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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . February 6,1996
DANCE KALEIDOSCOPE DEBUTS HOCHOY'S THREE PAINTERS 2
(Indianapolis) Dance Kaleidoscope (DK), Indiana's only professional contemporary dance company, will perform Artistic
Director David Hochoy's Three Painters 2, a triptych of ballets inspired by art in the holdings of the Indianapolis Museum
of Art (IMA), at concerts at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre March 29th, 30th, and 31st.
DK will reprise his 1994 work "Girl at the Piano: Recording Sound," based on a 1935 oil painting by American immigrant
painter Theodore Roszak (1907-1981). The contemplative girl of the painting, rendered by Roszak in intense greens,
browns, gold, and blues, springs to life when danced by Alicia Elliott to Sergei Rachmaninoff s "Variations on a Theme by
Paganini." The audience is introduced to her entire family as they learn of her complex relationship to music, the great
passion of her life.
In "Au Moulin Rouge: La Goulue," Hochoy gives the audience the world as seen by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-
1901), the French painter and lithographer best known for his posters and prints capturing the high-spirited life of the
cabarets and dance halls of late nineteenth-century Paris. The ballet features Ricardo Melendez, and explores the decadence
of the lifestyle and the melancholy perspective of Toulouse-Lautrec, who is thought to have suffered from a rare form of
dwarfism called pycnodysostosis. Whether he died of alcohol abuse or complications of his disease is unknown, but it is
well documented that he spent many hours exploring life in the bohemian quarters of Paris before dying at 37. Songs by
Edith Piaf help to suggest the frenetic life of 1890s' nightclub gaiety in the premiere of this athletic ballet.
"Jimson Weed," the final ballet, is based on an oversized oil painting created by American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-
1986), on commission by Elizabeth Arden for the Arden Sport Salon's exercise room. The 1936 painting uses the pastel
tints of a New Mexico dawn, with pale but glowing blues, teals, and greens along with butter yellow and pearl white. The
flower grew outside O'Keeffe's desert home. In his ballet, which features Karen Gay Beam dancing to percussive music by
contemporary American composer Christopher Rouse, Hochoy takes the audience deep into the intense life suggested by the
four voluptuous blooms.
Costumes designed by Barry Doss and Cheryl Sparks and lighting design created by Laura Glover help Three Painters 2
provide new and fascinating dimensions to the three works of visual art. All of the works will be on display at the IMA so
patrons can compare their impressions of the artwork with the ballets.
Three Painters 2 will be presented at the Indianapolis Civic Theatre (on the grounds of the IMA at 1200 W. 38th Street)
on Friday, March 29th, at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, March 30th, at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 31st, at 2:30 p.m. Hochoy
will present talks one-half hour before curtain each concert, plus a post-concert discussion after Saturday night's performance. Opening night tickets are $21 (main floor) and $18 (balcony); Saturday and Sunday tickets are $19 and $16.
Student-priced tickets are available at $10 for any performance. Tickets may be purchased at the Civic Theatre box office or
by calling the Civic at (317) 923-4597. Special rates are available for groups of 15 or more. Call (317) 940-6555 for
details. Dance Kaleidoscope concerts are made possible with support from the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the city of
Indianapolis, and with the support of the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.