A contemporary dance company, Northwest Dance Project, will perform at the U on Jan. 22 at Kingsbury Hall.
The Portland, Ore. group began in 2004. Since then it has been involved in creating more than 170 works.
Eric Handman, an assistant professor in the Department of Modern Dance, said the performers with the project are “extraordinary.” What sets them apart, for Handman, is their high degree of physicality and technicality. The dance company is not a ballet company, but the members are all ballet-trained. He also said they perform contemporary European choreography, which is “not always seen in the U.S.”
Preeya Kannan, a freshman in modern dance, was part of Northwest Dance Project’s summer intensive program in 2014 and 2015, as well as their youth program. Kannan said part of what makes the project unique is the various backgrounds the members come from and the different elements they bring to the company, while still remaining a “cohesive whole.”
Companies such as this also provide a learning experience for dancers. Kannan said having dance companies come to the U and show different styles and choreography gives dancers here a chance to broaden their ideas.
“Northwest Dance Project’s show will not only inspire dancers to dance with passion, but open their eyes to what the next generation of dance looks like and what successful companies are producing now,” Kannan said.
The performance will be a “very exciting and extremely physical evening of dance,” Handman said. Northwest Dance Project will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for U students and $30 for the general public.
@shelleybrooke17