ART.IF.ACT IS THE NEW DANCE PROJECT IN TOWN

Well, that masters’ concert in dance given last May at the University of Arizona went so well, graduate student collaborators Claire Hancock and Ashley Bowman decided they would start their own dance company. In Tucson.

Both women had professional careers in dance after completing their UA undergraduate studies. Always in touch, they returned to the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre on campus for their UA graduate degrees. With those advanced diplomas in hand, they could have joined any number of established professional companies.

“With our masters concert, we felt like we had launched a whole project,” Hancock said. That concert had barely left the building when these two were making more plans. Their new dance company would be called the Art.If.Act Dance Project. It would include elements of theater and film. There would be music drawn from the old European art repertoire, and all the choreography would be their own.

“We are both so close as artistic collaborators and friends,” said Bowman. “When we work together we trust each other completely, and it always seems like we’re in agreement.”

In concept, Art.If.Act has four core members, Tucson Symphony Orchestra members Benjamin Nisbet and Carla Ecker working together with Bowman and Hancock. Nisbet is the symphony’s assistant concert master. Ecker is the symphony’s associate concert master. Nisbet is also Bowman’s husband.

“By including theater, film and music with dance, we want to attract a very mixed crowd,” Bowman said.

“We want the concept of the company to unite the very old and the very new,” Hancock added, extending the eclectic nature of their plan. It was the old and new idea that contributed to their Art.If.Act name.

“By definition, anything created by a human is an artifact. It isn’t always something old,” Bowman declared, clearly planning to create some artifacts of her own.

The world premiere debut performance concert is set for Thursday, Oct. 22, and Friday, Oct. 23, at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre. An impressive portion of the choreography will draw on traditions from the Day of the Dead.

“We’ll always be performing at the Eller,” said Hancock. “And we always want our work to be connected to Tucson and Tucson’s heritage.

“We are less concerned about what other dancers are doing in other places. We’re more concerned with our own community.”

“In a lot of ways, starting this dance project and planning our first concert performance, we are facing our own fears,” said Bowman, digging deeper. “So we wanted to connect our first concert to the Day of the Dead.

“And that’s why we wanted to emphasize the name of this program is ‘Alive in Concert’ featuring premieres in live music, dance and film.” Her sense of adventure was palpable.

Yes, this is still a work in progress. The debut isn’t until October, so all the pieces aren’t finished. But the prospect is very exciting.

Nearly 20 years ago Tucson got the world’s attention when the locally based Orts Theatre of Dance pioneered its trapeze choreography. Now this new company Art.If.Act Dance Project appears set to raise the dance bar a little higher in its own way.

For more pictures and details, www.artifactdanceproject.com