Seattle Dance Project Celebrates Women Choreographers

Parkwood students attend a 2010 production

Seattle Dance Project (SDP) is bringing “Project 4” to The Erickson Theater on Capitol Hill from January 28 – February 5, 2011. The “Project” Series is Seattle Dance Company’s signature. It is designed to focus and celebrate talents of choreographers and composers, who have the opportunity to create new and original works for SDP. “Project 4” highlights the work of five different women choreographers from around the globe.

According to Tim Lynch and Julie Tobiason, Seattle Dance Project’s co-artistic directors, “Project 4” creates opportunity and new talent: “We purposely chose women from different backgrounds, different generations, and different geographies to give both our dancers and our audiences a range of experiences.”

Featured in “Project 4” are visually new works by

• Molissa Fenley, dance pioneer and director of Molissa Fenley and Dancers, and 
• Hilde Koch, former Netherland Dance Theatre performer and stager and coach. 

 The performance also includes two world premieres by 

• Ellie Sandstrom, director of SANDSTROMMOVEMENT, and 
• Stacy Lowenberg, emerging choreographer and dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet. 

Also back by popular demand is Heidi Vierthaler’s “Surfacing,” last seen as a world premiere in “Project 2”.

Seattle Dance Project is four months into their year-long dance residency with Parkwood Elementary School in Shoreline, as a direct result of a grant awarded to the SDP by the Laird Norton Family Foundation. 

Teaching artists from the SDP work closely with teachers to help integrate dance into their curriculum. Each student in grades K-6 receives ten dance education classes and at the end of the school year in June they will have a performance to showcase what they have learned with each other. 

Parkwood students will be attending the student matinee performance on Feb 4th. These matinee shows give students the opportunity to see a live performance, as well as to find out what goes on behind the scenes and how choreography is created. It is part of Seattle Dance Project’s continuing commitment to provide high-quality dance education to the schools.

Performances are scheduled for the following dates: 1/28 and 1/29 at 8:00 p.m., 1/30 at 2:00 p.m., 2/3 at 12 noon (student matinee**), 2/4 at 8:00 p.m. (student matinee at 12 noon**), 2/5 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Tickets range from $20 - $25 and can be purchased online.

**For student matinee tickets, contact Tim Lynch.

About Seattle Dance Project

Founded in 2007 by artistic directors Julie Tobiason and Timothy Lynch, the Seattle Dance Project is a new modern dance company that uses the technical accomplishment and professional maturity of its dancers to push the boundaries of contemporary dance. Choreographers who have worked with the company include Donald Byrd, James Canfield, Pat Catterson, Betsy Cooper, Molissa Fenley, Kiyon Gaines, Mark Haim, Edwaard Liang, Wade Madsen, Eva Stone, Kent Stowell, Heidi Vierthaler, and Olivier Wevers. In addition to Tobiason and Lynch, the company is composed of world-class dancers who are all active teachers in the Seattle dance community. Seattle Dance Project is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. For more information, please see the webpage On Twitter follow @seattledancepro, or email.

Cindy Tien, Intern, ShorelineAreaNews