“That concert featured a few of my very favorite moments of audience reaction in dance and they are so very rare. Not those moments of big applause, which are great and there were many that night, but those moments when a dance comes to an end and there’s not a sound because to make a single sound would break the spell. That moment when the dance is so beautiful or so heartbreaking that to make a sound other than the beating heart would just destroy the moment. I love that moment when the absence of applause is the highest praise the audience can give. The dancing and choreography are so beautiful and the moment is so tender that all the audience has to give is the respect of silence. And love of the moment. Wow.” – Charlie Stepp
“I had such an intense reaction to seeing the beautiful “Violin Under the Bed.” I ran across this article about this syndrome, first described in 1817, that pretty… well describes the physical as well as emotional feelings that I had at the end of that show. Ironically, another name for this is Florence syndrome. -Katie Brown
I love that moment when the absence of applause is the highest praise the audience can give…
“Words like beauty, elegance, intrigue, passion and colorful movement come to mind when I think of “The Violin Under The Bed and Scarlett Letter.” I was moved by the experience of these stories so eloquently told by modern dance and music. I recommend this show to any seasoned spectator of dance and, in fact, to novice audiences as this show is likely to enthrall the newbie and the experienced with its majestic style.” -Dr. Louis Janeira
“I wanted to share with you how much we enjoyed seeing Gregory Hancock’s performance “The Violin Under The Bed”. In Mr. Hancock’s moving tribute to his late mother, the piece captured the humble beginnings from which she came, the love between her and her husband, her love of playing baseball, and how she embraced life. I have an appreciation of how much she loved her son, and he in return, with the rich artistry of creative dance, illustrative costumes, and selection of music. It was evident that the audience connected to this story. I felt that I knew her because of this beautiful illustration and celebration of her life.” – J.J. Kaplan
“Ivy…I can’t express my gratitude enough for the tickets. Truly an emotional tribute and a feast for the eyes. Thank you so much for allowing my friend Laura and I attend.” -Teri Cappron
This past weekend, GHDT took part in a fundraiser for a wonderful organization. Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, as well as the students in G2, performed in downtown Indianapolis. The performance was part of a 2-hour show raising money and awareness for Christel House. The company performed three pieces, and G2 one. Along with GHDT, there were many other performers working together. Anita Hjorth Lerche, a Danish singer who is well-known for her Indian songs, performed many numbers. Other appearances included flautist Gareth Laffely, Bollywood Beats dance group, Epiphany Dance Collective, Ballet Folklorico Mosaics, and singers Katie Schuman and Katy Gentry.
Together, the around 200 attendees raised over $180,000 for Christal House schools. Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre has been a part of this annual fundraiser for the past three years now. Christel House is a welcomed sponsor of the company, and the company loves giving back to this organization and helping raise so much money for the students of Christel House.
Christel House
Christel House is an organization that helps give children of poverty a better education. Founder and CEO, Christel DeHaan, immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1962. She founded Christel House International in 1998, and since then has opened 8 different schools around the globe. Currently, there are 4 schools around the Indianapolis area, 2 schools in India, 1 school in South Africa, and 1 school in Mexico. To learn more about Christel House schools, click here.
Featured Dancer, Abbie Lessaris talks about what The Violin Under the Bed means to her personally – and, speaks of her personal relationship with Florence Marie Hancock, the inspiration for the creation of the work. Earlier in the year, Abbie faced several surgeries that kept her from dancing and eventually postponed this premiere performance.
The Violin Under the Bed & Scarlet Letter, the season opening performances for Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre ‘s 2016-17 season are October 7 & 8, 2016, 7:00PM – at The Tarkington, Center for the Performing Arts.
GHDT Season Tickets for The Tarkington performances are now on sale through September 19thONLY! Call the Box Office Today at 317-843-3800 and save when purchasing Season Tickets.
Season Tickets for the three Tarkington Performances are $115.50 for adults and $100.50 for students/seniors. This is SAVING you money compared to the single ticket pricing of $42.50 for adults and $37.50 for students/seniors.
The Season Ticket package includes tickets for the World Premiere of The Violin Under the Bed and Scarlet Letter on October 7 & 8, Superhero – The story of a man called Jesus on Easter weekend , April 14 & 15, 2017 and A Night in India on June 9 & 10, 2017 at The Tarkington.
You may see this title and wonder, “Is GHDT doing a story ballet about Hester Prynne and her sins?” The answer to that question is, nope! Gregory Hancock adapted the literary classic analogically to tell the story of the legendary Marilyn Monroe and her struggles with the cruel and bitter side of Hollywood glamour. A bold and contemporary portrayal, GHDT’s The Scarlet Letter presents Marilyn as an allegory, a symbolic representation of beauty turned inside out. On top of that, the entire 45 minute piece is all to classic Annie Lennox songs, including ‘Walking on Broken Glass’ and ‘No More “I Love You’s”‘. Don’t miss the return of this fan favorite piece, along with the premiere of The Violin Under The Bed on October 7th and 8th at The Tarkington!
