Choreographer, company to
perform modern dance
By Anna Herkamp
Staff
Writer
Former member of Stomp and acclaimed modern dance
choreographer Sean Curran and his dance company will be performing at
7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Loeb Playhouse.
Curran has extensive experience performing solos
in a variety of venues, including Sweden’s Danstation Theatre and
New York’s University of Rochester, as well as theaters in Tokyo
and various performing arts halls throughout Europe.
He has choreographed for many shows, such as the
Broadway production of "James Joyce’s The Dead," and has done work
for "Sesame Street."
Curran began dancing as a child, when he took Irish
step dance lessons. Because his parents are Irish, he had quite a bit
of exposure to Irish culture and took classes in a variety of Irish
culture-based activities.
Dancing, however, was the activity he would decide
to pursue as his career. Curran went to New York University and majored
in modern dance.
The Curran Dance Company will be performing several
group pieces on Thursday, including "Symbolic Logic," a dance
based on Indian dance movement set to the contemporary sound of Sheila
Chandra.
Curran describes his dance style as "athletic
robust," with plenty of "movement invention." He includes
as much stylistic variety as possible, often combining movements from
ballet, martial arts and various traditional dances.
One of the dances the company will perform has
several different types of partnering. There will be a male couple,
a female couple, and a male-female couple. Each couple will dance with
a baby doll.
This particular piece serves as a political message
in many ways, said Curran. It incorporates the notions of the changing
family structure in modern society. After different audiences saw this
piece, Curran said he received letters from people in gay relationships
raising children expressing gratitude for giving them a voice.
"All art is political, including dance,"
Curran said. "It gives you the ability to incorporate a lot of
things."
Curran choreographs everything he does, and gains
inspiration for new dances from many sources. Seeing other artist’s
work helps him get new ideas, he said. "I go to the movies a lot.
I go to museums. I get inspiration from books," he said. Music is probably
his biggest inspiration, Curran said.
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