‘Next Step Series’ returns to Houston

Houston-based NobleMotion Dance, a company known for intense physicality, stunning theatricality and unique collaborations, presents the 2nd Annual Next Step Series this weekend. The series offers three premieres by emerging choreographers Jesus Acosta, Catalina Alexandra and Jennifer Mabus. Entitled Origin, the program take places at The Barn on Friday and Saturday, January 22 and 23 at 8 pm.

Origin explores “the idea of emergence and growth through individual perspectives on formative experiences, ritual and memory.” It features lighting design by David J. Deveau and appearances by many of Houston’s talented contemporary dance artists.

Jesus Acosta’s work When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground draws from his own life experience, focusing on the interconnectedness of human relationships through the use of “engaged partnering, lush dancing and unique props that become archetypal images.” The effects of communication or the lack thereof are investigated in terms of how they shape human beings. Acosta states, “Things people have done, or haven’t done, have taken a toll on me and shaped the person that I am today.”

Catalina Alexandra’s work Five Pecks of Rice becomes an imagistic ritual through rice. This danced ritual circles around the reality of life, contemplating its “constant expansion and contraction, and the certainty of change.” She explores the individual’s journey within community, as well as the myriad ways a seeker creates abundance, gives offering, finds stability, and establishes community. Alexandra reflects, “We are walking each other home, grain by grain we walk.”

Lastly, Jennifer Mabus has created The Art of Losing as a way to understand a family member’s descent into Alzheimer’s. She aims to abstract the idea of memory and identity in order to create the physical experience of loss. By examining where memory is held in the body, what one repeats in order to remember, and what happens when one does not recognize the self anymore, Mabus asks, “When we have lost everything, is there something essential to who we are that remains written in the body and the heart?” She collaborated with Lynn Lane to create an original sound scape for the work.

NobleMotion Dance Artistic Director Andy Noble states, “We could not be more excited about introducing these talented artists to the Houston community. I think audiences will be impressed by the quality of their work.”

For more information, or to book tickets ($15 general admission), visit www.noblemotiondance.com.

Photo by Lynn Lane.