Ballet was born in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century but evolved through the ages. Contemporary ballet isn't all about tutus and pointe shoes.
The Trey McIntyre Project will combines ballet with theater, video and jazz when it performs at the Sun Valley Pavilion on Friday, Aug. 26. at 7:30 p.m.
The Boise-based group has garnered international acclaim since moving to Idaho several years ago. The company has been featured in numerous articles in The New York Times, as well as on PBS and in a cover story in Dance magazine this month.
"Trey McIntyre Project explodes the chamber ballet model and brings it to America's Heartland," writes Martha Ullman West in Dance magazine.
"His choreography speaks to the heart, his subject not the princes and sylphs of 19th century Europe, but rather the lives of everyday people," writes West.
Trey McIntyre, a 42-year-old choreographer from Wichita, Kan., surprised the dance community when he settled in Boise after choreographing for 20 years at many of the country's top dance companies. Artists of his stature are expected to base their operations in cities such as New York or San Francisco.
Rather than fade into obscurity in Idaho, the five-man, five-woman company has risen in prominence. Trey McIntyre is one of four dance companies chosen by the U.S. State Department to represent the country on a world tour in 2012. The group to Idaho returns this month from a performance at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Boise native Lauren Edson is in her third season with Trey McIntyre. The 28-year-old is the only Idahoan in the group.
"We are all really close," she says.
"Trey is wonderful to work with. He allows us to be individual artists. He has a unique voice as a choreographer and we all have trust in his vision," Edson says.
"It is not just about what he puts on stage. Trey is an artist in the greatest sense of the word. TMP is really innovative. We are not afraid to try new things," she says.
The Trey McIntyre dancers will offer free classes at the Footlight Dance Center's stage at the Community Campus in Hailey and at the Sun Valley Pavilion from Aug 24-26.
A recent PBS NewsHour television show documents how Trey McIntyre took his dancers to a small city far from the acknowledged artistic centers of the United States, performing "spurbans" (spontaneous urban performances) in the streets, businesses and hospitals of Boise, winning the hearts of many in the city.
The company recently sold out the 2,000 seat Morrison Center in Boise for a show that was produced in collaboration with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans.
The company trains hard and tours regularly, last year performing in Europe, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia. This year they will perform in Vietnam, China and South Korea.
The Sun Valley show will feature elements from the Trey McIntyre pieces, "Ma Maison," "The Sweeter End" and "In Dreams."
For tickets contact seats@sunvalley.com.
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
Dancer Brett Perry is part of the high-flying Trey McIntyre Project, an acclaimed dance troupe based in Boise.
Courtesy photo
