DANCE

Award-winning choreographer, Monica Bill Barnes, will be in residence at the Boston University Dance Program October 19 - 22.

Her stay will culminate with an informal performance on Friday, October 22, 2010, 8-9 p.m. at the BU Dance Theater. The BU Dance Program and student-run Dance Theatre Group are pleased to present this free event to the public.



One of the pieces Barnes will perform is here we are, a solo set to Nina Simone’s “Wild is the Wind.” It was described by Quinn Batson for OFFOFFOFF.com as “scintillating. It’s as if she has a superfast processor in her head and the body to translate this speed to movement; the pace and amount of her scenarios and allusions in seven minutes is staggering.” Barnes will also perform solo work from her repertory and new choreography. The performance will include an improvisational score created by Barnes for BU dance students. There will be a Q & A at the end of the event. Throughout her four days in residency, Barnes will offer classes, rehearsals and performances for BU students. Boston University students will be provided with a forum to observe, interact and learn from this talented artist.



Monica Bill Barnes is a New York based choreographer described by Deborah Jowitt of The Village Voice as “one of the wittiest young choreographers around--she can stir your heart as well as make you laugh.” Barnes has created eleven evening-length dance works for her own company, Monica Bill Barnes & Company ranging from a two woman vaudevillian traveling side show to an intergenerational dance extravaganza for fifteen performers. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally by organizations including Jacob’s Pillow, The International Fabbrica for Choreographers (Florence, Italy), and The International Dance and Movement Festival on the Volga (Yaroslav, Russia). She has been the invited Guest Artist at the North Caroline School of The Arts University, University of California, Vassar College, James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Dance New Amsterdam's Modern Guest Artist Series. In 2003, Lincoln Center Institute commissioned This ain’t no Rodeo! a two-woman show that has since been performed over hundred times. Her site-specific dance, The Limelight Fountain Tour, is an outrageous dance event where local performers dance in working public fountains. The Limelight Fountain Tour was described as "too much fun to miss" by Jack Anderson of The New York Times. Through various site-specific projects and large intergenerational group works, Barnes creates work that reflects everyday life with humor and poignancy. Monica was a Dance Major at UC San Diego and went on to receive her MFA from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts