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The Ethnic Dance Theatre presents The Kaiser's Jubilee
Who is Europe's second longest reigning monarch? What Minnesota dance company is celebrating 35 years of existence? Find out at The Kaiser's Jubilee, a full-length dance concert featuring the vibrant music, haunting songs and breath-taking dances of the lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Inspired by the 1913 celebrations of Kaiser Franz Josef's 65th anniversary as monarch, The Kaiser's Jubilee recalls village life in Austria, Bohemia, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine through beautiful staging, dazzling costumes, and spectacular music.
Choreography for The Kaiser's Jubilee will be created by Eva Maria Kish, Edziu Rajtar, John Omorean and Donald LaCourse. Ms. Kish was born to a Hungarian family, and started dancing at a tender age. She earned her Master's degree from Stanford University researching Hungarian dance, and performed in Budapest with the renowned Bartok Ensemble. Since then, she has taught hundreds of workshops in the U.S. and Canada, and worked with professional dance groups. Mr. Rajtar currently is the Director of the Dolina Polish Folk Dancers, a Twin Cities pillar of folk culture. Mr. Rajtar was trained in the dance and folklore of Poland at Jagiellonian University in Krakow on a scholarship from the Kosciuszko Foundation. Mr. Omorean is currently Director of Izvorasul Romanian Dance Ensemble, another pillar of Twin Cities folk culture. Raised in a manner steeped in the traditions of his family's native culture, Mr. Omorean made the study of Romanian dance and music his life's pursuit and did postgraduate work in Romania, where he earned a research specialist certificate from the University of Bucharest and the Institute of Folklore and Ethnography. LaCourse, founder and artistic director of Ethnic Dance Theatre since 1974, has a special love for the cultures of the former Habsburg Empire and has made numerous trips to research traditional music and dance including one to Ukraine this past summer. "This particular show has been with me for a long time," LaCourse said. "The dances of this part of the world first inspired me as a young child."
Musically, The Kaiser's Jubilee will be a spectacular show, LaCourse said. In addition to the always excellent EDT Folk Orchestra, The Kaiser's Jubilee will feature the multi-faceted vocal talents of singer Natalie Nowytski. "Having musicians and singers with this level of talent is a remarkable gift to our community," LaCourse said. "Those audience members not familiar with Central European music are in for a treat", LaCourse added. Through the performance, the audience will be exposed to music and dance forms that traverse the myriad ethnographic regions of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. Audience members are encouraged to wear period 1913 dress or their own ethnic costumes from the regions of the former Empire. Finally, LaCourse said, he is pleased to introduce a company that has turned over in recent years and now includes many talented young dancers. "We were lucky to have a skilled and dedicated core of dancers for many years, but most of them have moved on. EDT today is a young and vibrant company," he said.
Presentation of The Kaiser's Jubilee is made possible in part by funds provided by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council from an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, the McKnight Foundation and Target.
The Kaiser's Jubile can be seen:
March 20-22, 2009
F-Sat at 7:30 PM; Sun at 2 PM
Fitzgerald Theater
10 E Exchange Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
651-290-1200
Tickets available online at:www.ticketmaster.com
$25 adults; $20 seniors; $15 students; $12 children under 12
*The Fitzgerald Theater assesses an additional $2.50 facility fee on all ticket sales.
*Click here for map
For downloadable press photos, please visit the Ethnic Dance Theatre website at: http://www.ethnicdancetheatre.com/press_photos.html
EDT Public Relations and Press Contact
Donald LaCourse
For more information, contact the Ethnic Dance Theatre office at 763-545-1333 or e-mail info@ethnicdancetheatre.com.
