Note: All three works presented each night.

REDCAT's annual New Original Works Festival kicks off with a program of works by Wilfried Souly, Rosanna Gamson/World Wide, and Overtone Industries.

WILFRIED SOULY: SAANA/THE FOREIGNER
Spellbinding choreographer and dancer Wilfried Souly draws from the traditions of his native Burkina Faso and contemporary dance theater forms in Saana/The Foreigner, a solo featuring live music by multi-instrumentalists Julio Montero, aka Cuñao, and Tom Moose. All three collaborators are immigrants to the US, who bring their own personal experiences to this new work focused on Souly’s journey to create a new life, expressing his personal tale with a multi-layered blend of dance, music, and spoken word.  

ROSANNA GAMSON/WORLD WIDE: STILL
Virtuosic dancers share intimate or volatile moments, floating in a shifting landscape of veils, shadows, and changing light, in acclaimed choreographer Rosanna Gamson’s kinetic investigation of the neuroscience of dreams. Performed by six dancers, Still is rich with tender and violent movement, explosive athleticism and stunning moments of stillness. The action is set against an eclectic sonic landscape of viol, cello, and violin music ranging from French 17th-century court composer Marin Marais, to new world post-rock band instrumentals.

"Gamson has a purpose beyond herself, a choreographic design that supports her humanistic worldview.” —LA Weekly 

OVERTONE INDUSTRIES: ICELAND
Soaring vocal harmonies and riveting stagecraft are hallmarks of the operatic explorations that have made Overtone Industries a celebrated force in the evolution of contemporary music-theater and opera. Acclaimed composer O-Lan Jones teams with Irish songwriter Emmett Tinley for ICELAND, featuring the ten-member Hidden Folk Choir, two soloists and a chamber orchestra. This modern love story is set in a mythical and timeless world, where elemental forces and ancient creatures challenge a hero and heroine on an archetypal journey.

"Groundbreaking… talent to do a lot of disarming things on a grand scale."  
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times