Wesleyan University’s Dance Department &  Center for the Arts present

 “Quicksand” (U.S. Premiere) and “Nine” (World Premiere)

by Artist-in-Residence Hari Krishnan

March 2 & 3

Spring Faculty Dance Concert to include special guest appearance by Toronto’s inDANCE 

8pm in the CFA Theater

A multiracial cast of nine male dancers from Dance Department Artist in Residence Hari Krishnan‘s dance company inDANCE (based in Toronto, Canada) will perform the U.S. premiere of the rambunctiously provocative work “Quicksand” (2011), hailed by Michael Crabb of theToronto Star as “a techno-hip, strutting declaration of freedom from the constraints of tradition and conventional sexuality.” The music for this 40 minute work was composed by Niraj Chag, with visual design by Boyd Bonitzke.

“Quicksand” will be followed by the world premiere of Mr. Krishnan’s work “Nine”, which depicts Navarasa, the nine archetypal moods popular in South Indian classical dance, taught to dancers from Wesleyan Dance Department’s repertory and performance course (see list of dancers below). inDANCE will present the Canadian premiere of “Nine” at Toronto’s Fleck Dance Theatre from April 12 through 14, 2012.

As a part of the Spring Faculty Dance Concert in April 2009, Hari Krishnan premiered a solo work entitled “Liquid Shakti”, inspired by the myth of the river goddess Ganga, which responds to the depletion of natural resources by aggressive industrialization, and is told from the point of view of some of the most vulnerable populations. “Liquid Shakti” was commissioned by the Center for the Arts as a part of Feet to the Fire, a major undertaking on Wesleyan’s campus to examine critical environmental issues through multiple lenses, from science to art. 

The Wesleyan dancers performing the world premiere of “Nine” will include Abigail Baker ’12 and Aditi Shivaramakrishnan ’12 (both performances); Arianna Fishman ’13, Allison Greenwald ’14, Christian Lalonde ’13, Francesca Moree ’14, Cristina Ortiz ’15, Sarah La Rue ’12, and Rachel Rosengard ’14 (March 2); and students Taylor Burton and Natalie Plaza, Dawanna Butler ’15, Arin Dineen ’13, Jessica Placzek ’12, Claire Feldman-Reich ’12, and Tess Scriptunas ’14 (March 3). 

Admission for the performance is $8 for the general public, and $6 for Wesleyan students. Tickets are available online at http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa, by phone at (860) 685-3355, or in person at the Wesleyan University Box Office, located in the Usdan University Center, 45 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown. Tickets may also be purchased at the door beginning one hour prior to the performance, subject to availability.