Pittsburgh’s innovative dance company, Attack Theatre will come to Wallman Hall Theatre on the Fairmont State University campus for three different performances on January 31 and February 1 and 2.
On Monday, January 30, at 4:30, there will be a Movement workshop for students, and at 7:30, a Meet the artist session, open to the public. Both will take place in Wallman Hall Theatre.
On Tuesday, January 31, television and radio appearances are slated. The TV appearances will be by members of the company at WBOY and WDTV. In the evening, at 7:30, in Wallman Hall Theatre, there will be a transfixing dance performance of “Travelling” in two acts (‘The Travelling Saleman’ and ‘Travelling in Time’), with music by Ben Hardt and his band, the ‘New Victorians’”. Tickets are $12 and can be obtained by calling the Box Office at 304-367-4240.
On Wednesday, February 1, a performance of “Leap into Action” will be presented in Wallman Hall Theatre, at 7:30 pm, followed by a talk back session. Leap into Action is a dynamic performance which inspires students to leap into action as athletic dancers create exciting lifts and leaps using weight, balance, momentum, and even ladders and tables. Students will recognize the different forms of inspiration that provide the impetus for this creation of contemporary dance. The dancers’ camaraderie on stage and relationship with the audience provides a fun-filled, interactive glimpse into the creative process.
On Thursday, February 2, “Some Assembly Required” will be performed in Wallman Hall. Some Assembly Required is a dance and music event that engages the audience with performance, improvisation, and creation inspired by works of visual art. Performed in a museum or gallery setting, the process/performance is a collision of the planned and the spontaneous. The audience is rewarded with a truly unique glimpse into the company’s creative process. This work has been performed throughout the US and France in museums, galleries and sculpture gardens.
ABOUT ATTACK THEATRE
Under the artistic direction of Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza, Attack Theatre has been making personal, accessible and collaborative dance-based performances with “ninja-like intensity” (Pittsburgh Tribune Review) for fifteen years. They combine modern dance, original live music, multimedia and interdisciplinary art forms to present work in traditional and nontraditional spaces both nationally and internationally. They have collaborated with major regional theaters (Quantum Theatre), NYC Broadway productions (Squonk), museums (Carnegie Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, Frick Art Museum, Mattress Factory), symphonies (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), operas (Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Spoleto USA) and international dance companies (Japan’s Nibroll Collective, Belgium’s Compagnie Matteo Moles), thereby presenting nearly 100 original works in theatrical and site specific settings. While maintaining a loyal audience in Pittsburgh, they have toured nationally in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, D.C., Texas, Washington, New York and Massachusetts; and internationally, throughout France, Monaco, Germany, Switzerland, Indonesia, Turkey and Japan.
HISTORY
Founded in 1994 by Artistic Directors Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope, Attack Theatre combines modern dance, original live music, multimedia and interdisciplinary art forms to present work in traditional and non-traditional spaces throughout the United States and around the world. In addition to the founding Artistic Directors, the artistic staff includes a music director/composer, technical director, dancers, musicians, video designers and scenic and costume designers. In 2007 the Board of Directors appointed a seasoned nonprofit professional, Donna Goyak, to the position of General Director.
The directors, Michele de la Reza (originally from Houston, TX) and Peter Kope (originally from Cleveland, OH), have trained in a variety of styles and traditions which has helped feed the aesthetic diversity of their projects. de la Reza graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York and Kope completed his early training at the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company where he became a company member and toured throughout the US and the world. Both directors share a love of passionate dancing fused with theatrical flavor. In 2000, Attack Theatre was joined by the acclaimed cellist and composer Dave Eggar as music director. Dave is a Grammy nominated artist who has performed and recorded with many artists including the Who, Josh Groban, and Evanescence.
