IDT performs ‘short stories’ in Sun
Valley
By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer
The Idaho Dance Theatre, a nonprofit
professional dance company based in Boise, is coming to Sun Valley for two days
with a special performance of one of their new dances, "Hot Blooded."
Founded in 1989 by choreographer and
Artistic Director Marla Hansen and Alfred Hansen, who is the technical director
of the company, IDT places a strong emphasis on using and cultivating Idaho
talent.
"Hot Blooded" will be preformed at The
Community School Theater 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2.
"The show has a lot of variety,"
Co-Artistic Director and choreographer Carl Rowe said. "Each of the five pieces
is different and distinct. That’s what we do. We offer lots of different
things."
"It’s like short stories."
Adrianna Pierce performs in "Hot
Blooded." The Idaho Dance Theatre production comes to The Community School
Theatre in Sun Valley Feb. 1 and 2. Photo by John Kelly
The music for each of the pieces runs the
gamut of styles. Music by Mike Oldfield, the composer of "Tubular Bells," a hit
in the 1970s, accompanies one piece. Another piece is danced to Beethoven’s
"Moonlight Sonata."
IDT commissioned new music for one piece
by Boise composer David Alan Earnest. In the IDT’s Boise performances this will
be played live but, "lamentably, it will be a recording in Sun Valley," Rowe
said.
"Marla choreographed a piece to a Middle
Eastern female vocal recording, very hypnotic music," Rowe said. The final piece
is danced to contemporary music by "Tool" a hard-rocking Grammy award winning
quartet. The show lasts approximately two hours.
"We would love to make Sun Valley part of
our season; the response was terrific last year," Rowe said. "We’re
self-sponsoring; we cover all our costs. It depends so much on the response, as
much as people will support we will provide."
Rowe said the company is entirely
indigenous. Every member of the company is now an Idahoan. In 1980 Rowe founded
the Idaho Dance Ensemble with Hilarie Neely in Sun Valley. At the time the Sun
Valley Center held several workshops and classes in their old Sun Valley
location: currently The Community School. Neely also started and still is the
director of the Footlight Dance Centre.
In 1989 Rowe hooked up permanently with
the fledgling Idaho Dance Theatre company in Boise. "I was commuting from Sun
Valley, concert to concert. It took a couple years before I thought ‘we might
turn into something more than a fly-by-night deal.’" By 1991 he was ready to
move permanently.
This resident dance company of Boise State
University has 11 full-time members. There are also three young apprentices who
are students.
While they are in the valley, IDT will
teach a ballet and a modern dance class for Footlight Dance Centre on Saturday
morning.
Tickets for the show are available at
Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum. For more information, call Neely at 726-3664
or the IDT at 208-331-9592.