DANCE

Houston Metropolitan Dance Company presents Mixing it up, an evening of jazz and contemporary works, on Friday, May 1, 2009, at 8 p.m. in the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Center.

Houston Met brings their technical beauty and fluid movement to a diverse program showcasing works by renowned choreographers Nina Buisson; Joe Celej; Brock Clawson; Peter Chu; Kiesha Lalama-White; Kiki Lucas; Patti Obey; and jhon stronks. The performance includes five reprises and the premiere of three new works.

Houston Met returns to the stage with audience favorite What Lola Wants by Joe Celej, a fun, flirty piece which demonstrates the power of desire. Brock Clawson’s The Yawning, which premiered in November at QuirkyWorks VI, explores the contagious aspect of this reflex between the dancers and the audience. The social awkwardness and hyper politeness of being a perfect wedding guest is dramatically interpreted in Peter Chu’s, A Polite Social Gesture. Keisha Lalama-White, selected by Dance Magazine as one of the “25 to Watch” in 2009, reprises her high-octane work Jolt, which she created for the company in 2006. Pattie Obey puts the company’s athletic intensity at the forefront with her classic jazz piece, Zoom.

Choreographers Nina Buisson, Houston Met resident choreographer Kiki Lucas; and jhon stronks have set new works on the company which will premiere at Mixing it up.

Founded in 1995, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, familiarly known as “Houston Met”, embraces a comprehensive dance style that fuses the dance idioms of contemporary dance, jazz, tap and ballet. The company is committed to commissioning new works by internationally renowned and emerging choreographers as well as nurturing the creative talent from within the company.

Pictured: Lynzy Lab of Houston Met Dance. Photo credit: D. Garson.