Guest Artists
The company is thrilled to have two guest artists joining us for this show.
Katrina Meske
Katrina Meske is originally from Riga, Latvia. She has performed with GHDT before, the last time being in 2009 for the premiere of Romeo and Juliet At The Disco. She is currently touring the country with Riverdance. She’ll join the company in rehearsal starting September 8th to portray the lead role in The Scarlet Letter — Marilyn Monroe.
Richard Link
Richard Link is originally from Los Angeles, California. He received his pre-professional ballet training with South Bay Ballet, as well as dancing summers at Milwaukee Ballet and Joffrey Ballet. He began his professional career as a trainee with Kentucky Ballet Theatre. From there, he joined Nashville Ballet’s second company where he danced the past two seasons. Richard is joining the company to perform in The Scarlet Letter as Katrina’s leading man.
Our 2016-2017 Season Announcement is here! Next season brings back some GHDT favorites, along with brand new World Premiere pieces!
Join us in October when we open our 2016-2017 season with the World Premiere of The Violin Under The Bed, and the long-awaited Tarkington debut of The Scarlet Letter.
December brings GHDT’s holiday classic, The Nutcracker, featuring a cast of young dancers telling a tale of love and compassion.
GHDT’s annual February cabaret-styled fundraiser concerts will feature another World Premiere with an interactive murder mystery, The Black Dahlia.
By your many requests, GHDT’s classic, SUPERHERO; the story of a man called Jesus, returns again for Easter weekend. This modern re-telling of The Passion is powerful and poignant.
We will close our season with A Night In India, featuring new pieces inspired by the music, art, history, and culture of India.
Thank you for your continuing support of GHDT. We look forward to bringing you beautiful art for years to come. Buy your season tickets now!
Due to unforeseeable circumstances, there will be a program change to GHDT’s performance next weekend, METAMORPHOSIS. Here is a note from artistic director, Gregory Hancock:
Today I had to make a very difficult decision as an Artistic Director. I am sad to announce that the World Premiere of THE VIOLIN UNDER THE BED, my new work in honor of my mother, will be postponed until GHDT’s concert in October. Abbie Lessaris, who is dancing the spirit and essence of my mother in this piece, is having unexpected eye surgery today and her recovery time will not allow her to perform in METAMORPHOSIS. Please send Abbie your thoughts, prayers and positive energy as she faces this challenging time. My mother had a special relationship with Abbie, and I desire Abbie to premiere this very personal work. METAMORPHOSIS will still be presented on July 1 & 2 at The Tarkington, but with altered programming. The dancers of GHDT are working hard today to cover Abbie’s roles in UNTIL THERE IS NO MORE… and THE RIVER’S EDGE. The program will now also include the GHDT classic repertoire piece, OUT OF DARKNESS, which the dancers are learning today. I hope you will still support Abbie and the dancers of GHDT by attending this special concert and then by returning in the fall for the premiere of THE VIOLIN UNDER THE BED. Life hangs precariously on a thread and
changes in instants. Be kind.
As stated above, the company will still perform UNTIL THERE IS NO MORE… and THE RIVER’S EDGE. However, to replace THE VIOLIN UNDER THE BED, the company quickly learned and staged classic GHDT pieces, OUT OF DARKNESS and BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH. METAMORPHOSIS will be a beautiful and spiritual show.
Please join us on July 1st and 2nd at 7pm for METAMORPHOSIS, as well as in October for the premiere of THE VIOLIN UNDER THE BED.
Gregory Hancock has been creating and choreographing a new piece for his company to perform. Below is some background information about the piece and the meaning behind the name.
When my mother was a young child she cleaned houses to help make money for her family. She was one of eight children from a poor family in Kansas. She dreamed of dancing, playing the piano and playing the violin, but her family could not afford any type of lessons for any of the children. At one home where she would clean, the lady of the house played the violin and kept it under her bed. My mother would pull the case out from under the bed, open it and look at the violin and imagine she was playing it. She never took it out of the case, but she simply became lost in the idea of becoming music. Many years later, when I was an adult child, I gave her a violin for a gift one Christmas. She never learned to play it, but that did not matter. Her life had moved to a point where she could
have a violin under her bed. The violin is still under her bed. This is the story that inspired the title of my new dance piece that I am creating for my mother. THE VIOLIN UNDER THE BED will premiere on July 1 & 2 at The Tarkington. Please support my art in this very personal concert. Thank you to all the friends of my mother who attended a special event at my home last evening to help support this new work.
