The Music of Dances Fall

What is it that you like about watching concert dance? The choreography? Seeing a story unfold? Costumes? For many, it's the music. Sanspointe's upcoming concert Dances Fall features a rich and exciting array of music. Here's what to expect:

There will be live music before the show even begins, so don't be late. Sisters Kayde and Karoline Parker of the Indie/Folk music group Abram and Sarah will perform 30 minutes before curtain for all three days of "Dances Fall." They will also join dance artist Rhea Speights on stage in the second half with their song "It Takes a lot of Love." Get a preview of Abram and Sarah below, featuring Kayde and Karoline with Justin Wallace at Bottletree.

Additional music credits in Dances Fall include:
Sigur Ros
Robert Een

Mickey Hart
Mogwai
Hazmat Modine
Stars of the Lid
Poems by Pablo Neruda, recorded by celebrities
And a unique soundscore including excerpts by Jacques Offenbach, Igor Stravinsky, Alexander Borodin, Dirty Three, Mabel John and Romanian Folk music.

Dances Fall
New and favorite works choreographed by Sarah Barry, Lynn Bowman, Shellie Chambers, Michelle Hamff, Allison Hetzel, Rhea Speights and guest artist David Appel.

October 9 & 10 / 7:30pm
October 11 / 2:30pm
CDF Studio Theatre
1715 27th Ct.S., Birmingham
205-799-2602

Tickets, $10, are on sale now!

Dances Fall

Sanspointe is pleased to present Dances Fall Friday, October 9th through Sunday October 11th at the CDF Studio Theatre in Birmingham, featuring new and favorite works choreographed by Sarah Barry, Lynn Bowman, Shellie Chambers, Michelle Hamff, Allison Hetzel, Rhea Speights and New York City-based guest artist David Apell. Preshow live music will be performed by the group Abram and Sarah, who will also provide the accompaniment for a solo dance performance in the second half.

Included in Dances Fall is "It’s Only Paper” with dancers costumed in paper dresses and “Trick or Treat Me Like a Fool,” featuring four masked characters, both by Speights. Speights will also perform a solo to music performed live by the local folk music group Abram and Sarah. Chambers’ recent works “Retrospect” to music by Robert Een, Sigur Ros and Mickey Hart, and the solo “Burden of Choice" to music by Mogwai will also be performed. New to the group from Iowa, Lynn Bowman, has set a lively work for three dancers that will open the second half. Hamff’s “Neruda No. 5,” features five solos to poems by Pablo Neruda.

Also featured on Friday and Sunday only is a solo performance by guest artist David Appel. On Saturday evening only, Tuscaloosa-based artists Barry and Hetzel will perform their collaborative new work that recently premiered in Switzerland titled, “so you want me always to paint flowers…”. Appel will also teach a master class at Children’s Dance Foundation on Saturday, October 10th at 2pm open to the community.

Connecting to the community is part of Sanspointe’s mission. Fine arts students at Vestavia High School will get a sneak peek of Dances Fall on September 15th with a performance at their school. The company will also take Dances Fall to Tuscaloosa later in October for a public performance at The University of Alabama, where many of Sanspointe’s artists graduated. Company members will speak to the dance majors in their weekly convocation at UA preceding the performance. Chambers, Artistic Director of Sanspointe, is excited to provide an opportunity for students to see local professionals working in dance and the arts.

Chambers said, “It takes a lot of motivated and committed people to keep a professional dance company going. Many of our company members work other jobs full-time, some are mothers, a few attend graduate school, and several travel an hour for rehearsals. Each of us is passionate about presenting modern dance for Birmingham audiences.”

Sanspointe was founded by Michelle Hamff in 2003. Hamff said, “I wanted to present a modern dance concert, and that’s how it all started.” Today, the company exists to provide choreographers and dancers with an opportunity to create new work, collaborate artistically and present high-quality modern dance performances for the community. Sanspointe presents at least one concert of original choreography each year for audiences in its hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, and performs at events during the year around the Southeast.

Under the artistic direction of Shellie Chambers, Sanspointe has been recognized as a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization, with 18 company artists and seven members on its board of directors and is campaigning now for financial support. Sanspointe’s members bring a diversity of interests, experiences and talents to the company. This unique fusion of artistic ideas and inspirations allows Sanspointe to constantly evolve and challenges its members and the audience’s expectations of what modern dance is.

Dances Fall will be performed in an intimate theatre setting at Children’s Dance Foundation’s Community Arts Center Studio Theatre in Downtown Homewood (1715 27th Court South) May 28-31. Tickets, $10, can be purchased online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/ and at the door. Seating is limited.

dances fall

thanks miranda for the lovely design for our concert!

Dances Fall October 9-11

Go ahead, mark your calendar!

Dances Fall

October 9-11

Sanspointe presents a concert of new work plus some favorites from the past including the most recent, Trick or Treat Me Like a Fool by Rhea Speights (pictured here).

Also featured in Dances Fall:

Retrospect, 2008, by Shellie Chambers

Neruda No. 5, 2008, by Michelle Hamff

It's Only Paper, 2006, by Rhea Speights

Burden of Choice, 2007, by Shellie Chambers

New works by Lynn Bowman and Sarah Barry

Follow our blog for more on Dances Fall!

October 9 & 10, 7:30

October 11, 2:30

CDF Studio Theatre, 1715 27th Court South

Birmingham, Alabama

Tickets, $10, on sale Sept. 15

Join Sanspointe for Class with Guest Artist

Sanspointe will host a series of modern dance classes with guest teaching artist Killian Manning beginning this Saturday. Please join us!



Saturday, August 1, 9-10:30am
Monday, August 3, 5:30-7:00
Wednesday, August 5, 5:30-7:00



Single Class: $13
All three classes: $30


at Children's Dance Foundation
1715 27th Court South,
Birmingham AL 35209
205-799-2602



Manning will be choreographing for Sanspointe this Winter for the company's May 2010 concert. Sanspointe does not hold formal audtion, but dancers who would like to be invited to work with Sanspointe should attend these classes and bring a dance resume.



BIO for Killian:



Killian Manning is on the faculty at UNC-Greensboro in Communication Studies and teaches dance at the Ballet School of Chapel Hill. As Artistic Director of No Forwarding Address, she has received funding from numerous N.C. state and local arts agencies and was named "Best in The Triangle" in dance for four years. Killian has presented her award-winning choreography in Salt Lake City, Boston, Chicago, Birmingham, and North Carolina. She served on the dance faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill from 1989 to 1995, and has also taught at Radcliffe, the Boston Conservatory, Repertory Dance Theater School, and Samford University. Prior to that, she studied, performed, and choreographed in Boston from 1980-1987, where she was a member of Susan Rose and DanceWorks. Most recently she has enjoyed creating new dances at Durham Academy and the Carolina Friends School.