Works by Trisha Brown, John Giffin, Meghan Durham, Shawn Hove, and Ric and Susan VP Petry are presented in “Chocolate, Dance & Conversation”, Wednesday, Thursday, Dec 3, 4 at 8 pm in Sullivant Hall Theatre at N. High and 15th Ave, Ohio State University. Tickets at the door: $10 general; $5 seniors, OSU staff, students. Information 614-292-7977. Parking in adjacent garage.

Dance geometry by internationally acclaimed Trisha Brown, zany brilliance by local choreographer John Giffin, rock music and dance by newcomer Meghan Durham with composer Clifton Hyde, urban chic style by Columbus based Shawn Hove, and eye candy video by artists Ric Petry and Susan Van Pelt Petry, combine for a feast of dance and story. Desserts and drinks are served, as performers mingle with the audience, encouraging a party atmosphere, demystifying the modern dance genre.

“Sololos”, a classic post-modern piece by choreographer Brown, is re-staged by former Brown Company member Abigail Yager, and performed by five OSU dancers. A study of cause and effect, the dancers respond to instructions given during the performance; they begin in simple unison, unravel into complexity, and return to unison; Like the title, the work is a palindrome.

Ohio State alumna Mary Williford Shade, hailed by The Washington Post as “the dancing equivalent of Edvard Munch’s The Scream,” performs Giffin’s new dance theatre tour de force, Out of the Woods. Giffin and Shade have conspired to create a landscape at once familiar and strange, complete with the tale of Little Red Riding Hood turned inside out and conflated with a speech to an imaginary PTA. Noted for his poignant, wry, and provocative work, Giffin has been on the faculty for 28 years and is retiring in June 2009.

Megan Durham’s new work, “Guitar Heroes,” is an energetic ensemble piece integrating live music composed and performed by Clifton Hyde with support from the Johnstone Fund for New Music at the Columbus Foundation. Durham, artistic director of Philadelphia based Meghan Durham/Merge Dance , brings her smart, witty, and utterly physical choreography to Columbus for the first time. Hyde, guitarist/composer, is a member of the Blue Man Group in New York City and has performed alongside Lou Reed, Sigur Ros, and Trevor Dunn.

Inspired by people-watching, Shawn Hove’s “at 4th and Pine” examines the human condition in the new realities of the 21st century. This “urban chic” work, performed by a large cast, features music by Wim Mertins, and portrays a world of beauty and pathos. Hove is a lecturer and holds an MFA from the OSU in choreography and dance technology.

Ric Petry, media artist, Dean at CCAD, screens a videodance in which Susan VP Petry, Chair of OSU Dance, moves in unexpected orientations.
Audiences are served treats from Columbus bakeries before, during, and after the performances. Casual conversations between dances give audience members various ways to see, enjoy, and understand the work.