Contact: Dana Munson

Marketing Director

612.206.3630

dmunson@thecowlescenter.org

Minneapolis, May 9, 2016 – The Cowles Center for Dance & The Performing Arts is excited to announce its first collaboration between two of Minnesota’s dance powerhouses, Black Label Movement, and Contempo Physical Dance. Highly physical, driving dance will be taken to new heights when these two exhilarating companies merge their creative processes to offer an unprecedented evening that will feature two world premieres co-created by both companies.

Artistic Directors Marciano Silva dos Santos of Contempo Physical Dance and Carl Flink of Black Label Movement will make and perform a duet for the first premiere, a rare opportunity to see these two nationally recognized artists of diverse artistic aesthetics on stage together. For the second premiere, both choreographers will team together to create an ensemble work blending their intense physicalities with a dynamic cast of movers from both companies. The evening will also include audience favorites from each company’s repertoire.

The collaboration, which began taking shape last fall, will be an evening of performance unlike any that has taken place on The Cowles Center stage. It is an experience that will set the tone for the upcoming season at The Cowles Center, which will feature at least three collaborative performances.

About Black Label Movement

Black Label Movement (BLM) is a Twin Cities based dance theater dedicated to creating wildly physical, naturally virtuosic, intellectually and emotionally engaging art. Led by Carl Flink, this collective of dance artists seeks to push the mind, body, and heart to the edge of what is possible and beyond.

About Contempo Physical Dance

Contempo Physical Dance aspires to be internationally recognized for its dynamic fusion of Afro-Brazilian dance, capoeira, and contemporary dance. The company is dedicated to contemporary dance research, the creation of vibrant new movement, and the performance of dance works that challenge human physicality and invigorate audiences everywhere. Founder, artistic director, and choreographer, Marciano Silva dos Santos' rigorous approach to body-based research produces distinct Brazilian-imbued movement palettes and highly physical choreographic works.

About the Cowles Center

The Cowles Center for Dance & The Performing Arts is the Twin Cities’ flagship for dance in Minnesota. Centrally located in downtown Minneapolis, The Cowles Center includes the refurbished 500-seat Goodale Theater; the former Hennepin Center for the Arts, home to 20 leading dance and performing arts organizations; the state-of-the-art Target Education Studio, housing The Cowles Center’s innovative distance learning program; the Illusion Theater; the James Sewell TEK Box; and the U.S. Bank Atrium. The Cowles Center is a catalyst for the creation, presentation, education, enjoyment and celebration of dance and the performing arts in the Twin Cities.

Black Label Movement and Contempo Physical Dance

Merge // Tickets: $25 - $30

June 17 @ 7:30pm

June 18 @ 7:30pm*

June 24 @ 7:30pm*

June 25 @ 7:30pm

*Audience Engagement Discussions

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