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Published February 16, 2012, 10:43 AM

Tonight only, renowned dance company performs in Cloquet

Zenon Dance Company will top off a three-day dance residency at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College with an evening length performance of modern and jazz dance tonight at Cloquet High School. Admission is free, so get there early for the 7 p.m. Friday performance.

By: Tom Urbanski and Camille LeFevre, Pine Journal

CLOQUET – Zenon Dance Company, the professional modern and jazz dance repertory company renowned for its artistic virtuosity, emotional intelligence and inspired excellence, tops off a three-day dance residency at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College with an evening length performance of modern and jazz dance at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at the Cloquet Senior High School Auditorium. Admission is free and open to everyone.

“Zenon Dance Company is delighted to visit Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, and Cloquet Senior High School,” said Linda Z. Andrews, founder and artistic director of Zenon Dance Company. “We are looking forward to performing an exciting mix of groundbreaking American Modern and Jazz dance works for the Cloquet community and surrounding area.”

Zenon Dance Company has toured to areas as far-reaching as Aruba, Guam, Russia, Saipan, Switzerland and Budapest. And now, Cloquet gets added to that list.

The Zenon dancers are also a national favorite among critics and audiences for their fearless physicality and emotional intelligence. Repertory works showcase the dancers’ flexible embrace of contemporary dance, and offer presenters a signature evening by a peerless troupe described as “the dance company that can do it all” and “in a league of its own” by the Star Tribune.

The Minneapolis-based group received high critical praise in a recent review published in the City Pages, the weekly entertainment publication covering the Twin Cities metro area: “Zenon Dance Company is a regional treasure. Elegant and assured. Immensely versatile but inherently comic. Intelligent and true.”

In Cloquet, Zenon Dance Company will perform four vibrant works from its recent repertory:

“Storm” (2011) is a sweeping musical work of heroic physicality, intricate composition and emotional resonance that leave audiences breathless. Choreography is by Daniel Charon and music by Michael Nyman.

“Booba” (2008) is a lively, hip and humorous modern work pushing the dancers to their physical limits, exploring the explosive power and contained tension in relationships. Choreography is by Andrea Miller and music by Balkan Beat Box.

“My Very Empty Mouth” (2011) is an intensely spiritual and physical female duet, with choreography by Wynn Fricke and music by David Lang.

“Pink Martini” (2011) is a high-octane jazz/ballroom/modern work that is sheer fun, high-energy and a virtuosic treat. Choreography is by Mariusz Olszewski and music is by Rosemary Clooney, Perez Prado and his Orchestra.

Zenon Dance Company, one of the nation’s only professional modern- and jazz-dance repertory troupes, continues to build its eclectic repertory by commissioning significant works from such acclaimed American choreographers such as Bill T. Jones, Doug Varone, Bebe Miller, Tere O’Connor, Danny Buraczeski and Seán Curran. The Zenon dancers are renowned for their tremendous stylistic diversity, technical virtuosity and artistic integrity.

Zenon’s residency work in Cloquet Feb.15-17 includes a Wednesday afternoon presentation/performance and workshop class at the Ojibwe School on the Fond du Lac Reservation for K-12 students. This activity introduces students to Zenon’s modern and jazz esthetic and allows Zenon to teach a creative movement/modern dance workshop. On Wednesday evening, Zenon will conduct a “Movement for Actors” workshop for Fond du lac Tribal and Community College’s “Introduction to Acting” class.

On Thursday morning at the college, Zenon will conduct a talk/movement workshop examining the lives of Zenon’s professional dancers. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Zenon will conduct a “Meet the Artists” presentation/performance in the amphitheater and commons at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College that is open to everyone. Across all three days, Zenon is hosting Cloquet Senior High School students at a series of open rehearsals on stage in the Cloquet Senior High School Auditorium.

The residency concludes with the 7 p.m. evening performance at the Cloquet Senior High School Auditorium. Admission is free and open to everyone.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2008. A local group of individuals coordinated the residence, including Connie Hyde of Cloquet Public Schools and the Cloquet Comprehensive Arts Program, Tara DuPuis of the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, and Sara Sorenson and Tom Urbanski of the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College.

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