.

The ensemble creates new forms of choreography by combining diverse dance styles with a variety of media and stage designs. The intense physicality of their dance acts as a counterpoint to the visually striking stage sets used in each piece. They also make a point of introducing wit and whimsical touches into each show.

The group's productions tour nationally each year and the founders of the troupe, Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, have choreographed segments of the Academy Awards show as well as music videos for Sting, U2, jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and John Fogerty, former leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival. They also choreographed David Bowie's concert production "The Glass Spider." In the past the group has included filmed dance pieces, such as the hilarious "Deere John," in which Hampton dances with a massive backhoe named Excavator 690-EC-LC.

The dance critic for the Los Angeles Times wrote their presentation was, "A hymn to impulsive, uninhibited creative expression." The Boston Globe wrote, "The ethereal imagery might have come from a Renaissance painting."

The founders of BodyVox, Hampton and Roland, performed together in two other influential dance ensembles MOMIX and Pilobolus. In 1987, they decided to form a new ensemble, the ISO Dance Company. In 1997 they moved to Portland, Ore., where they formed BodyVox.

The group has developed five full-length productions, titled "The Big Room," "A Thousand Little Cities," "Reverie," "ZAPPED" AND "Waterbodies." The dance company also has collaborated on opera productions, such as "Carmina Burana" and at fashion shows, where haute couture designers use the group's choreography as backdrop to the fashions.

The group is currently working with the Portland Opera Company on their production of "Macbeth."

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.

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