Have you ever wanted to dance with a modern dance company—you know, get your groove on and be equally inspired by the music as the dancers always seem to be?
Well, Artifact Dance Project's latest, wear.house, will make that happen.
The professional dance company always collaborates with professional live musicians, and this project—at LoveSmack Studios in the warehouse district at 19 Toole Ave. near Stone Avenue—will bring in Tucsonan DJ Sync, who'll spin big bass drum, bass vibes and electronic music during the performance.
According to ADP co-artistic director Ashley Bowman, the audience should expect a fun and edgy performance. The one-night only event on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., is the first time the project has incorporated late-night dancing with audience participation.
"It is a way to go out and have a good time if you like to go out dancing at IBT's or Club Congress for '80s night. This is a type of event where it's all about dancing. What's fun about this is you get to watch professional dancers do their thing and then we will be integrated with the audience so we can be inspired by them," said Bowman, who will also be performing along with co-artistic director Claire Hancock.
Hancock and Bowman will set new choreography for the installation pieces with professional dancers throughout the entire night. Todd Wilson from BreakOut Studios and Shelly Steigerwald will also participate in choreography. Jeff Bacigalupo is doing the set design and custom lighting that help transform the warehouse into a stage and dance floor.
"The idea is to integrate the audience and the dancers together. There is going to be club lighting; we want people to dance to DJ Sync's music. While people are dancing, the other choreographed dances will pop up out of nowhere," Bowman said.
"Claire and I are trying to set the night to be very open to everything, whatever is going to happen not just to the audience but to us as well as the performers. It is going to be a new experience for everybody involved."
If wear.house is successful, Bowman said ADP will make it a bi-annual event that can help the dance company establish a presence downtown and be part of what's going on there.
"We also hope to establish a positive name to our dance project in the younger demographic of Tucson," she said.
Tickets to wear.house are $15, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 7. The event is at LoveSmack Studios, 19 Toole Ave. (Stone and Toole avenues). This event is for ages 21 and older.
