Most concerts on a university campus showcase work produced or performed by undergraduate students. But next weekend the UNC Charlotte Department of Dance will present two nights of work choreographed by professors E.E. Balcos, Rachel Barker, Kim Jones, and Tamara Williams. The Faculty Dance Concert will also feature musical selections by the department’s new music director, Shamou. Performers on the concert include guest dancers from Charlotte and beyond, as well as other faculty members, ensuring two diverse and well-crafted evenings of dance. E.E. Balcos, in collaboration with music director Shamou, presents Ancestral Tides: A Contact & Music Improvisation. This 15-minute work is performed in three sections of improvised contact dance and electronic and acoustic music. Additionally, microphones suspended above the stage will capture the dancers’ vocalizations, blurring[…]
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I sat down over chai and coffee with Ben Kubie, former principal dancer with North Carolina Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet). The relaxed atmosphere of Nova’s Bakery perfectly matched Ben’s demeanor – warm, inviting, and unassuming – qualities you may not expect from a retired professional ballet dancer. But as I learned from my colleague over our chat, “retired” sometimes means anything but “done”. Ben first danced with NCDT from 1992-1993, the days of Artistic Director Salvatore Aiello. I mentioned that I have vivid memories of seeing the company during that time, particularly Sal’s “Le Sacre du Printemps” (Right of Spring), when Kati Hanlon Mayo knocked my socks (and all her clothes) off in the lead role. Apparently Ben danced in[…]