Within this new piece, company dancer Abigail Lessaris will be portraying the beautiful human and spirit that was Florence Hancock. THE VIOLIN UNDER THE BED brings to life some of Mr. Hancock’s favorite memories of his mother, along with some of Florence’s favorite things including a softball warm-up and game.
Congratulations to the students of the Academy of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre and the members of G2! The talented young students put on a beautiful and energetic performance this past weekend. The Academy Showcase and G2 In Concert took place June 4th at the Tarkington. Different from past years, where the show was held at AGHDT, the students got to perform on a proscenium stage. It was exciting for both parents and teachers to see all of the students showcase their hard work over the past year on stage.
The Hard Work Continues
The end of the year show may have already happened, but the students at AGHDT are hard-working and continue to train throughout the summer. Registration for Summer Intensives is open now through July 4. Information on intensives, including dates, can be found here.
(Photos by Lydia Moody)
G2 In Concert
G2, the pre-professional company, put on their annual show this past weekend. Usually, G2 In Concert is performed for two weekends at AGHDT, but this year they performed their show for one night only at the Tarkington. Students, age 13-18, performed company repertoire such as Birth of the Gods, along with pieces made for G2 including Repurposed and The Lonely Goatherd.
Interested in G2?
Auditions for the pre-professional company for the 2016-2017 season are being held Tuesday July, 26, 4pm-5pm. Please inquire at theacademyofghdt@gmail.com for audition requirements, forms, and information.
SUPERHERO – The Story Of A Man Called Jesus opens this Friday, March 25th. Today, the company moved into the theatre. Three car trunks full of costumes and props is what it takes to get everything transported. Once at the theatre, costumes were organized into the dressing rooms.
Preparations – On and Off Stage
A specific costume piece, worn by the apostles along with all of the student dancers in the show, are white shrouds. These white shrouds have scriptures handwritten on them by Mr. Hancock himself. At
the start of every tech week for
SUPERHERO, each shroud gets ironed. Director Gregory Hancock and company dancer Hannah Brown got the honors of doing this job today.
While the dancers were working hard to get everything ready in the dressing rooms, the tech crew was busy on stage. Lightning designer Ryan Koharchik and his team spent the day getting the stage ready by hanging long white shrouds, also with handwritten scriptures on them, that create the backdrop for SUPERHERO.
Guest Artists
This year for SUPERHERO, we are very fortunate to have two returning guest artists, James Gilmer and Liang Fu, performing with the company.
James Gilmer, originally from Pittsburgh, is a soloist with Cincinnati Ballet. He first appeared as Jesus in last year’s SUPERHERO, and will be reprising the role this year.
Liang Fu, originally from Qingdao, China, is currently a dancer with Kansas City Ballet. Fu first appeared as Judas in 2014, and again in 2015. He will once again be reprising the role of Judas in this year’s SUPERHERO.
SUPERHERO is March 25th and March 26th at 7pm at The Tarkington Theatre at The Center for the Performing Arts. Click here for tickets.
“That concert featured a few of my very favorite moments of audience reaction in dance and they are so very rare. Not those moments of big applause, which are great and there were many that night, but those moments when a dance comes to an end and there’s not a sound because to make a single sound would break the spell. That moment when the dance is so beautiful or so heartbreaking that to make a sound other than the beating heart would just destroy the moment. I love that moment when the absence of applause is the highest praise the audience can give. The dancing and choreography are so beautiful and the moment is so tender that all the audience has to give is the respect of silence. And love of the moment. Wow.” – Charlie Stepp
This past weekend, GHDT took part in a fundraiser for a wonderful organization. Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, as well as the students in G2, performed in downtown Indianapolis. The performance was part of a 2-hour show raising money and awareness for Christel House. The company performed three pieces, and G2 one. Along with GHDT, there were many other performers working together. Anita Hjorth Lerche, a Danish singer who is well-known for her Indian songs, performed many numbers. Other appearances included flautist Gareth Laffely, Bollywood Beats dance group, Epiphany Dance Collective, Ballet Folklorico Mosaics, and singers Katie Schuman and Katy Gentry.
, the lady of the house played the violin and kept it under her bed. My mother would pull the case out from under the bed, open it and look at the violin and imagine she was playing it. She never took it out of the case, but she simply became lost in the idea of becoming music. Many years later, when I was an adult child, I gave her a violin for a gift one Christmas. She never learned to play it, but that did not matter. Her life had moved to a point where she could
SUPERHERO – The Story Of A Man Called Jesus opens this Friday, March 25th. Today, the company moved into the theatre. Three car trunks full of costumes and props is what it takes to get everything transported. Once at the theatre, costumes were organized into the dressing rooms.
ume piece, worn by the apostles along with all of the student dancers in the show, are white shrouds. These white shrouds have scriptures handwritten on them by Mr. Hancock himself. At
ng Fu
, performing with the company.
