Dance Exchange: A Choreographers Showcase

Renowned for her lengthy career as a principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Dallas native Mary Cochran returns from New York to premiere Beau Geste, a solo dance choreographed with her longtime artistic associate Sara Hook. In this satire of confessional modern dance, Cochran's driven character is adrift in a landscape of modern dance clichés, pursuing her appetite for fame and perfection with a frank, determined optimism that will make you cringe. This is Cochran's third appearance at the Modern.

Back by popular demand, Seattle’s Deborah Birrane will perform two solos by prominent Seattle-based choreographers. The Raven, by Eva Stone, is set to Richard "Lord" Buckley's semantically hip version of the Edgar Allen Poe poem. Shirley Jenkins’ In a Sacred Manner We Dance is a solo inspired by a Native American poem:"Praising the sky, earth, wind and life...the dancer's love is great."

A past guest of the dance exchange, Mary Williford-Shade (Denton) makes her first appearance at The Modern with the premiere of Out of the Woods, a solo created by John Giffin (Ohio), a former member of Pina Bausch’s Wuppertal Dance Theatre.

Anna Preston & Dancers are traveling from South Florida to preview Beneath Percussion, a trio work-in-progress exploring the textures and rhythms of a percussive score. This is their first appearance in Fort Worth.

Muscle Memory Dance Theatre (Dallas/Fort Worth) will premiere La Serenissima, part one of a three-section dance by Amy L. Ross. Three female dancers portray strong Celtic women with vertical carriage and stern chins, while softened eyes and hands unravel the romantic mysticism of travels to Venice.

Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth will perform two group dances which premiered in March. Elevenses by artistic director Kerry Kreiman, and almost? by former company member Amy Jo, who currently resides in Austin.

Information from dance company's site