OUR NEW SHOW
BODY LANGUAGE
SoMar Dance Works announces their new production, Body Language. The concert is scheduled for Saturday February 17th at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday February 18th at 2:00 p.m. at the Walker Recital Hall located on the campus of Mercyhurst University, 501 East 38th Street, Erie, PA. Admission is free and open to the public.
In celebration of their 25th anniversary, SoMar Dance Works presents Body Language, a dance concert of premieres and favorites from the company’s repertoire. Artistic Directors Solveig and Mark Santillano have created an exciting and entertaining mix of dance, film, and music for this special event. The concert includes eight dances and two short films, and will feature a company of thirteen dancers and two guest artists.
It is well known that before a child learns to speak, movement plays a significant role in self-expression. Even beyond childhood, much of human communication operates on a non-verbal level. Dancers are, by their nature, perfectly suited for conveying meaning with their movements. While perfecting physical skills is an important part of what dancers work on, expression is where the artistry lies.
Mark Santillano explains “There is nothing better suited for expressing the human condition than bodies in motion. Bodies are real; bodies are visceral. Everybody has a body, so everybody can relate.” Santillano added “when it comes to body language, dancers are naturally fluent. Dancers speak volumes.”
Featured on the concert is the Erie premiere of Alchemy. This dance was commissioned by the San Diego Civic Dance Company this past summer. Performed to music by Camille, Alchemy showcases the creative partnering work SoMar is known for. Also on the program is the world premiere of the Dr. Seuss classic The Sneetches. Although the story is from 1961, it is full of social commentary that is still quite relevant today. This playful piece involves the full company set to an original sound score by Mark Santillano.
Two guest artists, Angela McDonough DiFiore and Kelly Armor, will be joining SoMar for a new piece, A World Beneath. Created and performed along with Solveig Santillano, this dance explores the amazing world of mushrooms that lies beneath our feet. With live music and narration by Armor, the trio was inspired by this unseen network that serves as a metaphor for unheard voices that exist all around us.
Dancing on the program are Emma Berkheiser, Katie Bleu, Natalie Cecil, Ainsley Dunning, Katherine Kilbourn, Madeleine Plourde, Sophie Satoh, Mia Semieraro, Maddie Sipos, Moira Sullivan, Nicole Walters, as well as Mark and Solveig Santillano.
SoMar Dance Works features the dances of Solveig and Mark Santillano. Serving as co-artistic directors, choreographers, and dancers, Solveig and Mark are seasoned performers who have danced all over the world. Their choreography has been influenced by their association with their former companies, Pilobolus Dance Theatre and MOMIX. Solveig and Mark are also the proud recipients of the inaugural Erie Arts & Culture Artist Fellowship.
SoMar Dance Works made its premier in 1999 at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy. Since that time, SoMar has performed at the Erie Art Museum, Erie Festival of Dance, the American College Dance Festival, Celebrate Erie, The Brick Church for the Performing Arts in Lovell, Maine, Unitarian Universalists in Community concert, Luther Memorial Concert Series, The Fredonia Opera House, Grand Valley State University, overseas in Gothenburg, Sweden, Austria’s Young! Tanzsommer, and numerous Mercyhurst University programs, where the company is in-residence.