Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble presents
THE SOUL OF JAZZ
A celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Rooms
Works of Anna Sokolow with Jazz Music
Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery
Thursday-Sunday, October 28-31 2004  @ 8:30 PM 

“World-renowned choreographer Anna Sokolow felt that combining the arts to express the complexity of humanity was a natural process. In THE SOUL OF JAZZ, A Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Anna Sokolow’s Rooms, the dancers seem driven, obsessed and rejuvenated by complexity. From the awe-inspiring slow-motion cartwheels of Benjamin Cortes to the stone-faced ragtime patter of Davey Bellerose, the emotions defy the actions. Both are executed perfectly with only occasional glimpses of the joy that usually incites and accompanies the activity. Nowhere is this more evident than in Sokolow’s masterpiece Rooms. Dancers express what we do within the confines of our rooms, real or imagined, against the backdrop of soulful music by Kenyon Hopkins. A few notes take you from despair to hope while managing to remind us of the universality of the human condition. William Catanzaro’s diverse music allows the dancers to loosen up as they eventually become “cool cats” in Session for Six. In melodrama and exaggerated moves, the words and music of Jelly Roll Morton depict how the waltz evolved into ragtime in A Short Lecture and Demonstration on the Evolution of Ragtime.

In THE SOUL OF JAZZ multi-faceted emotions, high-spirited and focused dancers, passionate music, and impressive costumes reach far beyond the conventional borders of dance, making this a fitting tribute to Anna Sokolow and an evening of powerful entertainment.”

Laurie Lawson
Electronic Link Journey, Inc.
www.electroniclink.com