DANCE

Hope Stone Dance Company presents Village of Waltz. The return engagement is the second show of Hope Stone Dance Company's 2010 - 2011 season. Hope Stone Dance Company will re-stage the highly acclaimed and successful Village of Waltz in October, returning to the Cullen Stage at the Wortham Center for the second show in Hope Stone's first-ever full season lineup.

Hope Stone Dance performed to nearly sold out audiences when Village of Waltz premiered in October, 2009. Touted as one of the "Best Productions of the Decade" by CultureMap, the show includes collaborations with internationally acclaimed composer and musician Peter Jones, vocalist Ana Trevino-Godfrey of Mercury Baroque and Bessie Award-winning lighting designer Roma Flowers.

Village of Waltz, set to all live music, is an exquisite evening-length dance and performance piece, choreographed by Jane Weiner. The piece takes a turn from the repetitive linear walk of life and moves into a circular and cyclical pattern. Village of Waltz is an examination of time and community that attempts to reconcile the enjoyment of life. Weiner shares about her work, "It's an idealistic cockeyed optimist's dream of what I wish the world would be. Everybody is accepted at a gut level. We all have to make compromises to get along, but that doesn't mean we have to change who we are inside, what we believe in and our goals and aspirations."

Hope Stone will once again hold its balcony audience outreach campaign, "Not an empty seat in the house," which provides 800 free tickets for at-risk youth to attend the live performances. Offering these seats to Houston's youth is part of Hope Stone's mission and commitment to present live theater to with the hope of helping students think outside the box, experience the magic of live theater and enjoy an alternative to electronic over-stimulation. Hope Stone has provided more than 4,000 free theater seats since 2005. 

Under the direction of Artistic Director Jane Weiner, the 2010 - 2011 lineup includes - Lemonade Stand, Village of Waltz, An Evening of Bread and Circus and the annual Kid's Play premiere performance ONE.

ABOUT HOPE STONE, INC.
Hope Stone, Inc. is a threefold organization consisting of (1) the choreographic endeavors of Artistic Director Jane Weiner; (2) Hope Stone Dance Company, a dance and theater ensemble; and (3) Kid's Play, an artistic outreach venue for children and youth at risk. Founded in 1997, Hope Stone strives to make art a stronger part of our lives and is dedicated to presenting authentic dance, music and theater performances and nurturing the creative and expressive side of children and adults.

Hope Stone Inc. is grateful to the following sponsors and foundations: The Fant Foundation; Houston Endowment Inc.; National Endowment for the Arts; Meet the Composer; Baxter Trust; Gainer, Donnelly & Desroches, LLP; Texas Women for the Arts; The Brown Foundation; Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts; Jewish Foundation of Greater Houston; Valero; Texas Commission on the Arts; Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation; Sequoia Foundation; Vale-Asche Foundation; Favrot Fund; The Kinder-Morgan Foundation; The Margaret and James A. Elkins, Jr. Foundation; Houston Arts Alliance; Wells Fargo; Houston Downtown Alliance; and Hewlett Packard.

Hope Stone is located at 1210 W. Clay #26, Houston, TX, 77019. For more information about all Hope Stone events, performances and studio classes, visit www.hopestoneinc.org or call 713.526.1907.

Pictured:  detail of an image by Simon Gentry.  (full image below).