Stop Look Listen is an evening-length work featuring 4 dancers and 3 – 6 musicians. Dancers are both tap dancers and contemporary dancers. The music is a fusion of jazz and world music, which includes percussion, cuatro, violin, melodica, vocals, accordion, bass and drums. The piece incorporates the poetry ofh Jonathan Gans. The set includes 15 reed baskets of 3 sizes.
The piece investigates instinct and celebrates the human spirit of play within the context of a troubled world. The performers become a contemporary band of tricksters on a playful journey in a dangerous world. “Why tricksters?” They surprise us, keep us awake and alert in a world that wants to put us on autopilot. “Why playful?” Within the spirit of play we make meaningful connections and find creative solutions. “Why a journey?” This implies movement forward and through - the only way we learn. “A dangerous world?” Yes, I think it is, but it doesn't scare me. It provokes me to act and create, and compels me to care.
The piece begins on the heels of a catastrophic event. As the performers find one another, they move along a course of discovery and change - hope intact.
Members of the company have worked together in a variety of contexts and in various groupings over the past 5 years. As a company in residence they are able to provide a variety of workshops and master classes, including:
Tap, modern dance, improvisation and compositional techniques, classic jazz dance, ballroom and social dance techniques, world music and percussion clinics.
