Kanopy Dance Company (Madison, WI)
www.kanopydance.org

Hailed by critics as “soulfully fearless," “a creative triumph,” and providing a “rivetingly bold evening of contemplative dance theater," Kanopy Dance Company's expressionistic and emotionally charged works combine the dramatic physical integrity of modern dance and contemporary ballet with dance-theater.  The company’s repertory features works by its Artistic Directors, as well as local, regional, national and international choreographers, all linked by the desire to create thought-provoking dance that is elegant, bold, humorous, even romantic--and always compelling. Founded in 1976, Kanopy has been under the artistic direction of Robert E. Cleary and Lisa Thurrell since 1995.

“It was a wickedly discordant riptide, cutting deep one moment, bringing peals of audience laughter the next. Drama boldly shared the spotlight with movement… Kanopy dancers resoundingly proved they can move and act, tackling emotionally demanding material that often swung crazily between funny and severe, and that also required them move in alternative ways.” – Karyn Saemann, Capital Times

Touring Programs

Touring Program A
(10 dancers):

Monkey see, monkey do (35min)
Amit Lahav, Artistic Director, Gecko Theater (UK)
“…the unsettling macabre story of a scientist who kidnaps a girl in order to transplant her good soul into a woman whose soul is rotten. Among the great moments: Robert Cleary 's darkly hilarious portrayal of a desk clerk in police precinct-like building, where a couple comes looking for their missing daughter; the emotional depths plumbed by all of the lead actor-dancers, as they struggled with deep feelings of loss, desire and guilt; and the quirky frenzy of news reporters as they skipped and salivated over a potentially juicy story.” – Karyn Saemann, Capital Times

Cassandra’s Cry (12 min)
Lisa Andrea Thurrell, Co-Artistic Director, Kanopy Dance Company
“… rich, fully realized… creepy and gorgeous…smartly reinterprets theme-and-variation as prophecy and echoed realities, often as triads built on descending height. Vital and vibrant…” – Jay Rath, State Journal

Fear is the Enemy (16 min)
Robert E Cleary, Co-Artistic Director, Kanopy Dance Company
“…aim(s) at the FBI efforts, in the mid 20th Century, to single out those acting in unpatriotic ways… carried over to the dancing, in which male dancers moved in sets of two. Harnesses worn at their waists allowed for some daring partnering. Grasping the harnesses, they lifted, twisted and spun each other.” – Karyn Saemann, Capital Times. “Fear is the Enemy put a new pearl on his string of politically relevant works.” – Susan Kepecs, Isthmus, The Daily Page


Touring Program B
(7 dancers):

The 3 Fates (10 min)
Kerry Parker, Principal Dancer and Choreography, Kanopy Dance Company
"…three, en pointe, female dancers continually stop and start their movement…choreography's halting, staccato demands with grace…” – Karyn Saemann, Capital Times

Fear is the Enemy (16 min)
Robert E Cleary, Co-Artistic Director, Kanopy Dance Company
“…aim(s) at the FBI efforts, in the mid 20th Century, to single out those acting in unpatriotic ways… carried over to the dancing, in which male dancers moved in sets of two. Harnesses worn at their waists allowed for some daring partnering. Grasping the harnesses, they lifted, twisted and spun each other.” – Karyn Saemann, Capital Times. “Fear is the Enemy put a new pearl on his string of politically relevant works.” – Susan Kepecs, Isthmus, The Daily Page

The Maw (20 min)
Lisa Thurrell, Co-Artistic Director, Kanopy Dance Company
“…Spare and unsettling…creepy and sensuous…inspired by medieval mystery plays…Velez perfomed a savage solo…” – Katie Reiser, Isthmus, The Daily Page