Parsons Dance/ East Village Opera Company – REMEMBER ME
COMPANY INFORMATION
Choreographed and directed for the stage by David Parsons, REMEMBER ME is a
high-energy mix of contemporary American dance, opera and rock music. It
combines the athleticism of Parsons Dance with the exhilarating live vocal
performances of Decca/Universal recording artists EVOC. David Parsons, Tyley Ross
(lead male vocalist and co-founder of EVOC) and AnnMarie Milazzo (lead female
vocalist) created a storyline that connects EVOC's signature operatic arias (from
songs recorded on the band's Grammy-nominated albums) with David Parsons'
original choreography. REMEMBER ME is a thoroughly modern re-telling of a classic
story of tragic love. With contemporary dance, live and recorded music, video
projections, complex digital lighting and visual effects, REMEMBER ME is the most
ambitious production created by Parsons Dance in its 22-year history. The live stage
production of REMEMBER ME will tour North American in the Fall of 2009.
Costumes for REMEMBER ME are by New York City-based fashion designer Austin
Scarlett, who competed in the first season of Project Runway.
PARSONS DANCE is committed to building new audiences for contemporary dance
by creating American works of extraordinary artistry that are engaging and uplifting
to audiences throughout the world. The company tours regionally, nationally and
internationally.
PARSONS DANCE HISTORY
Since 1985, Parsons Dance has toured an average of 32 weeks per year, to a toal of
more than 235 cities, 30 countries, six continents and millions of audience members.
Many others have seen Parsons Dance on PBS, Bravo, A&E Network, and the
Discovery Channel. Millions watched Parsons Dance perform live in Times Square as
part of the internationally broadcast, 24-hour Millennium New Year's Eve celebration.
In New York City, Parsons Dance has been featured at The Joyce Theater, City
Center, New Victory Theater, Central Park Summerstage, Guggenheim Museum,
Metropolitan
Museum
of
Art
and
The
World
Trade
Center.
The New York Times called David Parsons "one of the great movers of modern
dance." New York Magazine referred to him as "one of modern dance's great living
dance-makers."
East Village Opera Company (EVOC) was formed in New York City's East Village
in 2004 by Canadians Peter Kiesewalter and Tyley Ross. The East Village Opera
Company turned the heads of New York's music community with a series of electric
genre defying shows at Joe's Pub, the intimate venue housed by The Public Theatre.
Initially meant as a one-off project, they were quickly signed to Decca/Universal
records and met with universal praise from both classical and rock critics and fans.
The Washington Post proclaimed that "Opera crossover acts are becoming a veritable
cottage industry, but the East Village Opera Co. is markedly different." They have
toured the world with a unique live show, combining a seemingly incongruous
classical string section with a powerhouse rock band. Time Out New York stated that
the group "electrifies the classics for a new generation." The Associated Press mused
the band was "dramatic" and "mesmerizing" while the Wall Street Journal agreed,
noting "The band rocks hard, and deranges the opera stuff with savvy skill." In a
rare feat not many artists can claim, EVOC headlines around the world in both
eclectic rock clubs as well as some of the most prestigious classical concert halls. The
band's appeal is evident in both cases. The Chicago Tribune raved "Nobody puts a
fresher, friskier contemporary spin on opera's greatest hits than the East Village
Opera Company." The band has also performed at esteemed events such as the
Sundance Film Festival, the Miss USA pageant (nationally televised on NBC), and the
world-premiere of "The Da Vinci Code" in Hong Kong. EVOC's PBS Special "EVOC
LIVE" was celebrated with an Emmy at the 2006 Emmy Awards. Their most recent
Decca album entitled Olde School was nominated for a Grammy in the Classical
Crossover Album category.