This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
It’s a busy season for dance in Atlanta, and next weekend two contemporary dance companies — one relatively new to Atlanta and one a staple of the city’s dance firmament — will present concerts at opposite ends of the city.
Beacon Dance, now in its 62nd season, will perform Friday, Oct. 13, to Sunday, Oct. 15, at The B Complex gallery. Monica Hogan Danceworks will be at Emory Performing Arts Studio Saturday, Oct.14, and Sunday, Oct. 15.
Directed by D. Patton White, Beacon is best known for its public art, community engagement and inclusivity: Company members include wheelchair users and movers with a variety of visible and invisible disabilities.
With a new evening-length work titled “Perception: An invitation through the Senses,” Patton is returning to a theme he explored 25 years ago when he and a cast of four dancers created and performed “Sense and Sensuality,” inspired by the five senses.
Composer Peter “Ptar” Flamming will perform his original soundscore. Costumes are by PhaeMonae. Performances are free but reservations are encouraged.
An Atlanta native, Hogan moved back in 2019 after directing a contemporary dance ensemble in New York for eight years.
Monica Hogan Danceworks made its Atlanta debut in October 2022. It returns this season with “Spectra: Volume 1,” featuring short works by emerging Atlanta choreographers McKaylah Bristow and George Isiah Chavez III; Julianna Feracota; Dominique Kinsey; and Meaghan Novoa. It’s part of the company’s mission to celebrate the work of up-and-coming dance makers.1
Also on the program is “Counterpoint,” Hogan’s newest work. The 30-minute dance, she states, will focus on the “weighty, worthwhile and complex dynamics of deep and vulnerable relationships… . We looked at this theme through many lenses: romance, friendship, partnership, parenthood.”
The soundscore for “Counterpoint” is a compilation. Lighting design is by David Reingold.
EVENTS PREVIEW
Beacon Dance’s “Perception: An Invitation Through the Senses”
8 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Free, reservations encouraged. B Complex Gallery, 1272 Murphy Ave. SW, Atlanta. beacondance.org.
Monica Hogan Danceworks’ “Spectra: Volume 1”
7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. $15-$25. Emory Performing Arts Studio, 1804 N. Decatur Road, Atlanta. mhdanceworks.com.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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