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Event Series:
The Four Underwear Models of the Apocalypse
The Four Underwear Models of the Apocalypse
November 17, 2017 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
UNC Department of Communication
Presents
The 2017 – 2018 Swain Studio 6 Performance Series
The Four Underwear Models of the Apocalypse
By Rob Hamilton with choreography by Heather Tatreau
November 16-19 at 8PM
UNC-Chapel Hill Campus, Swain Hall Studio 6
The Four Underwear Models of the Apocalypse is a dance cycle incorporating mask, costume, puppetry, and videography in exploring the intersection of global eschatologies* and underpants, presented by the UNC Department of Communication with the generous support of Arts At The Core. The piece opens with a trio of Witnesses cataloging the sins of humanity before Harbingers enter to herald Doomsday and the not-quite-traditional “horsemen” — Plague, War, Famine, and Death — who then each in turn join the puppeteers in presenting the end of civilization… only to ultimately unite in a finale of hope, rebirth, and “won’t-get-fooled-again.” Music selections range from the Sparrow Quartet to the Kronos Quartet, Frank Zappa to Hildegard von Bingen, ragtime to deathcore, and DIY soundscapes mashing together Tibetan singing bowls, ambient sound samples, whale songs, spoken-word texts, and large dollops of put-that-down-you-don’t-know-where-it’s-been.
According to Rob Hamilton, “Two years ago, I had an idea for a silly, 2-3 minute online video about dancers with masks, and somehow managed to interest Heather — and then a veritable host of others — in being part of it. Each collaborator has left an indelible stamp on the evolved work, leaving me in a heady mix of excitement, humility, and gobsmackingness (not to mention with a great appreciation of cosmology and eschatology.)”
Collaborator/choreographer Heather Tatreau adds, “My dancers and I were intrigued by this absurdist idea from the start. As the choreographer for this project, my role is to bring Rob’s vision to life through the movement of our characters. I tried to create a distinct movement vocabulary for each dancer. When they put on their masks and begin to dance, they transform into these otherworldly creatures that expose all our flaws as humans. Ultimately though, I hope to show that these bad-ass women can take charge and find a way to thrive as a community.”
* the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind.
The Performances
The Four Underwear Models of the Apocalypse
By Rob Hamilton and Heather Tatreau
November 16-19 at UNC’s Swain Hall 101 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC
Thursday, November 16, 8PM
Friday, November 17, 8PM
Saturday, November 18, 8PM
Sunday, November 19, 2PM
Tickets
General Admission- $10
Students, Faculty, and Staff- $5
919-843-5666
About the Creators:
Rob Hamilton, the producer and designer, works as a Teaching Assistant Professor/Designer/Technical Director in Performance Studies at the Department of Communication at UNC-CH. His M.F.A. in Design/ Technical Theatre is from the University of Montana, and his B.F.A. in Theatre is from the University of Southern Mississippi. He teaches in the areas of production technologies and the use of masks and puppets in performance. A member of United Scenic Artists #829 — as both Scenic Designer and Lighting Designer — Rob has worked locally as lighting designer for the Modernextension dance company at UNC, as scenic designer for many productions at Deep Dish Theater in Chapel Hill, and performed in Basil Twist’s The Rite of Spring at both Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill and Lincoln Center in New York.
Heather Tatreau has a Master’s Degree in Dance Education from New York University. While living in New York City, she trained in classic modern dance techniques as well as avant-garde performance styles and somatic disciplines. She has performed and presented her choreography in NYC, Italy, and locally.
Heather has been teaching in universities across NC since 2003. She is in her sixth year on faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, teaching the modern dance technique and theory courses. She works to promote dance on campus through creating new courses, developinginterdisciplinary projects across departments, and working closely with Carolina Performing Arts and the Ackland Art Museum. Heather also is a choreographer, director, and movement consultant for productions with StreetSigns, The Process Series, and the Kenan Theater Company. Since joining the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, she has created two original evening length dance theater pieces for the Department of Dramatic Arts. This year, she is serving on the panel for Tobacco Road Dance Productions, mentoring emerging choreographers.
About Performance Studies in UNC Communications Department
Performance Studies focuses on performance as a method of textual study, as an aesthetic event, and as a social and rhetorical act. This area of the department offers students a series of interrelated courses in textual study; oral history and ethnography; and the theory of and practice in writing, designing, and directing performative events. Classroom experiences extend into a wide variety of performative opportunities at the co-curricular level, including seminars with visiting scholars; participation in regional and national conferences and festivals; campus performance/production work; joint ventures with local, regional, and nationally prominent authors; and social activism through performance work in the community. http://comm.unc.edu/areas-of-study/performance-studies/
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