Friday and Saturday December 18th & 19th, 2009 at 7:30pm
Starbrite Studios at The Russell Industrial Center

Detroit City Conduit is a collaborative event striving to bring energy and art, light and performance to Detroit. The movement acts as a conduit, or means of communication between diverse people of the greater Detroit community. In a shared evening of performance, Mise en Place Dance presents dynamic new work by choreographers Amy Cova and Thayer Jonutz. The event will feature a main stage dance performance supported by live musicians, video dance and visual art.

Oscillating between Michigan and New York, Mise en Place Dance is committed to creating quality dance performances for diverse audiences throughout the nation. The company values diversity in movement and aspires to fuse the eclectic training of its founding members, Amy Cova and Thayer Jonutz. The pair strives to cultivate a continuous, rigorous and honest dialogue throughout their creative process. Intrigued by the limitations and opportunities that present themselves when two bodies move in the same space, Mise en Place enters the dance scene with athletic, thoughtful movement.

Spinal Streets and a Straw, a new work by Amy Cova is inspired by the social and cultural climates surrounding the Detroit riots of 1967. Cova’s contemporary movement vocabulary is informed by her ethnographic study and collection of personal narratives with an aesthetic that

reflects her own point of view. Detroit native, Alvin Hill has composed an original score to partner with Cova’s dynamic choreography. The ensemble cast is an eclectic mix of performers, packing the stage with raw energy and talent. Cova has been recognized for her colorful fusion of movement nationally and internationally. Her choreography has been described as athletic, virtuosic as well as expressive and flowing.

Thayer Jonutz’s new work, Doors is inspired by his travels to Japan this last summer. Jonutz was intrigued by the juxtaposing themes that were separated by gateways in the Japanese culture. He found himself walking through crowded, modern city-landscapes to then pass through a doorway of some sort ending up in a spiritually transformative Zen garden. Jonutz has partnered up with Bobby Glowacki, also a Detroit native, with the construction of three Japanese-style sliding doors that are used throughout the choreography to transform the space. Jonutz is known for his methodical approach to the formation of his art as well as his unconventional movement vocabulary that he employs to express himself.

At the heart of Detroit City Conduit is the premier of Phases, a new work, that was conceived, created, and will by performed by Amy Cova and Thayer Jonutz. This work features four sections of dramatically different themes that speak to the evolution of human relationships throughout the seasons of life. Again, Alvin Hill has collaborated with the Mise en Place, creating an original score to support their vision.

$10 admission
Starbrite Studios at Russell Industrial Center
1604 Clay St. #500,
Detroit, MI