Dancing Wheels, a Cleveland modern-dance company for dancers with and without disabilities, will be presenting “Dare to Be Different!” this Saturday, May 19 at the Allen Theatre. The program will feature four works new to Cleveland, and the group will be the first dance company to perform in the recently renovated venue.
The pieces to be performed are Michael Uthoff’s “Songs My Mother Taught Me,” Mark Tomasic’s “Anomalies,” Terence Greene’s “Legacy,” and Heidi Latsky’s “If.”
For the program, artistic director Mary Verdi-Fletcher asked choreographer Mark Tomasic to create a work based on Newton’s three laws of motion that could serve as a lecture-demonstration in a more creative form.
“I ended up using ideas from the laws of motion to actually create the work,” said Tomasic. “I realized, from my years working with wheelchair dancers, the amazing ability the wheelchair dancer has to provide counterbalance. You’re not only dealing with a person, but the chair as well, which provides stability and mobility. It creates a real equality between what each partner is doing.”
The program takes place at 7:30pm on Saturday, at the Allen Theatre located in PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland. Tickets are $20 and $30 and include the after-party. VIP tickets are also available at $125 and include dinner, dress circle seating for the performance, and the after-party. For more information, log on to playhousesquare.org or dancingwheels.org.
