Black Label Movement and Contempo Physical Dance join forces to create a first-of-its-kind performance at The Cowles

Minneapolis, May 6, 2016 – The Cowles Center for Dance & The Performing Arts announces its first-ever collaboration between two of Minnesota’s dance powerhouses, Black Label Movement and Contempo Physical Dance. Highly physical, driving dance will be taken to new heights when these two thrilling companies merge their creative processes to offer an unprecedented evening that will feature the world premiere of a work with the working title Merge co-created by both companies.

Artistic Directors Marciano Silva dos Santos of Contempo Physical Dance and Carl Flink of Black Label Movement will make and perform a prelude to Merge, a rare opportunity to see these nationally recognized artists of diverse artistic aesthetics on stage together. Silva dos Santos expressed, “It was very interesting to create movement and fuse my Afro-Brazilian style with Carl's vocabulary. I created different things that I would not have created if I was working alone. The process of coming together to make this work was exciting.” Merge blends both choreographers’ intense physical vocabularies and brings the dancers of each company together to form the ensemble. Flink states, “What I have found so fascinating about this process is how I no longer know which parts of Merge come from me or Marciano. We’ve passed the choreographic baton between each other so fluidly.” The evening will also include audience favorites from each company’s repertoire, including Flink’s 2012 work Canary which will also include Contempo company members.

The collaboration, which began taking shape last fall, will be an evening of performance unlike any that has taken place on The Cowles Center stage. It is an experience that will set the tone for the upcoming season at The Cowles Center, which will feature even more collaborative performances.

About Black Label Movement

Black Label Movement (BLM) is a Twin Cities based dance theater dedicated to creating wildly physical, naturally virtuosic, intellectually and emotionally engaging art. Led by Carl Flink, this collective of dance artists seeks to push the mind, body, and heart to the edge of what is possible and beyond.

About Contempo Physical Dance

Contempo Physical Dance aspires to be internationally recognized for its dynamic fusion of Afro-Brazilian dance, capoeira and contemporary dance. The company is dedicated to contemporary dance research, the creation of vibrant new movement, and the performance of dance works that challenge human physicality and invigorate audiences everywhere. Founder, artistic director and choreographer, Marciano Silva dos Santos' rigorous approach to body-based research produces distinct Brazilian-imbued movement palettes and highly physical choreographic works.

About the Cowles Center

The Cowles Center for Dance & The Performing Arts is the Twin Cities’ flagship for dance in Minnesota. Centrally located in downtown Minneapolis, The Cowles Center includes the refurbished 500-seat Goodale Theater; the former Hennepin Center for the Arts, home to 20 leading dance and performing arts organizations; the state-of-the-art Target Education Studio, housing The Cowles Center’s innovative distance learning program; the Illusion Theater; the James Sewell TEK Box; and the U.S. Bank Atrium. The Cowles Center is a catalyst for the creation, presentation, education, enjoyment and celebration of dance and the performing arts in the Twin Cities.

Black Label Movement and Contempo Physical Dance

Merge // Tickets: $25 - $30

June 17 @ 7:30pm

June 18 @ 7:30pm*

June 24 @ 7:30pm*

June 25 @ 7:30pm

*Audience Engagement Discussions

Contact: Dana Munson

612-206-3630

dmunson@thecowlescenter.org